Peter Kent-Baguley

46 Great bottles still standing...

Last night at the Stoke Film Theatre, Staffordshire University's professor of Film Studies, Ray Johnson, presented an excellent evening of archive film featuring the remaining 46 bottle ovens in Stoke-on-Trent. Still the centre of Britain's ceramic industry, although on a much diminished scale, Stoke-on-Trent, affectionately and still accurately known as the Potteries, was, until the late 1950s almost permanently covered by black smoke belching from hundreds of bottle ovens firing everything from the finest china tableware to ceramic sanitary ware. There may have been up to 2,000 brick bottle ovens at any one time, poking through pot bank roofs (pottery factories) or standing proudly detached, iconic symbols of toil and sweat, creativity and skill family tradition and exploitation. 

When I came to the Potteries from London nearly 40 years ago, bottle kilns, when not neglected, were demolished. My outsider's fascination with the heritage found little favour amongst the vast majority of local people who needed no reminder of the recent past pollution. Fortunately, in the early 1970s the Gladstone pottery works and along with its iconic bottle kilns in Longton (one of the six towns of the Potteries) were saved and have sinced developed into an internationally acclaimed museum.

Of course, bottle ovens were never built for posterity. They were only ever seen as short term means to an end. And because of the constant firings with temperatures reaching 1,000'C for several days followed by relatively rapid cooling, the brick structures were subjected to enormous strains and it was not uncommon for one to collapse under the strain.

Only the northern town of Tunstall is completely without bottle ovens. Fortunately the other five towns (echoes of Arnold Bennett!) of Burslem, Hanley, Fenton, Longton and Stoke share the 46 listed unique structures. Unique because that is what they are. The size and shape vary enormously, reflecting not only the whim or wisdom of the builder but also the size of the manufacturer and the particular goods to be fired.

Later this year, on Sunday September 20th Keith Meeson, retired miner and inspiration of the Apedale Mining Museum in neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme will walk through the Potteries linking all 46 bottle ovens, a mere 15 miles or so compared with the 60 or so miles when his sponsored walked linked all the sites of the former North Staffordshire coalmines for the Donna Louise charity. The September sponsored walk is for the same charity and people are invited to walk all (if they can keep up with Keith!) the way or join Keith for particular parts.   

City's Wedgwood Museum awarded Britain's buggest arts prize

As the City Council's Heritage & Design Champion I offer my congratulations to all concerned at the Wedgwood Museum for the creative success they have achieved. 

The £10m independent trust Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent  has scooped Britain's biggest arts prize, the £100,000 Art Fund Prize. Last night, an illustrious panel of judges chaired by film producer David Puttnam said: "In every respect it fully meets our criteria of what a 21st Century museum should aspire to be. This Museum is extraordinary for so many reasons and we were all but unanimous in our decision. The Wedgwood Museum brilliantly highlights the marriage of art, design, manufacturing and commerce."

Museum director Gaye Blake Roberts said: "It is not only a tribute to the museum, the staff, the volunteers and the trustees, but to everyone who has supported and voted for us. It has been one of the most exciting evenings you could experience." The prize money is expected to come through within days and will go towards funding the next phase of the museum's development.

Spinning out of control

So why is the government debt at an all time peace time high? For no other reason than the £billions - yes, literally £billions of our money and potential future earnings handed over to prop up major banks bankrupted by, relatively speaking, a handful of greedy self-serving bankers. Incidentally, have any of those criminal bankers been charged and convicted of corruption? Of course not. Like those self-serving money-grabbing MPs, they claim to behave within the rules!

In the meantime, does the government impose a change of the rules for the bankers? No: they expect the bankers to change themselves! Instead the  the government tightens its control over ordinary people, and sets about making us all pay for the corruption of the bankers. First in line to pay the government's perverted price will be the public servants employed by local councils.

Plans are being devised to sack thousands of local authority workers across the country as councill leaders limply, leaming like leap to the government's punitive proposals to punish the people for the reckless behaviour of the bankers. 

Newly re-appointed cabinet member Kieran Clarke states: "There are likely to be Government cutbacks after next year and we are going to have to think of leaner, smarter and more efficient ways of doing things."

Really Cllr Clarke the employees and council tax payers of this city deserve a little more than this bland meaningless spin for the £10,000 a year you are paid for being in the cabinet.

"There will also be pressures this year that we didn't expect and we really have to look at providing more value for money and creating better, more efficient services." What, precisely, are this unexpected "pressures"? Come to that, what is a "pressure" precisely? I suggest you and your cabinet colleagues resolve to start speaking plain, clear English so that we all know what you are talking about.

Somewhat disjointedly, Cllr Clarke concludes: "But we have also started the regeneration programme and have to make sure we continue to fund that." How, then will you continue to fund that? By demolishing pressures?  

Bright new dawn for Stoke-on-Trent City Council?

A week and a half after his surprise victory in the City Council leader election Tory group leader Cllr Ross Irving finally announced his cabinet today:

• Ross Irving (Conservative and Independent Alliance) - Leader, plus partnerships and transition
• Brian Ward (City Independent Group) - Regeneration and deputy leader
• Clive Brian (Conservative and Independent Alliance) - Adult, social care and health
• Derek Capey  (City Independent Group) -  Sport, leisure, parks and open spaces
• Kieran Clarke (Liberal Democrat Group) - Resources
• John Daniels (Conservative and Independent Alliance) - Housing and neighbourhood services
• Terry Follows (City Independent Group) - Community safety, cohesion and communications
• Joy Garner (Non-aligned) - Environment and regulatory services, including climate change
• Hazel Lyth (Conservative and Independent Alliance) - Enterprise and Culture
• Ian Mitchell (City Independent Group) - Children and young people's services

Councillor Irving said: "The new cabinet will work to create unity and effective politics across the city council.   The new cabinet members are all passionate about Stoke-on-Trent and committed to continuing the improvement in services we have achieved recently. The council is beginning a new era, following the end of the elected mayor system. The cabinet system will be a partnership across political groupings that will provide strong, effective governance. The new cabinet members will work together to ensure we manage the transition and rise to the challenges that we face as a council and as a city."

Irving's comment has the hallmark of the corporate communications department rather than a personal political statement indicating how the new cabinet will work to create unity across the council and what cabinet members will do to continue service improvements.

Since Irving ruled out working with the 9 strong BNP group, ignored the 13 Labour Members, the 3 Members of the Unaligned group and the 2 Potteries Alliance Members his claim that his cabinet will be a partnership across political groupings amounts to little more than the previous discredited Lab/Lib dem/Tory coalition of the elected mayor. The only difference is, Labour out and City Independents in! 

In the fullness of time it would also be helpful to know what Irving means by "the transition". Are we moving towards a new form of governance, of which most of us know nothing? Or more likely, perhaps, he meant to say "change". But that reduces the sentence to a limp bland statement of what ought to be obvious: that he has chosen cabinet members who can and will work together.

But will they?

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Stoke-on-Trent voter lethargy in EU elections

With 49,389 residents exercising their democratic rights the turnout was only 26.73%. Top of the poll was UKIP with 10,885 followed closely by Labour with 10,144.

The Tory vote was 8,719 with BNP a slither behind with 8,706. The Lib Dems were way down with 4,806 and, disappointingly, the Greens attracted only 1,877. The Greens have failed to get the urgent message across about climate change and the importance of sustainability. The bankruptcy (literally!) of the present economic system has to be put across in straightforward ways. The inevitable and continuing economic and social inequality integral to the system has to be explained and ilustrated with concrete examples related to everyday life. The consequent political instablity, locally, nationally and globally has to be highlighted.

The alternative, is head-in-the-sand voter apathy which allows the powerful to over-ride and over-rule democratic processes. The authoritarian fascist controllers of capital and their subservient bureaucratic lackeys are given a free ride by the abstaining voters.

Never has there been such an urgency for working class mobilisation. The corruption of the anti-democratic, authoritarian capitalists and their bureaucratic servants must be challenged and rooted out at every level. In the coming months Community Action Groups mushrooming across the City could begin to organise a strategic stand against the dictatorial enforcement of policies against the interests of ordinary people.      

New era starts the same

The six and half years of the discredited elected mayor and council manager system finally expires at midnight on Sunday. This morning, at the Annual Council the new Council Leader was elected in the fourth round of voting by secret ballot.

In fewer than three weeks after the election of Mike Barnes as the new leader of the Labour Group, three members have resigned from the group! But Barnes' Brown-like evaporating authority didn't stop there for in the first two rounds of voting in today's Council Leader election he received 11 out of a possible 13 votes and in his knock-out third round his vote declined to 9. 

In the fourth and final round of voting Labour cast their votes for Tory Group leader, Ross Irving. That, with votes of the Lib Dems secured 26 votes, five more than his rival, Brian Ward, leader of the City Independents. There were two "spoiled" papers. (what was that about?)

The BNP group walked out following the elimination of their group leader in round two. Such an abject abdication of responsibility renders their claim to democratic legitimacy suspect. They ought to take the honourable action and resign their seats and if they still want to be part of the democratic process, submit themselves to the electorate for the voters' verdict on people who seek electoral responsibility but abandons it when self interest is more important.

So, the discredited system dies but will it be long-live the discredited coalition? Irving said he will leader from the centre ground. Where is the centre ground from a Tory perspective? We shall soon see.  

Council leader hustings cancelled: Tory/Labour/Lib Dem Coalition leaders vote for secrecy...so still no change!

Tomorrow afternoon had been scheduled for 4 of the 5 candidates for Leader of the Council (to be elected on Friday at Annual Council) to make five minute presentations and be questioned for 10 minutes. One candidate, Albi Walker (BNP) declared from the outset that he would not take part because he was too busy campaigning in the Euro election.

However, at this afternoon's meeting of all 7 Group Leaders, and their deputies in most cases, disagreement on the format of the meeting proved insuperable. I objected to the hustings being held in private with public and press excluded. Why should the public be denied direct access to what the candidates have to say in their bid for support from fellow councillors?

Furthermore, I objected to officers being present at the proposed private gathering. The Head of Member Services claimed her presence was to ensure all went smoothly but seemed at a loss to explain what she would do if the event were not to run smoothly!

The interim Council Manager (from next Monday, interim Chief Executive) insisted the Head of Communications would be present to note any untoward remarks that could cast a negative image on the council if reported beyond the meeting by members to the media. Control freakery or what?

I was the only candidate to vote to keep the hustings. Tory Ross Irving, Labour Mike Barnes and Lib Dem Kieran Clarke clung to their cosy, discredited coalition to vote against. Had we kept them we were then to decide on the form, closed, monitored by officers or open, with public and press access.

Fortunately, Radio Stoke is carrying a four minute sound bite for each candidate on their breakfast programme and importantly the City's premier political blog, pitsnpots, is carrying interviews with the candidates. This, incidentally, is a vital part of the local media yet banned from City Council press briefings! (www.pitsnpots.co.uk)

Trentham High back in the BSF programme 

The Children & Young People's Overview & Scrutiny Committee today considered the Call-In challenges to the 15th April Executive decisions amongst several, to exclude Trentham High school from the BSF programme, contrary to advice from the minister.

Interventionist SERCO's Director of Children and Young People, Ged Rowney, gave the Committee an undertaking that Trentham High School will in fact be re-integrated into the redrafted BSF programme to be submitted to the minister who at the eleventh hour on the 3rd April reprieved Trentham from closure.

The Committee approved a recommendation to the Executive to conduct speedy but meaningful consultations with parents associated with Blurton High School before issuing its closure notice instead of ploughing on without further consultation. Blurton and Trentham were originally to be formed into one academy. Blurton will now close and be re-established on its own. The minister wrote that he would still welcome the development of an Academy to replace Blurton School only, subject to further consultation by the Council.

Considerable confusion surrounding the actual views of parents, teachers and governors at Heathfield Special School was not satisfactorily clarified but a proposal to pursue a recommendation to the Executive was lost.

The O/S Committee agreed that a public meeting to ascertain the views of all concerned about the "preferred" Park Hall site for the new academy to replace Longton, Edensor and Mitchell High Schools would be arranged as soon as possible. This would incude all concerned with Berryhill too.  

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Smokescreen smudges sinister strategy

So, at long last, the minister for local government, John Healy MP, prepares to impose all-out elections on the City Council. He will also strengthen the Transition Board with additional members from beyond the City to make sure the Council implements all of the Governance Commission's recommendations and to keep a watchful eye on service delivery, adding to that of the Audit Commission and sundry others.

I am a long-time supporter of all-out elections but still believe it is wrong of the government not to allow the normal cycle of elections to be held next year. It makes the government's claim to be supportive of strengthening local democracy a little hollow, to say the least.

And quite how they propose to spend £100,000 to encourage a better calibre of councillor remains to be seen! With massive reductions planned for public services I have a feeling such a financial fling would get a democratic no-no.

Few people will be attracted to public office while the main reward appears to be blanket condemnation from the local press.

I share the government's view of the breakdown of the political process and the widespread disengagement of the vast majority of the city's residents; I share the view of the Sentinel that the failure to develop a coherent political decision making process and a strong political direction has let down the city badly.

BUT the Sentinel is totally wide of the mark to lay the blame on the majority of councillors: the blame rests with both the elected mayor - council manager system which has dragged down the political process for the past six years AND the inability of the elected mayor and council manager themselves to demonstrate REAL leadership by embracing an inclusive democratic decision making process.

Government inspired condemnation of the whole of the councillors is typical of their dirty tricks campaigns, a sinister strategy creating a smokescreen to smudge the failures of their "flagship" elected mayor system.

Once the hated elected mayor/council manager system finally dies on 5th June, democracy will slowly re-emerge in the City but it will be built by the 60 councillors elected by the people in spite of dubious quangoes such as the Transition Board, pots of money to attract "better" councillors, and "flying" councillors parachuted with advice from other councils.  

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Interim Council Manager helter-skelters towards no confidence vote

The remaining dregs of the Interim Council's Manager's authority drained away at yesterday's Executive & Members' Board meeting as he forced through with the willing connivance of the so-called portfolio holders the decision to abolish the political assistant posts for qualifying political groups.

It was nothing short of a squalid show of brute force, and coming directly after the interim Council Manager himself had concluded a Group Leader's meeting with IDEA representatives with the words that a fundamental cultural change is needed for the forthcoming Leader and Cabinet system which starts at the beginning of June!

Until a couple of weeks ago there were three political assisants, one each for the Labour, Conservative & Independent Alliance and the City Independent groups. The first two departed with serverance packages in advance of their posts being made redundant!

The City Independent group wish to retain their political assistant but are now faced with the post being made redundant. The decision will be called in since there are some very serious questions to be answered. One obvious one is: why no prior consultation with Members?

The move may be motivated by a fear of the BNP group (jointly third largest now) being likely to seek a political assistant.

More likely, it is the continuing move to de-politicise the Councillors and render them completely in the hands of the officers.

The move was dressed up of course for the need to enhance UNIVERSAL support for all Members, though not very convincingly since the Report emphasised the cost savings envisaged with the economic belt tightening next year to pay for the sins of the bloated bankers.

Unfortunately, such double speak we have come to expect as normal under the current Executive system.