Results tagged “Phil Briscoe”

Isle of Dogs councillors are among the Tower Hamlets politicians calling for urgent talks over the "suspension" of chief executive Martin Smith.

Peter Golds, Tim Archer and Phil Briscoe want an extraordinary meeting of full council to discuss claims the CEO was sent home from duty on Wednesday.

Council workers may have flushed away up to £2,000 by leaving the lights on in a disused toilet for almost a year.

Tower Hamlets Council closed the Isle of Dogs’ only public conveniences last April in a bid to save £50,000 a year on maintenance – but forgot to turn off the power before it padlocked the doors.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

The arrest of Damian Green, shadow immigration minister, has raised a number of serious constitutional issues.

The scale of the police operation, raids on Parliamentary offices, and questions about the advance involvement of government ministers have overshadowed other news this week.

Remembrance Sunday saw seven church services across Tower Hamlets, and Tuesday marked the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

It is heartening that attendance at services is not declining, nor is the appetite for supporting the Royal British Legion and the thousands of volunteers who give their time to sell poppies.

Phil Briscoe is the Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

The new age of post-crunch consensus arrived at the council chamber last week, as Labour councillors tried to brush the last few years under the carpet and support a number of Conservative initiatives.

Labour supported the Conservative lead to reverse the closure of the Bancroft Library, to appoint an independent auditor to examine leaseholder service charges and to take a tougher stance against One Housing and its failure to deliver promises for residents on the Isle of Dogs.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

THE collapse of Lehman Brothers saw commentators blaming bonus-culture greed for wrecking our economy and expressing glee at the sight of jobless bankers.

But should investment banks take all of the blame? Gordon Brown abandoned monetary policy and set the Bank of England free, while establishing himself as the king of credit in the land of debt.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

THINGS are bigger in America, and timing a trip to coincide with both Democratic and Republican Conventions proves elections are no exception.

Excitement was not limited to the 100,000 people at the conventions, the hundreds of Republicans I met while watching John McCain on a big screen in California, or the hundreds of Democrats we encountered watching Barack Obama on screen in Washington.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

Estate agents may be struggling but one local sector is still booming – roadworks.

A typical morning sees seven sets of lane closures and traffic lights on the sole access route for the Isle of Dogs. This on top of the construction vehicles that use the public highway as an extension of their building sites in continued defiance of their planning permission restrictions.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

Despite the credit crunch, local planning issues have dominated my council casework recently.

Plans are in for Wood Wharf and Asda and there has been consultation on the Crossrail station and a plan to replace the City Pride with a 63-storey tower, building the affordable housing 1.5miles away at the Island Point site.

On the waterways, plans are back to moor a ferry at West India Pier, and a floating hotel next to Meridian Place.

Phil Briscoe is a Conservative councillor for Blackwall and Cubitt Town

Two weeks ago, I attended a full meeting of Tower Hamlets Council, one of only six opportunities each year for councillors and the public to raise questions and motions.

This latest meeting was typical for a Labour-controlled council that shies away from answers, dodges debate and runs for cover at the very mention of public scrutiny.

FOR ISLAND voters, the first fruits of their labours trickled in at around noon with the election of a new Millwall councillor.

The Wharf chased the action from Royal Docks to Tower Bridge as Ken Livingstone's eight-year reign as Mayor came to an end.

John Biggs ExCeLs in Assembly vote

City and East incumbent John Biggs will get the chance to celebrate a decade representing the constituency in two years time.

The former Tower Hamlets Council leader increased his share of the vote from 29 per cent to nearly 35 per cent on Friday (May 2), fending off a challenge from Blackwall and Cubitt Town's Conservative councillor Phil Briscoe.

Cllr Briscoe led in the very early stages of the count, but was significantly behind for much of the late afternoon, finishing with just over half of his opponent's total.

A YOUTH who attacked two Isle of Dogs councillors has been jailed for four months after failing to carry out his community service.

Phil Briscoe and Shirley Houghton, both Conservative members of Tower Hamlets Council, were set upon near the Barkantine Estate last September.

Thanks to CCTV cameras police tracked down the culprits, who were ordered to carry out community service by Thames Magistrates Court.