Croydon Council chief executive Jon Rouse has come under fire for suggesting it was not his job to be scrutinised by the press as he asked for journalists to leave a community meeting.
Journalists were last night told to leave the meeting in West Croydon after Mr Rouse, said he felt "uncomfortable" with their presence.
I guess nearly £250k a year doesn't buy much these days:
Mr Rouse, whose renumeration to run the council last year was £248,362 including pension contributions, told the meeting after his arrival: "I just feel uncomfortable about this situation. It's not appropriate for an officer to be placed in this position. It is going to be a very different meeting if the press are here.
"It is not my job to place myself in a position in which I have to defend council policy and have my words scrutinised and reported on by the press. That is the place of our democratically elected politicians."
Hey, nothing to hide, nothing to fear, eh Mr Rouse?
"It is not my job to place myself in a position in which I have to defend council policy and have my words scrutinised and reported on by the press. That is the place of our democratically elected politicians."
ReplyDeleteOkay, would he prefer an alternative... Tahrir Square? To give just one example of what happens when the 'public' is excluded from the process.
Councils seem to forget who they serve and pays for them. As indeed does central government.
ReplyDeletePoor little man. I used to have great fun winding up the press in meetings. It was all part of the great game.
ReplyDeleteI this evidence of the Chief Exec saying that as he only does what he is ordered to do by the elected Councillors - the "only obeying orders" defence - he should be immune from criticism and be accountable only to those people "ordering him about". If so that makes him a £250,000 a year "yes man" with no input whatsoever. Hey, people of Croydon. Look I'll be your "yes man" for a bargain £50,000 a year and pay for my own pension out of that £50,000, ok? Plus, I'll allow the people who actually finance that £50,000 come and see me in action and allow the press to report on it. So, when do I start? Early January 2013 would suit me fine, but if you want me sooner, say to organise the leaving do for that arrogant waste of space pretending to do the job at the moment ... ....
ReplyDelete@ Anon 16:27
ReplyDeleteYou may be missing the point. I cannot abide the Council Jobsworths but Mr Rouse is correct in asserting the non-political nature of his role in any Council business. Going as far as he did may gain internal respect but it comes at the cost of having his cards marked by the Press.
Rejoice! White Britons are a minority in london but not whire people thanks to Poles Yanks etc.
ReplyDeleteStandard has a wonderful article telling us we have nothing to fear from our Muslim pop which has doubled in ten years.
But those Whites are still leaving London, for some reason.
At least the press got into the meeting to begin with. In deepest Norfolk parish councils ban them from reporting at all!
ReplyDeletehttp://nannyknowsbest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/prats-of-week-hellesdon-parish-council.html
The main function of Croydon Council chief executive Jon Rouse is to tell elected members what they can and cannot do and how they must decide on most issues. As such he is precisely the man who the press must hold to account.
ReplyDelete"Okay, would he prefer an alternative... Tahrir Square?"
ReplyDeleteLucky for him, we aren't that sort of society. Yet.
The census figures don't make comfortable reading, though...
" I used to have great fun winding up the press in meetings. It was all part of the great game."
Some people have the wit to play it, some don't... ;)
"At least the press got into the meeting to begin with. In deepest Norfolk parish councils ban them from reporting at all!"
/facepalm
"As such he is precisely the man who the press must hold to account."
Spot on!