Titbits – ALMOs, Sudokus and mysterious burgesses
◆ The council seems to have an inconsistent relationship with its former ALMOs. On the one hand, it is keen to associate itself with the much-lauded success of the Learning Trust. Contrariwise, it has been at pains to distance itself from any problems that are continuing to come to light regarding Hackney Homes. Funny that.
◆ The council persists in providing Sudokus for readers of its freesheet, Hackney Today, paid out of the public purse. Perhaps the Town Hall could desist, given that it leaves residents puzzled enough on matters such as fire safety failures, its non-existent letting agency, and the like.
◆ Another revelation about the council’s “fortnightly newspaper”: it is published by “The Mayor and Burgesses of Hackney”. The Citizen made enquiries as to the identity of these mysterious burgesses. A week later a council spokesperson responded: “We’re still trying to get to the bottom of that.” We look forward to the council being able to tell us who actually publishes their freesheet.
All London authorities’ official legal titles are “The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of X”.
This is due to London boroughs’ legal entity not being the council, but the inhabitants incorporated as a legal entity by royal charter, a process that was abolished elsewhere in England and Wales under the Local Government Act 1972.
Best do your own homework first before harrassing the call centre women for the sake of a story and attempting to be a smart arse, in your ongoing bun fight with the Borough over who gets to run the free paper and charge for advertising.