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.