flamboyant

Conservatives 'the party that keeps on giving'!

hope someones got mine!

No worries..

Oh dear, an elected official would not being doing themselves any favours threatening to take legal action against one of their constituents? Surely you are mistaken Colin?

A very entertaining exchange of views between John Harrington, Amanda Martin and Graham Powell.

 

Great to see John and Amanda asking some awkward questions!

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/12890966.HEREFORDSHIRE_COUNCIL_ELECTION___wards_to_watch/

Think John Harrington came out on top in this exchange

The Link Dippy forgot to post

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/12896830.Police_called_to_Ledbury_Town_Council_meeting/

I read this earlier Dippy would love to know what it's all about.

Seb, you appear uneducated to the power of online media, blogging and the Internet in relation to getting the message out to a wider audience. 'Where very few people will read it' is a nieave statement, are you also not wasting your time blogging to what you describe as a very small audience? I have 1247 friends on my FB account of those 1247 friends I have, how many do you think have more than 1247 friends? You are mistaken and ill informed if you believe you are addressing a very small audience, be careful what you say it has the potential to go viral! Lol

I'm looking forward to reading extracts from those tapes which I'm told are on route to the voice!

Haha. Flam, you're so right. I fell down badly.

 

I'm so happy to accept this slap on the wrist from such an esteemed contributor to these pages.

Paul I don't often disagree with you and incurring the wrath of the Mighty Cardin is never a wise move, however you numpty I have to say I was never afraid of pussycats!

I think you forgot to include number three which is extremely remiss given you're a man of intelligence.

Number 3 - Without conscience

Which most Councillors are devoid!!

Thank you Seb. Jesse Norman is standing for re-election and if that happens his 'powers' to effect change will be restored. If he wants to be taken seriously then I would expect him to add the attached to his 'to do list' he would gain a lot more respect by pledging to do that, rather than throwing stones to deflect. A clever man would have seized the opportunity, after all, evil can only flourish if good men do nothing? If I thought I had made mistake I would apologise profusely and do everything in my power to put it right, but hey ho, I'm not very bright.

Dippy well said!

Seb I applaud you for getting involved in the discussion and it is laudable that you jump to the defence of Jesse Norman. However, I suspect the Conservatives will seek to silence you shortly.

In Mr Cardin's defence he is defending what is an emotive subject and no one could question the tenacity with which he campaigns for the rights of disabled people. There is a limit to how many times someone can bang their head against a brick wall before you succumb to the urge to blow a fuse. I would certainly remember if I was told that a Senior Manager of Herefordshire Council had threatened a disabled employee. I think it's unfair to label someone a bully for trying to get to the truth, did Jesse Norman simply expect him to accept his response and cease pursuit of the issue? Politicians will invariably face the wrath of the public if they are complacent in performing the duty they are duly paid for. If Jesse Normans email accounts are not accessible how can Mr Cardin forward the information?

Bobby I almost choked on my Special K!

Welcome to the voice Seb, as you can see people on the voice have some serious issues that if you're elected you will need a strong stomach and an even stronger sense of humour!

If elected i promise to engage using all methods including social media! 

Excellent, that's exactly what we want to hear..

Good luck in the election

Perhaps we should ask perspective candidates. If your elected will you continue to engage with the electorate through social media? If the answer is no don't vote for them, lol

Actually Denise I have to agree with you, I didn't join the voice nor do I post because of any political allegiance to any party. The site is in danger of becoming a political springboard and I suspect we will see few Councillors answering questions or debating once the election is over.

If Councillors are really interested in change then get involved in some of the more contentious threads, you will get a lot more respect than hovering around this particular thread. In my opinion it's more likely to win you votes.

In an article published by the Hereford Times on the 30th September 2014 The Council Leader stated the following.

HEREFORDSHIRE Council’s political leaders are “not required†to know the details of bullying cases within the authority.

The council has confirmed its stance in a statement issued more than week after the Hereford Times asked for formal responses from former council leader Cllr John Jarvis and current leader Cllr Tony Johnson as to how much they knew of bullying allegations “hushed up†by secret settlement and severance payments.

Tony Johnson might want to revise that statement and start working on some new policies and procedures to put the following in place. Mr Johnson can you confirm you got the memo please?

http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/local-authorities-gain-power-to-dismiss-senior-officers-through-council-vote

Councils gain power to dismiss senior officers through vote

The government has passed new legislation that will allow senior officers in local authorities to be dismissed by a vote of the full council.

Included in the change are Section 151 officers and those holding other senior posts in local government.

Under the previous system, councils were required to appoint a ‘designated independent person’ to review cases before senior officers holding statutory positions were dismissed.

The cost of the review process is estimated to be at least £100,000 in legal fees, not including independent investigation and salary for the suspended employee. Local government minister Kris Hopkins cited one previous case that cost £420,000 and took 16 months to adjudicate.

“Slow and costly bureaucracy requires councils to appoint a ‘designated independent person’, usually a Queen’s Counsel, to review dismissal and disciplinary cases for chief executives,†he said. “Councils seeking to dismiss a chief executive for misconduct or poor performance have in some cases paid out inflated lump sums to avoid the cost of taking this bureaucratic route.â€

Hopkins added: “Ministers believe decisions by full council ensure proper democratic accountability, without the need for a centrally dictated process.â€

Under the new regime, council officers holding statutory positions can be dismissed by a council vote.

“The reforms give councils the power to decide on the best disciplinary process that will deliver value for money for local taxpayers, whilst retaining independent scrutiny and accountability to local people,†Hopkins said.

PSE asked the LGA, Unison and Solace for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Nice one Mr Cardin, so it is possible to get passed the vetting system, now either you're a very clever man or there's an election looming!

Hello jeanharris and mikefitz, welcome to Hereford Voice.

Mikefitz, if you stick around long enough I am sure IOC will get a tounge lashing at some point if they are caught out telling lies or misleading the electorate then it will come back and bite them. GVP gives as good as she gets on here and people don't always agree with her but she is respected because she will actually engage. I'm sure if a Conservative Councillor were to post on the Voice they would be shown the same curtesy as all new members. I agree the site does seem to favour IOC but again they take the time to engage so again have earned respect from the members. If you trawl through the threads you will see they are not always given an easy ride. Anyway please keep posting its great to have new members.

My warmest regards to you both

Love the ode Dippy tried to give you a thumbs up but it wouldn't let me!

I don't want to see it Cllr Vaughan Powell, Dippy does..

I was trying to help but if you'd rather I didn't bother thats fine..

I was thinking of moving there so you could be my candidate 😜

Dippy look on IOC Facebook page. Link below

https://www.facebook.com/itsourcounty?ref=ts&fref=ts

Maverick the Council have a Whistleblowing Policy and a Code of Conduct, the following is an extract from the Code of Conduct. The Whistleblowing Policy says something about unethical conduct of officers can be reported under the WB policy. So not sure why you were told it wasn't a PID.

Any serious concerns that employees have about any aspect of service provision or the conduct of Officers or Members of the Council or others acting on behalf of the Council can be reported under this Policy.

This may be about something that:

a makes Officers feel uncomfortable in terms of known standards, their experience or the standards they believe the Council subscribe to; or

b is against the Council’s Constitution and policies; or

c falls below established standards of practice; or

d amounts to improper conduct.

Btw Cllr Vaughan Powell how often do you see the Chief Executive at meetings? Can you confirm he actually exists, whilst I wasn't a fan of Chris's Bulls at least he was visible!

Wonder if someone out there has a copy of Cllr Vaughan Powell's leaflet. There is nothing to stop a member of the public from posting it?