On The Doorstep
Posted by John Ward on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 14:40

By Councillor John Ward

This is a tricky issue for those of us who genuinely want to find out what people’s wishes are, their opinions, and (around election times in particular) their voting intentions if they are prepared to disclose this. Incidentally, that last is actually quite useful as far as the one questioned is concerned, but that is a lengthy discussion, so is for another time, I think.

Being pestered on one’s own doorstep, or in the street, is something about which many of us feel uncomfortable. So much “cold calling” and similar still goes on in this way, especially as other forms of cold calling have (rightly) been outlawed, such as by telephone, fax or email. Obviously, this was done for very good reasons: it wasn’t a spurious reaction, but in the interests of consumer protection.

Not that the legislation stops them: they merely ring, fax or email from abroad instead. Obviously, any outfit going to such lengths to flout our British laws has to be dodgy, by definition — and that leads me onto my subject for today.

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Damping Down
Posted by John Ward on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 23:46

By Councillor John Ward

A small group of friends go out for a meal at the local Macdonalds (or similar). On checking the money they have hey find there isn’t enough for them all to have (say) a burger, fries and a cup of tea or coffee. So, they pick on the least liked member of the group and say “Sorry, you’re having just the burger — no fries, no drink — so that the rest of us can have ours.”

That’s what the Government wheeze called “floor damping” means to Medway Council and Medway residents: several million pounds taken away after an already poor financial settlement, for no proper reason.

In the case of our group of friends, the correct approach is of course obvious: all to have their burgers and fries, and make a brew-up when they get home. It’s what I’d have done!

Instead, central Government chooses to take millions away from Medway every year, starting two years ago. Worse than ever, today’s published setllement shows that the level of floor damping for the next financial year (2008-2009) has been increased by an additional three-quarters of a million pounds! It will be no less than £5,369,000 top-sliced off our funding, with no possible justification whatsoever.

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Twydall has no deprivation
Posted by John Ward on Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 07:38

By Councillor John Ward

It’s official — from Medway’s Labour Group. There is no deprivation in Medway, and that of course includes Twydall. Well, that’s news to me!

It was at last Thursday’s meeting of the full Medway Council that this year’s budget situation was raised, and official figures quoted showing how Medway received so much less per head of population than other areas of the country (which is how Government funding of Local Authorities is decided — the infamous “Barnett Formula”) that we are tens of millions of pounds underfunded every year.

Figures quoted from official Government sources showed that, if Medway were dealt with on the same basis as these other (generally northern Labour) councils, it would make a difference of up to £60 million more coming here every year.

As I said at the Council meeting: I hadn’t realised just how vast the gap was, and it was no wonder that we were now struggling so hard against these more-or-less impossible odds.

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Every day would be the first day of Spring…
Posted by John Ward on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 13:51

By Councillor John Ward

So sang Sir Harry Secombe in “If I Ruled The World”.

Well, although I have no wish to rule the world, or even to become an MP (I leave that to those better equipped for the task, such as our own Rehman Chishti!), I am not immune to having pipe dreams about what I would do if I were ever placed in such a position. Probably most of us have had similar thoughts from time to time.

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Beware the plausible
Posted by John Ward on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 23:06

By Councillor John Ward

How many times have we all been taken in by the most reasonable of voices, the most charming of people, and the most disarming of spiels?

Yes, I perceive hands going up all over the place as people read this!

We’ve all had it done to us, and usually many times. It is really disheartening to know that so much of what is soft-sold to us, whether a product, service, religious cult or political ideology, is in fact nothing like that in reality.

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