Times Series | Mike Freer

Team Work

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:34:43 +0100

Early Sunday morning I received a call from our emergency team telling me about the fire at Garth House (Sheltered Housing) in Cricklewood and that the elderly residents of the building had been safely rescued and moved to an emergency rest centre we had set up.

Simple things…..

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:58:24 +0100

Yesterday I went to the home of a resident in Friern Barnet to see the first person receive one of our ‘computers for the elderly’. Admittedly not a snappy name and the resident himself may not like being thought of as ‘elderly’. So what’s it all about? Well about 18 months ago I visited a Christmas Lunch at the Finchley Baptist Church and met a sprightly 80 year old lady who was pleased as punch at being able to email her grandchildren and swap photos. I thought what a great way to bridge the generation gap and keep people in touch with their extended families and friends. Thus helping people who might otherwise be isolated at home.

Raising the flag raised my spirits

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:13:10 +0100

Today I was fortunate enough to attend the raising of the Olympic Flags at City Hall. The ceremony was simple, dignified but enormously powerful - perhaps as a result of the simplicity of the event.

Bigots only allowed?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:51:58 +0100

Yesterday I was told of a shocking incident whereby both the landlord and manager of a pub in Barnet asked a party of young people to leave the pub. Just an everyday tale of pub life? Perhaps the group were being rowdy or had had too much to drink, or maybe the group were starting to be anti-social causing the raising of eyebrows and tut-tutting from other drinkers? Sadly none of these were so.

Disgusted of Tunbridge is alive and well – in Barnet

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:27:30 +0100

I find my post bag contradictory. One day people decry the lack of availability of homes for their children and grandchildren to rent or buy. Most people still want to buy, but even the credit crunched prices make them a real stretch for first-time buyers (and the housing market needs entrants to push the chain along). Then the next day, perhaps from the vantage point of a well stuffed armchair or perhaps cosseted by family money, I am assailed as a philistine for the temerity of allowing new homes to be built. Oh and sometimes the two are combined – go figure.

The land of the rising Barnet?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:21:43 +0100

I took a call today from one of Boris' new Deputy Mayors who half jokingly referred to the borough as the 'land of the rising Barnet'. After I stopped chuckling I thought perhaps he had a point. The Council does seem to have the ear of policymakers at present.

Let them eat cake not!

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:45:00 +0100

In a Marie Antoinette-eske moment the Prime Minister suggests the answer to families coping with rising food prices is for them to plan the meals ahead and stop wasting food. The Prime Minister has a point that we do throw away a massive amount of food, but I’m not sure suggesting people can reduce the cost of living by throwing away less is the best way of getting people on your side.

Pushing Water Uphill With a Fork

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:48:00 +0100

I asked that the Council enter into discussions with the Post Office to explore the possibility of the Council taking on some of the sub-offices. So far Post Office Ltd have been extremely difficult to pin down. The Post Office has taken weeks and months to answer letters, given vague information and enquiries have been redirected to a variety of people in a variety of departments. In my view, the Post Office has used a range of delaying tactics.

Balls up .. to it again!

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:35:00 +0100

Yesterday afternoon Mr Ball’s department, the Department for Children, Schools and Families told the media of their latest initiative to improve education. Apparently the worst schools in the UK were to be named and shamed and then ‘supported’ into improving results.

It's all going swimmingly

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:06:00 +0100

Well another day, another announcement. Last week one of our Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced £130million or so to ensure the over 60’s could swim for free. Immediately I contacted the Council officials and said ‘waste no time and find out how we get our fair share.’

The Council has a new supporter

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:59:00 +0100

I read with some wry amusement that one of our ‘local’ MPs, Andrew Dismore, is supportive of the Government providing more money for security measures at our Jewish Schools. Odd that this is the same representative that weighed into the fight the Council had with Ed Balls MP Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families over parents making voluntary contributions to fund security measures amongst other things.

The Voice of the Suburbs has been heard..

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:27:00 +0100

Boris Johnson’s significant lead on 1st preferences and the clear win after the 2nd preferences were allocated has been widely attributed to the suburbs coming out to vote on the Mayoralty like never before. Notwithstanding the excruciating counting process imposed by the quango London Elects and the seemingly errors inflicted by them on us locally, the result was clear, the suburbs felt Mayor Livingstone did not represent their views.