Margaret Hodge MP speaking in Sydenham on Tuesday 11th June

[Tim Lund]

Just saw this on SE23.com

Lewisham West & Penge Labour Party

Open Meeting - All Welcome
Tuesday 11 June – 8pm
Venner Road Hall SE26 5EQ

Guest Speaker, Margaret Hodge MP,
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee

GETTING BEST VALUE FOR OUR MONEY
Holding the government to account for how it spends our taxes

Entrance is free, but please let LW&P Labour Party know if you wish to attend, as space is limited. Tel: 07771 713 1920.

(Public transport: by bus - the hall is a few minutes walk from the 75 and 202 bus stop by Newlands Park, Sydenham. Nearest train: Sydenham (Southern Rail from London Bridge and East London Overground), ten minutes walk).

[Eagle]

Tim
I am sure will be riveting and queue right down to Tredown but will reluctantly give it a miss.

You could ask the good lady why her council tore down the lovely Victorian Houses at the end of Venner Road and turned them into a 70's ghetto called Canal Walk.

[Tim Lund]

Eagle - if I get the chance to ask a question, it will probably be one more relevant to her current position as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, and not with quite such local focus. It's simply not true that "all politics is local", unless you're a certain sort of machine politician.

[Eagle]

Tim
Did The Dear Lady offer an explanation for Lewisham's Council desecration of Venner Road in the 70's.

They turned a lovely road into The Pits.

I would hazard a bet none of the council top brass live there. Or certainly not in the Sydenham end.

[14BradfordRoad]

Tim
Did The Dear Lady offer an explanation for Lewisham's Council desecration of Venner Road in the 70's.

They turned a lovely road into The Pits.

I would hazard a bet none of the council top brass live there. Or certainly not in the Sydenham end.

I expect that 'The Rt Hon Lady Hodge MBE MP' (her correct title) was very busy in the 70's as a councillor
over in Islington, Oh! and working in Market Research at the same time as this! So doubt very much that
she had anything to do with Sydenham at all in the 70's..

Just as an aside; this lady is a very smart business person who is also a shareholder in the world's largest
privately owned steel-trading corporation and the sixth largest British company in private hands, with an
annual turnover of over £6Bn in 2011, her father (originally from Germany started this company). Considering
her background and her wealth of knowledge I believe she is very worth listening too where accountancy /
business finance is concerned. Alternatively you could just bang on about what some labour council did in
Sydenham way back in the 70's..That was 40 years ago when mistakes were being made by all parties - it's
really time to move on now!

If anyone is interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hodge

[Eagle]

Whilst I appreciate the Lady in question had no personal involvement with the carnage of the 70's . I cannot forget how that council did their best to destroy Sydenham . Venner Road only one example , but a very painful one.


She must be one of the richest MP's then.

[14BradfordRoad]

Whilst I appreciate the Lady in question had no personal involvement with the carnage of the 70's . I cannot forget how that council did their best to destroy Sydenham . Venner Road only one example , but a very painful one.

Yes Eagle but I do suspect that those particular council employees have long gone or at least retired..

Maybe you could start a campaign to have Venner road rebuilt as it was?
In the meanwhile this meeting might actually achieve something, help some local people, businesses or do
some good for Sydenham in the present..

[Chris Best]

Just thought I would bump this as we have very few places left - plenty of interest in hearing what Margaret has to say about the global corporates not paying UK tax, the banking sector and getting value for money for the taxpayer.

[leenewham]

One thing they should consider to bring better value for money to the taxpayer is to break up tenders into smaller bundles for some works which will allow smaller companies to tender, have less consultations and make the ones they do have matter.

Letting common sense rule above rules would help too. Often protocol and red tape make jobs more expensive. Councils need to be a little more flexible in their thinking. Lots are, but some, including our own, often aren't!

One example is where councils have funding for high street improvements to buildings but still insist on charging itself to give itself permission to put up scaffolding for works that take a day, which then limits the amount of work that can be carried out because a large chunk of funding has gone on red tape.

[Tim Lund]

Sounds like it was a good meeting.