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Upbeat message from affluent visitor
OUTLOOK ... Sir Merrick with Chris Sayers, BT North East regional director, left, and Coun Iain Malcolm at Harton Staithes.
A LOCAL government supremo brought an upbeat message for the future of South Tyneside on his first visit to the borough.
Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) and leader of the affluent Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, paid a fact-finding visit to South Shields yesterday.
He took a stroll along the coastline, met staff in the BT centre at Harton Staithes and visited the site of a new swimming pool under construction on the town’s foreshore.
Sandwiched inbetween, Sir Merrick – a passionate advocate of the arts – met council and business leaders at the Customs House theatre complex on the Mill Dam, saying he was impressed at South Tyneside Council’s ambitious regeneration projects, and drawing comparisons between our borough and the wealthy constituency he represents.
And he told our local civic figures that they weren’t alone in facing up to cuts in government funding, with South Tyneside needing to make £20m of savings in the next year.
Sir Merrick, knighted in 2010 for his services to local government, said: “We need to look at different and innovative approaches to providing public services in a difficult economic climate. Despite the challenges, I sense a positive mood.
“There is a sense of liberation that we have been freed up to work in different ways.
“There are a number of wealthy people in Kensington and Chelsea, but there are also highly deprived areas too and we are working with a 28 per cent grants reduction.
“We are working in partnership with our neighbouring authorities to provide joint services. By doing things together, we are not reducing our sovereignty in any way.
“My borough is small, just five square miles, and I know South Tyneside is not that large either but I was pleased to see the regeneration working going ahead. I saw the new leisure centre that is being built, just as there is in my own borough.
“South Tyneside is also working successfully with its neighbours in North Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland to provide services and with its strategic partner BT South Tyneside. It’s facing up to the challenge of working with less money and looking at other ways of doing things while still getting the right results for its residents.”
The LGA is a voluntary organisation that is seen as the ‘voice of local government’ in England and Wales. Sir Merrick has been its chairman since 2008.
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Comments
There are 17 comments to this article
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Pooter watcher
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 06:34 PMSome excellent comments here about Cockell. Yes, he is affluent: that's because us suckers pay him £130k a year. You need to go this Kensington and Chelsea website and see what we think of the pretentious prat! What a freeloader http:fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.com
MaxKershaw
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 02:33 PMWithout sounding like a ' Job Snob', a name like Merrick Cockell was bound to preceded by a title, wonder how he managed without it until 2010 ?
wasthatthatguy
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:55 AMNine bob note?
wasthatthatguy
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:48 AMThere's a 2009 article in the London Evening Standard about Sir Merrick - "First-class travel and fine dining: council chief's trips to NY on expenses". The article says he was in New York "to study how the city manages a single public services telephone number", which would no doubt be of interest to BT. The article also mentions Sir Merrick accepting "hospitality" from property developers who own property in Kensington and Chelsea.
East Boldon Lad
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 08:30 AMThe bold Sir is personally quite an affluent guy, but we can't have that can we...wonder whether or not his LA has an anonymous primate who blogs destructively and in potentially defamatory terms about the life and times of the Royal Borough's elected members and Council Officers. Partnership working and joint service delivery is a worthwhile and cost saving route to explore.
wasthatthatguy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:30 PMMaybe Sovereign Strategy will be able to advise Kensington and Chelsea Council how to do a deal with BT?
Blogsworth
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:17 PMCan anyone tell me what was the point of Sir Merrick Cockell's visit to South Shields, apart from an all expenses paid day out for him ? Maybe our councillors are expecting a invite back to his "deprived" area. Nice touch with them leaning to the left!
wasthatthatguy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:39 PMHe probably let the plane or the train take the strain.
Wavydavy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:04 PMI think it's great he found his way past Bedford without getting lost. He was probably surprised at how there are good roads here and people live in houses and drive cars. Hopefully he will go back to effluent Kensington and Chelsea and tell the southerners that the North East really does exist.
wasthatthatguy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 01:54 PMI think BT have a 10 year contract to provide various services to South Tyneside Council. Presumably, BT would like to obtain similar contracts from other councils, eg Kensington and Chelsea Council?
MaxKershaw
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:28 AMWell, if the Councillors dont know 'what it entails' perhaps BT could put up one of their ' spokesperson(s)' and let us council tax paying mugs what this partnership means?.
wasthatthatguy
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:59 PMLike us, most of the Councillors probably don't know "what it entails".
MaxKershaw
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 06:52 PMThis ' BT-Council Patnership' stuff smacks of PFI by another name. I wish the Council took the time to let people know exactly what it entails. Any Councillors reading this happy to oblige...?
wasthatthatguy
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 05:25 PMMaybe that's why he looks so happy.
wasthatthatguy
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 05:24 PMMaybe BT would like to do a partnership "deal" with his Council, like they did with South Tyneside Council?
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