Hillingdon Tories Block £150 million Investment For Local Schools

[mattx]

BSF has it critics [ because of the manner in which ICT is implemented ] - but to try and scrap the whole deal ? I'm afraid this is Hillingdon Council through and through though. They scrapped the possible re-introduction of Trams a few years ago and now this - makes me sick to my stomach knowing they use the Education aspect for cheap votes. Shame on all the them.

jmcd press release.pdf

[bossman]

@mattx:

 

I feel for the kids but on the other side of the coin we the taxpayers cannot keep funding all this bureaucracy and consultant think tanks.

 

We are facing unemployment due to the BSF incentive of taking over the IT side of the new builds and all because it is the only way to get the private industries to stump up the cash to build the new schools in the first place.

They want their pound of flesh and much more into the bargain, their targets are purely profit driven and the kids are an after thought. Why have we not heard about all the good these new builds have made? the reason we haven't heard nothing is that nothing good has happened except it has cost the taxpayer more and more money of which the government has had to borrow which in turn pushes prices and costs up and unemployment follows.

 

When are we the honest taxpaying people of this country ever going to be free of this burden while those who live on benefits do nothing for their cigs and booze and those rich people who should be paying higher rate tax would rather pay accountants 20% of what they earn than pay the inland revenue 40% so we get shafted by them also, I am sick and tired of paying taxes of which I see zero return for my investment except some half baked scheme drawn up by some rich farts who sit in their ivory towers and make decisions based on how to gain favour with the voters just so they can live the life of riley with their lying and cheating ways, taking what they can get away with and when they get caught nothing is done because they claim they didn't know and were only following the rules which they made in the first place.

 

This country is full of corruption and it goes all the way to the top I myself am sick and tired of it.

 

I have been a Labour man all my life but I fear it is time for a change as this Labour government has sold us working class people down the river.

 

That is just my take on it Matt but I am just so tired of scrimping and scraping to make ends meet while these awful bureaucrats eat my share of the cake.

 

They are really not interested in the people just themselves and if someone has had the gall to stand up to these faceless and nameless bunch of wallies then I say good on them

as long as they do something good with the money instead of just urinating it away on consultants and private industries just out to make a fast buck.

 

Feel for the kids I really do Matt but I too have kids and they have not always had the best like other kids just what we could afford but when i see kids from families whos parents don't work and they have better and more good things than my kids that makes me angry very angry indeed.

Edited March 20, 2010 by SYNACK
Language

[torledo]

great post, bossman.

[bossman]

@Torledo:

 

Thanks

 

Please understand I am not a negative person in fact I am all in favour of new schools but to be put out of employment by the very people who I vote and pay taxes too makes my blood boil.

[mattx]

I agree with 99.9% of your post Bossman - money wasted [ and I know as well as you ] as I have been at the forefront of some of the BSF procedures. As you may know I'm a gov of my kids school which is being part of the process because it's in very close contact with two other secondary schools [ boys and girls ] - so I have witnessed first hand the money wasted on just getting it off the ground.

Also [ you may already know ] - I feel too much emphasis is put on ICT within schools, if I had my way I would remove 80% of it - as it's not needed. I would prefer more money being spent on outside activities, D&T, Science, better buildings, facilities being tied more to the community etc.

Some schools just need knocking down and re-building as it's costing more to keep them going - but too much time is spent pi55ing around with meeting after meeting, consultants, so called 'experts' & everything else.

Trailing a bit more in regards to your reply - [ you mention corruption etc ] - totally agree - to be an MP it seems these days is a fast track way to get into the corruption club. Gone are the days of the people who represented the people and NOT their pockets. There are a few good ones around [ The Hayes MP being one of them ] but not many I'm afraid.

Building Schools For The Future maybe - but certainly not in safe guarding jobs [ which is one of the aspects I have mentioned on more than one occasion at various BSF meetings. ] - it's very well having a nice shiny new school, but not having the necessary staff and support to run it is just a joke. Problem is the consultants and so called ' experts ' just don't listen.

And there is no REAL labour party anymore - you have Blair and his followers to blame for that - it's a skimmed down Tory party.

There was a proper choice once in this country, now there isn't. I just wish the Lib Dems would get their act together but you never know, a hung parliament may actually mean they hold the balance of power.

[tech_guy]

I think a hung parliament wouldn't be a bad thing.

[bossman]

@mattx:

 

Cheers Matt for even reading my rant and forgive me for my indulgence at your boroughs loss. It is about time people in this country just got together and just said "No more" as we are fed up of all the .

 

I don't really know if a hung parliament would do us any good as all parties would be hard pressed to make a decision more so than now as they all seem to be after the same, lining their own pockets and those of their mates who in these hard times are doing very well thanks to you and me.

 

BTW what was the 0.9% that you didn't agree with hehe!! lol

Edited March 20, 2010 by SYNACK
Language

[mattx]

 

Cheers Matt for even reading my rant and forgive me for my indulgence at your boroughs loss. It is about time people in this country just got together and just said "No more" as we are fed up of all the .

I certainly hope some of the decisions will be reversed [ after the elections ] - I would be impressed if the leader of the council cut some of the red tape that goes with the BSF - but I'm afraid the leader is a nasty piece of work too busy milking what HE can get instead what's good of the borough. [ You only have to see the whopping pay increased they have awarded themselves over the last 5 years to see that ] - Hillingdon council [ Clls ] make cuts across the board but award themselves pay rises - amazing.

BTW what was the 0.9% that you didn't agree with hehe!! lol

 

God knows, but it wouldn't be fun if we agreed on everything.....

 

I'll stop ranting now [ now you have started me off !! ]

Edited March 20, 2010 by SYNACK
quoted language cleanup

[bossman]

@mattx:

 

Matt, it's always a pleasure to agree or disagree with you as I feel we much the same person and it is always good to get the other persons point of view as it makes us all a better person for it. As I have stated I am a very positive person even though some of my posts can seem a little on the negative side, I just call that my common sense approach to positivity. :)

[broc]

keeping technicians jobs safe.

 

Where is this written in the Tory Manifesto? I thought they wanted to accelerate the Academies program, where nobody's jobs are safe?

Edited March 22, 2010 by broc

[bossman]

@broc:

 

Second to last page, Item 42, termed "Get rid of consultants" and "Barmy Labour policies" hehe!!

 

Morning Broc

[torledo]

getting rid of the consultants and the tie in with big business

 

stop it, my sides are splitting.

[broc]

@broc:

 

Second to last page, Item 42, termed "Get rid of consultants" and "Barmy Labour policies" hehe!!

 

Morning Broc

Morning bossman...

 

Barmy Labour policies .... I wish...

 

'New Labour' has spent its years in power continuing implementing policies where the Tories left off..... PFI is one that springs to mind... deregulation of the financial sector another.... maintaining weak employment legislation that make it easier to get rid of jobs in the UK than anywhere else in Europe another.... taking up the sleaze mantel that was dropped by the Tories when they lost power....

 

Sigh.... politicians.... the modern equivalent of traffic wardens in the popularity stakes

[featured_spectre]

Having thoroughly read through ALL of the party manifests for education, the only ones that made sense (in my mind) were UKIP and BNP. They want to bring back values of discipline - none of this "I put your name on the board and tick 3 times before you get sent out" malarky. Good old fashioned discipline! If I spoke to my teachers the way the kids to today, my parents would have whooped my backside! - however I digress.

 

Labour and Lib Dems believe that corporate infrastructure in schools allows for proper expansion and modernisation, when in reality, most of the buildings could just do with a a few bits of polyfiller, a lick of paint and a decent infrastructure (electrics, plumbing and computer cables eg. Fibre, Cat5e or Cat6a). In my area we have had 2 schools bought out by the local college, nothing wrong structurally, however their hand was forced by local government to build 2 new building on each site (costing approximately £30million per site), complete with fibre running throughout etc.

 

Tories however can see that this model doesn't work as whilst yes it creates jobs for a few years what happens when BSF has been through, job cuts have been made to allow the BSF companies to have their people in, and there is no more money to pump into education as it is going on mass welfare due to unemployment of highly qualified people?

 

Labour have seriously sold us down the river and I for one am not going to vote for them again.

[torledo]

Morning bossman...

 

Barmy Labour policies .... I wish...

 

'New Labour' has spent its years in power continuing implementing policies where the Tories left off..... PFI is one that springs to mind... deregulation of the financial sector another.... maintaining weak employment legislation that make it easier to get rid of jobs in the UK than anywhere else in Europe another.... taking up the sleaze mantel that was dropped by the Tories when they lost power....

 

Sigh.... politicians.... the modern equivalent of traffic wardens in the popularity stakes

 

exactly.

 

plus whoever we get, expect more of the same. And in a decade where the governing party will be concerned about public finances, PFI might be more so the ideal vehicle for politicians to make public investment and to flatter the public sector balance sheet.

[Gatt]

I think a hung parliament wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

Certainly not for the Building and Funeral trades....

[cactus]

@mattx:

 

Thanks for the post. I'm an NM at a school in the south of the borough (Hillingdon) which was going to be directly affected by the BSF programme.

 

I have mixed feelings about the news. Although the programme itself seemed flawed it represented a real opportunity at ICT investment in schools that badly need it. If it is simply a case of the Tories saving cash then so be it. My concern is that it may not end there. If (as the article says) they were prepeared to close a school in 2008 then what is to stop them attempting to do so again?

 

It's going to be an ineteresting year ahead...

[mattx]

@mattx:

 

Thanks for the post. I'm an NM at a school in the south of the borough (Hillingdon) which was going to be directly affected by the BSF programme.

 

I have mixed feelings about the news. Although the programme itself seemed flawed it represented a real opportunity at ICT investment in schools that badly need it. If it is simply a case of the Tories saving cash then so be it. My concern is that it may not end there. If (as the article says) they were prepeared to close a school in 2008 then what is to stop them attempting to do so again?

 

It's going to be an ineteresting year ahead...

 

 

The tactics Puddifoot has adopted to stop this investment is quite sickening to say the least. And for John Mc do have to use the Freedom Of Information Act in order to obtain some of the documentation just shows the lenghts Puddifoot and his cronies will do to cover their tracks.

Like I have said, I am not a huge fan of the amount of ICT within schools these days but I am in favor of investment when it comes to education.

I've sent letters to both John Randall and my ward clls asking if they support Puddifoot's decision and if they do - why ?

Not sure what school to be closed was - the only ones I was aware of was Northwood [ just down the road from the school in which I work ] and Mellow Lane.

Good luck with what ever happens though.

[cactus]

@Bossman

 

Good post. Although I'd like to think this news is part of a fightback against Labour's clueless march towards bankrupting the country I'm sure the Conservative's have their own selfish agenda.

 

At least it's a start.

[Dos_Box]

The 'report' is by a Labour MP complaining that the ruling Conservatives are to cancel a BSF project, even though the Conservatives claim it is just being postponed until after the election. In short it is political tit-for-tat, but what is important to note is the 'delayed until after the election comment' as no party is going to lay out it's cards fully until after this. Any revelation that any group, project, public spending area (NHS, education etc) is to be cut will hit whatever party in the ballot box. My guess is that whoever wins will be makign severe cuts, and they will have to, there is NO money left...at all. We are in for some pretty tough medicine in the next few years, and all that is left is to see wether it it to be red medicine or blue medicine. Either way it's going to taste nasty. Edited March 22, 2010 by Dos_Box

[torledo]

My guess is that whoever wins will be makign severe cuts, and they will have to, there is NO money left...at all. We are in for some pretty tough medicine in the next few years, and all that is left is to see wether it it to be red medicine or blue medicine. Either way it's going to taste nasty.

 

that is my suspicion also.

[mattx]

The 'report' is by a Labour MP complaining that the ruling Conservatives are to cancel a BSF project, even though the Conservatives claim it is just being postponed until after the election. In short it is political tit-for-tat, but what is important to note is the 'delayed until after the election comment' as no party is going to lay out it's cards fully until after this. Any revelation that any group, project, public spending area (NHS, education etc) is to be cut will hit whatever party in the ballot box. My guess is that whoever wins will be makign severe cuts, and they will have to, there is NO money left...at all. We are in for some pretty tough medicine in the next few years, and all that is left is to see wether it it to be red medicine or blue medicine. Either way it's going to taste nasty.

 

You obviously don't know John Mcdonnell Dos_Box - on this sort of agenda party policitcs is washed aside for everyone understands investment in education is vital - be it BSF or anything else. I very much doubt you know or understand anything about the desperate requirements for investment in some of the Hayes Schools, and other aspects in which clearly the Hillingdon Tories are blocking investment in areas in which need modernization. All 3 parties work well when it comes to the blocking of the third runway at Heathrow but when it comes to this as usual the Puddifoot likes to point score, and this time playing with children's education to do so. The man has no moral values.

[cactus]

@mattx

 

I still haven't seen this reported in the local press (online at least) or any comment on John McDonnell's website. Are you able to verify the source of the document is true? If so, I'm sure it'll come out in the next few days but I was wondering why it had not yet been covered as it is a story of huge local relevance.

 

Thanks

[mattx]

@mattx

 

I still haven't seen this reported in the local press (online at least) or any comment on John McDonnell's website. Are you able to verify the source of the document is true? If so, I'm sure it'll come out in the next few days but I was wondering why it had not yet been covered as it is a story of huge local relevance.

 

Thanks

 

I too have noticed this, and in fact I got a reply from John Randall stating he was not aware so I have sent him the relevant documents I have received too.

The local rag normally runs a week behind so I doubt anything will be in there tomorrow, however there may be something in there next week.

If I get any updates I'll let you know.

[mattx]

@mattx

 

I still haven't seen this reported in the local press (online at least) or any comment on John McDonnell's website. Are you able to verify the source of the document is true? If so, I'm sure it'll come out in the next few days but I was wondering why it had not yet been covered as it is a story of huge local relevance.

 

Thanks

 

A bit of an update for you Cactus.

 

This evening there was a Education Policy Overview Meeting and the Chair of the Education Policy Overview Committee refused a request of an update on BSF and would only say that the Leader of the Council had told her that the Policy has not changed, however there was no denial of the delay to the policy being implemented.

The Attached PDF is a letter that is going to be given out to parents of primary schools in Hayes over the next couple of days.

When I get some more info I'll let you know.

See you at the demonstartion in Hayes on Saturday 3rd April ? ;-)

 

I understand many members concerns regarding BSF [ the ICT side ] but some schools really need investment around here - a Do NOT Delay Hillingdon's Building Schools for the Future Programme petition has been setup. Spread the word !!

 

http://www.saveourschools.org.uk/

BSF_100323-1.pdf

Edited March 23, 2010 by mattx