Press release shows County Hall have learned their lesson

KENT County Council got itself into a bit of a mess over its streetlight switch-off but has – at last – managed to draw a line with final confirmation it will now embark on a threeyear plan to convert all 118,000 streetlights to LED.

After complaints its consultation on the original decision left rather a lot to be desired, KCC left nothing to chance the second time of asking.

Or, as the official press statement put it “deliberative groups were facilitated.” Quite.

OFF The Record has sat through enough budget meetings to know they are not the most compelling debates.

However, a new low was reached this year in what was arguably one of the most turgid meetings, with precious little by way of drama.

In fact, the meeting really only came to life right at the end when councillors had one of those surreal discussions about how dreadful it had been.

On that, there was a rare moment of political consensus.

STILL, there were one or two lighter moments to puncture the general gloom.

Ukip councillor Hod Birkby regaled the meeting with an anecdote about how he had been diagnosed as clinically obese by a “huge nurse who told me to keep my weight down but could hardly get in her chair”.

MEANWHILE, Conservative attack dog, Cllr Jeremy Kite, consolidated his reputation as chief tormenter of the Ukip opposition group.

Replying to a call by the party to close a residential youth centre owned by KCC in France, he triggered much mirth among backbenchers when he declared it should be kept open as Ukip would soon need “a refuge of its own” and a “place where the electorate cannot find them”.

Maybe you had to be there…

‘In fact, the meeting really only came to life right at the end when councillors had one of those surreal discussions about how dreadful it had been’

PERHAPS the only thing councillors could be grateful for was that they were spared from watching another of chairman Mike Harrisons’s video packages that reveal what he has been up to in fulfilling his civic duties.

It was left to Labour group leader, Cllr Gordon Cowan, to broach the issue, arguing diplomatically that so important was the impending debate on the budget that perhaps they could skip the video.

Mr Harrison then suffered the ignomy of putting this to a vote and finding no-one wanted to see his film.

Still, we reckon he will get his way when he rounds off his year as chairman in May.

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