Mugged by Direct Debit - Addendum

I've offered a few comparisons over the last few weeks and some of them, like those below, are stark. Is this how RCT Councillors pay for their chauffeur driven cars and huge allowances? One of the poorest areas in Britain and classed as such by the European Union who see us in much the same light as a Third World country, but yet expected to pay far more in Council Tax Rates than even the most affluent areas of south Wales. Why?

Rates compared to Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan & Roath, Cardiff.

(Both very affluent areas.)

Rates Band.               A                   B                     C                      D                     E                     F

COWBRIDGE:     775.09       904.27       1,033.45       1,162.64       1,421.01       1,679.36

ROATH PARK:   614.43          737.31         860.21           983.09       1,105.98       1,351.76

PONTYPRIDD:  917.68      1,070.63     1,223.58     1,376.53     1,682.42      1,988.31

See what I mean? Mugged by Direct Debit - every month!

Graeme.

More Half Truths and Nonsense - Addendum

It was recently published on Pontypridd Town message boards by someone calling themselves 'Whitelily' that;

 "..........the Chairmanship of Overview and Scrutiny was given to Graeme Beard. (2000/2001) He took the extra responsibility allowance of £9,000 plus on offer which he now shouts about as being wrong and robbing the people of RCT!"

This was swallowed whole by another on that site. Someone calling himself 'Valleyboy'. He has repeatedly used this as a weapon on other sites to try to discredit me and question my voracity. Well - read on 'Whitelily' and 'Valleyboy'.


Actually for that year (as published in the public domain via the Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer) I claimed £2,769. Half was given over to the 'Democratic Alliance' coffers for spending on projects within RCT and the other half was spent on my ward (again witnessed in the Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer and The Western Mail & Echo.) So what was published by 'Whitelily' and spat out by 'Valleyboy' is in fact a barefaced lie.

More half truths and nonsense.

"The best lies sail closest to the truth." (Anon.) This was written by someone using the pseudonym of 'Whitelily' on the Pontypridd Town Website. I do wish people would wriggle out from under these masks if they want to post something like this.

"On his blog, Graeme Beard states he has never been in a Libdem Alliance.

This is untrue.

In 2001/2 he was in an Independent/Libdem Alliance with ex-Plaid then newly Independents Karen Roberts, Jim Davies, Katrina Jones - Independents Bob Fox and Paul Baccara and the Lib Dems Mike Powell and Stephen Belzak.

As a group they held the Chairmanship of Overview and Scrutiny which was given to Graeme Beard. He took the extra responsibility allowance of £9,000 plus on offer which he now shouts about as being wrong and robbing the people of RCT!

Glass Houses Graeme!"

More half truths and nonsense. I've already been through this.

Those people (including myself) were thrown together simply by virtue of the fact that they were not members of PC or Labour. It was no 'LibDem Alliance', or indeed any true working 'Alliance' at all and if it was, since that rag tag and bobtail group were mostly Independents then it would have been an 'Independent Alliance'. It wasn't that either. We all had different agendas on many an issue. There was as much disruption in that 'group' as in any other just as is the LP and/or PC. The difference being I suppose that this lot were not obliged to put their hands up to a proposal just by virtue of the fact that they were told to. Those members voted in the interests of the people who elected them and not along the lines of some faceless political party.

Alliances were certainly not the order of the day! And, by the way, you forgot to include Stuart Gregory who was/is also an Independent but I have no recollection of him joining any 'alliance' either. Bob Fox to my recollection never attended any meetings and was not part of this very loose group. And loose it was too.

It's like saying that if a decision came before Council and there was no division between PC and the LP so that they all put their hands up together then that's a 'Labour Party/Plaid Alliance'! If it's agreeable to both then it's a formality but that's not an 'Alliance' by any stretch of any furtive imagination. So if the Independents and the LibDems agreed with a proposal that came before PC but was opposed by the LP would that be a 'PC/Independent/LibDem Alliance'? How far do you stretch that one? Pretty distant logic that.

In fact as I remember we never even met as a full group of outlaws at all. Our 'group' numbers dwindled over time. We would meet on an ad hoc basis now and again when anything major was coming up. Even then the meetings were on a voluntary basis. The was no 'grouping' or any death defying master plan. We sat outside all that by default. LibDem Alliance? No! Even plain and simple 'Alliance'? No! I suppose it again depends on how it's defined but which ever way it was looked at there were very few 'alliances'. If we had come together as a group of people with a single mind (which is improbable I know) then possibly an 'alliance' but if that happened on any day then I can't remember it at all.

The Scrutiny Chair was given over to the group in 2001 (not me in particular) as was (is?) the law governing such as that and I Chaired the meetings for some months (it was then passed on to another which I think was Katrina Jones but I'm not quite sure) but at least half the 'extra allowance' (which again was given over by Katrina too as I remember) was placed in a central pot to buy goods and services that RCT would not and said they could not provide. There was talk about providing extra street cleaning services and buying a street cleaning machine etc. We bought ties for the first year students of a local school. Gave money to this and that cause. £100 here and £200 there. Nothing big but as best we could. It all helps. The other half was spent on my ward and elsewhere. (Archives Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer.) So I actually didn't 'take the money and run' as is implied. It was used at the sharp end. If it had stayed with RCT it would have simply disappeared and never been seen again.

An extract from another page there;

"In my opinion every Councillor should spend at least part of their allowances on their wards. A large part actually. There are Pensioners Organisations; Youth Clubs; Schools; after School Clubs; Nurseries; and a multitude of other worthy causes just about everywhere. If you give it to them in cash or bought goods then all the better. If you leave it with RCT there'll be forms to fill out; a long drawn out pointless process to go through; a wait that seems interminable; lobbying at Councillor level etc. In effect begging. Just give it away for goodness sake and bypass that idiocy that only goes to keep people occupied in pen pushing exercises." (Me writing).

When I Chaired the Authority (1999/2000) I had an extra allowance. (Can't remember how much it was though. It didn't seem important since it would be gone soon anyway.) Again it was spent on my ward and elsewhere on the people (in the end I was just giving them back their own money) as can be evidenced by the Pontypridd Observer Archive material I have recently put out in a leaflet. There's no lies there either unless the reporters were in on some Graeme Beard conspiracy as well?! Utter nonsense. And they are just a few instances. But it's all a matter of public record anyway. Anyone can check it out at any time. I have never denied taking the allowances paid out at the time. In my opinion it's how I used them that's important. Left in the coffers of RCT it would have simply melted away. Bypass that and give it straight to the people. In the end it's their money.

An extract from that blog you mention 'Whitelily';

"No need to believe me out of hand. This is all in the Pontypridd Observer and Rhondda Leader archives at the local Library. Yep - I took my allowances, but if you look overleaf (on a preceding page of that leaflet there is proof of what I'm saying) there are a couple of examples of how I used to spend them. If I had left it with RCT the money would have simply disappeared in to some useless black hole (or deep pocket) without the people on my Ward seeing any benefit at all. I would rather spend it on them myself. So I did. No doubt you’ll be told otherwise but the evidence speaks for itself. The expenses I gave away came out of my own pocket either as cash gifts or bought goods. I made sure that the money went where it would be better used (to the people of my Ward in the main, but others too) so that it didn’t remain in the coffers of RCT where it would be wasted. Give it to those who deserve it, trust them and they’ll spend it right."

In fact, and this is just one example;

Western Mail on August 1 2002.

"The Democratic Alliance opposition group of Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council is setting up an action group to ensure that part of Pontypridd’s Ynysangharad War Memorial Park is not compromised by a proposed shopping centre development.

They are donating £100 towards a fighting fund to help cover the cost of independent legal advice.

The money is from the special responsibility allowance of Graeme Beard." 

Check it out from your comfortable desk 'Whitelily'.

So we were called a 'Democratic Alliance' eh? Not something I remembered until I got hold of this a few hours ago. Now I remember though! Thanks for the heads up. You are handing me gold!

Cwn Taf Health Authority - What the hell is going on?

As a result of a FOI Act request I sent in to Cwm Taff Health Board I have found out that they recently spent £13,500 (of public money) on a 'trip' to Dubai to try to recruit nurses and doctors to work in the MIU's in Cynon and the Rhondda. It doesn't stop there though. A fee of 20% of the first year's salaries of any Doctors recruited are to be paid to an agency. The final bill will be astronomical. 

Both Minor Injury Units in Cynon and the Rhondda were closed recently through lack of trained staff. Human Resource Planning which has the basic function of training staff for 'stock' (so they are already in place and properly trained when needed), seems to be beyond them.

In a recent article in The Guardian it's estimated that the NHS is going to 'lose' (a nice little sanitizing term for making nurses unemployed) 50,000 properly trained staff over the next few years. So we spend money going abroad to find staff when we could and should be spending that time, money and effort on training our own people who are about to be thrown out of a job. It's disgraceful. Just click on the link below to see what's happening to our own. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/23/nhs-to-lose-50000-jobs

A Personal Message.

The only thing I would ask is that you hear the truth before you judge. Please read on.

Here goes. I was a faithful member of the Labour Party for about 16/17 years. I was elected to RCT as a Labour member in 1995. I saw them waste £26 million in 'reserves' (that's your money that they had in the bank) over just 3 short years. I saw services failing from lack of money but top bosses increasing in number and with astronomical salaries. (Nothing’s changed there then!) I saw my Ward (this Ward) treated like a backwater whilst money was lavished elsewhere. I was told to 'toe the line' on decisions even though they were made with the people who elected me (that’s you of course) relegated to about 3^rd or 4^th down the priority list. These and so many other things led me to 'cross the floor' and join Plaid. They were going to offer a bigger, better, brighter future, or so the promises went. I was re-elected as a Plaid member and truly thought things would improve for you. They didn't.

I was the first Chairman of RCT after we had abolished the post of Mayor with all its gold chains and enormous costs. I never once wore the Mayoral Chains and actually wanted them sold off (as I remember there are around 11 or 12 of them!) and the money put to better use. I was blocked from doing that time and again. There were three chauffeurs and three cars when I became Chairman. Within weeks there was only one of each – but not for me! (Two chauffeurs were redeployed and the cars sold off.) I used my own car to travel from event to event until the fuel pump packed up. Only then did I have to use the one remaining official car for the last 3 or 4 appointments. I gave them change back out of my Civic budget (which I had reduced from approx. £250,000 to £20,000) at the end of my year and at the same time raised £30,000 for Meningitis Research. It had hit our kids in RCT very badly at the time. I made sure my year as Chairman was an investment and not an expense. It’s all too easy to be all too easy with other people’s money. I can’t do that. It’s hard to earn but easy to waste. Especially when it’s not yours. I even found £3,000 worth of booze stashed away. You had paid for that! Party pints for the boyos.

I was told that you (out of public funds entrusted to me) had to pay for wreaths on Remembrance Day for (believe it or not, but true) the two main trades unions; and all 75 Councillors on all 54 Wards! I refused and made them pay for their own. Why shouldn't they? I bought six (two for each area) on behalf of you, the people, out of my RCT budget and paid for my own out of my own pocket. All this was done in close consultation with the Royal British Legion and their Regional Commander Colonel Tony Davies. Why should you have to pay when people can afford to pay for their own? I have the greatest respect and deepest gratitude for those who died for us (and still do) but think that others who 'say' they feel the same should show it and buy a wreath themselves. Actions speak far louder than words.

One of the main whingers (of course) was Cllr. Russell Roberts who had claimed almost £45,000 in allowances and expenses in the 3 previous years and when he was Mayor managed to get through about £278,000 of public money in one year.

This is the same Russell Roberts who was on the front pages the other day. “4 Jobs Roberts” who currently ‘earns’ (if you can call it that) just short of £100,000 out of the public purse and pocket! I was branded a ‘skinflint’ at the time when it was actually they who were the skinflints by having to be shamed into buying their own! A wreath at the time cost just £13. I think they could afford it don’t you? Disgracefully, but typically, this was used to score some very nasty, cheap political points at the time but when the truth came out they were shown up for what they are. If you send me to that Council Chamber the risk for them is that it will happen again, and they really don’t want that! They want sheep not shame. I have never courted controversy but I have never run from it either.

No need to believe me out of hand. This is all in the Pontypridd Observer and Rhondda Leader archives at the local Library. Yep - I took my allowances, but if you look overleaf there are a couple of examples of how I used to spend them. If I had left it with RCT the money would have simply disappeared in to some useless black hole (or deep pocket) without the people on my Ward seeing any benefit at all. I would rather spend it on them myself. So I did. No doubt you’ll be told otherwise but the evidence speaks for itself. The expenses I gave away came out of my own pocket either as cash gifts or bought goods. I made sure that the money went where it would be better used (to the people of my Ward in the main, but others too) so that it didn’t remain in the coffers of RCT where it would be wasted. Give it to those who deserve it, trust them and they’ll spend it right.

My year as Chairman came to an end and to my disgust my Plaid successor decided that she would go back to wearing the Mayoral Chains of Office and using the chauffeur driven car. I complained bitterly but they wouldn’t listen. We had cut the post of Mayor and got rid of the gold frippery and huge associated costs only to have it all return just a year later. To this end I refused to enter the Council Chamber if those chains were worn. I was expelled from Plaid for that particular sin. From then on it became 'same old, same old' and it was really difficult to see the difference between Plaid and Labour and because of that RCT went back to Labour in 2004. That was the year I gave up my seat.

Now me, having been a member of Labour and Plaid is painted as a negative (traitor and not to be trusted etc.) but it's not really a negative at all. In fact the exact opposite – it’s a positive. Because I've been on the 'inside' and know only too well how the party machines work and how the party hacks and spin doctors twist and distort reality I know how to fight them. That would be to your distinct advantage. I know how they work and how to get the best I can for you. And I have never been a member of any ‘”LibDem Alliance”. When? What day was that on? I must have been asleep or something! Utter rubbish.

Well, I'm still no sheep to be herded around by any party political machine unlike others who just nod along. I am outspoken and will tell you how things truly are warts and all. More importantly, I will tell them in the Council Chamber how things truly are warts and all and if they don’t like it well that’s hard lines I’m afraid. Truth hurts sometimes.

You see in reality I’m not YOUR worst nightmare; I’m THEIR worst nightmare and that’s why they’ll tell you anything but the truth! They will do and say anything to keep me out of that Council Chamber. They are petrified I will once again expose them for what they really are. Mind – I have to get there first! I need your help to do that.

I won't be knocking on your door and bothering you with this. The Labour Candidates the local AM and MP probably will though. Big guns rolled out in desperation to try to defend the indefensible and prop up a broken system and to ask you to vote for their party mates. A sort of “Please vote for the same old same old.” “They are wonderful people really.” “Look what they’ve done to the pavements and roads blah blah blah.” Repairs really well timed just before an election strangely enough too! And (the best one of all) “It’s really to do with the cuts from this Tory/LibDem Government not them!” In small part that’s true but if less went to waste on enormous salaries and inflated allowances for the top dogs more could be spent on the people. If wages are cut for Carers or School Dinner Ladies or Bin Men then all should be cut – especially those at the top! They blame anyone and everyone except themselves. Hell’s fire, they think we’re so, so stupid! Please don’t let them mug you any longer.

If you want to contact me to talk about the above or anything else that I believe in and want to do for you just ring me. Leave a message and if I can't answer I will get back to you as soon as I can. I’ll come to you if you want.

So please don't believe the distortions, the lies and the worm-tongued nonsense that you will be fed in leaflets poked through your door or even on your very own doorstep and especially what’s in the ‘Labour Herald’ propaganda sheet. Ask me for my side and you'll get it straight away. There are no lies here and anyone can check out what I’m telling you at any time. It’s all a matter of public record. You need to be made aware of the truth so you can see that there are some that have almost no idea of what that is.

Graeme.

Mugged by Direct Debit.

You work hard all week, or maybe you’re living on a pension, or perhaps unfortunate enough to be unemployed. Whatever it is your weekly or monthly income is limited and sometimes seems to be far too little all too often to pay your bills. Sometimes you look in your pocket and wonder if you can last until next pension or pay-day. One of those increasingly expensive bills of course is the Rates (Council Tax), and it’s a big part of the money flowing out of your pocket. 

Let’s just say though that you’re lucky enough to have a job. And let’s say you’re a Home Carer for the Elderly and Disabled. Hard, and sometimes difficult work but it’s a job and it’s also essential work in the community. Then one morning you wake up to a 90 day notice on your doorstep telling you that unless you take a cut in pay and working conditions, perhaps even up to 40% then you’re out of that job. Shocked would be an understatement. Maybe even feeling sick? How are you going to pay your bills now? Your Rates? Rates that are far higher than in neighbouring Authorities. Hundreds of pounds more actually. Ever wondered why? Well read on.

But then you find out slowly and bit by bit that the Managing Director of the company earns more than £100,000 a year; that he is completely protected from any cuts and those managers below him who are faithful followers and favoured by him are also paid huge sums and again are immune from any cuts to their income. They take anything between £43,000 plus and £23,500 plus a year. Something wrong here isn’t there? Shouldn’t everyone suffer?

In fact not only does his income exceed £100,000 a year but every penny of that comes out of public funds, as does the incomes of his faithful nodding followers. Public funds that originated out of your pay packet and bank balance in the first place. So you are taking a huge knock and having to tighten your belt time and again but they are just fine thanks and as ironic as it is it’s actually you who are paying for their privileged existence! Is it me or is there just a touch of mockery and  injustice here? Well that’s exactly what happened and is happening in RCT for those workers such as in the example given above and us - the Rates payer.

We have a Council Leader with (so far) 5 jobs, all paid out of our pockets, and his underlings below him again all paid for out of those increasingly empty pockets of ours. The song lyric, “You got to pick a pocket or two boys – you got to pick a pocket or two!” always comes to mind when I look at these huge sums being paid to people who keep banging on about “serving” the public. Well I question who comes first in the queue. Sounds more like self-service to me. Sounds more like a Gravy Train; and it's Gravy for the few but never for you!

For instance ‘Extra Responsibility Payments’ to the Chair of the Environmental Services Scrutiny Committee, (2010/11 - Cllr. Tina Leyshon) amounting to £9,700 and that committee having met only 7 times. That is in effect £1,386 that she received per meeting and that’s just one example. There are far more. Nice work if you can get it eh? No wonder they want to hang on to their jobs.

We are being mugged and that mugging is by Direct Debit every month. Another 5 years of this and more? What will they do next? Company cars for Councillors? Now that sounds silly doesn't it? An outrageous thing to say. Well did you know that this actually happens right now and regularly with at least the Mayor and the Leader of RCT? Not only that but it's a chauffer driven company car may I add. And of course there's a choice. Now shall we take the Volkswagen Phaeton purchased in June 2008 at a price of £19,570 or shall we take the Jaguar XF which was purchased in August 2008 at a price of £23,329? It must be so hard to choose. My heart bleeds. When I was Chair of the Authority in 1999/2000 I used my old Toyota Corolla and drove myself around.

Well 4 years ago I didn't think that we would have a Council Leader with 5 jobs on more than £100,000. I never suspected that they would be paying themselves so richly for being so ordinary. It was beyond me that they would cost us more than £1,300,000 a year to 'employ' as Councillors. And it never entered my head that they would make those least able to pay for cuts actually pay for them whilst completely protecting themselves. Company cars? Doesn't sound so crazy now does it?

Graeme Beard.