Happy New Year! P.S. Dont Worry We Wont Make you Homeless for at least Three Years.

In the Evening Post today a Tory parliamentary candidate says talk to her if you are worried about your old folks home being flogged off by Cutts (See here). However the home in question happens to be close to prime building land, so what price in a few years that the home is suddenly out of date and not fit for purpose and will have to be refurbished at huge un-economic cost, and so goes for housing.

Meanwhile there are other accusations of prime county land being disposed of cheap, which may have future potential for housing. If you are part of Cutts land owning cronies Nottinghamshire could be a good place to be to pick up a bargain in the sales. (We have already reported about the investigation into flogging off the county farms and found a link between a top Tory and some developers see here).

Let those in terrace houses pay for parking but not us

In a piece of classic second-hand car sales double-talk, Councillor Jackson goes for political opportunity. He described a cash-strapped Borough Council's proposal to charge shoppers (after the first hour) for parking as "just a money-making scheme", conveniently forgetting that last November, under directions from Kay Cutts and the planet Vogon he proposed very similar and put a figure on how much money he could make. Jackson's suggestion is that residents in town centres and largely with Band A or B council tax properties, will pay for a permit to park outside their own homes. This will (to quote his report) "raise £200,000 per annum for the County Council". As we know this money and more has already been earmarked or spent to provide such things as a spin doctor, an ornamental fountain, 3 cabinet posts and an office refurbishment!

There is one fundamental difference between the two proposals however - who pays. Kay Cutts, Richard Jackson and subsidy junkie Laughton don't live in town centres and certainly not in Band A or B properties - but they do drive to town centres - and park. Under Jackson's idea they, unlike the terrace house residents, will not lose out.

But the real reason for the need for the charge that Jackson rejects is that he and Cutts are looking to pull out of funding certain items they share with the boroughs and they need to make up the shortfall. Funding cuts loom for leisure centres and swiming pools etc). But I suppose private Gym membership with a pool means you dont have to use the council funded ones or mix with the Oiks.

At least this confirms that Kay Cutts and her puppets treat the electorate (who largely don't live in band H houses) with the same utter contempt as they treat their staff in County Hell!

Happy Christmas from Kay Cutts

One of the main claims from the county is that they will be protecting the vulnerable and the elderly. Below is a summary of how she is going to do it.

Home care will rise from £8.80 per hour paying a maximum of £78.50 per week to
£12 per hour (36% increase) up to a maximum of £120 per week (53% increase).

Day Care – To rise from no charge to £4 per day.

Transport – To rise from £2.15 per day to £4.00 per day (86% increase)

Meals on Wheels – To rise from £2.35 to £3.95 (68% increase)

Welare Advice line - to be discontinued

Of course those who dont need these services, and live in Big Band H council tax houses will see no change as Cutts has pledged to attempt not to increase council tax on large properties (benefiting large land and property owners like the Vogon, Richard (I cant add up) Jackson, and Bruce (Subsidy Junkie) Laughton.

Happy Christmas to all those who will benefit from this altruistic action.

Verification

I have now received the following from a witness at the last Broxtowe Borough Council meeting (my links):

"It is indeed true that Cllr Jackson and all the Tory group on Broxtowe Borough Council voted against the motion on LTP3. The Tory County Councillors present and voting against were: Cllr Jackson, Cllr Pettingell, Cllr Kerry and Cllr Owen.

All the Lib Dem County Councillors voted in favour of the motion. Labour has no County Councillors in the Broxtowe area."

A likely boost for the motor trade

Transport is one of the few things Greater Nottingham has done well. This is largely down to the County, City and Boroughs working together. However, all that is set to change with the ex-second hand car dealer, County Council transport supremo, Richard (the mason) Jackson determined to reduce the dependancy on public transport and give the motor trade a boost. I detailed here how he hopes to reduce bus usage and here how he was prepared to spend £7.5m to reduce bus patronage by 30% (although they seem to now be going back on that one). More worryingly I heard and reported here that they may now pull out of co-operation with the City over transport - I hoped that I was wrong. Unfortunately it looks as though I am correct. On Wednesday Broxtowe Borough Council narrowly voted to co-operate on the next Local Transport Plan (LTP3) but I am told that Cllr Jackson and all the other Tory County Councillors voted against this (could anyone please confirm?). To read the motion click here and go to item 11.

Mathematically Incontinent.

Yet more evidence has immerged that the transport portfolio holder Richard (the Mason) Jackson is mathematically incontinent (see here for previous evidence).

In a news item on East Midlands Today, Ms Cutts puppet was saying how he felt people would park in the county area on the edge of the workplace parking zone and catch a bus in to avoid paying the work place parking charge (of £1/day). The typical bus fare in from the County area to the City is £1.50 each way (oooopps.)

Whilst Jackson may think we are all like the description one of his Tory colleagues was rumoured to have made about the Mansfield independents; “they will swallow anything, they are just thick”, I say we are not so daft.

However, don't forget he got his skills from the second hand car business - motto "There's one born every minute"

Don’t Bother Me with Council Issues, after all I am Just Your Councillor

We have recently been contacted by a local resident who contacted his local Tory County Councillor in Rushcliffe to express their concern about the Cutts.

The response he got was to paraphrase “don’t ask me, contact the Vogon”.

So as an elected representative asked about an issue this councillor will vote on and of relevance to his ward electorate, his response is effectively. Get lost I didn’t get elected or claim expenses to have to deal with your problems with the council. Sort yourself out.

Good to know that the concept of public service in our Tory councillors is alive and well.

The Independents now fed up with Cutts

The second hand car dealing tactics which I highlighted here and secured Richard the Mason Jackson sufficient votes to pull out of the tram have now been exposed. If you remember lots of new buses throughout the County were promised in a triple or quadruple accounting exercise which forced an apology from the ex-second hand car dealer (see here).

However, no comments came from the Independents and one of them even defected, so the buzz around County Hall was simply that they're a pushover with one senior Tory being overheard saying "like putty in our hands".

But everyone has a breaking point and the County not intervening in the removal of a bus from Eastwood (for Selston) to the QMC has proved the final straw. This is completely contrary to what Jackson promised before the crucial tram vote. The Independents, once bitten twice shy will not now be supporting the budget Cutts, read about it here.

Solace for the Workforce

While many Council employees on Cutts hit list face an uncertain future and a Christmas of worry about their future prosperity. It seems Cutts needs a new spin doctor to get her message across.

If you fancy writing propaganda for the Vogon on over 70K a year and a fat pension please apply here. Perhaps you could start by justifying your own existence or explaining what good value you represent or the value we get from the extra expenses Cutts and her cronies awarded themselves

However, it seems only the trendy can apply. After all you only have to see the crass wording of the advert to see that the recruitment consultant Solace Enterprises (Sorry they call themselves “Improvement Consultants”) have walked straight out the TV program the Office.

(click here to view the expensive advert in the national press)

Or Click here to see it in its full glory on the council site.

However why should they care. To find the new Bull S**T merchant they will be doing very nicely. (such consultants normally get paid nearly a years and sometimes more of the posts salary to find the person).

So that’s at least three care-workers sacked to pay for Cutts message monger.

Can I suggest that all those on threat of redundancy apply.

Do you think your staff are that stupid Ms Cutts?

On the front page of the most recent edition of Nottinghamshire County Council's staff periodical, Grapevine issue 111; Kay Cutts has written the following:

"The Council needs to make significant savings as a result of extra demands on its services, coupled with a reduced grant from central government and a pledge not to increase council tax….”

As you have already been told, Ms Cutts that is simply not true. The grant from central government will increase by £8,531,000 or 5.1% next financial year.

Please stop talking down to and treating your staff as if they are stupid.

Standards are Dropping (like Flies)

You may have seen in the post that Ms Cutts is being held up on a standards board charge (see here). Well we knew this was just a matter of time. But this could be just the start. Although the Vogon article was just a joke we knew that it was too near the truth for comfort.

We have now been told that a number of other complaint issues about Ms Cutts are being brewed up, (some by let's say senior members of county staff), mainly due to her inappropriate behaviour. It just a matter of time.

We also know her tactic of calling important meetings at late notice (as reported) and it is said holding back important reports is winning her few friends.

Mick Warner former county leader got bounced following standards board claims. How long till Cutts follows him into political obscurity. (At least he supported the Child migrant trust and did not try to hide it).

Advice centres

Heard in a pub near Normanton on the Wolds:

Nigel - I hear our Kay is going to close down some advice centres; what do you think that will mean?

Oscar - Advice centres? Don't they just advise the great unwashed on how to get more benefit?

Nigel - Exactly old bean, It;s time they were made to get a proper job and stop fiddling the system, oh by the way darling (turning to wife) the accountant's found a way of getting your car through the books. Besides they don't give any useful advice; I struggled to find anyone half decent to service the pool this year.

Oscar - too damn right, just where does one turn to if one wants advice on moat cleaning? That's the sort of help we need in this county.

They give away too much - sack them.

Following the policy of withdrawing all services which may possibly benefit anyone north of the well heeled Rushcliffe and Broxtowe areas; Kay Cutts has decided to do away with 6 contact centres and a mobile unit which roams around the far north of the County where dirty-faced ex-coal miners live. The centres are at Worksop, Retford, Mansfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Arnold and Rufford.

Say for example the customer pops in to renew their blue badge, advisors, consider other services such as home care, mobility aids and adaptations, meals at home, benefit checks, and care packages etc.

48 skilled, knowledgeable staff who are experts in their field, have recently been recognised as a service of excellence, offering customers advice on over 300 services will soon be on the dole.

The damage done to the vulnerable is imeasurable.

A blank cheque

Second hand car dealer and transport supremo Richard Jackson maintained that he will not sign a blank cheques for a tram. The fact that he would never be asked to escapes him.

However his boss Kay Cutts seems quite happy to sign a blank cheque to find the Reverend Rushcliffe and/or his informants. You may recall that on 16 October I revealed this cost to be estimated at £12,000. So far £88,000 has been spent to no avail. Is this how the electorate wanted the Conservative administration to spend the chargepayers money?

I'm still here alive and kicking, with lots more to come!

Watch this space and keep the information coming (but not from County owned equipment)

What's an "inappropriate image"

If any member of staff is in any doubt what is and isn't an "inappropriate image" never fear. Tory County Council Chairman, David Taylor has a number of images of topless ladies on his office wall which he, Cllrs Kay Cutts, Tom Pettingell and John Cottee are on record as not considering inappropriate - so in the eyes of the authorities they can't be. Read the full story here.

Big Sister is watching you

£82,000 has been stated as spent (I understand the true figure to be higher) in order to enable Kay Cutts to find out what you are looking at on your computer at work. This follows a serious shortcoming in the software which was identified earlier when she couldn't find the Reverend Rushcliffe or other leakers.

Now she is able to flag up certain sites and I understand this was one of the earliest to be so treated. If you visit one of these sites you will immediately be reported and your details sent to the planet Vogon. A reported side effect of this is that 10,000 "inappropriate images" have been discovered.

Calling all Conservative Councillors

"a disgraceful attack on the elderly and vulnerable"............I can't be part of any party that can advocate a budget such as this." ex-Conservative Councillor Robert Rankin, Hucknall East.

Did the electors in your ward vote for you to do this to them?

Tory Councillor resigns in disgust at the Cutts

I've been getting whispers for some time about discontent in the ranks. Here's the first to go and I don't think he'll be the last.

My advice to Cutts, Jackson, Cottee, Adair, Laughton, Owen and their cronies is

Watch your backs!

The next could well be a County Councillor and you've only got a majority of 3 (one of those by just 11 measly votes on the third recount).

Helping those with significant needs

"The budget was making savings, but much of the money would be spent on people with significant needs." Anna Soubry Barrister and Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Broxtowe writing in the Nottingham Evening Post


To most it would seem odd how increasing home help charges, doing away with welfare advice and scrapping dial a ride amongst the other drastic cutts I listed here can help those with significant needs. Those who it has so far helped are people like this, what are their significant needs?

Bruce Laughton with his £157,000 subsidy from the EC, a nice cabinet post and a new Porsche


Kay Cutts with her manor house and horse paddock in Normanton on the Wolds and other land on which she plans to save ££thousands over the next few years by freezing Council Tax, not to mention her plush refurbished office in County Hall.

The second hand car dealers throughout the County who will benefit hugely once the Conservative transport policies to reduce dependence on public transport are fully realised.

Councillor Jackson with his portfolio of rented houses, each paying council tax.

Councillor Adair who was seen being wined and dined by a Scottish property developer on Armistice day.

Or the 90 year old in North Notts who faces a 36% increase in her home help charges of over £41/week as featured on the BBC yesterday who cant afford to pay it and may be forced to give up her home because of the CUTTS. Ironically enough Kay Cutts was quizzed about this "said well she can claim more benefits and can call our help line" which she then had to admit she was closing. Perhaps the lady should contact Laughton he knows all about claiming benefit from the EU.

As they say on the planet Vogon - you gets what you votes for.

If you must talk on a mobile check who’s about first.

In an overheard mobile phone conversation from one of Cutts cronies, the Chief exec of the County was described as not being to Cutts taste. She apparently thinks his politics are not out of her self-serving rightwing mould and she cant get some stuff past him.

All is obviously not happy in the higher ranks, but it may explain why the chief exec was on hols when all the news of the Cutts started to emerge.

County loses out on £17m

Now I can reveal what should have happened today and what actually happened:

Secretary of State for Transport; Lord Adonis came to Nottingham, along with the rest of the cabinet. His schedule before the meeting in the Albert Hall was to be as follows:

Nottingham Midland Station depart 09:25
Mansfield arrive 09:57
Announce £7m for a transport interchange
Mansfield depart 10:41
Hucknall arrive 10:56
Announce £10m for town centre improvements including a relief road
Hucknall depart 11:22 (by tram)
Theatre Square arrive 11:46 walk to Albert Hall

All this was cancelled due to the County's complete lack of commitment to integrated transport; i.e. the tram, the Gedling bus plug fiasco and withdrawal from the Local Transport Plan.

Instead I understand that he was entertained by the City Council and went for a tram ride through the city centre.

From my man in Westminster

I understand that the Department for Transport are now seriously upset with Nottinghamshire's new anti-public transport stance as formulated by the masonic second hand car dealer Richard Jackson. I disclosed here how the County will spend £7.5m to reduce bus usage by 30% and here how they will pull out of an integrated approach to get things moving.

This has proved to be the last straw and I am told of yet another cancelled high profile visit to the County which had been arranged to announce several million pounds of regeneration money.

More on this to come; watch this space.

157,000 Reasons Why Notts County Council is Run by Hypocrites

As you know the county is cutting back on a huge number of services and grants to the poor, elderly and disabled. Including travel grants, bus subsidies, closing libraries and saving £30,000 on school uniform grants and benefit services. Many of the services will plunge a huge number of children in our county in to what is technically classed as poverty by removing the support they need.

The main reason for the cutts is to make sure there is no increase in council tax. This will obviously have most benefit for those in large houses and with wide property interests such as Ms Cutts.

But while advice and support for the most vulnerable is being cut. One member of the council is getting more social security than anyone else. Tory Cabinet member and Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Gedling; Bruce Laughton who took one of the new cabinet posts created by Cutts at the higher expenses rate voted in by Cutts during week one in power has had a £157,000 pay out from Europe (see Here).

While wanting to wean others off benefits, he is obviously addicted to them. This may explain why the subsidy junkie was able to turn up at county hall in his new porsche recently.

Cutts the Fuhrer

Kay Cutts has now finally put democracy on to the back burners as well as morality. In today's Cabinet meeting she will take the unprecenented step of effectively banning debate. She will allow just one person from each party to speak before bulldozing the vote through to pave the way to 470 job cuts and a range of other disbenefits for the County as I detailed here.

I'm all right Bruce

Just as you thought the Conservative County Council under the direction of Kay Cutts had reached the pits they manage to go a step further.

For years there has been a very useful help-line for those who are desperate. Usually women fleeing a violent relationship, youngsters desperately avoiding the streets or those who simply can't cope with all the pressures put upon us. The welfare advice number is 0845 601 5943 and thousands have received valuable help. In fact it's been a lifeline to many.

Now in a real penny pinching exercise Ms Cutts wants to close it down. The cabinet will vote on this tomorrow. Let's hope (but I'm not holding my breath) that they will see the valuable work done by these few people, sitting in Woodthorpe - the only hope to so many vulnerable people.

If you have received help from this service or know someone who has then please let me know. I shan't publish names just people's real life stories.

Kay Cutts Shame

Back in August we said how Kay Cutts had the information board removed from county hall that marked the work of the Migrants Trust which was founded by a former council employee. This happened as she allegedly found the board explaining the forced deportation of small children distasteful and leftward leaning as it showed the UK in a bad light (see here). Well the migrants trust has been all over the press this weekend as the president of Australia has apologised and we are due to do the same about this sorry episode.

Nottinghamshire’s long-standing role in the Migrants Trust should be something to celebrate. The press and TV have been at county hall today so lets see what the papers have to say.

If Cutts is still trying to hide the migrants trust's good work then she is risking bringing our county into disrepute and ignoring our county's history.

IF SO SHE SHOULD RESIGN.

Only Obeying Orders

Hidden away in a council report are the new rules related to redundancy to allow the Vogon to be rid of staff. However to sack people you need people to do the sacking. Not wanting to talk to the unions or anything so menial as having discussion with staff, Ms Cutts has passed on the task of “change management” to senior officers.

So a change of redundancy conditions is coming in to give lower redundancy support to most staff.

However some staff are unaffected and can take redundancy on "grounds of efficiency". What this means is savings can apparently be made by saving on over inflated salaries of senior staff who will be encouraged to go by un-amended, very generous redundancy payouts, far better than the Oiks.

This noble and self-sacrificing minority are likely to be in positions that have to do Cutts dirty work, but will then get a large bung when they finally shuffle out the door, dragging their substantial redundancy and pension pots (which will be made up in years) behind them.


Many of these will no doubt enjoy a happy retirement - unless of course they choose to take on some lucrative consultancy work for councils who may have recently lost senior management.

More mathematical blunders

Kay Cutts said on Radio Nottingham that she intends to make about 1% of the workforce of Nottinghamshire County Council redundant We now know this figure to be 1370 (so far and before the New Year redundancy list). Using maths as taught on the planet earth that would suggest a workforce of 137,000. As the population of Nottinghamshire is 777,000, that would suggest 17% or 1 in 6 of all people in the County work for Notts County Council. Of course there are some who commute from other areas and we believe at least 1 from the planet Vogon, but to say approx a third of all working people in the county work for the County Council does seem a bit extreme.

Another explanation of course is that Kay Cutts can't do maths.....worrying.

Of course there is a third explanation as to why Kay Cutts may say something which doesn't seem to be correct, but plays down the true consequences of her policies......

Some simple maths

Clearly Maths is not well taught on the planet Vogon.

Today the Evening Post reveals another 900 jobs to go at County Hell in addition to the 470 already announced. 1370 in total (so far). Information coming my way suggests this will equate to an annual saving of £35m after 2 years. Selling off assets will produce another 5m, £40m total. Now the Conservatives have pledged to keep council tax rises to zero. A 1% rise in Council Tax would produce £3m so 3%, as last year would produce £9m or £18m over 2 years (with compound effect say £20m). The Tories want to save £40m p.a after 2 years so where will the other £20m go?

It could be that Kay Cutts never attended her maths lessons and I'm sure it is just a co-incidence that this £20m is roughly the amount needed to fund the promises needed to get elected and the work to County Hell afterwards which I identified here (Gedling bus plug removal, pull out of tram, 3 new cabinet posts, office refurbishment etc)....plus the IKEA roundabout expense as promised in a bye-election which I revealed here.

This nicely equates with the Post revealing a saving of £85m over 3 years (as more assets are sold and the next round of redundancies is announced in the new year). This could be great news for the few, like this gentleman. who are benefitting from all this new found wealth, but very bad news for the majority especially in the north of County who may have the mis-fortune to be poor, old and vulnerable.

As they say on the planet Vogon; You gets what you votes for.

Boost for Motor Trade

A new transport move from the County may give a significant boost to the troubled motor trade.

The county’s transport supremo and ex second hand car dealer Richard (the mason) Jackson is soon expected to announce withdrawal of significant funding for transport across the county but mainly in the North.

The cuts are said to include axing of the Sherwood Forrester Bus Network, and withdrawal and reduction of a number of concessionary fair schemes (possibly including county supported discounted tram and rail travel) and support for a number of bus routes.

These cuts are targeted at the poor, the disabled, and the elderly, (i.e. those who cant drive or don’t own a car.) It has been leaked that this could also put some Robin Hood rail line services at threat.

Cutts as expected

It seems the poppy being up-side down was an accurate sign of how things really are. Today I can reveal where the money needed to fund the election pledges and favours (3 extra cabinet posts, plans to reduce public transport dependency, actions to remove all references to anything Kay Cutts doesn’t like etc) will come from. Here is a brief summary:

Children and Young people – delete 31 posts.

Sell off all residential care homes

47% rise in homecare charges and 67% rise in meal service prices, 86% rise in day care transport for the most vulnerable.

40% cut in staff training

£250,000 cut from the welfare rights budget

Homecare contact to be cut by 50%

£525,000 cut in the Library service plus the Mansfield coffee shop to close.

Recycling centres to close

Libraries to become self service. (That should be good for the chavs)

£200,000 reduction in coalfield regeneration

£500,000 reduction in community safety (the chavs will to busy reading self-serve library books)

Highways and the environment 46 posts to be deleted.

However, this still leaves a significant gap in their finance once the £7.5m is paid to remove the Gedling bus plug and the money as below for IKEA (they must do these). As expected they have made most of the cuts to services in the north of the county and to affect the most vulnerable in our society.

There are no proposed Cutts in the number of cabinet posts.

That's the way the money goes

I showed here how some of the money cut from the most vulnerable in our society will be spent by the Conservative administration. A source has provided me with another large expense under consideration following a clear election pledge:

The roundabout on the A610 near IKEA is a bit of a bottleneck. During a recent bye-election this became a bit of a hot potato and the Conservative Candidate promised to "sort it out". Now the cost of "sorting it out", which will involve slip roads and a new bridge is coming to light - £6.8m. As she got elected on this promise, this money, like that for the Gedling bus plug (£7.5m) and the tram (£5m) must be found - hence today's Cutts.

County Hell "in distress"

To fly the Union Flag up-side-down is a sign of distress with the possibility of the ship going down soon.

Perhaps that is why the gigantic poppy on the front of County Hell is up-side-down.

New Use for Library Site

As the County have spent half a million to then pull out of the new library and youth centre in West Bridgford. The true reason for withdrawal from the project have started to emerge in County Hell.

The site for the proposed library is called the old stable block. Word circulating is that Ms Cutts is rumored to think the site would be better used by returning it to its former use. It is said this will further encourage the sustainable transport policy they are now promoting (see below).

As a keen equestrian (as the recent Photo of Ms Cutts shows) it has been suggested by sources that Ms Cutts thinks that re-introduction of Horses and provision of parking for such animals close to peoples places of work would work well. Officers are rumored to be investigating the costs of such a scheme.

It has been said by sources that Ms Cutts is considering giving up her dedicated parking space and coming by horse to county hall, and parking the nag at the refurbished stable block.

The Road (Bus, Train, Tram, Bike, Car, Lorry and Van) to Hell

Nottinghamshire County Council is about to reveal the most sustainable transport policy in the UK. This policy is everyone is going to have to walk.

The reason being is said by well placed sources to be "The most stupid, non-sensical and dogmatic thing this council has yet done, even by their own poor standards".

It is planning to withdraw from the agreement the County has with the City to consider all transport and planing within Greater Nottingham as a unified entity. i.e. Nottingham City does not exists in the minds of Ms Cutts and her transport puppet, ex secondhand car dealer Richard (the mason) Jackson.

In the past there has been a North Notts transport plan, and quite sensibly a
Greater Nottingham plan, formed jointly by both Councils. This has been the case for years. Instead there will now be a transport plan for the whole of the County excluding the City and a transport plan for the City on its own, (It is said all against the advice of the County Transport Team).

But as the County surrounds the City, if you live in one of the suburbs of Nottingham which all transport to the City has to go through, forget it. The City will sort itself out, but the surrounding suburbs will be a disaster. Potentailly this means no more joined up bus services from County to City, no more joined up planning control, no more lobbying for rail improvements.

When the whole of South Notts comes to gridlock start walking.

This Sporting Life

Although “This Sporting Life” was a film about sport for the working classes (Football and Rugby League). Nottinghamshire County Council is now more interested in “The Sporting Life”, given Ms Cutts preferences we understand for horses and for what are euphemistically known as country sports but normally consist of murdering wild animals for fun.

Anyway working class sports are now a no-go area for Notss CC since the horsey Ms Cutts dumped the world cup football bid. Now Tory controlled Rushcliffe have pulled out as well saying its due to conflict of interests as they are the planning authority as well. However they signed up originally as major supporters of the bid and it is said the leader of Rushcliffe is a big football fan.

So why the change of tack. A rumour doing the rounds is its do with Chub. Now I don’t mean the fishy favourite of Ms Cutts’ hunting shooting and fishing mob. I mean Community Hubs, which include a library and arts centre as well as a community centre all under one roof.

The CHUBs in the North of the county are said to be at threat due to Ms Cutts plans for decimation of the library service. But there is a rumour going round County Hell that the new one in West Bridgford was also to be put at threat, unless Ruschliffe played ball (or not) if you get my meaning.

A Story of Everyday Country Folk

Jo Grundy
Speeding cars an all its not safe for horses. I saw Miss Cutts (tug forlock) riding down the Lane from her stable block on Back Lane this week. Overtaken by a car doing at least 32mph.

Clarrie Grundy
They should be done for speeding, but the limit is 60. What can we do Jo?

A tale of two Villages

They say it's not what you know (or do) it's a question of who you know. Take the case of two Nottinghamshire villages:

Blidworth is an ex-mining community. No-one has a swimming pool and horses are things you put money on. They have a dangerous road where sadly two people were killed a year ago. Since then there have been calls to have the speed limit reduced along certain sections of Main Road. There have been a number of other serious accidents involving injury.

Normanton-on-the Wolds is classical "stockbroker belt". Most people have their own swimming pool and horses abode in the several privately owned stables and paddocks. They have a rural road called Back Lane where there has never been a serious road accident and no representations for changes to the speed limit have been received.

Which one do you think had a Road Traffic Order to halve the speed limit "at a stroke"? - Normanton.

Political Memorials

Ms Cutts is apparently proposing to introduce her own political memorials to County Hell to replace the vestiges of socialism that she has already removed. (Such as the stained glass windows presented by former mining communities that were finally carted off in a white van from County Hall last week).

It is said these memorials will be in the form of the reincarnation of the great Tory polices of the past. For a Ted Heath memorial, in memory of holder of the longest grudge in political history, we are told the three day week may be reintroduced for some staff. By reducing hours, you cut NI, pension and wages bills with-out actually sacking people.

We understand next in line will be a memorial to Mrs T with the re-introduction of the Poll Tax in Nottinghamshire.

Budget - 531 redundancies for starters

Kay Cutts has made it clear there will be draconian cutts. In an interview on Radio Nottingham she has said that it’s not her job to talk to the unions. She doesn’t seem to like talking to anyone so please keep the information coming this way.

I have got these costings for her various election pledges and actions to date (number of front-line jobs lost in brackets):


To remove the Gedling bus plug; £7.5m (300 jobs lost)

To withdraw from the tram; £5m (200)

To pay for transport improvements in Independent members divisions (see here as to why); £300,000 (12)

To establish 3 new cabinet positions; £168,000 (6.7)

To refurbish her office; £11,000 (0.44)

To remove the stained glass windows; £1500 (0.06)

To plug leaks & seek the Rev Rushcliffe; £12,000 (0.5)

To provide a fountain; £300,000 (12)


Total £13.293m (531.7)


Kay Cutts talks of a further 10% reduction but before she starts she has to add 531 to the total of job losses.

Got it in for Mansfield

Following hot on my news about the library and resulting defection in Mansfield I have now had it confirmed that Ms Cutts and her team of henchmen are considering the future of the popular contact centre based in Mansfield. This was opened in 2006, by popular demand and in response to pressure from all parties. I understand the functions will be taken over by a much smaller team based.....you've guessed it in leafy Rushcliffe.

Not only do the Tories want to slim down the County they also want to kill off all jobs in the former mining areas.

Welcome to the Austerity Council

With the prospect of job losses, pay freezes, funding cutts and possible closure of libraries and sports facilities, plus raids on the pensions of public sector employees. Its good to know that some are still thriving in these difficult times.

A prominent Tory councillor (who we are lead to believe is Kay Cutts arch rival) is now driving into County Hell in his new Porche.

It is a relief that the increased expense allowances the Tory councillors voted for themselves as their first act on election are helping them continue to live in the manner to which they are accustomed.

Bollinger anyone?

Mansfield now Tory-free

Last Tory Councillor quits in disgust after 13 years.

Mansfield Conservatives are furious that Kay Cutts is possibly considering cutting their prestigious library project .

It is rumoured they are fed up with the Southern Boroughs getting all the cake, all the time. One is said to have claimed they will never get anywhere in Mansfield, whilst the County is ruled by "the southern elite" adding it's hardly any wonder that the Independents rule (in Mansfield).

It is believed that this was the final straw for the last elected Conservative on Mansfield District Council who has now left the Tories to join UKIP.

TROUBLE UP NORTH!!!!

Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition

We have now had it confirmed from four independent sources that Ms Cutts is forming her own version of the Spanish Inquisition to test the faith of the Reverend Rushcliffe. An investigation into this blog is underway at County Hall. It is not only trying to find the good rev but also trying to plug the leaks. Ms Cutts is said to be not amused.

While we wait to find out the details of the search it may be wise if those who work in what is now called County HELL access the site from home rather than from work computers.

This is just in case your Internet use is being watched by the head Vogon and her team of bottom inspectors.

However to all our corespondents please keep the information coming, as trying to put you off is just what Ms Cutts wants .

Custodian of our money

From a source:

When VIPs visit the County the crowds are simply controlled by tape between portable posts. Kay Cutts doesn't like the colour of the tape in stock - it's too red. So she has instructed her officers to order some which is more blue.

As custodian of the public purse she clearly wants to cut waste - and red tape.

Witch hunt!

I am please to say that jobs in IT look a little more secure. A witch hunt has been launched to find out who the Reverend Rushcliffe really is. Resources are being diverted from functions such as Social Services and Educational IT support to this valuable and essential task.

Perhaps Ms Cutts needs the service of one of her county residents .

To all those of you who have supplied information, please be patient. It is taking time to sift through, cross reference and verify it all, but please keep it coming.

Is Kay Cutts a VOGON?

In the papers over the weekend there have been articles celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. In one article it describes one of the aliens in the book (the Vogons) as

"most unpleasant - not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and Callous"

As the Picture shows Ms Cutts has not taken the news well.

A Christmas carol

The Chief Executive, on instructions from Kay Cutts has advised all staff through "InContact", the employee magazine, that a 10% cut is necessary. As we know some departments are going to be worse off than others. Democratic Services will be safe with 3 extra cabinet positions to service as will some building departments with orders for laminate floors and fountains. The details including redundancies will be announced by Christmas - I am sure the Chief Exec will be quick to dispel the label of Scrooge.

If you want to get a Dickens novel out the library you'd better hurry as I understand the library service are to bear the brunt of these Cut(t)s with up to a 40% reduction in staff being talked about.

This does seem rather draconian even for the Parish of Nottinghamshire, so I'm investigating, I expect to have some more details in a few days. Watch this space.

Hasn't everyone got a swimming pool?

Kay Cutts is a very fortunate lady. She has her own private swimming pool as do most of her neighbours in leafy Normanton-on-the-Wolds. The rest of us have to use the municipal pool and leisure centre.

A few years ago there was a big row about some leisure centres which are jointly funded by the County and the District Councils. It was agreed that over a period of time the responsibility would be passed to the districts and budgets were accordingly adjusted. This process should be complete by 2012. However, I have now learned that the County now want to pull out of this arrangement early i.e. next year (2010). This will leave the cash-strapped District Councils in a mess. They can't afford to pick up the tab which they haven't budgeted for. What options will they have? Probably to simply shut the leisure centres.

But hasn't everyone already got their own swimming pool?

New Leak from County Hall

In a new leak from County Hall, (or County Hell as its now known).

We have been told Kay Cutts wants to replace the Mosaic in front of County Hall with a fountain. (We think to recognise the New administrations achievements over the last 5 months). Officers have spent some time investigating the proposal and have found that it would cost about £0.3m.

We have been told that Ms Cutts wants the fountain so much that funding options are being investigated. An increase in council tax perhaps, a diversion of one years tram funding or a ninth reuse of the bus money previously promised to buy off the 8 independent councillors, could all be options.

However Ms Cutts is alleged to believe that the fountain (we assume to mark her efforts) will be so popular that people will happily pay for it by public subscription.

If true we will send £1.50 from our funds for comedy value alone.

Political opportunism

We must never underestimate the very high skills exhibited by Cllr Jackson when seeking votes. He learnt his trade on the forecourts of Chilwell as a second hand car salesman, no doubt with some Arthur Daley type character as mentor. He has gladly passed these qualities on to his Conservative colleagues. Take the story emerging of Kay Cutts and Dayncourt School:

Ms Cutts was a governer of this school when closure was first suggested. All the other governers voted to fight the closure plans, she abstained (rule 1; never nail your colours to the mast until you know which way the tide will run). When an election loomed and the tide was obviously turning against closure she proposed the survival plan (rule 2; once popular opinion is running, jump on the bandwaggon and claim that you got it rolling). Children were bussed in from Cotgrave to keep the school running and Kay Cutts made it an election pledge for free travel to school for every pupil beyond the statutory requirements (rule 3 promise something popular but undeliverable in order to get elected, see also Gedling Bus plug, tram etc). Because she had to give potential troublemakers cabinet positions at extra expense, she had no choice but to cancel the bus from Cotgrave. This didn't worry her as she was in power by then (rule 4; once in power the electorate will soon forget your false promises, after all it's 4 years to the next election - then you can make some more).

As they say in the motor trade "there's one born every minute" Unfortunately for Kay Cutts the electorate are not so easily conned a second time.

How to Sell Your Own Grandmother

It is often said that to be a good second hand car dealer you need to be able to sell your own grandmother. Well Nottinghamshire transport suprimo and ex second hand car dealer Richard (the Mason) Jackson obviously was able to put all his sales skills to good effort in delivering the votes of some independent councillors against the tram scheme last week.

It has now come out how he did it. It's rumoured that he went and spoke to each of the independents individually and offered them money saved for extra bus services in their area. He also said in the papers that the money spent on the tram would be twice the bus budget (we now know this is wrong).

So given that the amounts saved per year on the tram (now said to be about £0.3m/pa) which is less than 2% of the annual bus budget (not the 100% saving he claimed in the Evening post) it seems he has given away the same small pot of money 8 times to 8 different people.

He has effectively sold the same bus to 8 different people, all to use on different routes, all at the same time (about half a wheel each). As they say in the motor trade "they have bought a wrong-un".

Nottinghamshire has no more grandmothers left to sell.

I understand that at least one independent is "fuming".

There are Lies Dammed Lies and Richard (the Mason) Jackson

There are lies dammed lies and statistics. Well it now seems that ex Car dealer Cllr Richard (the Mason) Jackson cant do simple maths.

When the county pulled out the tram he said widely as follows

"Our financial contribution to this project would have been the equivalent of doubling our support for bus services across the county and I feel there are much more cost-effective ways of improving public transport for all county residents, which we will now be able to focus on."

So based on this, you would think that if the cost of bus subsidy in Nottinghamshire is nearly £13m per year (in fact its more than that), then the tram would also cost £13m per year.

THIS IS NOT TRUE.

On the latest figures we have obtained the tram savings by pulling out will be 13m over about 30 years or £0.43m per year a fraction of the bus subsidy.

The fact that the trams costs are over time was clearly made in Jacksons report to the council last week. So is this deliberately misleading or is it because he cant add up and is just plain incompetent.

Land Grab

Like many County Councils Nottinghamshire has traditionally owned a number of farms which they have let to tenants to allow different people to gain experience of the agricultural industry and to help rural areas. In many areas (particularly Tory controlled ones) these have been sold off.

We have received a rumour (we are checking the validity) that the Tory ruling group is starting to think about such a policy of sell offs for Nottinghamshire. Where this will leave the tenants we don't know.

Of course land values are quite depressed at the moment so I am sure that all the local land barons will be looking to increase their holdings if possible. Especially if there is prospects of housing developments in future. This new policy may seem odd as the county has refused to sell land to build the new football stadium but is perhaps quite keen to look into selling the farms.

Kay Cutts includes on the register of members interests membership of the country land owners association.

An Acorn short

Cllr Cutts (the Nora Batty lookalike) has personally signed off under delegated authority a revamp of the county oak tree logo which now has only 7 acorns instead of 8. The seven represent the boroughs the 8th was the city.

Cllr Cutts has obviously got her priorities sorted out in the Parish of Nottinghamshire

Calling all Tory County Councillors

Last Friday John Mann MP for Bassetlaw held his regular radio phone in. He stated that Bassetlaw Borough Council is a shambles. Immediately a Ms Quigley rang in to say it wasn't. What she "forgot" to say that she is a Conservative County Councillor also married to a Mr Quigley who just happens to be..... leader of Bassetlaw Borough Council. John Mann took 50 microseconds to realise this and questioned her how she felt about about the County Council pulling out of the Forest stadium. She replied that no-one had told her about this and it has not been discussed in the Tory group meetings.

So if any Conservative Councillors want to know what is going on in the Parish of Nottinghamshire then I advise them to keep an eye on this site, where I shall continue to keep you all informed. The County Council leader clearly wants to keep even her own members in the dark. I shall be writing to Ms Quigley inviting her to pay me regular visits. I could ask for a contribution of any information she may have, but it's obvious she will not have any.

EMAIL

PLEASE NOTE DUE TO EMAIL PROBLEMS THE REVERENDS NEW EMAIL changed to

Revrushcliffe@googlemail.com

U-Turn on bus-pass use on tram

Following the vote yesterday to withdraw from the tram. A knock on was that it seems that Ms Cutts and her feckless transport spokesman and ex car-dealer Richard (the mason) Jackson did not know about, was that they could also by default withdraw from the free tram travel agreement that allowed county residents to use the tram free on their bus passes.

However in what appears to be a U-Turn they have now said they wont withdraw from the free tram travel deal in what seems a humiliating climb down.

However they also said they would save £30m over 30 years (i.e 1m/year) if they pulled out from the tram which turned out to be £18m, less the costs of withdrawing which we have now been told could be up to £5M (so 13m saved not 30m).

Actions speak louder than words watch this space.

Make the elderly pay

A reliable source tells me that Nottinghamshire County Council are poised to remove free concessionary travel rights for their residents when using the tram. Unusually for Kay Cutts, this time she is in line with central Tory Party policy who propose to ammend the popular concessionary travel scheme nationwide.

So if you're over 60 in Hucknall, Beeston, Chilwell, Compton Acres, West Bridgford or Gedling then you can jolly well pay to go on the tram - or get a car.

Remind us what job did Cllr Jackson, tranport portfolio holder have before he got this position. Wasn't it second hand car salesman?

Hucknall can plug off

Last month I revealed how it would cost £7.5 m to take out the Gedling bus plug as promised by the Conservatives. It gets worse. A source in Westminster tells me that when Transport minister Sadiq Khan came to Nottingham on 31 July he had two projects to announce: £540m for phase 2 of the tram and £10m for the Hucknall Inner Relief Road. He was to take the tram to Hucknall to announce the latter. However, he was advised by his civil servants that the county can't be trusted at the moment as they have "messed us about" with the Gedling Bus plug.

Mr Khan caught the tram as far as the Old Market Square and then went back to London. No doubt he has a better more reliable home for the £10m.

Hucknall? that's not in Rushcliffe

Phase 1 of the Nottingham tram system, to Hucknall and Phoenix Park has won awards and is recognised as the most successful in the UK. Quite rightly councillors and ex-councillors of all parties are proud to have been part of this, which is a fine example of Conservatives, Labour Party members and Liberal Democrats from several authorities working together.

Until this morning this was overseen by a committee consisting of officers and elected members from both the City and the County Councils as well as certain community groups such as Pedals and the Campaign for Better Transport. However, Ms Cutts has, apparantly without consultation, withdrawn from this committee (4 places). As an act of Parliament set up this arrangement and governs the operation, including finance of the group this may lead her into deep water. This also means that the County have no responsibility for a major transport infratructure to the only fully integrated rail hub in Nottinghamshire. Why should the City have to worry about Hucknall, it's not in the their area? Why should they worry if the link buses to the estates don't link? Why should they worry if the tramstop is vandalised? After all the leader of the County Council obviously doesn't care.

County Pulls Out of World Cup Bid

Reaction to the withdrawl today of the county council from the world cup bid is now up on Youtube (contains swearing!!). copy this if the direct link fails http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJ_f-5Tqvk

Hot Council Funding News

In hot off the press breaking news the first major funding announcement for a priority council scheme after 5 months in Power.

Ms Cutts and Lynn Sykes (the member for Soar Valley) have been pleased to announce the County Council has been able to help fund new curtains for Barton Village Hall.

Flat Wheel Over The Tram

Despite Richard (the mason) Jacksons announcements today on the tram, a leak from county hall has said the Tories are apparently split over the issue. It has been overheard that he has been derided by one of his colleagues as “clueless”.

Also it has been suggested that Rushcliffe Tories are fed up with top NIMBY councilor Gordon Wheeler (who just happens to live on the proposed tram route) throwing his toys out the pram when he cant get his own way on the issue. He must be privately livid with the new administration for not being able to stop the scheme going past his garden in the first place.

Its taken nearly five months for the Muppets to get this far and their only transport policy to date is to say please park in a pub car park if you can and catch the bus.

Its round TWO of our “Wasting tax payers money on expensive consultants so we can just ignore them and make it up” Competition

More half truths today in an exclusive in the Evening post from ex car dealer Richard (the Mason) Jackson the Tory County Council transport spokesman about their public transport policy.

So todays question in our catchily titled “Wasting tax payers money on expensive consultants so we can just ignore them and make it up” competition is

Please explain in two words why the Tories seem to know better than the room full of expensive consultants reports and the independent public inquiry inspectors conclusions about the tram, with out actually having read or understood any of them.

Football Fan?

The position of the county council on the world cup stadium has now been exposed and Ms Cutts has been described as having no interest in football.

However we don't agree we just think that like her friend (see Taking a Gamble) she supports County. We have now been told Ms Cutts does not like Forest fans as she is alleged to have said they use West Bridgford as a toilet.

Gerrymanderer?

Well actually to be fair to Ms Cutts the items you have seen about the Forest Ground are not 100% true. As with all things they are achievable if you want to do them.

You could build a 45000 seater stadium on the forest site you would just need to knock down half the houses in Lady Bay and those remaining would get no light. Plus such a scheme has no parallel development that would allow regeneration or legacy for the area. So why does Kay Cutts support demolishing all these homes. We don’t know, so we have looked to history to see if tells us any lessons.

Of course Lady Bay is not a Tory area and if you follow Tory history Dame Shirley Porter (the millionaire Tesco heiress and convicted gerrymanderer,) of Westminster Council was found guilty of deliberately trying to get rid of people not likely to vote Tory by moving them into asbestos ridden council houses to try and cook the election books. So is Kay the new Dame Shirley?

OF COURSE NOT. This wont be happening in the Parish of Nottinghamshire as it would require some prior thought, planning and some ability to think up such a policy.

Watch your Back!

Yesterday you read it first on this site how Cllr Cutts had ignored advice by her consultants that the proposed football stadium would not fit at the City Ground.

Today that is news in the Evening Post. Also today the Chief Executive of Nottingham Forest has spoken out against Kay Cutts saying she has no interest in football.

Today we reveal that two Conservative Parliamentary Candidates (Nottingham South and Broxtowe) have supported the bid for a stadium at Gamston. We also hear that Kay Cutts is becoming less and less popular within her own party. She needs to watch her “friends” very carefully from now on!

ITS OUR NEW “Wasting Taxpayers Money Employing Expensive Consultants so we can Ignore Them and Just Make it up Competition”.

Its round one of our new competition

Here is the competition question
On the BBC politics show Kay Cutts was interviewed saying that any world cup ground should be built on the forest ground and that the County council were not consulted. It was then pointed out that the minimum ground size for any bid was 45000 and such a ground cant fit on the site.

We have now been told that the County council knew that the Forest ground was too small as they were told so by the bid consultants at least a month ago, and that senior politicians in the County Council were briefed on this.

So is this yet another example of Cutts Ignoring the professional advice that we tax payers are paying for, as she thinks she knows best with no apparent knowledge or skill to back it up. Email answers to the Reverend Rushcliffe titled.

Entry for the “Wasting taxpayers money employing expensive consultants so we can ignore them and just make it up competition”.

Kay Cutts New School Pet

Smoking outside the main door of County Hall by staff and visitors has always been severely frowned upon.

A few weeks back we are told Kay Cutts new tax payer paid political advisor (i.e. a member of council staff) was caught smoking out side the main door. When Cutts was confronted on this she is alleged to have said.

“He can smoke where he likes”.

Next for Removal?

Whats next for removal (well for once this is not related to the rumoured sacking of a member of the council).

In fact it relates to the removal of items from County Hall of value and heritage which Ms Cutts finds offensive. It is said the main items gone have been removed because they reflect the industrial and in part history of working class people in Nottinghamshire mainly related to mining, textiles and the social movement.

So far we have been told that stained glass windows reflecting some of these and a memorial to the child migrants trust have gone, as well as an expensive scale model of Cutts pet hate the tram. (We assume because when she saw it, it reminded her of her total and abject failure to stop it as promised at the election).

Well it is alleged from two source that the next thing potentially being considered for removal from county hall by Ms Cutts is a war memorial. That's all we know, we dont know which one and it would be a scandal if it were true, we really hope we have this wrong for once.

Kay Cutts says FA Off

Kay Cutts said during the election that she and the tories were the party of small business. What she did not say was that she wanted to create all these small businesses out of the major ones we have in Nottinghamshire.

This was further evidenced this week when she shot herself in the foot again and showed once again she has not got a clue whats going on. A combined initiative between all the local councils (including the County) and local business has been ongoing for some time and aims to encourage and help the UK win the bid to host the 2018 world cup. Submissions have been made to FIFA and the bid is supported in London by all the major parties.

What does Ms Cutts do in the Post this week publicly announce she going to try and stop it against national and local policy. What kind of impression does this create.

Someone in London has said she is being watched now.

Is she David Camerons biggest liability?.

LIGHTWEIGHT

It has been reported that president Obama thinks that David Cameron the ex Eatonian and tory leader, is a LIGHTWEIGHT.

Well one Tory wit from the East of Nottinghamshire has apparently described Kay Cutts being the county council leader as surprising as the someone who can just about cope with serving part-time in the village shop being made chief executive of Tesco.

All is clearly not happy in the Tory camp

Tory education policy

Cllr Owen has found himself publicly ridiculed for being out of touch about the £330,000 bus costs to close a school but none of this should be a surprise.

After all David Cameron the tory leader is reported to have told parents on a Leeds Council estate that he too nearly went off the rails at 16.

I am sure going off the rails while at Eton probably meant that you did not do your prep and matron got frightfully miffed. Not quite the same as a teenager on a drug ravaged estate mixing with the wrong crowd .

Such misplaced empathy from call me Dave the Eton toff just shows that he is the definition of the word he had to apologise for using a few weeks back.

what a shambles

Steamy windows

A fuming Ms Cutts is said to be furious that the local papers have cottoned on to the fact she is wasting a fortune of council tax payers money refurbishing her offices and having items removed from County hall that depict and reflect Nottinghamshires history.

But this should not be a surprise as she has no policies left to implement as they have all fallen by the way side as undeliverable, so she needs to do something to earn her large tax free expense account.

Its become rumoured now that the tories failed to look into any of the legal and financial implications of any of their policies before the election and now find they cant deliver any of them.

It is rumoured in County hall that she is looking to sack someone, after yesterdays performance it could be Cllr Owen the former teacher and the head of education. The only School teacher who can make 2 + 2 = 6

The death of local democracy

Kay Cutts has set a new low by announcing in the evening post that democracy is dead

She said in the post "Labour is not the ruling group," she said. "They are not aware of the debates and discussions that are taking place."

So if you are on the council but not in her group you cant be involved in any debate.

Pathetic.

Shutting Schools

The Tories at County Hall are considering closing Serlby Park comprehensive school in Harwoth & Bircotes, a former mining town the far north of the County and sending the kids 10 miles away to failing Retford Oaks school in leafy Tory Retford to boost the falling numbers at that school. All to the understandable fury of all concerned at Serlby Park.

Yesterday a demo took place at County Hall and the pupils and parents were treated to a lecture from Tory Cabinet Member and ex- teacher Philip Owen. He was asked by a child what the annual cost to the County Council would be to transport all the pupils attending Serlby Park school 10 miles to Retford Oaks and back.

The answer......£330,000!! For kids bus fairs!!

And this is an administration elected on a programme of Cutts..oops cuts.

His answer was met with a collective gasp and gales of laughter by everyone present.

Taking a Gamble

The New Venture Social Club in Beeston Rylands is struggling. The Evening Post carries an
article today telling how Notts County Football Club backed out of a deal to take over the Rylands sport ground. Once all the clubs who played there left and the site became derelict in expectation of great things by the new masters of football, County pulled out of the deal leaving the strugling club with a lease on a derelict piece of land with no income. They could easily go bankrupt over this.

So what does the local Conservative Councillor do to help?

A reliable source tells us that he walked into the pub, beaming like a Cheshire Cat, waving a £100 betting slip for Notts County to win the Championship at 33:1. This bet was clearly placed before Sven took over, the odds then immediately shortened to 3:1. Oh yes and this Councillors involvement with Notts County - Director.

I'm sure the New Venture Club would find a good use for the winnings (or even the £100) - if they're still here next year.

A Hunting We Shall Go

One of the few conservative election pledges for any future government will be to repeal the hunting ban as its seen as a civil liberties issues and a right of freedom. Kay Cutts is a member of the country land owners association an organisation known for their pro hunting stance.

Its a shame she does not consider the deportation of orphaned children worthy of a civil liberties stance (see item below) unlike presumably the rights of horsey types murdering defenceless animals in the name of sport.

However if rumours from tory HQ are correct Ms Cutts could soon be an endangered species herself.

TALLY HO

Migrants Trust

From a well informed source:

At the back of County Hall near the river, you will find a tree planted in 2007 to mark the 60th anniversary of Britain's post war child migration schemes, in which young children were deported to Australia. The County Council has supported the Child Migrants Trust for many years. The trust, a registered charity, helps reunite British child migrants with their families in the UK.
Alongside the tree is an information board explaining about the charity and how it came into being. This has now been removed, apparently because Cutts 'doesn't like it'.

Another source tells me that Ms Cutts thinks this shows Britain in a bad light and so all reference to this charity should be removed from within County Hall.

Kay Cutts Adult Pass-times

Kay Cutts, the political opportunist, and out of her depth leader of the county council, has apperantly had the staff and community notice board removed from near the entrance to county hall.

It is suggested in the confessional that she said she did not find it "adult" enough.

I dont know what sort of adult material Kay Cutts likes but it wont be anything to do with political leadership.

Perhaps she likes to SHAFT people, (in the metaphorical/political sense of course).

Trouble is rumours abound that she is about to be shafted herself.

Plug OFF

So as speculated and now confirmed in the post it will cost 7.5m to remove the bus plug. Its also been reported it will also caused a reduction of 30% to bus services in the area.

Classic quote from tepid tory transport spokesman and ex car dealer Richard (the mason) Jackson. To paraphrase "I don't know whats going on!"

HA HA HA

So all this from a council who was going to spend extra money on buses by saving 28million from the tram over 30 years. They have spent 7.5m reducing bus services by 30% in Gedling in another failed election promise.

Value for Money or how much was that fridge?

The chair of the parish council Ms Cutts in yet another piece doomed of political opportunism, has today in the paper complained about the work place parking Levy saying it too expensive.

However she is once again powerless to do anything about it.

However what she did have power to do (allegedly) is have a fridge installed in her refurbished office at COUNCIL TAX PAYERS EXPENSE, The Tory Gravy train has left the station.

Jackson Hole

This does not refer to the ski resort but could apply to the well known phrase when you are in a hole stop digging. But when you have a hole what you really need is a plug.

Or Perhaps a Bus Plug.

The latest undeliverable election promise would seem to be the removal of the Gedling bus plug that was promised as another Tory election bribe that they can't deliver. Well in the Evening post the latest in the saga has come out.

Tepid Tory transport member on Notts county council and ex second hand car dealer Richard Jackson seems to be having to back peddle faster than Sir Chris Hoy. As part of the condition for funding other projects in the area required a reduction in traffic. (Hence the bus plug). Take out the bus plug loose or have to pay back the funding.

That's over and above the half a million that it will cost to enforce traffic if its removed.

The figure of 7 million has been quoted from sources (to be confirmed as it may be unreliable).

On this Day

On the day Nottingham City Council have been given the go ahead for the tram which Kay Cutts was going to stop when she came to power she is in the evening post talking about a space review to move people round in County Hall.

Deck Chairs and Titanic come to mind (more on her sinking feeling in weeks to come)

Welcome to the Parish of Nottinghamshire

Welcome to the Blog for the parish of Nottinghamshire.

The new home for all the latest stories gossip and news about the new administration Nottinghamshire County Council.

It has been said the new council is running one of the largest shire county councils with a annual budget of £1Bn with all the political ability and foresight of a parish council.

So here is your chance to produce parish Notices to monitor their progress.

Any stories please email the Reverend Rushcliffe revrushcliffe@googlemail.com be assured all will be treated in confidence.