I made a mistake, I asked you to sign a petition, which 615 of you signed, thanks, even though you were described last night by a Labour Cllr as being possibly from Timbuktu or Honolulu!
It asked to consider the Committee system as an option to explore in any future referendum
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It asked to consider the Committee system as an option to explore in any future referendum
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https://twitter.com/ELAdvertiser/status/1329176280714121216
In the vote last night lots of Labour Councillors said in their comments while voting
"For the people to decide 2021"
What they meant was for the people to decide from only 2 options which the Labour party had picked for them & where some fundamental issues remain unresolved
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"For the people to decide 2021"
What they meant was for the people to decide from only 2 options which the Labour party had picked for them & where some fundamental issues remain unresolved
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Attempts to do this properly where ignored last night
That more people, 615 had signed the petition to consider the Committee system, then had signed the Labour group petition 504 people, was why a Labour Cllr had to attack the signatories as not local
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That more people, 615 had signed the petition to consider the Committee system, then had signed the Labour group petition 504 people, was why a Labour Cllr had to attack the signatories as not local
https://twitter.com/Andrewwood17/status/1329114692841840640?s=20
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But I realised last night the Committee system could not work in TH & the reasons why say a lot about Tower Hamlets politics
I had assumed that because there are many competent & capable Labour Councillors in TH that each committee could be effective & work
But I was wrong
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I had assumed that because there are many competent & capable Labour Councillors in TH that each committee could be effective & work
But I was wrong
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The political culture of the Labour party also counts & this was my mistake
Labour Cllrs seemed happy last night with a process where:
a. No public debate in advance - they refused to attend the TV One UK debate Tuesday night leaving to me & Ohid Ahmed + the @DaveHill debate
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Labour Cllrs seemed happy last night with a process where:
a. No public debate in advance - they refused to attend the TV One UK debate Tuesday night leaving to me & Ohid Ahmed + the @DaveHill debate
5/
b. The debate started with a petition presented by a person who we believe is married to a TH Labour Cllr & who self-describes themselves as a Labour party politician (not declared)
Then no opposition member was allowed by the Labour speaker to ask questions of the petitioner
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Then no opposition member was allowed by the Labour speaker to ask questions of the petitioner
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c. A week ago I asked Council officers what happens to the Mayor if a different model is voted on in May 2021?
I only found out yesterday at 3pm that the Local Government Act 2000 9L(6) states that the Mayor would stay for another year to May 2022
Not in the Council report!
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I only found out yesterday at 3pm that the Local Government Act 2000 9L(6) states that the Mayor would stay for another year to May 2022
Not in the Council report!
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d. Last night was a mess, there was no motion from the Labour group & straight after the petitioners presented normally the Mayor responds but the Speaker went straight to me to start speaking, which the Mayor understandably was not happy with as made a mess of the process
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e. Clear they had been whipped to all support the 2 referendum choices & this is why the Committee system cannot work here
I believe some Cllrs had supported looking at the C'tee structure from comments on Facebook, but none made that argument last night, why?
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I believe some Cllrs had supported looking at the C'tee structure from comments on Facebook, but none made that argument last night, why?
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If the major decisions can only be made in secret Labour group meetings it makes a mockery of a more open and transparent system where major decisions are made in public by an expert group of Cllrs in dedicated C'tees looking in detail how each Council area is working & change
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Most Labour Cllrs seemed happy last night with a process very different from most other local authorities which have made these decisions more transparently & slowly, read
cfgs.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
and which just repeats the same choice as ten years ago & not try something new
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cfgs.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
and which just repeats the same choice as ten years ago & not try something new
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But there are a lot of unresolved issues & no agreed process to resolve them before the referendum
For example, is the leader in a Leader & Cabinet system elected annually or every 4 years? that is something that would be good to know before a referendum
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For example, is the leader in a Leader & Cabinet system elected annually or every 4 years? that is something that would be good to know before a referendum
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Their satisfaction with such a secretive, rushed, repeat of 2010, lacking in transparency made me realise that without a change in political culture in TH the Committee system could not work effectively
Labour probably knows this, which is why they did not want it as an option
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Labour probably knows this, which is why they did not want it as an option
12
What next?, legally not allowed to submit a public petition to challenge this due to COVID, maybe one reason why Labour are doing this now?
But I think they will come to regret not looking harder at hybrid options which keep the leader but give Cllrs in C'tee more power
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But I think they will come to regret not looking harder at hybrid options which keep the leader but give Cllrs in C'tee more power
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But most Labour Cllrs did indicate they would campaign for the Leader & Cabinet model, many seemed to suggest did not like Mayoral model +
Lutfur Rahman has to win the campaign to keep the Mayoral system to have any chance of returning to power in May 2022
What a mess
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Lutfur Rahman has to win the campaign to keep the Mayoral system to have any chance of returning to power in May 2022
What a mess
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