Londoners only Olympic tax

Those who saw the BBC 1 television programme  ‘Inside Out “ on Friday 2nd February 2007, can now be in no doubt that those who prepared the London bid had no idea as to how much these games would cost. far from the details having been calculated by so called experts we now know that they had no idea whatsoever of the overall cost - and yet our elected representatives agreed, back in 2003 (before the bid was made) that Londoners, and only Londoners should pay extra tax for 12 years in order to raise £625 million - plus a share of the cost of any overruns.

It is all very well the London Mayor saying Londoners will not pay more than that already agreed - but he was one of those that lumbered Londoners with this Olympic tax without consulting them - so can we really believe he is on our side, I think not.

Some weeks before his “ Londoners will not pay more than that already agreed  statement, he was reported as saying, when asked to guarantee Londoners would not pay any more, “1 may not be here in 18 months time and any guarantee that I give with regard to the 2012 Olympic games is not worth the paper it is printed on “.

As we were not consulted about an extra Olympic tax, and with  costs now going through the roof, Londoners can see how we have all been “conned” by those who, whilst insisting that “they know what is best for Londoners” are less intelligent than the average Londoner - who, right from the beginning, knew that  £2.4 billion - £3.8 billion - £5.5 billion - would not be enough.

All Londoners should refuse to pay this  tax with immediate effect otherwise those who have conned us all will continue to do so.

They get the high paid positions, the perks and the profits, whilst Londoners will be plunged into debt for many years to come. Londoners, say  ‘no” to the Olympic tax and “no” to paying for a share of the losses.

John E.Flunder - Bexley Pensioners Forum, Bexleyheath

• The Chronicle has heard that a number of people have written to Bexley Council withholding their Olympic tax. So far the council has not responded. Ed

Orbit work with their leaseholders!

I feel, as an Orbit Bexley Housing Association (OBHA) ‘Leaseholder, I must write in response to the letter in your last issue from Mr David Leeves, Head of Neighbourhood Renewals at OBHA. Firstly I would like to say it is not entirely true when Mr Leeves state that OBHA has been “working with the ‘Leaseholder group over many months”, if anything the opposite is true. They have largely ignored ‘Leaseholders letters and complaints and have denied ‘Leaseholders the right to be officially recognised as a ‘Leaseholder Group representing the interests of  a majority of leaseholders, that is until quite recently when a group of representatives met with OBHA at the Bexley council offices with Cllr John Waters in attendance as an impartial observer. It is worth mentioning that our landlord have not provided the group with a list of names and addresses of all its ‘Leaseholders. The group has had to find as many of them as possible by themselves.

Mr Leeves states that all of OBHA’s Residents Associations are open to all its residents including ‘Leaseholders, again this is not entirely true as last year he officiated at a Residents Association AGM on my estate in Riverside in Erith where 14 leaseholders attended and tried to get one of their number (namely me) elected to represent their interests on the Residents Association. The ‘tenant’ Chair of the RA who so happens to be the ‘Chair of OBHA Residents Forum and is also an un-elected Resident Board member on the OBHA Board of Directors, allowed tenants to vote on the ‘Leaseholders choice of representative’ on their RA, subsequently due to leaseholders being outnumbered by tenants were not given the chance to have one of their own elected to represent their interests. This shameful and undemocratic act was presided over by Mr Leeves who did nothing to prevent it happening.  We argued at the meeting that the decision to allow tenants to vote for a ‘Leaseholder representative was as disgraceful as allowing a white resident to vote on a representative put forward by residents from a black and minority group to represent their interests.

With regards to Leaseholders being on the OBHA Board of directors Mr Leeves is quite right there are ‘Leaseholders on the board of directors but inadvertently and not by design. Last year I applied to become a resident representative on the OBHA Board of Directors and Mr Leeves was one of the interview panel. At that interview I was informed that if successful to be selected by those present as being suitable to go up for election and subsequently elected, I would at any Board meeting I attended where ‘Leaseholder issues arose, I would be expected to declare an interest as being a ‘Leaseholder and leave the room; therefore not take part in any discussion or be allowed to vote upon issues that relate to ‘Leaseholders. I asked at the time if the same was expected of the two ‘un-elected’ Tenant Resident Board members to declare their interests as tenants during discussions affecting tenants and be expected to leave the room! My question was met with a stony silence.  I was not selected to be put forward for the election!

Yes Mr Leeves, ‘Leaseholders do sit on the OBHA board but as ‘Resident Representatives’; you do not have a ‘Leaseholder representative on the OBHA board, come clean and tell it as it is.

Mr Leeves letter referred to inaccuracies in your article in which you reported upon the AGM of the OBHA Independent Leaseholders Group of which I was present and can state that nothing was mentioned about OBHA’s company accounts the only accounts mentioned related to the ‘Actual Statement of Accounts’, charges that OBHA send out to its ‘Leaseholders each year (and the all too often mistakes found on them). With regards to OBHA tendering contracts for major works I cannot recall anyone at the AGM saying they were acting illegally (our minutes support this) only that an example was highlighted whereby OBHA recently sent out a tender to three contractors and that they were not contemplating spending more than £38,500.00, consequently all three tenders came in at £38,500.00 this makes a laughing stock of the tender process whereby suitable tenders are submitted as sealed bids to undertake any such works and the lowest bid is normally accepted.

Stephen West,

OBHA Leaseholder, Erith

Rotary at Christmas

The members of the Rotary Club of Sidcup wish to thank the people of Sidcup for their generosity in enabling the Club to beat the total collected in 2005 by a handsome margin, and the members assure their kind donors that the proceeds of all last December’s collections will be well spent during the next few months.

Every year Santa tours the streets of Sidcup with his sleigh, as well as appearing  in the High Street. However, in December 2006 Santa and his helpers were also seen collecting outside Sidcup railway station. The illuminated sleigh was again towed round the streets, but at Sidcup railway station Santa’s helpers used the barrel organ on which they were able to play Christmas carols and other seasonal music. The total collected at the new venue of Sidcup Station over 2 days alone amounted to over £1100.

Thanks to the generosity of the residents of Sidcup, this Christmas we managed to collect a total of over £10,544. As usual, this money will be distributed among several charities which the Rotary Club of Sidcup supports, and the proceeds of these collections enables the Sidcup Rotarians to bear the cost of the Christmas Lunch arranged at the Carlton Road Centre for the lonely elderly people of Sidcup. The Rotarians also help out with ferrying the guests to the lunch.

Roy Barlow Rotary Club of Sidcup

Spend, spend spend!

Wednesday 14 February was a red letter day. Not because love was in the air for Valentines’ but because it was the day Mayor Ken Livingstone set his budget, a budget he has set at 5.3%, over 2% above the rate of inflation.

In 2000 when Ken Livingstone came to power, the average Londoner paid £123 for the services he provides.  Now local residents will have to pay £304 a year. So how does the Mayor try and distract us all from noticing this huge rise in tax?  He raises scare stories about the future of the Freedom Pass.

Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly back the Freedom Pass for the over 60s as we do the free travel for under 18s.  In addition we have told Mayor Livingstone how to offer cheaper fares for bus passengers in the early mornings, how to increase recycling rates across London and how to make London’s transport network better.  The Mayor could do this without an inflation busting rise in his share of the Council tax.  Why won’t he listen?

Mike Tuffrey, Leader, Liberal Democrats at the London Assembly

Trees in the Meadows

I have seen some of the correspondence concerning Footscray Place and the proposed felling of trees.

It would be a shame to turn the present “secret garden” area into a barren windswept hillside with a few sad vandalised Interpretation boards.

Far better to do a little spring cleaning of the undergrowth and put the information on the Bexley Council Local Studies website.

Copies of plans, photographs and documents could be put on there to interest school children and adults. A virtual tour of the original building would bring the house to life.

For those that wish to explore and walk round the site, a route map with places of interest could be provided for printing.

The only things needed on the ground would be a few posts with arrows and numbers. 

Otherwise I know Bexley Archaeological Group do tours of Footscray Meadows which interpret the main features of the landscape.

This way the needs of walkers. environmentalists and local historians can all be met.

Elizabeth Smyth, Sidcup