More Con-sultation takes place on The Level.

A con-sultative gazebo appeared on The Level this morning bringing back dread memories  of “The Level Con-sultation”.  Though quite what all the fuss and con-sulting is about is hard to guess. £4.2 million to make improvements to the Vogue Gyratory – who’s going to complain? But, of course, the council’s had to shoehorn in a “choice” (obviously an integral part of the required con-sultation) by asking the general public for their views on bus/cycle lanes. Now it’s a well-known fact that Joe and Joeina Public have studied traffic management and safety in depth, and have a special interest in bus and cycle lanes, so we await with interest the results of the public response. Presumably, remembering “The Level Con-sultation”, the cycle lane with the most votes wins! No doubt there’s been the usual even-handed prior con-sultation to make sure the correct result is achieved. But hang on, this will only go ahead “If there is sufficient support for the scheme…”! Support as judged by…by…what? Percentage of questionnaires returned? Percentage not returned? Let’s wait and see what that tricky pair Pete West ‘ n’ Ian Davey have cooked up this time (already prepared before the con-sultation, naturally). The thought that they may feel compelled to forego spending £4,200,000 due to lack of public “support” is quite alarming! Roll on the “Lewes Road Con-sultation” results! More statistics at their finest!

Pete on Pete action on Radio 4! (White on West, that is.)

Once again Brighton & Hove’s Green council have been accused of not living up to their increasingly inappropriate name. And the occasion? Yesterday’s You and Yours on Radio 4. Pete West, “The Fat Controller”, had been caught out attempting to raise allotment rents by 66%. Luckily for allotment-holders he was roundly defeated at the council meeting on 23 February. And who opposed the rip-off rent rise? Why Pete West, of course, that champion of the town’s open spaces! With a display of breath-taking integrity, he joined all the other Green councillors in voting for an opposition amendment preventing his own exorbitant rise. Yet again, the Greens show that when it comes to politics, there’s nothing to beat being on the winning side!

And so to Radio 4:

PW: It does seem strange for a Green council to want to increase allotment prices…Why did you change your plans?

PW (sounding dismissive and resentful): Umm – well, that was – you know – a, a political matter – er – we – you know – there was, there was clearly some opposition to it a-a-nd it was the whole council had to make a budget decision.

That’s it Pete – tell it like it is!

Brighton Society brown-noses council.

Stakeholder indeed! Running dog more like! How a society which claims to be “Aiming to conserve and improve the amenities of Brighton and Hove” can just regurgitate the council line is disgraceful. But then what can you expect of an organisation whose Chairman, Malcolm Dawes, is capable of writing this obsequious letter to the Argus in which he trumpets the council line and disparages the validity of the Keep the Level Green petition, signed by over 3,000 people — “Petitions can be signed without much thought and many people signing petitions may not even live in the city.” [Just goes to show how much he knows about the history of The Level and it's covenant: "...to be used and enjoyed for ever hereafter by the inhabitants and visitors of the Town of Brighthelmston, and the public in general..." Ed.]

Nice one West ‘n’ Davey!

Truly way out, West!

Friends of The Level is dead – it wasn’t a phoenix, it was a dodo!

A bit harsh? No, not really. Because, quite simply, the life of an organisation must be determined by its constitution, and according to The Friends of The Level constitution passed at the SGM in February 2011: “6.1. A quorum of the management committee shall be six…” At present (and only at a stretch) the committee consists of just three members, the three “officers” who were “elected” at the “AGM”. Therefore FoTL , even if the farcical election of the officers were accepted, has a management committee that is unable to legitimately take decisions, its meetings are inquorate. It is a ship with neither crew nor rudder. Thus: FoTL is dead.

It is worth noting that the committee that organised the “AGM” consisted of only five members (see the number of names at the bottom of “About Friends ofthe Level”, AGM 2012). So now we have evidence that  FoTL was dead even before the AGM. Thus: FoTL is deader than just dead – it’s been extinct for some time.