No lollipops at Brian Coleman's banquet

The ever-excellent Adam Bienkov has unearthed the detail about Brian Coleman's "completely excessive" £2,338.00 lunch - paid from Fire Brigade budgets.

Keen toad-watchers will already be aware that the full-bellied, green-skinned councillor plans to axe lollipop crossing patrols for Barnet's children.

So this got me reaching for my righteous calculator of justice and my back-of-a-fag-packet of truth. Hypothetically speaking, just how many school crossing patrols could be paid for with the money Coleman squandered on personal face-stuffing?*

If we assume that Barnet's lollipop-bearers are on the minimum wage of £5.93 per hour (this is 'EasyCouncil' Barnet we're talking about remember), and if we assume that they work for 1.5 hours a day, we can calculate that they cost a total of £8.90 each day. If we then divide the cost of Coleman's 'free' lunch by the daily cost of a lollipop patrol person we can see that Coleman's lunch excesses would pay for 262 days of lollipoop patrol. Given that they only work in term time, say 200 days per year - that's more than an entire annual post - which Coleman intends to axe - in the name of austerity of course.

*I am aware that the different budget lines makes this an impossibility

Brian Coleman Hampered

Ross Lydall has a very interesting article in the Evening Standard today about the fortchcoming Fire Authority meeting on Thursday. I recommend you go and read it, but here are a couple of nuggets of information from it.

Outside, there'll be a protest to reinstate the suspended union activist and Queen's Fire Service Medal owner Sian Griffiths.

Inside, Councillor Navin Shah will be asking Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman:

"The recent press coverage concerning the hospitality outlined below which was received by you from Asset Co prior to the award of a contract:

· Lunch to a value of £25 on 30 October 2007
· Dinner to a value of £50 on 23 July 2008
· A Harvey Nichols hamper to a value of £350 on 24 December 2008
· Dinner to a value of £40 on 19 January 2009

has been highly critical. Do you now accept that these actions reflect poor judgement and a lack of sensitivity on your part and will you now assure Londoners that such damaging conduct will not be repeated in the future?"

A good question - but I wouldn't hold your breath for a good answer from slippery Mr Toad.

Brian Coleman - Fanning the flames

As the increasingly bitter dispute within the London Fire Brigade rumbles on, fire chief Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman has proposed cutting 16 per cent of London's fire engines.

What hope of any kind of resolution with this pig-headed fool at the helm?

As ever, Adam Bienkov has the scoop.

Brian Coleman's expenses mistake?

No doubt, when you have as many expense accounts as Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman, it can be tricky to keep track of them all. Doubly so I'm sure, when you're in receipt of as many freebies as he is.

I suspect therefore, that the apparent double-dipping I have been alerted to by a public spirited contibutor is simply a genuine mistake - caused by the genuine difficulties inherent in keeping track of so much freely available cash and so much free feasting.

First there's this, from the LFEPA register of gifts and hospitality: Then, there's this, from Brian Coleman's expenses at LFEPA:

I feel sure that Mr Toad will wish to explain himself at the earliest opportunity. No doubt, if it is a simple mistake, he will croak a heartfelt apology. Perhaps, if that happens, we shall even witness a really extraordinary event - Mr Toad opening his wallet to pay the money back!

Coleman squares up to RMT over northern line

Not content with burning his bridges with the Fire Brigades Union, Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman has been further indulging his second* favourite activity (union-bashing) by squaring up to the RMT over the northern line. The Ham and High reported recently that:

He has sent a memorandum to London Mayor Boris Johnson calling for drivers to be scrapped permanently, a move which he believes, would break the power of Britain's largest transport union RMT.

What a pants motive!

Mr Toad - you may be interested to discover that the northern line actually runs from High Barnet (my flimsy excuse for the pictoral pun above) - through Totteridge and Whetstone - on its way to London Bridge station. From London Bridge station its just a short walk to City Hall.

However, rather than joining the 28.3 per cent of your constituents who already use the tube to get to work, you choose to squander the money we fork out each and every year for the all-zones travelcard that you fail to use - and add insult to injury by racking up thousands upon thousands of pounds worth of taxi bills that we also have to fork out for. No wonder you're such an embarrassment to the Conservative Party in these time of austerity.

"All in this together"? Not quite all Mr Osborne.

So here's a suggestion Mr Toad. How about you start actually using the tube before you start banging on about how it should operate?

Fool.

*Toad's favourite activity

Firefighters vuvuzela protest against Coleman today

See the London-SE1 website for the first pictures - and an audio clip and a video clip too!

The odious Toad of City Hall

Its a long way from his self-proposed new title of "Chairman and Leader" of course, but "The Odious Toad of City Hall" may well be the one that sticks. As the Tory Troll blog reported yesterday, Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman is proposing changes aimed at silencing the Fire Brigade Union if he

"considers the trade union’s presentation to be unreasonable and/or contrary to the good conduct of the business of the meeting."

This, of course is on top of Coleman's attempts to force through bitterly opposed changes to firefighters conditions of service. Indeed, the London Fire Brigade Union (FBU) are calling a demonstration tomorrow, saying:

“It’s time to tell Brian Coleman that enough is enough. We are sick and tired of him and his fire authority colleagues attempting to smash our hard-won conditions of service............Time and again we have proved that the argument that increases in productivity can best be secured by moving to 12-hour shifts are fatally flawed. That suggests the brigade’s proposals are politically-motivated, rather than being based around any kind of rationale or sensible research.
"If Brian Coleman thinks that 12-hour shifts are inevitable, he’d better think again. We just won’t accept them, and we will fight him in the courts and on the picket lines if he doesn’t back off.
“I urge members to get to the lobby and make their voices heard. It’s time to start increasing the pressure. It’s time to unite and fight.”

Brian Coleman politically motivated? Well I never.

If the last FBU protest is anything to go by, it promises to be vocal!

Boris Johnson's secret plans for fire service cuts

Leaked documents and secret plans.

As is so often the case, Adam Bienkov has the scoop over at the Tory Troll blog.

Toad of City Hall

The FBU have absolutely nailed it here :-)

I would love to get a copy of this image I must say.

London firefighters protest against Brian Coleman

These clips, from last night's news, clearly demonstrate the level of anger that London firefighters are feeling against Brian Coleman. For background information on the dispute, I recommend the excellent 'Tory Troll' blog here and here.

Anyone know where I can get one of those 'Coleman must go' t-shirts? :-))

Ball gown Bertha and the ugly sisters

The ugly sisters are having a laugh.

Brian Coleman's deputy at the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), has been caught out buying ball gowns for herself with money that should have gone to charity. Yesterday, Bertha 'ball gown' Joseph lost an appeal against her six month suspension. Adam Bienkov at the Tory Troll has the scoop.

However, ball gown Bertha not only still gets to go to the LFEPA ball - she's guest of honour. As Labour Vice Chair of LFEPA Navin Shah pointed out:
"Boris Johnson the Mayor of London, Cllr Bob Blackman and Cllr Brian Coleman’s record has been lamentable on this matter. Cllr Coleman Chair of LFEPA and his Tory colleagues have not only supported the disgraceful conduct of their member, but they’ve rewarded Cllr Joseph by handing out additional £12,000 a year from public purse and elevating her to the position of a Deputy Chair of the Fire Authority."

The ugly sisters are having a laugh. At us.

Fire Brigade turn the hose on Brian Coleman and his sleazy crew

The London Fire Brigade Union have launched a wonderfully scathing attack on Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman and his sleazy crew at the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) today in a press relase. This follows Coleman's political hijacking of the Authority which I recently reported on in this blog.

According to the Union: "LFEPA chairman Brian Coleman has rejected demands that Evans-Jacas be forced to stand down from the fire authority. Opponents argue that Coleman is undermining democracy by allowing his new ally to remain in place, pointing out that legislation demands the composition of the fire authority reflect the balance of the political parties across London, which it now does not."

Describing Coleman as a "notorious egocentric" the Union's press release goes on to suggest that we may be in for "a serious bout of industrial unrest in London’s fire service, the like of which has not been seen since the national pay strikes of 2002- 03."

Mr Toad, it might be advisable to give a wide berth to any of London's bravest you might come across who happen to be holding a hose. And to carry a towel.

The two faces of Brian Coleman

Oh look, here's Mayor Coleman posing with Mayor Johnson this morning at Ilford fire station. They were there today - not just to bask in the reflected glory of the brave lads of Green Watch - but also to bask in the reflected glory of the fire station's green makeover (solar panels, high efficiency boiler and so forth).

Now this is all very opportune, as Boris Johnson himself pointed out:
"As expectant eyes around the globe turn to Copenhagen to see whether world leaders will take action on climate change, here in London we are making a difference right now."

So there you have it - Brian Coleman's green credentials on very public display. Let the polluters tremble. Greenpeace may as well pack up and go home. Jenny Jones can stop complaining. The planet is in Coleman's safe, green hands at last. Phew!

Hang on a minute though.....surely this is not the same green Brian Coleman whose most recent London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) budget recommends removing the £60,000 Sustainability revolving fund for improvements in energy efficiency schemes.

Likewise, I'm sure it must be this latter Brian Coleman who promoted road-building on school fields, car-park building on parks and who opposed plans for a wind turbine at a Barnet school trying to implement a green programme.

Perhaps the valiant defender of the planet on parade at Ilford this morning has an evil twin.

Tip of the hat to Nick Carthew for the LFEPA budget example. Thank you.

London Fire Authority hijacked by Brian Coleman and his sleazy crew

Its the news that firefighters have been dreading. Just as Adam Bienkov and Rog T predicted, Brian Coleman has seized political control of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

Steve Reed reports what happened in his blog:
"London's Tories are using public money to fund cash hand-outs to defecting councillors. At today’s meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Tory defectors Cllr Betty Evans-Jacas (Lambeth) and Cllr Bertha Joseph (Brent) were both given positions worth thousands of pounds in allowances. The defections give the Tories a majority on London’s Fire Authority for the first time."

James Powney has an equally damning write-up of the events:

"Brian Coleman, who is possibly even more revolting than Bertha Joseph, will use this majority to push through various controversial measures in defiance of workforce opposition. This includes changing shift patterns, removing beds in fire stations, removing diversity officers, and installing a new private entrance at the LFEPA headquarters at I don't know what expense."

Please follow the links for more detail.

Brian Coleman - "you odious toad"

Here's Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman's latest outburst - at the London Assembly's Business Management and Administration Committee meeting yesterday. The jokes just write themselves.

Brian Coleman and the Great Ire of London

Wednesday 22nd October 2009

Up and at the London Fire Brigade Headquarters all the morning, despite my having recently breached the members code of conduct, determining the reconstitution of committees and related matters. By and by my colleague on the Fire Authority Councillor Bertha Joseph comes in her beautiful ballgowne that she purchased with charity money. It got her suspended as a councillor but of course that doesn't stop her working with me. She goes resplendent to the window and tells me that she sees a great ire seen in the city. So I made myself ready presently, and got up upon one of the fire escapes (the one that I wish to have removed to provide for a private entrance for myself as befits my importance), and there I did see the fury of London's firefighters and an infinite great fury at that, on this and the other side of the bridge; but, it did not trouble me. So down, with my heart full of gladness, to my colleague on the Fire Authourity Cllr Tony Arbour, also recently suspended for breaching the members code of conduct - but of course that doesn't stop him working with me - who tells me that it begun with my plans for changes to Firefighter shift patterns and that it hath burned on because of my plans to remove all the beds from fire stations - as people sleeping on the job cannot be countenanced.

Having staid, and in an hour’s time seen the ire: rage every way, and nobody, to my sight, endeavouring to quench it, and having seen it get as far as my plans for the removal of diversitie officers, and the wind mighty high and driving it into my plans to remove support staff from opposition members; and every thing, after so long a drought, proving combustible, even my plans to remove my political opponents from committee chairmanships, an there burned unabated: I back to the meeting, and there did give them an account which dismayed them all, and word was carried in to Boris Johnson. At last met my Lord Mayor, like a man spent, with a handkercher about his neck. To my account he cried, like a fainting woman, “Lord! what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me and the ire overtakes us". So I did tell Boris Johnson what I saw, and that unless I got my way, nothing could stop the ire. He seemed much troubled, and Boris Johnson commanded me to go from him, and to spare no firefighters, but to pull down each before the ire. And I gladly did as I was commanded.

So to the Haven restaurant in Whetstone, and there eat and drank and mighty merry; and so home singing, and, after a letter or two at the office, to bed.