Bexley Council public meeting - Monday 3rd October 2011 - 7.30pm

[The Bald Eagle]

Item 6 of the published agenda (Annual Traffic and Parking Services Report) is what might interest you.

http://democracy.bexley.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1581&MId=26540&Ver=4

Credit where it's due, it's clever how they can extract just the right information to make the whole sham sound reasonable and fair.

If we can get enough to attend I will be bringing the usual banner and there will be another photo op for the press if they turn up. I think Bexley and Craske need a little reminder that they are still being watched.

[peperami gsxr]

Well, i will be there. Would be rude not to

[rs2k]

Next Monday, I shall be there    

[Ewan Hoosami]

Credit where it's due, it's clever how they can extract just the right information to make the whole sham sound reasonable and fair.

I've seen a few of these. You're right, BE, they're very good at dressing up their bullshit. They make a big song and dance about their commitment to road safety opening with a banner discouraging school zig-zag parking. All those hidden $camera cars focusing on bus stops you think you saw might have been mirages brought on by the heat of all your bike gear. Section 2, 'Performance,' was nice reading."*The figures provided include Penalty Charge Notices issued at nil charge value, (Warning Notices.)" That's nice of them, isn't it? See, I told you it wasn't revenue driven. Cases allowed at PATAS; "Not Contested means that additional evidence was presented to the Council after an appeal had already been lodged by a motorist or new evidence has come to light." See, nothing to do with them being 'over the barrel' and offering the discount as a last ditch attempt to fleece the poor motorist. It seems to me that Peter Craske isn't such a bad egg after all.   

[Staps]

Just wait till bonkers has got his teeth into this lot. ..

[Ewan Hoosami]

I emailed him earlier. Turns out he's already got hold of it like a dog with a bone. It's almost as if Craske is deliberately baiting him.

[Bonkers]

I emailed him earlier. Turns out he's already got hold of it like a dog with a bone. It's almost as if Craske is deliberately baiting him.

I only got hold of it because News Shopper Martin asked me if I had a copy of next week's Agenda and when I grabbed a copy found the Parking Report within it. So give Martin the credit. 

We had already been refused a fully detailed copy under FOI. Until last year the Reports were more detailed, that is what we were really after.

I doubt it will be me who gets his teeth into it, there isn't time to do everything on BiB myself, I imagine Nick Dowling will be analysing this one.

[scoop10]

Just had a quick look and they made £2,265,000 from PCN's, but only £530,000 from Parking Charges, yet it costs £1,953,000 to collect all that lovely money.

If they achieved 100% compliance, as they should be aiming for, they would be £1.4 million in the red (but might have saved a couple of lives in the process).

I think I've spotted the reason they hide round corners !!!

And there I was thinking it was all to do with helping little Johnny get to school safely.

[news shopper martin]

can this be moved to bexly please

[peperami gsxr]

Just bumping this up. Meeting outside from 7pm. I know everyone that has said they will be attending, but always room for more 

[Ewan Hoosami]

How did you all get on at the, ahem, public meeting?

       

[peperami gsxr]

All went well, and we was allowed in, and interesting information gained.

Police in attendance, not for us, but to ask someone (Olly)  to leave who the council had banned. Even tho after said person left, the police remained on site.

We left just before the end of the meeting, so not sure if the police left after us, but we did see them at the a petrol station just after.

So, Bonkers, when you left, was the police still in attendance, or had they left. If they had left, then they stayed just for us, how sweet   

[Ewan Hoosami]

Well done in getting in. I was convinced you wouldn't, going on previous experience. It's a shame Olly had to sit on the naughty step. Perhaps he may have inadvertently caused some upset.

              

[Bonkers]

There was no sign of a police presence when I left at 21:55 five minutes after the meeting drew to an end.

Is it true there were five cops attending their paymaster's meeting? I only saw the young boy and his minder.

[The Bald Eagle]

Yep, there were five of them including an inspector. The inspector ordered three of them to stay on to keep an eye on us.

They were not happy bunnies when me and Pep saw them at the petrol station later. Seems they thought that standing about for two and a half hours watching law abiding citizens going about their lawful business of scrutinising its servants was a waste of their time. I have to say I entirely agree.

I have to admit that I was tempted to put my mask on whilst in the meeting (I wasn't stopped from taking it OR my crash helmet in, so obviously someone had told them they couldn't stop me even if they wanted to), but decided not to sink to their level.

It was particularly interesting when they came to discuss the parking issues as outlined in the so called annual parking report that was presented to the committee by way of a draft precis, which appeared to only highlight the bits that made the council look good compared to other, carefully chosen councils. Can't wait to see the full report.

Craske and others kept saying something along the lines "But we are the 4th lowest issuer of PCNs in London and I really don't understand why we are attracting so much attention" which I took to mean the attention of the Mob.

Really Mr Craske? You honestly can't understand why the Mob have taken an interest in a council who uses the police force to eject a member of the public from a public meeting simply because he had the audacity to try to film a previous meeting despite Bob Neill MP's (the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State) recommendation to all councils that he should be allowed to do so in the interests of openness and accountability? See:

http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2011/DEP2011-0549.pdf

And you honestly can't understand why the Mob have taken an interest in a council who used the police force as it's own private heavy mob, when a member of the public graciously offered to help you achieve your stated objective of 100% compliance without penalties, but later got a visit from the cops who tried to warn him away from interfering with the council's precious revenue stream?

And you honestly can't understand why the Mob have taken an interest in a council who has now instructed its $car drivers to hide around the corner from bus stops it is enforcing, so that motorists can't see these supposedly visible deterrents?

And you honestly can't understand why the Mob have taken an interest in a council that puts revenue (blood money) before public safety?

So I have a message for Mr Craske and his council in case they are watching.

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