Saturday, July 20, 2013

If you back a dog into a corner it is going to FIGHT !


Or alternatively  ............

Oh to be a fly on the wall Monday in Morley. 
We have used this particular saying before here  

OMG !!! You will never guess what I have just heard

"Will he charm them with his fancy uniform, shiny buttons and pips on his shoulder. Or will they stand up for the rights of every citizen to have a decent  fire and rescue service."

FCCL said that way back in October 2012 when CFO Simon Pilling was called to a meeting of Morley Town Council that was held behind closed doors. And seems he did charm them and spin them a tale via a set of matching smoke and mirrors.
And we also told of Ed Balls MPs concerns  later the same October 
And although CFO SImon PIlling didnt get things entirely his own way (Morley Fire Station wasnt closed and merged with Hunslet,  but is to be day crewed instead) 
ANYWAY
 -  a couple of blogs later  ( March and May ) bring us round to this Monday  22nd July , Ed Balls MP is yet again  to meet with Simon Pilling (and we assume a few of his closest  henchmen) to discuss Morley Fire Stations future. Also in attendance will be 
Cllr Dawson, Cllr Varley, Cllr Finigan (who was at the original IRMP meeting), Cllr Mehboob Khan (was the head of the fire committee at the time) and FCCL believe several other local councillors too from the Morley , Ardsley and Robin Hood areas.

As these councillors are now we understand armed with the truth of what the IRMP means to them and their constituents they are pressing for some serious answers and the continued 24hr fire cover that they deserve.



Simply put, FCCL believes  the CFO and his officers lied to the fire committee over the wording of Morley staying open in the IRMP meeting which agreed the changes of, among other things, the downgrading of Morley, Rothwell & Garforth. When the local  firefighters and FBU  explained the actual implications of the outcome to Ed Balls and all the local Morley councillors they were not best pleased as they assumed that they had saved Morley from closure and were retaining 24hr cover but it soon became clear that they had had the wool pulled over their eyes by Simon and Co. 


Despite many attempts by Ed Balls & other councillors to get a meeting with the CFO to clarify the situation the CFO has consistently dodged the issue and even didn't bother to turn up to an agreed meeting with Ed Balls. Ed Balls is a very busy man and he was not impressed with the CFO's actions at all. (remember Simon P will be very close to retirement age when these cuts are implemented). 



As well as the fact that FCCL believe  the CFO lied to them the politicians  have also given them the facts about how many people actually put them selves forward for day manning at the affected stations.

Rothwell   8,

Garforth   3 or 4 


Morley 6 
(or maybe  less, we have heard since our last post there may be only ONE person willing to day crew)

Don't forget that the new system was open to everyone in West Yorkshire and if even only ONE person wants to do it and yet the closure of Morley will still go ahead on the 13th of January 2014.

It beggars belief that they will force a station closure with only one applicant as a replacement.

We understand the remainder of the staffing will come from the Ops Pool and detached duties from other stations - this could be the situation for years until they eventually find or recruit enough people to change to the day manning system ! All the personnel at Morley will be forced to  move to other stations which will over staff' those stations, this means that we will have the absurd situation of ex-Morley personnel being detached back into Morley (at extra cost) to keep the station running.  We understand 


One Watch Commander may have already been told that there are no foreseeable posts at other stations for him to be transferred to so they are 'making' a post for him at FSHQ ! - Lucky chap. 

Madness ! or Jobs for the boys? 


Why not leave the personnel where they are at Morley
until such a time that they can fill the posts properly? 
OR

IF IT AINT BROKE _ DON'T TRY AND FIX IT 
(mind you we already know he isn't too good with tape measures) 
And leave Morley, Rothwell and Hunslet just as they are. 

 It is absolute madness and FCCL are  beginning to think that maybe the CFO is suffering a serious impairment of judgement (AKA:   too arrogant and stubborn to admit he has messed it up  and anyway he can always blame the Councillors on the Fire Authority)

NOW TALKING OF MESSING UP
............................at the recent Inner East Area Committee at which  Station Commander Nigel Kirk of Gipton Fire Station told of a 40% increase in deliberate house fires in his station ground.


Cllr Ronald Grahame (labour)  who has had a seat on the Fire Authority  publicly said that voting through the closure of Gipton was something he regretted deeply 
AND THEN HE SAID 


Cllr Ronald Grahame
HE HAD BEEN BULLIED AND THREATENED BY
CLLR MEHBOOB KHAN

  INTO   VOTING THROUGH THE CLOSURES . 


Now lets make it clear THIS IS SERIOUS  and there is no way FCCL would ever put it in the public domain without being 110% sure 

But he said it at the committee, he repeated it to a close and trusted friend of FCCL and  he has also spoken to the FBU about what happened. 

So Cllr Mehboob Khan  bullied Ron ?
 
Who else has he "influenced" 

What else has gone on

(we must presume with Simon Pillings consent as he was desperate to get things pushed through)


We will be writing publicly to Cllr Grahame  requesting he make a formal complaint to the Fire Authority  or RESIGN 
Next week is FCCLs Ladies of Letters*  week. 
We will  comment and blog on recent correspondence at WYFRS.

* Although there are many that would contest the term Lady and much prefer "that Woman" 










17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what about the forthcoming strike by the FBU. Will you pull away from supporting an organisation which will close not one not two not even three fire station but ALL of them in West Yorkshire?

Sarah Covell said...

FCCL will back the FBU to the hilt whatever the outcome of the ballot!

If you think with withdrawal of labour is taken lightly you are very much mistaken, we at FCCL are trade unionists who hold true to the saying "Unity is Strength"

Anyway as yet the ballot results are not known, we what and wait.

Anonymous said...

You "what and wait"??
Why are the fire service striking now?

Strikes cost lives said...

Sorry - you are backing the FBU to the hilt. Fire cuts cost lives is the title of your blog, surely a firefighter's strike means absolutely no fire cover for the period of the strike? Therefore worse than fire cuts! Seems you have missed something or are in bed with the wrong team.

Sarah Covell said...

Strike action - sadly i dont see any alternative. It might be easier to see your point of view if i earnt 165k had a tax free car my professional fees paid my internet fees paid at home and no cuts in my terms whilst managing a reducing workforce with a team that includes a man who is working past retirement. But i will stick with the FBU thank you ........give me integrity over fat cats any day.

Strikes cost lives said...

So this site is not about fire cuts cost lives it is about the FBU protecting its members?

Anonymous said...

Fire cuts ? I thought i was reading about Simon Pilling being an overpaid idiot and all his middle ranking idiots waddling behind him. Lets face it shes outed him for what he is.

Anonymous said...

And I thought I was reading about fire cuts costing lives: not a personal attack on individuals and militant, unionist rantings?? Let's face it, Strikes cost lives has outed her for what she is. This debate is over.

Sarah Covell said...

Strongly recommend Strikes Cost lives you set up a blog -lots of Daily Mail readers would love to read your rantings.

As we at FCCL believe in democracy we would be delighted to help in the initial setting up stages.

However as you have stamped your foot and said "debate over" -we will not be responding to any more of your posts.

Trackergate said...

Until a few months ago, I would have defended Mehboob Khan to the hilt. However, when approaches with the tracker situation, he simply snubbed me and carried on about his business. Very professional. Jobs for the boys?? Jobs for the bullies more like

Domino said...

Striking is not a good tactic as it wil make no difference to the Government.Firefighters wil lose money and public support and people will be put at risk. By all means demonstrate , vote for the opposition but in a democracy we all have to accept the wishes of the majority

Anonymous said...

The fact someone might think they have been bullied does not mean they have been.very difficult to believe councillor Khan who is widely known for his sensitive caring nature would have bullied anyone

Sarah Covell said...

Really ?Reading about him in the Huddersfield Examiner he seems to have quite a forceful side - he was said to have bullied an employee in relation to an FOI.

Janus said...

What was Anthea Orchard who did not receive a penny in compensation for being followed around but got a payment in lieu of notice because she would have cost more to be on sick leave for ever doing with the covert tape recorder in her bag secretly taping her former colleagues ? Talk about the pot calling the kettle and we know you will not dare publish this but others will

Doctor Steve said...

The only bullying of poor councillor Ron Graham who is clearly not well is being carried put by the people running this website. Leave poor Ron alone and let him make his own decisions uninfluenced by these constant attacks

Sarah Covell said...

Dr Steve,

If Ron isn't fit he should be taken through capability proceedings. If he is clearly unwell he should resign instead of taking taxpayers money for doing an appalling job. But as I understand it this clearly unwell incompetent idiot is to again stand as a councillor. And I and many others will be queuing up to tell the truth about the man. He admitted that closing Gipton Fire Station is wrong, therefore when somebody dies because of that I shall be adding murderer to the list of things I associate with him. And I will have no problem calling it him to his face either.

Pickler said...

You are not being fair to Councillor Ron who is a kind hearted well meaning soul even if he is not the brightest spark in the box. Would you behave the same way to someone registered as having disabilities ? No then stop beating up Ron its not his fault