Boris and his Monday Morning Tea Meetings.

A little late but here is my first report on the UNISON London Labour Link committee held last week. We had double bubble this meeting with a presentation by GLA member, Joanne McCartney and London MEP, Claude Moreas.

I’ll report first on Joanne. Please note my usual disclaimer about relying on hurried scribbled notes for this post.

UNISON member Joanne told us how the assembly is still waiting for a vision from Boris. He talks about “value for money” but what is his plan? What will be his “way to go”?

His cuts to the Thames Gateway transport system will stymie regeneration. Stopping the Cross London and Croydon Tram link has even upset local Tories who were not consulted and cannot now commit to regeneration programmes for their own boroughs. With Housing, it is plain that Boris is expecting Labour Councils to pick up the bulk of social housings. With regard to youth policies he flies any number of kites but so far no coherent strategy. There was the infamous policy compelling kids to join the scouts. When the scouts protested that they would not accept kids who didn’t want to be there and Boris was quizzed on this, he simply denied that there was any plan to compel. Obviously he doesn’t read his own policy statements.

His apparent breach of confidence as the Chair of the Met Police Authority with regard to Damien Green is very worrying. He had agreed to slash funding of a joint GLA/Police domestic violence unit then once Labour GLA members had made a fuss he again denied it had ever happened and claimed that funding to the unit will be increased.

The most entertaining story that Joanne had heard from more than one source was that apparently there is a weekly “tea” meeting every Monday morning at City Hall with Boris and his advisers. The advisers dread this meeting because every week Boris sails into the get-together with lots of jolly good ideas and wheezes that had occurred to him over the weekend. They have no idea what to expect from week to week.

There was a good Q&A afterwards during which I told Joanne that across London many (not all) Housing Associations were cutting development teams and making staff redundant when we still have a desperate need for new public housing. What could the GLA do to bring forward plans for new build and refurbishment (at social and market rents) to keep people in jobs and build new homes? Joanne made some very constructive and non-partisan suggestions which I will follow up.

Picture above is of Boris desperate to raise money due to the ending of the £25 gas guzzler charge, at one such meeting trying to sell off the London underground system to the yanks.