wightdogs.com ISLE of WIGHT DOGS and OWNERS

It seems the Ryde South electoral ward is jinxed when it comes to their representation on the IW council.

For a long time we were stuck with Cllr Chapman who was seldom actually on the Island, he was a rare sight at council meetings and he refused to answer emails. We finally got shot of him last year when Cllr Whittaker was voted in to replace him. Cllr Whittaker was ful of promises over how things were going to change under him and they certainly did as within a year he had been arrested for assaulting the police during which he spat blood in an officers face whilst laughing and shouting "I have aids". Still he was an improvement on Chapman.

This triggered another election for the poor souls of Ryde to endure and the County Hall Tory Battle machine went into overdrive as this was the first test of the regime since they had introduced their swathing cuts to the services of the vulnerable and needy of Island society.

 Now I have a large poster in my front door at all times and along with the instructions forbidding Religious fanatics, salesmen etc it clearly states "NO POLITICIANS" and "NO CANVASSERS" even the Jehovah's witness' have given up but it was no defense against the Tory press gang and I gave up answering my door in the end. But fortunately for me I am ex directory as others actually had them phoning to persuade them to vote for their man Gary Taylor.

 Having received numerous glossy leaflets and other assorted Tory party propaganda through my door I happened to finally glance at one whilst chomping through my obligatory peanut butter on toast and Mr Taylor certainly was full of promises of how life would improve under his leadership. "Keeping Council tax Down, Keeping Our Streets Tidy, Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour etc. etc." Along with numerous quotes from Mr Taylor who had spoken to County hall and gained answers to his questions that the rest of us could only dream of. Odd really as he hadn't even been elected yet but he was already one of the boys.

Gary was certainly going to be our man even though he doesn't actually live in the ward as among his many atributes it appears he is street wise! So as he was asking us to contact him and claimed "No issue is too big or small for me. I pledge to work hard on behalf of the residents of Ryde South and work with whoever i need to" I was impressed and I though to myself - What a Man, so I obliged and emailed him with my concerns over my being "Blacklisted" by the IW council following wightdogs.com spearheading the fight against the intended beach ban extensions.

 Given Mr Taylors many brave promises of a brighter inclusive future I was surprised when I received a rather generic reply:

Thank you for your email. I understand and sympathise with your issue and will certainly take this up if elected.

Yours

GaryTaylor

I must admit to being somewhat disgruntled and although I knew Gary was a very busy and important man, and had little time to deal with a simple country boy like me, I emailed him again to seek reassurance:

"Is that it Gary, or is this just a generic reply?"

Gery responded with:

"Not at all - I am most concerned to learn that you have been blocked from emailing the council and will take the issue up if I am elected. I can well understand your irritation with this issue."

 At last a true man eager to serve and  to assist me in my struggle for justice. I slept soundly that night content that our new leader would not only champion my cause but the old neighbourhood would be paved with gold.

Sure enough Gary was voted in successfully and the Tories strutted about boasting loudly of the 25% turnout, as with 274 votes Gary had secured nearly 10% of the total of possible voters who numbered 2946. A Famous Victory Indeed!

 Delighted that the saviour had secured his place in history I waited in anticipation for Gary to contact me with the good news of pending salvation, but I knew the celebrations and congratulations were the order of the day so I waited patiently for the great man to grant me an audience to secure our battle plans.

Days passed by and became a week and still no word from our Hero, so I grasped the opportunity to email the Mesiah over his great concerns regarding me being "Blacklisted", but his reply stated:

 "I have asked about your email status at County Hall, and have been told that your complaints are vexatious, and this is why they will no longer allow your emails, even to me"

 Confused at how the Saviour could have ever assumed that the council were "Blacklisting" people without at least considering them to be vexatious I took it upon myself to once again email Gary:

"I am afraid I am not willing to accept that "they" wont allow you as an elected representative to decide for yourself whether you wish to receive emails from an individual you represent.

Are you willing to accept that my complaints are vexatious without seeing the evidence?..."

 A very reasonable request I thought, that Gary should decide for himself whether or not he wished to receive my emails to him in his official capacity as my elected representative especially given that Gary had expressed that he was most concerned over the practice prior to the election. But in his reply Gary stated:

"I am sure you are aware that it is not possible for me to change this decision"

 So nine days after sweeping to power, and after writing two sentences regarding my "Blacklisting" Gary had given up the fight, and rolled over to show his underbelly, but to whom he had actually submitted I was unsure. He had attempted to meet with me in person to discuss my concerns off the record, the documented record that is. This not being of any use, as I would have no record of what was said, I wrote formally to Gary yesterday to request answers as to whether he had given the council permission to intercept my emails to him and to be informed of who the mysterious "they" were who he claimed would not allow my emails, including to him. I also informed Gary that I believed these measures have been implemented solely to humiliate me, as despite my emails being immediately bounced back to me with a message stating they had been discarded I had documentary evidence that this was not true as i had received a reply to one of them even though it had been allegedly discarded. I explained to Gary that by participating in this I didn't consider he was treating me with respect.

I was somewhat surprised that a professional like Gary should hastily compose a response to a formal request such as this but within eight hours I received his reply informing me that the Chief Executive of the council and the Director of Corporate Services, both unelected employees of the council, had informed him, my democratically elected representative, that my emails are blocked. End of story, and as Gary never answered my other points but has informed me:

 "I now need to balance my time answering your emails with the needs of other constituents in the ward"

 I consider I have been dismissed like a naughty schoolboy. So barely a week after the much heralded brave new world was inaugurated its off to the Ethical Standards Committee for me....Roll on the next election.

7th June 2010 11:00

Now I, in common with the rest of the Ryde South ward, have become rather disillusioned with the conduct of our representative over the years. And we have understandably also become ever so slightly cynical about the motives of our councillors. Gary has come onto the scene in changing times with references by central government to "ridiculous salaries" of council employees ( You will recall the reason given as to  why I cant email Gary at his official IWC email address was that two council employees told him he wasn't allowed to receive them, those two being the Chief Executive Beynon and his home boy the Director of Corporate Services. The CE is on £160,000 a year and his sidekick? I don't know but I would hazard a guess we are talking close on a Quarter of a million quid per year for the pair of them. Two members of staff employed by the council tax payer to serve telling an elected representative he cannot receive official communication from a person he was elected by, and Cllr Taylor is willing to accept that. If I was in the same poition I would refuse as I am a man of principle, and what would they have done sack me? They would be the employees not me) and the shame inflected by the expenses scandals. Or rather the shame inflicted by being caught at the expenses scandals. I think our Gary has missed the gravy train and might just have to do something other than say "yes" occasionally when prompted to do so.

Anyway you will recall that when Gary dismissed me for being naughty he stated:

"I now need to balance my time answering your emails with the needs of other constituents in the ward"

He was referring, I assume, to the ongoing complaints I had with the IW council which I had forwarded to him on his success of being elected as he had urged the electorate to contact him as:

 "No issue is too big or small for me. I pledge to work hard on behalf of the residents of Ryde South and work with whoever I need to"

So I sent him details of my concerns regarding the conduct of the dog warden and his motives for issuing myself with a Fixed Penalty Notice (this had been ongoing for nearly a year due to the IW council refusing to supply information requested  under the FOI Act, plenty more on this later) I also raised my concerns over the legally of the document produced for the Cabinet setting out the options for the Dog Control Orders amendments. ( I have had no answers whatsoever from either Cllr Pugh, Cllr Abraham or Simon Dennis whose name was the contact on the document. It was after I raised this matter, and had no response whatsoever, that on reiterating the fact that I required answers I discovered I had been "Blacklisted". Plenty more to come on this later) Finally I raised the dangerous condition of the fence alongside Public Footpath R103 which has been in an appalling condition for six years, and the council stated over a year ago something would be done after a dog belonging to a member of this website was badly injured. But of course nothing was ever done. This including video evidence is covered in the previous entry to this blog.

All these should be of concern to Gary as my representative and don't forget that I have been without representation due to Gassers predecessors little episode. Now then Whittaker obviously wasn't too keen on the old bill but I was under the impression that the usual course of action in such circumstances would be to hurl objects at them from a distance, whilst wearing a hood, baseball cap and the optional scarf wrapped around the face. Rather than standing at your own front door spitting bloody vomit in their faces and shouting "Ha Ha Ha Ive got aids". But then again what do I know? As I'm not even a councillor.

But the fence issue was, and still is, posing a danger to Garys flock and although Gary doesn't actually live in the area he represents, this fence does I believe does fall within the boundary. (Impossible to tell on the ward map on the councils website, now theres a surprise) Regardless Garys leaflets inform us "Gary would regularly walk the streets of Ryde South to identify any problems with untidy streets, However he would be grateful if you could bring any issues to his attention so he can get then dealt with quickly" So it appears Gary can walk. even though he doesn't have the appearence of one that does so regularly, (perhaps he could get a dog, oh on second thoughts not such a good idea what with the IWC reputation regarding good boys and girls) but I suppose he could drive over from the West Hill Road and then do his patrol. And although Footpath R103 isn't technically a Street it is however a highway and this is an area used extensively by the very people Gary claims he represents. Yet the only comment Gary has offered is:

"Thank you for your email. I have noted the content"

Very generic Gary, you are a fast learner, but so much for your statement:  "As your councillor...I would be the champion for young people"  As this area has become somewhat of a gathering point for young people of your ward, as such places were when I was their age because you have no where to go, you have little money and anything is better than going home. But you appear to have avoided giving any opinion as to whether or not you consider it to be safe? One things for sure it is a long time since it has served the only purpose for which it was erected - To bar passage