Category Archives: town hall

Bye,Bye Brian..beaten by braveheart Barnet bloggers

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Brian Coleman: Thrown out by voters in Barnet

The emphatic defeat of Brian Coleman in the London Assembly elections – a larger than life bully in true blue Barnet – was one of the defining features of the London Assembly elections.

 He was knocked out of the seat by Labour comeback kid, Andrew Dismore,  an “awkward squad” former MP for Hendon, whose campaigning skills and determination when he was a MP was  well-known in Parliament. So he shouldn’t have been surprised that Dismore would pursue every voter.

Victor Andrew Dismore: Former awkward squad MP

But there is no question in my mind  why 2012 was so different to 2008 for Brian Coleman –  apart from the political climate that favoured Labour last night but also saw Dismore perform far better than Livingstone.

Coleman had a unique skill to anger  nearly every group in the borough  – whether the small shopkeeper, the motorist,home owners (over parking),the local firefighter, the trade unions, struggling single parents, religious groups, journalists, – and when there was a chance to throw him out they could hardly wait to do so.

But he had relied on a cash strapped local press to bully his way often unreported and rarely held to account by his local Tory group, who seemed to live in ” shock and awe” of whatever he said next.

But the difference between 2012 and 2008 is that he couldn’t get away with it so easily – because of the rise of the blogosphere. Five local bloggers including a larger-than-life figure blogging as Mrs Angry;a guy with a head for figures – Mr Mustard; John Baldy and the Barnet Eye  and Barnet Bugle took him on – and wouldn’t let him get away with it. I should also add – Mr Mustard has reminded me -Mr Reasonable and Vicki Morris.

 He also faced a pretty lively campaign from the Fire Brigades Union – both in Barnet and across London – because of his passion for privatisation which got him far too closely connected to AssetCo, the near bust and badly run owner of London’s fire engines.

 In my view – though this  can’t be scientifically proven – the coverage of the blogosphere changed hearts , minds and eventually votes  in Barnet. They were read by large numbers of people (the one I did as an armchair audit on his expenses,home, and allowances, attracted well over 3000 hits)

Coleman himself was a large dinosaur when it came to the net – he needed young Tories and officials to tell him how to operate a computer – so he didn’t realise what was coming.

Coleman is one of the first councillors  to be thrown out following bad coverage on the net. The very ” armchair auditors” that David Cameron and Eric Pickles are keen to promote – came out and devoured their protegé on the London Assembly. Grant Shapps, the computer savvy local government minister, should be proud to see people held to account in this new way.

If the Tories believe in real democracy the one decision Boris Johnson should take is not to use his power to re-instate Coleman as an appointed councillor in any way to the London Assembly. The people of Barnet and Camden have spoken.

Coleman’s last stand in a sweet shop

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Yet more extraordinary scenes involving Brian Coleman are reported by the Barnet Press (http://ow.ly/aCVrT) – caught on CCTV haranging a sweet shop owner over the local council’s controversial parking scheme. Mr Coleman went down a parade of shops demanding posters were removed.

Reporter Daniel O’Brien’s story out yesterday says”:Anna Constantiou, who owns Rapunzel hair salon, in High Street, Barnet, said she was shocked when Mr Coleman came into her store demanding she remove a poster with the message “Sack Brian.”

“He said, ‘I want you to take it down right now. I find it offensive,’” said Mrs Constantiou. “I said it’s my opinion and I don’t agree with your parking restrictions. I can’t afford to park near here.”

However, she said she felt she had no choice but to take it down the poster.

“He was going mad and shouting,” she said. “He was right in my face and wouldn’t leave when I asked him. He was intimidating.”

Michael Kentish, owner of sweet shop Hopscotch also received a visit from Mr Coleman.

Mr Kentish said he had put up the political posters, as he believes the “rushed” removal of parking meters from car parks had had a dramatic effect on high street footfall. ”

His CCTV caught the scenes.

Frankly after all the rows over his huge expenses and free gifts, the botched privatisation of London fire brigade, attacking single parents, you would think a Tory seeking  re-election would not start a row with local shopkeepers- core Tory voters. You’d also think that making parking really difficult would not endear him to Barnet Tories either.

 Does he really want to be sacked by the electors of Camden and Barnet tomorrow? Perhaps I have missed his secret agenda- he wants a life outside politics. Mr Coleman has refused to comment to the press.

 

Scandal of John Shannon and Brian Coleman: Unacceptable faces of capitalism and politics

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John Shannon: dismissed by his own firm

This blog has followed  relentlessly the unfolding drama of  AssetCo, the company in charge of London and (until last week) Lincolnshire’s fire engines, which nearly went bankrupt last year and had its shares suspended until recently on the stock exchange.

But nothing can compare with the latest revelations in a dry annual report on the AssetCo website (link for anoraks who want the lot is  http://bit.ly/HVeFEN ). This much delayed report for an 18 month period – it had to be produced to allow its shares to be retraded- tells the real story behind the company’s near collapse which saw its share price drop from 60p to junk stock 1.75p. It has now emerged that dividend payments may have been unlawful, the company has been seriously ripped off by its former chief executive and the accounts were false for both 2009 and 2010.

 Revenue had been overstated by a massive £18.6m and a claimed operating profit of £17.4m was actually an operating loss of £11.4m.

But the company still owes banks a massive £43m – despite creditors taking a 78 per cent hit and its auditors, Grant Thornton  (also owed most of their fees) resigning.Even the restated figures cannot be guaranteed and PriceWaterhouseCoopers,who independently audited the firm, have qualified these accounts. Grant Thornton incidently missed all this -just as they did over MetPro-Barnet’s bust private security firm-bankrolled by Barnet Council.

As the company itself says:”errors include the effects of mathematical mistakes, mistakes in applying accounting policies,oversights or misinterpretations of facts, and fraud.”.

Worse it is quite clear that the only major source of money for the firm in Britain is the council taxpayer in London which is keeping  it afloat to the tune of £3om a year. Even here banks are going to have  to give another bail out and Lloyds have a massive interest because they currently own the London fire engine that comes out on call.

 This is where the scandal of Brian Coleman, the Tory chair of the London Fire Brigade, and John Shannon its former chief executive come in.

Coleman was entertained at least four times by Shannon and accepted an expensive Christmas hamper from Harvey Nicks (see the armchair audit of Brian Coleman in previous blog) and has been AssetCo’s cheer leader.

Now it is clear from this report that Shannon was dismissed by the board of AssetCo because of this financial shenanigans.

I quote: “The new board have been informed that under the stewardship of Mr. Shannon and Mr. Flynn there was a lack of transparent reporting, requests for information were ignored, and related party transactions were entered into without full board approval. The new board cannot be certain that all issues have been captured.

Mr Shannon was dismissed as an employee for breaches of fiduciary duty and whilst the company has not carried out a full investigation, as previously announced in May 2011 in connection with the claims against the Company by Messrs Shannon & Flynn in support of the winding up petition, it identified counter claims against John Shannon of £4.6 m and also counter claims for breach of fiduciary duty of £3.4m against Frank Flynn.

Frank Flynn was the chief financial officer and a mate of John Shannon.

The report reveals that Shannon and Flynn also shared the bulk of a £847,000 pay out in dividends that are probably illegal. And Shannon before he was dismissed managed to up his salary and benefits to a staggering £492,000 and Flynn got an unapproved £30,000 redundancy payment.

Even worse they appears to a dodgy property loan amounting to £1.5m to Shannon. This involved a property company called Jaras.

 The report says: “In respect of the ‘Jaras’ transaction, AssetCo have reviewed internal communications between the date in December 2009 when the £1,500,000 was first paid, and finalisation of the 2010 audited accounts,the management and statutory accounts for the business occupying the property and concluded that:

a) on an arms length basis it would be difficult to substantiate effectively paying six years rent in advance in respect of the property,

b) the payment was originally classified as a Directors’ Loan and was subsequently reclassified as

prepaid rent in order to satisfy audit disclosure requirements, and

c) the business occupying the property is now in Liquidation. ”

It adds: “there is sufficient doubt that either Jaras (where a Receiver has been appointed) or John Shannon will repay the amount.”

The report also reveals that London AssetCo which has assets of the London fire brigade has been moved to another off the shelf company and the firm’s  Middle Eastern operations (see another blog they are servicing the military in the United Arab Emirates)  are now based in a Bermuda tax haven, to keep them secure from any other collapse in Britain. Wise move, as Lincolnshire have sacked AssetCo.

Brian Coleman: AssetCo cheer leader and entertained by John Shannon

The real scandal in this story is that this woefully badly run company has been kept afloat by politicians in London. Coleman and Gareth Bacon should shoulder this blame -with their blind belief that privatisation is the only answer.

 But Coleman is more culpable because of his personal  links with Shannon and acceptance of gifts from a man  now dismissed from the firm. Shannon may get away with all this but you do have a choice next month to make sure that Coleman never darkens the London fire brigade again.

Removal  would be a service to  Londoners  and you have a vote at the Greater London Assembly elections in Barnet and Camden.

Thomas Hardy: Kept far from the madding crowd

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Thomas Hardy: An A list celeb neglected by the National Trust: Pic caption courtesy victorianweb.org

In a year when Britain celebrates Charles Dickens 200th birthday another great British author,Thomas Hardy, is suffering outrageous neglect by one of the great guardians of our heritage, the National Trust.

The author’s birthplace in Higher Brockhampton, just outside Dorchester and his rather grander home, Max Gate, where he died in 1928, on the  outskirts of Dorchester, are both owned by the National Trust.

You could however be forgiven if you knew nothing about both the humble cottage and the grand home of the author of Far From the Madding Crowd. For the new National Trust 2012 guide gives just a short mention of the birthplace and  is positively misleading about the bigger home  Hardy, also a qualified architect, designed himself.

 Readers  searching for the opening times for the birthplace cottage  can find them  in the guide-Wednesday to Sundays 11-5  but don’t  go looking for when to visit Max Gate- you are told to ring the trust’s West Dorset Office  instead.

What the guide doesn’t tell you  is that Max Gate is open exactly the same times as his birthplace – but the NT couldn’t get its act together in time to tell anybody this year.

Max Gate: Hardy's hard to find home

All this is compounded by a daft decision by the Highways Agency  responsible for erecting tourist signs  giving people directions to both places. These brown signs are meant to direct people to places of interest – and most National Trust properties get one.

But not Mr Thomas Hardy. The two homes  are both  just off the busy A35 on  its approach to Dorchester and on the Dorchester by-pass and managed by the Highway Agency. But look for sign on the A 35 in vain. There are none.

And the irony is in the case of Max Gate millions of motorists pass within 100 yards of the property totally oblivious of  its existence.

But as the Highways Agency says on its website: ”

All authorities limit the number of signs allowed. This is for road safety reasons, as too many signs can be confusing and distract drivers, and for environmental reasons – too many signs could harm the countryside or street scene.”

Of course this could be remedied by Dorset County Council -in charge of tourism and signage off the major highways – but they have done nothing. Not a sign in sight in the centre of Dorchester on how to get  to Max Gate. Indeed there are more directions for dinosaurs and  a Tutankhamen exhibition ( not  part of Dorset’s heritage but I stand to be corrected) than poor neglected Mr Hardy. His study, restored at Dorset County Museum  does get a mention, but unfortunately the opening hours of museum do not coincide with those at the National Trust.

Idyllic but simple birthplace of Thomas Hardy

Hardy is as much part of out literary heritage as Dickens or Jane Austen. In his time he was the equivalent of an A list celeb –  according to the excellent visitor’s book kept at Max Gate – which records visit to his home from Robert Louis Stevenson and composer Gustav Holst. His novels have translated into memorable films, Julie Christie’s performance in Far From the Madding Crowd, being one.

Yet it would appear – despite valiant efforts from enthusiastic volunteers at Max Gate ( predating Cameron’s equivalent of the Big Society) – the powers that be at the National Trust, the Highways Agency and Dorset County Council care little about one of the country’s literary giants.

 Something should be done. I urge people – frustrated like me on the search for Thomas Hardy – to email them in protest at their neglect. The director general of the National Trust is Dame Fiona Reynolds. Her mail is fiona.reynolds@nationaltrust.org.uk . The chairman is Sir Simon Jenkins, journalist and author and can be contacted at simon.jenkins@guardian.co.uk.

The minister responsible for the Highways Agency is Mike Penning. His direct e-mail is mike.penning@dft.gsi.gov.uk  and the chief executive of Dorset County Council is David Jenkins. His e-mail is  d.h.jenkins@dorsetcc.gov.uk .

It is time that this shameful neglect ended. One would have thought Dorset would want to celebrate rather than hide one of its famous sons. It does bring tourist revenue to the county.  And the National Trust might have just a more than passing interest in encouraging more visitors.

Response from Mike Nixon,secretary of the Hardy Society:

 “I hope it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that we at the Hardy Society are very aware and can identify with your frustrations you detail on your blog.
I have myself  been involved with a ‘working group’ for a couple of years under the promising title of ‘Hardy Country’, whose members include the National Trust/West Dorset Disrict Council/Dorset County Council etc etc etc!!
We have discussed on a number of a occasions the lack of ‘brown’ signs and lack of promotion of Max Gate.
In fairness to the NT, their national handbook had to go to the printers very early, apparently before the Max Gate opening times had been agreed regionally.
They have this year (and last year) issued an attractive booklet entitled ‘Discover Hardy Country’, which links in Hardy’s birthplace/Max Gate and T.E.Lawrence’s, Clouds Hill, just up the road near Wareham. This is helpful.
There is now a strong working relationship developing between us here at the Society and the NT,including regular meetings.
What I can’t be so positive about is your accurate comments on the ‘brown sign’ debate. I think I raised this on behalf of the Society 3/4 years ago, so far to no avail! ”

 Response from the National Trust:

Nicola Andrews, Assistant Director, Operations (Dorset and Wiltshire) writes:  “The National Trust firmly believes that Hardy was a novelist and poet of the greatest merit, and we are passionate about finding ways to deliver increased access and public benefit from the Hardy places in our care.  We are committed to improving the experiences at both Hardy’s Cottage and Max Gate. As you noted, we are blessed with having wonderful teams of volunteers and staff who help us achieve this. The teams at Hardy’s and Max Gate are fantastic….

When tenants moved out of Max Gate in late 2010, and in line with our desire to increase access, we took the decision to trial opening the full building to the public rather than re-letting it. This was a challenge because we do not own the original contents, were faced with an empty house to interpret, and the loss of rental income. We are realistic in our ambition for Max Gate. It will never be a big visitor attraction because of its location in a quiet residential area.  That said, our aim is to make it a fantastic experience for all those who do visit.  After a year’s trial, we took the decision to continue opening the full building and through the support of generous benefactors and supporters we are slowly furnishing the house and bringing it back to life as it might have been when Hardy himself was there.  

At Hardy’s Cottage, we are working with Dorset County Council and other partners on a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project to significantly improve visitor facilities and interpretation on site. We hope this bid will be successful, but in the meantime we have recently represented the interior of the cottage drawing out the stories of Hardy’s time there much more clearly. You did not mention your thoughts on the interiors in your blog, but we hope you found the presentation a significant improvement on your previous visit. Our vision is to enable people to experience both the Cottage and Max Gate as they might have been when Hardy and his family lived there: to enable people to sit by the fire with a cup of tea as Hardy and his family would have done; to bring to life his poems and novels encouraging people to immerse themselves in them in his studies and other writing spaces. 

We are also committed to the partnership which is developing and promoting the broader Hardy offer in Dorset, as outlined by Mike Nixon in his response to you. I am sorry you found it difficult to find Hardy’s Cottage and Max Gate.  Signage from the A35 is outside our control but has been a frequent point of discussion between ourselves, the Council and the Highways Agency. We agree that from a visitor’s perspective, and to help us enable as many people as possible to enjoy the Hardy legacy, good signs from the A35 would be invaluable and we would very much like a trial of this. 

We are conscious, however, that there is a delicate balance to be struck when introducing such signage.  Both properties are small in size and cannot cope with large numbers of visitors, both are located in quiet residential areas, Max Gate has no car park and Hardy Cottage visitors make use of the small Council car park at the end of the track.  So, whilst we are keen to trial signage from the A35 and would welcome Highways support for that, we also recognise that we will need to monitor the pressure this causes on the sites and to keep it under review. .. I feel it is unfair to say that we don’t care about this literary giant. We do care, and we would encourage people to visit themselves and form their own judgement. ”

Response from the Highways Agency:

Sean Walsh writes :”I’ve looked into the signing for both sites. Although neither is signed from the trunk road, Max Gate House is adjacent to the A35 junction with the A352 (known as Max Gate junction) and has a brown sign just off the A352 on the local road.  Higher Bockhampton, where his birthplace is located, is signed from the A35 at Cuckoo Lane junction and Stinsford roundabout (in both directions), and I understand that there are signs for “Hardy’s Cottage” on the local roads.

I’m pleased that you’ve noted on your blog that the Agency has to limit the number of signs on its network, both in road safety terms as too many signs can cause a distraction/confusion, and because they can detract from the countryside and street scene.  If you’ve not already seen them, the current rules regarding tourism signs are also on our website at http://www.highways.gov.uk/business/32118.aspx .    I’m not aware that the National Trust has applied for brown tourism signs on the trunk road for these two Hardy sites, although under current guidelines it is unlikely that either would meet the criteria for signing. However, the Government’s approach to the provision of brown signs is under review, with the objective of ensuring that signing policy best reflects the needs of both drivers and the tourism industry. It is expected that the review will be completed and revised policy issued later in the year, although I can’t be more specific than that at the present time.   “

Buried in the Budget:Freelance company tax rules ” shake up ” on way

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Almost entirely missed by the press coverage of the Budget this morning, George Osborne, the Chancellor, announced a radical review of  freelance  tax employment rules through what is known as IR 35.

Not mentioned in his speech – the changes were hidden away in the full Budget document. The full story of this change written by Alison Winward  and Frederika Whitehead is on the Exaro news website  at http://www.exaronews.com.

For those worried by the changes to the IR 35 rules   the official Treasury document uses the dreaded word simplification – the same phrase used by the Chancellor to impose a ” Granny Tax ” – a  future loss of  income for 4.5 million pensioners  by freezing tax allowances for most of  those who have  incomes above the state pension. Like pensioners this could affect millions of people.

The full section in the Treasury  reads:

 ” Personal service companies and IR35 –

 The Government will introduce a package of measures to tackle avoidance through the use of personal service companies and to make the IR35 legislation easier to understand for those who are genuinely in business.

This will include: strengthening up specialist compliance teams to tackle avoidance of employment income; simplifying the way IR35 is administered;

and subject to consultation, requiring office holders/controlling persons who are integral to the running of an organisation to have PAYE and NICs deducted at source by the organisation by which they are engaged. (Finance Bill 2013)”

Basically Hmrc are giving a warning that the  wheeze that enabled Student Loans Company chief Ed Lester to hold one official position in Whitehall, will be banned everywhere. It will also effect local government, the NHS and now the private sector, as people won’t be able to claim it as freelance earnings through a  personal services company. They will have to go through PAYE and pay national insurance.

There is at least a year’s grace before this happens – as legislation is planned for next year’s finance bill – and implementation could be delayed until 2014.

In the meantime the small print announces a crackdown from Hmrc on freelances who use this method. The revenge of Danny Alexander, chief secretary of the Treasury, who missed the whole Ed Lester arrangement when he personally approved all high paid Whitehall staff, looks like being rather more widespread than people anticipated.

Cameron’s Nightmare Legacy: Brutalised Britain

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The London Spring - creating the brutalised society that could come to fruition by all out privatisation pursued by people like Brian Coleman

London Spring (click on this link for the full theatre programme and venue)

Image a Britain where everything is privatised and the masses impoverished and brutalised. This is background to my partner in crime and fellow author Francis Beckett’s new play, The London Spring, now on at the Etcetra Theatre in the Oxford Arms,Camden.

Set in a transit lounge at Waterloo Station where wealthy Russian, American, Australian and Chinese tourists arrive in the UK it depicts the arrival of Michael, (Mike Duran) a naive but wealthy US medic, who is totally unaware of what a moral cesspit this country has become.

In a series of literally bruising encounters he learns that the privatised police force has to be regularly bribed to provide him with any protection. His suitcase will be nicked at the earliest opportunity, he will have bribe the competing down and outs just to go to the loo and if he steps out in the street to cross Hungerford Bridge he is likely to be mugged and robbed. His only safe way around London is in a tourist coach where he is carefully shepherded and protected by guides.

The picture is of country welcoming rich tourists and health tourists to see its sights, stay at its posh hotels and get state of the art medical treatment. But they are kept well clear of the locals.The Royal Free hospital in Hampstead ( which can already take 49 per cent private patients under Andrew Lansley’s reforms) is now owned by an American owned insurance company and only treats foreign patients and wealthy Brits.

 The play is also an unrequited if a little improbable love affair between the American and down on her luck British trained doctor, Catherine (Suzanne Kendall). There is a superb performance from down and out revolutionary Trot, Jack (Michael Yale) who is both menacing and  a good ranter. And Danny Kennedy, the security officer is a believable privatised Mr Plod.

 It perhaps no coincidence that Francis lives in the London Borough of  Barnet – or Broken Barnet as prolific and hard hitting blogger Mrs Angry calls it on her site – which is the Tories’ flagship authority for planning to privatise everything. In the real world it has already had a private security force, the now bankrupt MetPro, whose officials took secret photographs of its residents attending a  council meeting approving cuts and has even been accused of driving around in fake police cars. They did not accept bribes though I have known private security officers in Britain accept bribes to allow people to park in private car parks when they can’t find anywhere else to park.

Its leading figure Brian Coleman, who harangues single mums, doesn’t believe in anyone else’s human rights and is on record in saying there is nothing that can’t be privatised, might be quite at home in this new brutal Britain. 

The play ends with a demonstration growing across London as tens of thousands gather in Trafalgar Square knowing the authorities ( no doubt  with Mr Coleman as chair of the privatised emergency services for the capital) will shoot demonstrators.

 Fanciful you might think, but the play is running in a week when on  BBC Newsnight Lord Lawson is calling for the retirement age to be raised to 80 and the right-wing Institute of Economic Affairs wants the old age pension to be phased out and people forced to save from their meagre wages or starve.

 Go, see this while it is on this weekend and next week. Perhaps Francis should invite Brian Coleman to see the nightmare results if his wet Tory dream goes wrong.

Update: Whitehall tax avoidance – more evidence on the way

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Since this blog  revealing the Exaro News (http://www.exaronews.com) and BBC Newsnight investigation into the tax arrangement ministers approved for  Ed Lester, chief executive of the Student Loans Company, I have received a number of calls and e-mails suggesting this practice is more widespread than  just Whitehall. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, has rightly ordered a Whitehall wide review to find out the scale of the arrangements, which he appears to have unwittingly endorsed. It looks like Mr Lester  will have to pay tax in the way everybody does when they hold down a full-time equivalent job – through PAYE.

Some 2500 people has so far viewed this blog on top of millions who would have seen it on TV, on the radio  and read it  in newspapers from the The Guardian to the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail.

 I am now gathering more information to continue this investigation and would like to thank a number of people who have already contacted me. However if you know of a similar practice where you work  you can contact me direct on my e-mail david.hencke@gmail.com. All information will be treated in confidence and all sources – like the original tip-off – that led to the exposure – will be protected under the journalist’s code of practice.

Also if you know of consultancy firms  who make big charges for supplying these people  to the government and the public sector and then help them arrange how to avoid paying their full tax, let me know. Their fees are coming out of your taxes.

 Help stamp out people ripping you off by using your taxes from your hard-earned cash – by avoiding pay their fair share of tax – and stop HM Revenue and Customs having one rule for the workers and kid glove treatment for those with the money to exploit every loophole possible.

Brian Coleman: “Human Rights-My Backside!”

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Brian Coleman - no to human rights

Tory councillor Brian Coleman – standing for election again this May as London Assembly Conservative member for Barnet and Camden – is at it again!

 In an interview for a foreign TV station he is making it clear again that he wants stringent controls over everybody who blogs on the internet – after the failed ” complaint” by his local council Barnet to try and get local blogger Derek Dishman fined and registered under the Data Protection Act for publishing public details about the views of Barnet officials on their own websites. If successful Barnet would have prevented bloggers writing anything about anyone except their own family and housemates -without being licenced by the DPA.

In an extraordinary interview – see www.youtube.com/watchv=0uuj1il43xg&feature=youtu.be  the councillor demands censorship and libel action against bloggers- and evidently beleives they don’t have right to criticise him or anyone else without bweing taken to court.

 What is worse it appears after this youtube except was put up on the website t00manycuts.blogspot.com  followed a comment on Twitter Mr Coleman successfully moved to have the authors removed from their Twitter account. I don’t quite know what  the tweet said but it was not flattering and it may to do with the fact that he is living a subsidised Methodist housing charity flat while claiming £128,000 a year council allowances from four authorities and organisations.

Coleman has never responded to the accusations – but always been happy to condemn poorer people who complain about rising rents.

 Curious to know what David Cameron, Grant Shapps ( the local government minister) and Boris Johnson might think of his views on human rights and the internet. But if you are planning to vote for him, he is obviously standing on a platform of removing human rights from all Barnet and Camden citizens. Great platform for a democracy!

 Let him know  your views on this> he is contactable on

toomanycuts.blogspot.com

More Revelations after Christmas

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A seasonal Xmas Picture: courtesy http;//email-junk.com/wallpaper

It is time for a Christmas break. Thanks to all followers  and viewers who have read this blog over the past year.

Normal service will resume after Christmas with fresh investigations in the pipeline  including one on a leading Labour councillor. There may also be further revelations about the life  and wealth of Francis Maude as the government in the season of good cheer ratchets up its campaign to increase pension contributions from teachers, civil servants, firefighters,probation officers, health workers and local government staff while cutting their benefits.

Francis Maude is  the first national figure subject to an armchair audit on this blog – part of the open society which he and David Cameron say they are keen to promote.

Also expect some suprising and fascinating revelations about Whitehall.

In the meantime have a good festive break while you can afford it.