Going to the Dogs (From Times Series)

Going to the Dogs

10:08am Wednesday 7th January 2009

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Back to work! And what better way to start than at the Finchley and Golders Green Residents’ Forum.

Residents’ Forums are an initiative set up by the Liberal Democrats back in the nineteen nineties. In those days there were a number of Forums in each of the three Barnet Parliamentary Constituencies.

You could guarantee huge attendances. Residents were actively encouraged to come along and air their views. The meetings were often lively, boisterous and noisy, but they served to keep the Administration and the Officers on their toes.

But most importantly the Forums represented a genuine dialogue with residents about local issues, big or small.

How times have changed. I suspect the current Conservatives Administration would be happy to see the Forums whether on the vine. They slashed the number of Forums so that now there is just one per each constituency.

Eighteen people attended the Finchley and Golders Green Forum on Monday night. Seven were Councillors, four Council Officers and seven members of the public!

Why so few members of the Public? Perhaps everyone is happy with the Council. I suspect the answer is that Residents have lost confidence in ever being listened to or having their questions answered.

Three questions were asked. Here is one of them.

“There are rumours appearing in the papers with regard to privatisation of Council Services. What is the purpose of this .Who has been consulted and what is the point of it or is it just a rumour”

A perfectly reasonable question from an interested but concerned resident; this is the answer from the Council.

“An update will be provided at the next meeting. If the query is urgent then please contact; Programme Director for Future Shape”

The Resident who asked the question is someone I know who will not be put off. “It’s all very well”, she protested, but how can you give an update when you have not provided the date” laughter all round.

And so within twenty minutes the meeting was all over.

But what caught my eye was a note from the previous Forum meeting action sheet. This was an item about lost dogs.

A resident had asked a question about the responsibility for dealing with lost dogs. According to the resident the service has been outsourced to a private company named Crime Protection Service (CPS). There are worries about how they are operating.

The Council’s response names the company as the Crown Protection Service (CPS).

Something sounds not quite right here. I will be asking further questions at the next Council meeting. When I got home I warned Jake not to get himself lost.