When I was at school I understood that my parents legal control ceased once I passed through the main gates to my school. Teachers were then responsible. Those that decided to play truant were actively pursued by inspectors more vigilant than todays traffic wardens.
Of course my school days were when one could expect the cane for serious misbehaviour. In today’s politically correct climate absent parents are now being made responsible for their badly behaved children and will now be fined because teachers are not allowed to correct them! Surely ‘teaching’ means much more than simply training a child in the three ‘rs’.
Austins successor
The Northumberland Heath headquarters of the Labour Party continues to reverberate to the row about who is to replace John Austin when he retires. The London office have told local activists they want a female only selection with some talk that 22 year old Georgina Gould (Lord Goulds daughter) is on the preferred short list!
Local party members would prefer young Chris Ball. Whilst on the subject of politicians the sore subject of financing second homes has been in the news again. I’m not quite sure why MPs are paid to keep a second home after all they don’t have to be an MP. Some commentators say if they cannot afford to be one they shouldn’t put themselves forward.
Local MP David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford) lives in Barnehurst and has never made a claim for additional cost allowance. Nor has Bexley hopeful James Brokenshire MP (Hornchurch). On the other hand John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead) has claimed £87, 328 since 2001-07 and he lives just over twelve miles from Parliament; Derek Conway has claimed £104, 651 living just a little over twelve miles away since 2001-07. Bob Neill (Bromley) has taken £22,100 over the same period living just over 11 miles from his place of work.
My friend
I have a friend aged eighty two who has been in excellent health until he was recently diagnosed with cancer on a lung. Having gone through all the tests he was asked to attend a London hospital for a scan and radio therapy. Transport was promised to meet his first appointment but it never arrived and his appointment had to be rebooked from the Tuesday to Friday when a car did arrive to take him to St Thomas hospital for a 1-30pm appointment. When he was taken in for his scan the operator apologised and said that they only had two scanners and one was broken so he would have to wait for another four hours. All on one cup of tea and a biscuit!
He eventually arrived back home at 8pm a very long day for an elderly Sidcup resident.
In 2009 with our three local hospitals looking after our health it beggars belief that between them none of them have either the expertise or facilities to offer radio therapy or scans for patients. The majority of us will die from a heart attack, a stroke or cancer and here we have three hospitals employing surgeons and doctors and a collective annual budget of £400,000,000 who are either not qualified or unable to treat us! Should we be worried or am I missing something?
Dr Chris Streather, Chief Executive of South London Healthcare NHS Trust said… “The new South London Healthcare NHS Trust is committed to developing a range of specialist services so that patients no longer need to travel into central London for every complex treatment. We are particularly keen to develop a range of specialist cancer services that might well include radiotherapy. This said, our detailed plans will depend - to some extent - on the outcome of the “Picture of Health” review currently being considered by the Secretary of State for Health.”
Council Meetings
The Chronicle attended last weeks full Council meeting. They listened to an impassioned appeal by the Orbit Independent Leaseholders Group who continue to challenge the Councils’ right to have sold highways to Orbit housing in the great council house sell-off a few years ago. They rightly argued that leaseholders throughout Bexley were not consulted and their leases sold from underneath them. The original leases are still legally held by Bexley Council.
The Group asked the councillors if they would like to pay twice for their local highways which is what is happening in Erith.
Cllr Ken McAndrew (Longlands Ward) admitted he was among those who had backed the sell-off and told the Group they should have objected when they had the chance. The spokesperson said they would have done had they been consulted. McAndrew didn’t respond. Tory councillor David Leaf sponsored the Deputation.
The small group of nine Labour councillors had more to say at this meeting. They pointed out that library charges were up and now they want to charge for parking on Sidcup Place (more elsewhere in the paper about this). The Leader had told the meeting Morrisons were going to employ three hundred people when the store in Welling opens in November but the Labour group told her these were not new jobs but staff from the Co-Op rejoining the new store when it opened! With 76% unemployment in Bexley they accused the Tories of “having taken their eye off the ball”.
It did seem a waste of time with Tory councillors asking each other questions they could well have put to each other privately. Answers and explanations from Cllr Catterall were long and confusing. Listening to the sound of their own voices came to mind. Only seven of nineteen questions were asked and answered.