Basher has posted what is below, which I reproduce in full and invite my more thoughtful readers to consider. The only direction in which I would point them is to the indication that RBC was first told that Wokingham was starting a review on 26th March, before this year's election, when Reading was still under Labour control, and when Fatboy Hartley was still the Cabinet member for education. The officer concerned indicates that papers were circulated for that meeting, and Fatboy would have received those papers - I am quite sure the officer is correct in saying that there was no specific information in those papers, but was not the fact that Wokingham were starting a review enough to set off alarm bells? Maybe even use it as an election campaign issue? No. Fatboy, notoriously lazy, did not read the papers, or if he did he did nothing about them. Shouting about them now will not wash. Or is Basher using this to expose Fatboy for the lazy fat-arse he is? I think we should be told.
Questions have been asked about when Reading Borough Council knew that Wokingham Borough Council were going to propose changes to the Maiden Erlegh Catchment Area.
Jon Hartley, Labour Councillor; Park Ward, has asked Reading Officers to confirm when they were aware of the changes. They confirm that Wokingham advised them in June that changes to the catchment area were proposed. While not for now, as we are where we are, however this date asks questions of Tory Councillor Mark Ralph's commitment to Reading's residents as this would have been one of the first things across his desk in coming to his role as Lead Councillor for education.
The officer's full response to Jon's question is attached below for your information.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Wright, Anna
Date: 30 September 2010 13:35
Subject: RE: Reading Borough Council involvement in Wokingham's
Designated Area Review
To: "Hartley, JonX">
Dear Jon
I have consulted with colleagues and can clarify that we were invited to
an initial meeting at Wokingham to discuss their review on 26 March
2010. Noone from Reading went to that meeting as it was billed as a set
up meeting covering terms of reference etc. The papers were circulated,
but no proposals for change were contained in them and the meeting just
covered background information.
The next meeting officers attended was on 13 May 2010 when the over
subscription criteria were discussed and the focus was on Wokingham town
centre schools in the main, in particular Holt and Forest.
The meeting concerning designated areas for all Wokingham secondary
schools was held on 10 June 2010 and at this meeting we first learned
Wokingham's plans for changing the DA of Maiden Erlegh.
Best wishes
Anna
........................................................................
...............
Anna Wright
Director of Education and Children's Services
Reading Borough Council
16 comments:
So the fat boy done it and ran away!
No anonymous. As usual Fatboy did nothing and couldn't be arsed to run away & let Basher post up the evidence as he is too lazy to think through the consequences.
Priceless.
So - too fat, then, and out of puff and unable to anything but waddle?
Basher must be really pissed with Hartley and probably blames Hartley for his last failure to get back on as a local cllr. After all this school catchment problem started before the May election while Hartley was meant to still be in charge of education!
Basher's kids are at Maiden Erlegh already, so why is he so wound up and campaigning? Does he need to sell his house & so is worried a catchment change would take thousands off its value, or does his email address, cllrricmck@aol say something?
well it is always good fun to see the boys falling out, and that email address might not even be legal - passing himself off as a councillor! Even worse than Zim One Lovelock pretending to lead the council after they had lost the election!
Jane, are you suggesting that Hartley's replacement Tory man Ralph has also sat on the issue all this time? Plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose. Or something like that anyway..feel free to correct.
if Mark Ralph did anything about it I don't know about it. I am not impressed with what I know of Cllr Ralph. But I am not here to discuss the politics and activities of the Tory group or the coalition. It is a fact that Fatboy was the cabinet member before the election and knew about the issue when he was in a position to do something about it, and did nothing, and is now "campaigning" against it.
Isn't campaigning a little bit active for the usually restive Fatboy?
you probably mean "resting"
I knocked on Fatboy's door once and he couldn't even be bothered to reach his hand into his pocket to give some small change to a good cause I was collecting for. Lazy and also mean.
What other little gems might have been "sat on" for after the elections...nothing new here am afraid.
Richard McKenzie writes on his blog 'Before the meeting I was able to speak to Wokingham's lead councillor for Education, Matthew Deegan, who I had a useful conversation. Then I spent time putting residents' objections to Wokingham's Director of Childrens' Services Andy Cauldrick. They both assured me that they would answer the questions I put to them.'
The lead councillor for Education on WBC is Rob Stanton.
So who was Richard talking to?
Matt Deegan is an Earley Borough Councillor who is campaigning with families in his ward for their children to be able to attend their nearest school.
Good to know Richard is lobbying effectively!
So how is 'Fatboy' going to defend this if he was on panel? If you tolerate this- Your Campaign Will be Next (@http://richardmckenzieorg.blogspot.com/). Legal action- I thought it was a consultation?
Any comments, Jane?
it looks as though Basher is doing this partly to stick the knife into Fatboy, to get him to stand down so that he Basher can be the candidate and sweep to victory. We'll see.
So why is FatBoy himself appearing to make all these motions to ‘the new Condem administration’ on Tuesday 19th October’? If it was his watch (‘still the Cabinet member for education’) isn’t he going to shoot himself in the foot. Where do you think all this ‘Wokingham’ ‘bashing’ will end?
Hartley isn't up for re election - it's Hussain who will be fighting to hold the seat and McKenzie us the labour candidate.
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