Forum Topic

Are all Councillors Bonking mad?

There are lots of things that convince me that they are all mad but surely the daftest and most stupidest thing that I have heard is that Acton Town Hall is no longer going to be called that but some stupid idiotic mouthful that even I can't remember.If I am wrong, then please correct me but if this is surely the case, then next time the councillors come knocking on your door asking for your votes or start using this forum to advertise themselves, then give them a mouthful or somthing from your backside.BTW, I am on the 3rd redbull now!!)

Rhys Smith ● 4382d31 Comments

Hi Tom et al. I'm certainly not standing as a councillor in Perivale for the money. £9,000 in allowances p.a. - you have to to be kidding!! With my legal qualifications I would easily find something much more financially rewarding as a second job! I'm standing because I want to stand up for Perivale, and stop letting the political parties walk all over it.  But then as an independent, I'm not part of the political elite.Best wishes, Alex

Alex Nieora ● 4373d

I have just noticed that my ward councillors advertise one surgery a week on the noticeboard outside Northfields library. On further inspection I discover that this is common for most councillors across all parties. Therefore, to fulfill the role of "Couoncillor" and get paid you seem to need to do a one-hour-a-week face-to-face surgery and attend some minimum number of Coouncil meetings. As I am enjoying my Sunday lunch I am not daring to look up what this minimum attendance is, however, I am sure that it would make my lunch sit uneasily. On top of this a pension.Admittedly I am being harsh on my particular ward councillors who admittedly do much much more, however, it does seem to have become a sinecure for some, especially as they are allowed to have a full-time job or run a business(es) while they are a councillor.

Peter Mcleod ● 4378d

So will everyone else Mr Tan! Dare we ask what the Acton Swimming Baths are to the called?

Peter Mcleod ● 4378d

Why anyone would get excited about the name of a building is a mystery to me. Talk about first-world problems!

Susan Kelly ● 4378d

Can someone here tell us the name of this officer?Then we can name and shame them on this forum.Could this officer perhaps have links (romantic) with a councillor perhaps?Time for some investigation and for the council to be forced to change the name back to 'Acton Town Hall'.

Rhys Smith ● 4379d

I will always refer to Acton Town Hall as Acton Town Hall. Not anything else.

Gerry Tan ● 4379d

Might one enquire as to which council officer? Perhaps a freedom of information request is in order here?

Peter Mcleod ● 4379d

Much more worrying than all the posts above is that the decision to change the name of Acton Town Hall was not made by the council or by a councillor but was made by an officer. An officer! Yes Minister! For £100,000. Now for me that is worrying. Be afraid be very afraid.

Arthur Breens ● 4379d

May I just say that by mentioning the ruling elite's favourite subject and also by not bothering to comment on the latest contribution to the question posed in your own thread, you display the most desirable qualities for an aspiring future politician, Rhys !! ;-)

Tom Carroll ● 4380d

That was the wonderful Luke Kirton for whom I campaigned for the ABeeC party. He stood on a ticket to keep a stadium in Brentford which, at the time, Hounslow Council were reluctant to support. He actually was more than a one trick pony and for his term on council was a very good community councillor.

Nigel Brooks ● 4380d

It helps if you have some peg to hang it on like the bloke in Brentford ward who got elected on something to do with the football club.

Susan Kelly ● 4380d

Thanks Nigel.I will put the word round my neighbourhood and see what sort of interest I get.

Rhys Smith ● 4380d

Anyone can apply Rhys. You just need to get 10 'good men and true' to support your nomination and then convince enough of the local electorate to vote you in.

Nigel Brooks ● 4380d

I hadn't realised they get paid so much. No wonder they are in the job and a hefty pension.How can I apply?If I get elected, there will be no madness, believe me.

Rhys Smith ● 4380d

Yes, they definitely appear to be mad.Case in point are some members of the Ealing Licensing Committee, who have just granted yet another off-license to sell alcohol in one the borough's designated Controlled Drinking Zones, completely ignoring valid grounds for objection submitted by local residents.To send out a party political leaflet stating that their "administration will work more closely with the Police to enforce the Borough-wide Controlled Drinking Zone" two days before this decision, and then to have totally ignored the objections of 60 residents at the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting and blindly accepted the application for an 11th premises licensed to sell alcohol on a parade of about 40 shops in a Controlled Drinking Zone with major crime and policing problems directly linked to street drinking, is not only mad but also completely indefensible.

Tom Carroll ● 4380d

There's a lot of disillusion with local politicians, just as there is with national ones. The difference is that independents can get elected to the council if they're prepared to put the work in. People who are really unhappy with what the Council does should try that route.

Susan Kelly ● 4380d

P.S. Don't forget they get a non-contributory gold-plated pension. A long-term safe Conservative or Labour seat gets you a good pension if sit in it long enough. The approach their is not to get involved in anything and hide for years.

Peter Mcleod ● 4380d

Peter & Nigel, you are right on the money.Unfortunately, so are many of our Councillors.

Rosco White ● 4380d

Would that they did sit for three times a week (more like one) engaging with those who represent them.Every councillor can draw an 'allowance' (a payment from you and me through our Council Tax) of over £9600 per year whether or not they attend a single meeting.There are additional payments for 'responsibilities' which can swiftly mount up. As a result of which, and this is in the public domain, Julian Bell drew an allowance of £41,400 (almost £800 per week) to 'serve' the people of Ealing.In total the allowances paid in 2012/13 was over £958,000.Hardly the altruistic principals upon which such service was based is it?

Nigel Brooks ● 4380d

The problem of putting oneself forward for this difficult chore of sitting in a room three times a week for a couple of hours and listening to some complaints combined with a attending of a bare minimum number of council/committee meetings to remain a councllor and the pension that you get at the end of it (as some of our less-dedicated civic representatives do) is that you have to be member of a political party to get anywhere and there is drowning sailor approach to progression in that shark tank. Many councillors use this role as a waiting line/progression step to national politics (viz Julian Bell) and so do not have the representation of their constituents as their primary goal, instead they seek to gratify the wishes of those higher them them in the party (viz the local MP) as a step up the political ladder that might give them the chance of one day having a non-executive directorship of a big bank!The trick is to work out which councillors are a)trying to serve the local electorate, b) trying to benefit from being a local councillor to gain local advantages, c) gunning for national politics.Anyway, that is what I think.

Peter Mcleod ● 4380d

Quite right, Gerry. The people who complain loudest are the ones who wouldn't dream of putting themselves forward for this dreary chore.

Susan Kelly ● 4380d

Generally, I think our councillors do a good job - why the constant criticism of what is a difficult, weary but essential job?

Gerry Tan ● 4380d

The word "to bonk" on its own requires two people, the phrase "bonking mad" often refers to a state of mind involving excessive self gratification involving one person. Boris Johnson, has expanded this to excess involving two people:).

Peter Mcleod ● 4381d

Do you really mean "bonk"?? Definition of this word is apparently    1 [with object] Hit (someone or something): he bonked his head on the plane’s low bulkhead    2 [no object] British Have sexual intercourse: the young couple bonking upstairs [with object]: Juan was forcibly ejected for bonking his host’s wife at a party so am not sure this is the sense you wished to convey

Rupa Huq ● 4381d

Having said that corrupt ones worry me more, the mad councillors still worry me.

Peter Mcleod ● 4381d

You probably have to be mad to want to do this job and take the endless flak.

Susan Kelly ● 4382d

No they are not all mad. Like society as a whole there is a broad spectrum of people. Corrupt ones worry me much more.

Peter Mcleod ● 4382d

Ha ha!

Gerry Tan ● 4382d

I don't think a councillor's sexual appetite is any of your business Rhys.

Keith Iddon ● 4382d

It's barking,I'm nearly sure he means barking mad.

Tony Wood ● 4382d

Not anything worth stressing about.

Susan Kelly ● 4382d