Havering’s Resident Associations in Opposition

Havering Council, local politics, podcast 1 Minute

This podcast discusses the transition of the Resident Association from power to opposition.

Gillian Ford’s Opposition Problem

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20 thoughts on “Havering’s Resident Associations in Opposition”

  1. It is unfortunate the author fails to understand Havering’s constitution and how amendments have to be written. The amendment has to include the motion, which leaves limited options. He also suggests that it should have been an HARA motion. Why? We were not proposing to rescind the ‘Climate Emergency’. We also invite the author to re-read the questions we submitted which were strategic, scrutinising Reform UK’s pre-election promises. We also invite them to read the written responses which in some cases share no resemblance to Reform UK’s responses within the Council Chamber.

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    1. Thank you for your comment

      The point I was making was that you surrendered the agenda to the Reform negative take. If you’d got in first you could have had them replying to you.
      The principal areas of concern for the Council are 1) compounded interest on government loans, 2) Adult and Children’s services, 3) homelessness, 4) the housing targets, 5) the data centre and future loans.
      It seems to me that any motion that isn’t sharply focused on those topics is missing the point for an opposition party. As the respondent has spent 16 out 20 year sin Council I’d have thought that that would be obvious

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      1. And you have missed that this was the very first Council meeting for questions and motions. As Reform UK announced their 100 Day Plan at the meeting it would have been pointless to waste questions on issues that may have been within. Hence challenging the knowns. However the responses lack clarity and detail.

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      2. Thank you for your comment
        Four Motions and three were from Reform. This tells me that the official Opposition isn’t proactively holding the Administration to account.

        Keith Prince’s cynical filibuster could have been challenged to the Mayor as soon as it became apparent. It wasn’t.

        The deliberate alteration of the date for a trivial reason should have been challenged. 16% of councillors were absent because of that tactic.

        From the tone of the exchange I guess that my main purpose – constructive criticism – has been lost and I’m sorry for that

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      3. Your analysis is floored. Reform UK is merely playing out Reform UK Ltd directives.

        Executive decisions and Cabinet are where the decisions are taken. Scrutiny doesn’t take place in the Council Chamber, it is within the scrutiny Committee and board.

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  2. Everything you need to know about politics is in Yes, Minister;

    Hacker: Opposition’s about asking awkward questions.

    Sir Humphrey: And Government is about not answering them.

    Hacker: Well, you answered all mine anyway.

    Sir Humphrey: I’m glad you thought so, Minister.

    It tends to take a while for the old opposition to become an effective government, and vice versa. A lot of the Conservatives of 2022-6 never really managed the switch; David Taylor had the benefit of not having been around when his party was in charge.

    As for the future… So far, Reform have been able to work through stopping things they oppose. The next bit, doing actual stuff, is going to be more challenging.

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    1. Thank you for your comment

      Gillian Ford has been a councillor for 20 years and in Opposition for 16 of those 20 years. Therefore I’d have thought that she’d have learned a trick or two.

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      6. Thank you for your comment

        There has been various iterations of RA/Tory administrations over 24 years. It was just Tory/Tory and was purely cosmetic.

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  3. The only policy that could make a difference is to legally challenge the poor funding. Without this all parties belong to the same UNIPARTY as all other policies become academic without improved funding.

    Alas, Reform despite a good start by opposing divisive flag flying and climate alarmism refuse to entertain a legal challenge or even obtain written legal opinion on the pros and cons of doing so! Strange really!

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    1. Thank you for your comment.

      Reform don’t appear to have any strategic sense. Quite how they thought that fighting a byelection during the media *Silly Season* was a good idea is beyond me. Therefore I have no hopes for them at all with important funding decision making.

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  4. If you want to protest against Labour and Conservative you have to vote for someone else. And if they disappoint you have to vote for someone else. Reform is the premier bandwagon attracting allsorts, but hopefully momentum will keep it together until it hits the gates of the castle, and then, who knows! But the castle must fall!

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  5. You have made assumptions challenge didn’t take place around the change in meeting date and contrary to the previously agreed motion. Challenge took place when the meeting date was changed and why the Chief Executive made an announcement at the beginning of the meeting because I requested the announcement and minuting as to why on behalf of Councillors who had no opportunity to change pre-determined events.

    Performative politics is not necessary when you can make a difference behind the scenes!

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