NO ROOM IN PARTY FOR THE GANG OF FOUR

Apr 10 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal
Four rebel Labour councillors who are standing as independents in next month’s unitary elections in Northumberland are said to have been barred from attending a farewell party with their former colleagues.
County councillors Ivan Hayes, David Montgomery, Bill Ashbridge and Paul Kelly have been frozen out of today’s drinks evening at County Hall in Morpeth at which members of the county council’s ruling Labour group will say their goodbyes.
It will be a final get-together for the group before it splits up in the switch to unitary local government next year.
Couns Ashbridge, Hayes, Kelly and Montgomery decided to quit Labour and stand as independents after falling foul of the party drive for more women candidates. Now it has been made clear to them they are not welcome at the party, paid for from a fund all group members have paid into.
Coun Montgomery said: “Ivan Hayes was told the four of us would not be allowed to attend this party and he passed the message on to me. As far as I am concerned, the decision is not down to the group leadership but to certain individuals who don’t want to associate with us. We have been through some hard times as a Labour administration at County Hall and I have made some good friends in the group, so it is sad that it has come to this.
“It would have been nice to have had a drink together and say goodbye, despite what has happened, but we have been prevented from doing that by a petty decision.”
One group loyalist, who asked not to be identified, said: “I don’t know of any official ban, but none of us expects the so-called Gang of Four to attend the party. They have turned their backs on the Labour Party for personal gain and I’m sure some people would walk out tomorrow night if they turned up.”
Coun Hayes, executive member for corporate services, did not attend this week’s executive meeting after being “advised” not to in light of his decision to go independent.
He said: “I suppose this all shows how bitter things have become.”

Go on give it back Jill, Mark, and Steve ??????

Give your bonus to needy, bosses told
Feb 22 2008
by Dave Black, The Journal
BUMPER “golden handcuffs” pay rises to three senior county council officers have been branded scandalous by members of a rural parish council in Northumberland.
Hartburn Parish Council has called on the three officials to hand back their controversial 20% salary increases and donate the money to employ more carers for elderly and disabled people.
County chief executive Mark Henderson, deputy chief executive Jill Dixon and finance director Steven Mason were awarded the retention payments last October to ensure they do not leave to take up new jobs during the transition process to unitary local government in Northumberland next year.
The decision to boost their pay was taken unilaterally under delegated powers by council leader Peter Hillman, without being referred to the ruling Labour group or the full county council for approval.
It has been widely condemned by local MPs, opposition councillors, trade union officials and members of the public at a time when the Prime Minister is calling for tough controls on public sector pay. Now Hartburn Parish Council, which discussed the issue at its recent meeting, says it is united in its condemnation of the pay rises. The three officers were already on performance-related annual salaries of about £150,000, £110,000 and £100,000 respectively.
Parish council chairman Ernie Coe said the decision was “nothing less than scandalous” when police were battling for the Government to honour their 2% pay rise, other public sector workers were having their wages cut and the county council was making £4.7m in budget reductions.
“We feel sure there are county council employees who are perfectly capable of carrying out the work of these three figureheads. No one is indispensable. There is only so much work that one person can do, no matter how much they are paid.
“Perhaps Mark Henderson, Jill Dixon and Steven Mason might regain a certain amount of public respect by donating their pay increases back to the council to fund the posts of three or four full-time carers for the elderly and disabled.”
Coun Coe said parish council members were shocked that Coun Hillman was able to make a decision of such magnitude without the approval of the county council. “We sincerely hope that lessons will be learned and legislation put in place in the formation of the new unitary authority so that errors of judgment such as this can never be made again.”
Coun Hillman said he had used appropriate powers under the council’s constitution to sanction the payments. He said he had decided to approve them for “business critical reasons” to ensure the required knowledge and know-how was in place at the top of the authority during the huge challenge of switching to unitary local government.
“I took this decision in October in order to secure at an early stage the services of these three officers. These are time-limited retention payments, not permanent pay rises.” The payments mean Mr Henderson’s earnings will go up £28,200, Ms Dixon’s £21,099 and Mr Mason’s £18,989 – more than many people’s annual salary.

The Journal Febuary 2008, Labour all women shortlists

Labour in move for all-women shortlists
by Dave Black, The Journal
PROMINENT male councillors could find themselves squeezed out in the battle for seats on Northumberland’s super council because of a controversial Labour Party drive to get more women members on the new, all-purpose authority.
Labour officials in Blyth Valley have agreed to women-only shortlists from which to choose candidates in seven of the constituency’s 17 electoral divisions on the unitary council due to take over next year.
The decision has already helped cast a major doubt over the future of former county council leader Bill Brooks, whose Blyth Newsham ward is one of those affected by the all-women lists.
It emerged yesterday that Coun Brooks – who held the top political post from 2005 to 2007 – has been excluded from the list of potential Labour election candidates for May’s elections, but is appealing against the decision. However, even if his appeal is successful, he would then have to secure a nomination in one of the 10 remaining ‘open’ wards in Blyth Valley if he wants to contest a seat on the new authority.
The same prospect is facing fellow Labour county councillors David Montgomery and Ivan Hayes – whose Hartley and Cramlington West wards have also been earmarked for all-women lists.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Wansbeck, the drive to get more female councillors on board is causing serious friction, with constituency party members and potential election candidates said to be firmly opposed to bringing in all-women shortlists. If the row cannot be resolved, the result could be women candidates imposed on individual Wansbeck wards by regional or national Labour Party officials.
Only five of the 35-strong ruling Labour group on the current county council are women and party officials want to see a greater female involvement in the political decision-making process.
Yesterday Coun Brooks, who has 16 years experience in local government, said: “The situation is that I have been excluded from the list of Labour candidates by my peers, and I am appealing against that. However, even if I win the appeal, it is odds-on that my ward will have an all-women shortlist. I live in Newsham and want to represent the people of Newsham.”
Blyth Valley constituency Labour Party chairman, Dave Stephens, said the general management committee had agreed last weekend to make seven of the 17 local divisions women-only shortlists.
“This has not been an easy process but we have had several meetings about it, thrashed it out thoroughly and agreed that all-women shortlists is the best option to take,” he said.
“I don’t think that anyone is really in favour of all-women lists but we have to take a decision in order to encourage more women into council seats.”
Wansbeck constituency Labour Party chairman, David Nicholson, said he did not want to comment on the issue of all-women shortlists as discussions were still taking place with regional officials.
He said: “The constituency party’s view is that it is for local members to determine who will be their local Labour candidate.
“We want not only the best people, but people who will properly represent their community, whether that is by experience, expertise, gender or any other factor.”

HILLMAN STAND DOWN NOW, AND YOU WISH TO WIN THE ELECTIONS THIS MAY NO CHANCE WITH YOU THERE ??

Ronnie Campbell slams pay hike for county council chiefs
Critical of payments, Ronnie Campbell, MP.

By HELEN SMITHSON
RONNIE Campbell has slammed Northumberland County Council for the controversial 'golden handcuffs' pay rise awarded to three of its top bosses.
Blyth Valley's MP has branded the 20 per cent pay increase given to the senior officials as 'disgraceful' and has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to voice his disgust.County council leader Peter Hillman granted the increases back in October to chief executive Mark Henderson, deputy chief executive Jill Dixon, and finance director Steven Mason to ensure they stay with the authority until it becomes unitary next year.The officials earned around £360,000 between them even before the increase was granted.Mr Campbell told the News Post Leader: "Who do these people think they are?"If Hillman has got that power, then that's very dangerous in local government."He shouldn't have that power, it's very dangerous in the hands of one man."I would urge the authority to take that power away from him."It's disgraceful that everyone else is knuckling under but these executives can pay themselves."In his letter to the PM, Mr Campbell states: "Do you not think if they are entitled to any pay rise that it should be 1.9 per cent like everybody else, or is it a case that the higher up the scale you are, the bigger the rise you are entitled to?"I think it is an absolute disgrace."The news of the increases has also angered residents, coming at a time when the authority is looking to take £4.7m off its budgets, and plans are in the pipeline to increase care charges for the elderly and the disabled.Joe Curran, who lives in Seaton Delaval, e-mailed Coun Hillman for an explanation behind the increase and why he approved the decision."The idea that a single person can dish out this money to three well paid executives when everyone else is being asked to accept a 1.9 per cent increase is nothing short of scandalous," said Mr Curran."Somebody is quite obviously taking benefit of his position and spending ratepayers' money."This decision is going to effect ratepayers in the county, and it's way out of order and totally unacceptable."Why wasn't this
first made public in October when the decision was made?"The extra wages will cost the authority an additional £6,200 per month.County council leader Peter Hillman defended the decision, saying it was vital to keep staff to ensure continuity and a smooth transition into the unitary authority."I'm pleased we have been able to do this to secure posts which are essential to making the re-organisation happen in the best possible way," he said."All organisations going through major change face a challenge in terms of keeping staff, and its common practice to offer incentives for people to stay to make sure that changes happen as smoothly as possible."Losing people in critical posts can not only damage or delay the transition process but is also be very expensive in terms of costs of recruitment to replace people in senior posts, which run into tens of thousands of pounds."

Marks Henderson 20% Pay Rise very nice of the Leader to Nod it through

County council chiefs get 20 per cent pay rise
Chief executive Mark Henderson, one of those to benefit from the deal.


By ANNA SMITH
TOP council bosses have been given a 20 per cent pay rise in a golden handcuffs deal.
The move will cost Northumberland County Council an extra £6,200 every month to keep three senior officials in post.Council leader Peter Hillman granted the payments at a time when the authority is seeking to slash £4.7m from budgets.Chief executive Mark Henderson, who was on around £150,000 a year, deputy chief executive Jill Dixon, who was paid about £110,000 and finance director Steven Mason, who earned around £100,000, have been receiving the extra wages since October.Coun Hillman said he was happy to nod through the salary increases to ensure the officers stay with the authority until it is wound up next year when unitary government takes over."It is completely understandable for staff in times of uncertainty to want more security and to look for other jobs," he said."However, it's in times of change like this that it is also vital to ensure there is continuity in terms of leadership and smooth transition.""I am pleased that we have been able to do this to secure posts which are essential to making the reorganisation happen in the best possible way."The county council will be scrapped along with Northumberland's six districts when a single authority takes over in April 2009.And Coun Hillman says it is important to retain key staff in the meantime to avoid having to pay large wages for temporary workers."All organisations going through major change face a challenge in terms of keeping staff and it's common practice to offer inc
entives for people to stay to make sure that changes happen as effectively and smoothly as possible," he said."Losing people in critical posts can not only damage or delay the transition process, but it is also very expensive in terms of the costs of recruitment to replace people in senior posts, which run into tens of thousands of pounds."The full council will meet next month to set its budget, which will include substantial efficiency savings, including cuts to frontline services.Proposals include increasing care charges for the elderly and disabled and increasing Council Tax by up to 2.5 per cent.A spokeswoman for Blyth Valley Council confirmed that the authority had no plans to set up enhanced salaries for staff in the run up to the unitary take-over."We have not introduced retention payments for any staff and are not in the process of considering this," she said.

The Executive of Northumberland County Council, Photos next ?

Peter Hillman (Leader) Seaton Delaval. Tele 0191 237229

Tony Reid (Deputy Leader) Prudhoe. Tele 01661 834000

Jim Wright ( Ellington) Tele 01670 860955

Bill Brooks (patio man. Blyth) Tele 01670 355123

J Smith ( Ashington) Tele 01670 533789

I Hayes (Cramlington) Tele 01670 736079

Mrs D Luke (Cramlington) Tele 01670 714822

M J Scullion ( Ashington) Tele 01670 851826

CAMBELL SEEKS INQUIRY ON ACADEMY

News Post Leader


By HELEN SMITHSON
BLYTH Valley MP Ronnie Campbell has appealed to the Government for a public inquiry into the controversial plans for an all-age academy in Blyth.
Mr Campbell has written to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, MP Hazel Blears, calling an independent inspection into the proposals and decide whether a public inquiry is necessary.In a letter to the Ms Blears, Mr Campbell raised concerns about Northumberland County Council handling the application, because the authority are in favour of the academy, and it is the county council's planning department that will decide on the proposals.An initial appeal for a public inquiry was rejected, but Mr Campbell has urged the minister to 'think again' about recalling the proposals.He told the News Post Leader: "This is a county council application, and the county council's planning department is going to be deciding on the matter."As far as that authority is concerned, we are going to get an academy whether we like it or not."The council's planning department should
not be deciding on its own plans."I think democracy should come before all else, and this is biased."A Northumberland County Council spokeswoman said: "Northumberland County Council has taken legal advice, and is therefore satisfied that it is the appropriate authority to determine these applications."The Secretary of State has been asked to call in the applications, and has declined to intervene. She has concluded that there is no sufficient reason to justify calling in the application."The County Council's Executive remains confident that this remains a great opportunity for children and young people in Blyth to benefit from multi-million pound new school facilities."The planning and regulation committee earlier this month has deferred a decision on the Ridley application in order that there could be further examination of issues raised by some local residents."

12 SEATS AT RISK AT NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL

There are certain givens in all of this.
Within ‘Follies’ we have done the work on the wards – there are 12 at serious risk of turning to Liberal and one or two Tory.

All that Labour can hope for will be to be returned as the largest group in a NOC Council.
The likelihood is however that the Liberals and Tories will join forces.

Standing on a ticket of ‘ give the people a referendum’ the ‘Torlibs’ as one member called their alliance, cannot fail can they?

Looks whats happened in Cheshire – one council changed hands and the whole review has been stopped in its tracks.

District councillors, furious at the stab in the back from previous comrades will not support the return of those responsible for this debacle – particularly if Labour North bends the rules again.
This is the Labour North who still refuse to sanction a return to the party system with a County Party, preferring to wait and see if the NEC will allow themselves to appoint candidates.

Follies foresees a plethora of Independent Labour Councillors supporting the referendum ticket, we do not wish to see this.
Those few, those very few, who pursue the ideal of One Council have a ‘tiger by the tail’.

My regards to all my comrades.

Isoceles – a new voice for democracy.

Tiger by the Tail

It is some time since that fateful day in July when a corrupt system won over democracy and the Government announced, against the clear and overwhelming views and wishes of the people of Northumberland, that a new single council would be the ‘preferred’ choice or that they were ‘minded’ to go that way.

Follies is not going to ‘have another go’, just yet, at the County Council, but just to give an indication where a handful of Labour Councillors have took the Labour Party.

When Billy’Patio ‘ Brooks shot out of the starting blocks last year to denigrate anything to do with the district councils, everyone applauded him at County Hall.

A lot of Labour councillors thought it would mean a continuation of their council, their lifestyles, their allowances!

This belief we found last weekend, is still prevalent amongst our comrades at County Hall.

How simple can it be – this is a brand new council all there will be is EX County Councillors and EX District Councillors, who will compete for the seats in the NEW authority alongside all other members who are entitled to stand.

It will be impossible to have a DESELECTION as this will be a brand new council.

There are certain givens in all of this.

Sacked council worker wins fight to clear his name

Sacked council worker wins fight to clear his name
Former council leader Bill Brooks.





By HELEN SMITHSON
A NORTHUMBERLAND County Council worker sacked for gross misconduct amid allegations of moonlighting at the council leader's home has emerged victorious in the fight to clear his name.
Highways foreman Nigel Riley was dismissed in 2005 after using his council vehicle to deliver sand to a house in Blyth where his colleague Joe Fletcher was building a new driveway.Unbeknown to both men, the house was the home of then council leader Bill Brooks, whose wife had commissioned Mr Fletcher to carry out the job, not realising that he was a council employee.Coun Brooks discovered the workers' identities when a neighbour showed him a photograph of Mr Riley's van.Both men were sacked after an internal investigation by the authority.But Mr Riley claimed unfair dismissal and took the council to an employment tribunal at Newcastle in June.The authority came under heavy criticism for the way it handled the 250-hour internal investigation, and was accused of protecting Coun Brooks after initially denying investigators the opportunity to question him.At various points through the investigation, Mr Riley was accused of stealing sand, being involved with the contract, fraud, and altering vehicle records.His representative, Robert Gibson, accused the council of "chucking the kitchen sink" at Mr Riley, and described the incident as 'embarrassing' for the authority.He said Mr Riley had been used as a scapegoat to save the council's blushes.But the tribunal panel has now revealed a unanimous decision that Mr Riley had been unfairly dismissed.A county council spokesman said the authority was surprised and disappointed by the judgement and will be lodging an appeal against the decision.He added: "The tribunal did find that Mr Riley assisted in the misuse of a council vehicle, and claimed overtime payment when he was not actually working for the council."The
council believes that this amounts to a serious breach of trust between employer and employee, and we take the view that this is a highly inappropriate way for any member of staff to behave."We completely refute any suggestion that the council was trying to protect Coun Brooks during the investigation."The claimant did not allege, and the tribunal did not find, that Coun Brooks was involved in anything untoward, and our investigation did not show this."Coun Brooks said: "I knew nothing about the identity of this worker and I didn't have any reason to suspect a link to the council."My wife rang him when he was recommended to her."I was in favour of a full investigation and was glad to co-operate fully."The person who reported this did the right thing, and I take what has happened very seriously."The public need to have confidence and trust in public servants."

Worker wins sacking on the Ex leader patio job

Hope you all saw Look North Last night Brooks house on the news and his car we believe

Worker wins sacking row
Sep 14 2007
by Dave Black, The Journal
A HIGHWAYS foreman who was sacked after allegedly moonlighting at the home of Northumberland County Council’s leader has won his claim for unfair dismissal.
Nigel Riley, 47, was dismissed by the authority following an internal investigation, after it was discovered he delivered sand to help a colleague who was building a new driveway at the Blyth home of the then council leader, Bill Brooks.
Now – following a Newcastle hearing in June – an employment tribunal has ruled that Mr Riley, who lives in Cramlington, was unfairly dismissed.
Last night the county council said it would appeal – and rejected any suggestion that it had tried to protect Coun Brooks during its internal investigation.
Mr Riley and his colleague Joe Fletcher, who had been commissioned by Coun Brooks’ wife to build the new driveway, were both sacked for gross misconduct after the affair – which happened in 2005 and involved the use of a council lorry – came to light.
Coun Brooks said he had been completely unaware that county council employees were involved in the job, and the two men did not realise they were working at the home of the council leader.
At the tribunal hearing, Mr Riley’s solicitor, Robert Gibson, claimed internal investigators at the county council had initially been refused permission by executive officers to question Coun Brooks in their 250 hours of investigation.
He said: “The council’s own actions prejudiced their own investigation.”
Mr Riley said he was never told what the investigation was focusing on and said he was simply helping a friend on the way home from work.
He said last night: “I was highly delighted with the decision of the tribunal in unanimously finding that I had been unfairly dismissed.
“I am disappointed with the attitude of Northumberland County Council who seem unwilling to accept this verdict.”
His wife Lynne said: “A lot of questions should be asked about how much this cost. They followed my husband for months.”
Last night a county council spokesman said: “We are surprised and disappointed by the tribunal judgment and are lodging an appeal against this decision. Following a complaint by a member of the public alleging inappropriate use of a council vehicle for non-council purposes, two staff were disciplined and dismissed for gross misconduct. Mr Riley was also accused of breaches of the council’s code of conduct.
“We took this allegation very seriously and launched a full investigation.
“The tribunal did find that Mr Riley assisted in the misuse of a council vehicle, and claimed overtime payment when he was not actually working for the council. The council believes that this amounts to a serious breach of trust between employer and employee, and we take the view that this is a highly inappropriate way for any member of staff to behave.
“We completely refute any suggestion the council was trying to protect Coun Brooks during the investigation.
“A full investigation was carried out and he was interviewed.
“The claimant did not allege, and the tribunal did not find, that Coun Brooks was involved in anything untoward. Neither did our investigation show this.”
Coun Brooks, who has since given up the leader’s post, said: “I knew nothing about the identity of this worker and I didn’t have any reason to suspect a link to the council. My wife rang him when he was recommended to her. I was in favour of a full investigation.
“I was glad to co-operate fully with the internal investigation, which I did. The person who reported this did right. I take what has happened very seriously. The public need to have confidence and trust in public servants.”

We urge County Councillors to call this in

Members not told of late changes to county 's unitary council bid
County council headquarters, County Hall in Morpeth.

By ANNA SMITH
LAST minute changes were made to the bid for a 'New Northumberland' without councillors' approval, it has emerged.
Members were dismayed to learn the proposal for a single unitary authority for the county was altered just days before the final deadline for submissions.And Castle Morpeth Council leader Peter Jackson, who is also a member of Northumberland County Council which put forward the bid, has complained that councillors were kept in the dark about the changes.Read more ...Services may be moved southAssets to be soldNow he has warned the new document could have far-reaching consequences as it outlines plans to sell-off £139m of assets and move some services to Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire."We in the districts consulted widely on our plans for two unitary councils, but unfortunately the county council did not consult widely on the bid for a single unitary," he said."What it did was change the submission fundamentally just a few days before the end of the consultation stage."There was no consultation about these changes because there was no time to do it."They haven't even got the democratic
legitimacy of the county councillors."A county council spokeswoman said the submission was not changed, but further work was added in line with government regulations."Northumberland County Council did not change its submission to a new proposal."As permitted during the Government's consultation phase, further development work was carried out and more information was provided by the council in support of the original proposals."All of the documents are publicly available on our website," she said.The government approved the submission for a single unitary authority for Northumberland in July, agreeing to scrap the existing six district bodies and the county council.However, district authorities in Castle Morpeth, Blyth Valley, Alnwick and Berwick are challenging the legality of the reorganisation, arguing that the Secretary of State had no powers to make the decision.
Last Updated: 06 September 2007 12:07 PM

Well, the very thing that people in Northumberland feared has been announced.

The Government has ignored the public. MPs and councillors in Northumberland and have gone for the single unitary.

The ‘brand new council’ trumpeted by Peter Hillman is about to be forced on the people of Northumberland by one of the most vilified leaderships we have yet to see.

With the submission to the DCLG changed and changed again by Mark Henderson he has committed the council to an elected Leader/ Mayor and an elected Cabinet – against the vote earlier this year by the Labour group and against the document approved by the Council.

But we are talking about Hillman struggling for his very existence.

He must realise by now that he is the most unpopular person in his ward at the moment, not least of which with his own wards party.

Now ‘FOLLYS’ has heard that officers (Jill D?) have been trying to persuade the DCLG to forgo elections next year with a continuing authority, which will keep the ruling group in place until 2009.

A continuing authority scenario does away with the façade of a NEW COUNCIL, with new elections and an elected leader.

Has Peter lied again to the public? Reply to us Peter and we will print your reply!

Peter Hillman goes against his Labour Party in Blyth, the Labour Party in Blyth oppose this academy

The Guardian is not a paper that we in Follys normally subscribe to except on a freebie via the internet, as we do scour all news for our readers edification.

One article on the demise of the Academy proposed for Blyth caused us to choke on our collective coffees and rush out to buy Wednesdays copy to read the education supplement.

We have a planted story from the County with a dire warning from that elder statesman, Peter Hillman. A warning that a two unitary outcome would bring about Armageddon, the collapse of the walls of Jericho.

The basis of this scare. If the people of Northumberland got what they wanted, a two unitary solution to the county councils problems then the Academy would not go ahead which would sound the death knell for any Academy anywhere in Northumberland.

Peter goes on to state that you would have the vision of Labour members stopping Academies!

This is arrogant nonsense from someone who should know better.

As Dave Stephens stated in the article, WE believe they thought there was going to be no right to reply, this one academy is in the wrong place for the wrong reasons and at the wrong time.

Apart from anything else it is Labour party policy in Blyth Valley to oppose this academy.this is policy wrought from a very good debate not attended by Hillman or Brooks.

Marky Hendersons new approach is to bring pressure to bear on Dfes to support the failing single council cause, lest the academy turns turtle.

Now that’s desperate.