We vote in a PR mouthpiece to do whatever the CA Leadership Team want!

Both Andy and Richard are 'Yes' men to whatever the CA want.  Both are spineless and have always wanted immoral Metro at up to TWENTY TIMES more expensive to construct per Km than rebuilding a railway.  £7 m/Km to rebuild the 50 Kms Borders Railway through the Southern Uplands of Scotland when it opened in 2015.  Contrast that with the scandalous cost of Metro tramway Eastside extension at, now up from £133 m/Km to £152 m/Km.  This is sheer greed for a totally unnecessary tram.  It shows irresponsible financial spending, to add to the overspending at the CA.

No money to insulate the homes of the poor because the money is being stolen from them for impressive but immoral Metro, of all things!

No money to cut finite fossil fuels by implementing the Nine Action Points from the W Mids Climate Coalition.

No money to put passenger and freight trains back on our surviving urban railway lines of 106 Kms in the region.  Only for trams at between ten to twenty times the cost!!

No money to address the climate crisis because the funds must go for grandiose projects like the Commonwealth Games in 2022; for 150 miles and 8 lines of Metro extensions by 2040; for the demolition of perfectly sound buildings for the latest architectural fashion ... All accelerate the exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves and climate problems..

The purpose of Mayor is simply to be the mouthpiece, the PR person for the CA.  The power lies with the CA leadership team of council leaders and their Chief Execs whom I am constantly helping out by guiding and suggesting what they need to do.  But to no avail!!

to Richard Hatcher

Richard, You do have "HS2, supposedly the region’s most visible symbol of levelling up, is becoming a symbol of incompetence and mismanagement."

Do you agree that levelling up for the poor must mean levelling down for the rich?  It never happens because the wealthy are in charge.  For me, this is important to build a fairer, more equitable society w here we share what we have rather than greedily taking ever more without a thought for tomorrow.  Let's take fewer finite resources, to leave something for our descendants because the planet is not expanding in line with our ever greedy demands.   A more sharing, caring society for rich and poor less distanced.

It is the idiocy and incompetence of Metro expansion that is more the responsibility of our own councillors, MPs and officers than the idiocy and incompetence of fraudulent High Scam 2 that only benefits plane passengers in giving them a choice of plane or train.  Only stations for the airports!

Metro and idiocy and incompetence because of railway lines taken for tramways when, 200 years ago, we were converting tramways to railways.  Far from our 'Forward' motto, we are going back to the past.  Astonishing!

I do like, "it chose to spend vast sums of money on prestige projects".  But you do have to spell them out:-  hundreds of millions on trams to destroy urban railway lines.

Tens of millions wasted on three manifestations of Centenary Sq between 2000 and 2020.  Not much better for Victoria Square!

The inner ring road completed only to be destroyed in two places after a few years!

No more electric trams but just finish getting electric trains and buses.

No more electric trams until everyone has what we pensioners have - Fare-Free Public Transport for all, all day.

Finish the basics and obvious like electrification and not destroying our railways for very nice but flash, wealth flaunting, super-expensive Midland Metro.

to Richard Parker

Dear Richard 

You must attack Andy over his idiocy in putting average speed 15 mph Metro trams on the Derby, Dudley, Devon principal, mainline railway "of national strategic significance".

   "of national strategic significance".pdf

This, on two nibble sized sections totalling 6.7 Kms out of the available 56 Kms between Burton on Trent and Stourbridge Jct.

The 56 Kms of track bed, with bridges and underpasses remains ready to be finished with TRAINS and stations. 

On the 25 July on Radio WM, Andy said this had been checked out with Network Rail but an FoI request was never forthcoming to confirm this. Although Network Rail has always wanted the trams and not the trains. Astonishing!

There is a black hole of £750 m in Birmingham City Council's finances but this Council has been the leading council of seven in working so fruitlessly, since 1981, in spending £100s millions in FAILING to get their 200 Kms of tramline by the year 2000!!

To date, they have precisely 23 Kms in 42 years of very expensive endeavour. A shockingly bad track record. 

Now, Andy, since January 2000, wants 150 miles of tramway by 2040!

Andy said on 25 July on Radio WM that Birmingham "has to be held accountable for dealing with it" (the massive financial scandal). But his scandal is very much worse!

And, doubly reprehensible by us having to add the irrefutable fact of incompetence in putting TRAMS on a SECOND mainline railway instead of TRAINS!!

The first was Snow Hill RAILWAY Station to the edge of Wolverhampton City centre - not even to the bus station let alone the railway station, like we had with TRAINS for a hundred years.

That idiocy is now being repeated with Burton on Trent to Bristol, via Brierley Hill with TRAMS and, at the most enormous expense, too!  £650 m for 10.7 Kms, apparently. The first half may be over £400 m when finally opened next year. 

Grand Central Station was £750 m

Please put a stop to the incompetence and idiocy, Richard.

Best wishes for getting elected - if you do stop the madness. 

Talking shop customers 'reign', of sorts but don't rule!

Dear Richard

Not one MP I have spoken to or I have written to, has ever expressed any interest in the scandals involving the destruction of one monorail and about 100 Kms of railway lines.  One principal mainline, one insider told me, was even officially safeguarded, viz the 120 Kms Black Country Railway.

Since the 1980s and the appearance of the Kidderminster, Blakedown, Hagley motorway standard bypass, when I started raising my concerns, only three elected councillors have been concerned and supported me - Cllr Cathy Bayton, Cllr Chris Barnett and, this month, the newly elected, Cllr Andrew Tromans.  They are from Dudley MBC.  In more recent weeks, the now deposed, former leader, Cllr Ian Ward had begun to engage.  But not one other Brummie councillor or MP has shown any interest in all those decades!

Since our WMCC meetings started only John Nightingale has written back and been interested; Bill, too agreed over trams; and Jules, also began to understand the points I was making about the all style over substance, the wealth flaunting, the totally unnecessary Metro trams.  Bob thought the tram extensions should be paused and Chris did verbally express opposition to Metro from time to time.  But nothing from your good self, Richard.  And many hundreds of millions of pounds in price and in weight of deadly greenhouse gases have been expended since 1981 when Metro started - "the solution looking for a problem!"

As regards the public, none of my family are interested (my wife did answer and submit her answers to my silly quiz and got one wrong!!) and only train driver Dave Parsons and, Mark Cooper of Wolverhampton have been on my side.

Over decades, nearly ever councillor committee meeting I have attended have been simply talking shops.  Votes and decision making are almost non-existent.  Everything is left to the officers, the professionals, the 'experts' and the elected members are well paid rubber stamps!

Apathy, acquiescence and "But Tim, I let it all wash over me in blissful ignorance" are almost universal!

I don't know what the answer is - apart from political education from secondary education onwards.

Tim

to and from Richard Hatcher

Richard, you write:

"But we all know that public demands on local government are often blocked by the neoliberal class interests of the Tory government, interests which are relayed by local government, whether willingly or not. Which is why digital democracy is not a solution on its own, it needs to be coupled with mass street-based and workplace-based campaigning."

Very true, BUT personal, individual questioning, challenging and checks on what is going on are also vital.  I have never had, in a lifetime of campaigning and never will have, any mass support for  my concerns but that does not stop me from trying to be effective.  And, it is massive fun challenging and helping out the bosses over what to do!  And that is all we can each do.

By the way, Andy Street, knowing that I have supported and voted for him has allowed me into the heart of the Tory camp, on one enjoyable occasion when they all thought I was on their side.  Which is what I absolutely am when they do the right, socially just and person centred, humane thing!  It was yet another opening to query and gently challenge Michael Fabricant and Tim Huxtable.  As I did again last week when Michael was at Andy's 'Ask Andy' public meeting in Dudley, as Josh Neicho will testify because he was there too!

West Midlands Assembly - yet more of them!

Thanks for this, Richard.  I am very, very disappointed with each and every one of my elected representatives, including my hopeless, waste of time, James Morris MP.  They are very poorly informed, are simply not engaged and have allowed the most tragic, foolish and climate-catastrophic decisions to be made over the 55 years I have studied, worked and retired in the Black Country and Brum.  I don't want any more people getting elected because I have my work cut out in trying to work on the present lot!

to Richard Hatcher

Hi Richard - by the way, I would very much like to attend your Zoom meeting next week, please.  To support, encourage and work on all you said last night that was so very good.

I wrote, wrongly, "Do you accept that our views are in the tiny majority".  I should have written, "Do you accept that our views are in the tiny minority?"  A small minority, so democracy will never work for us.  We will never get elected!  It is pointless trying to get elected.  We therefore have to engage with the councillors and officers to win them over away from, as one example, finite fossil fuel intensive, multi-modal (HS, HR, LR, VLR, ULR) rail schemes, instead, to putting the poor and voiceless first by giving them low cost, highly energy efficient, solar powered homes.  As at the 23,000 sq m at High Plateau, Merry Hill SC for that wasted space to be given over to the badly/temporary housed and migrants.  May I show it to you, Richard?  My tally, so far, is five councillors!

SIX RAIL MODES:

HS = High Speed

HR = Heavy rail

LR = Light rail Metro (Andy wants £15 BILLION in Jan 2020 to 2040 for mainly trams)

VLR = Very light rail (in Dudley and Coventry)

ULR = Ultra light rail (in Stourbridge that is excellent and sensible)

Tram train (as from Sheffield Cathedral to Rotherham Parkgate)

I very occasionally, by direct engagement and 'door stepping' or gate crashing surgeries, do get to speak to our leading councillors and senior officers.  I have asked Cheryl Hiles, Head of Energy Capital at WMCA, if she has heard of you, Richard.  She has not.  Nor has she received any papers, reports or emails from you.  You have much to give and your involvement is vital.  Although, I think she is a newcomer.

How can you expect to influence people on our behalf, Richard if you never attend 'Ask Andy' meetings, councillors' surgeries, Greener Together Forums, committees and Board meetings, etc in order to talk to these decision makers?  Or, have I got things wrong?

You talk about the WMCA being undemocratic that it is in some ways but not in others.  However, it is all that we've got and since we left wing eco-socialists never have any chance of gaining power, do you think we should work with what we have and try, by force of argument only and in our personal, less hypocritical lives, to build that fairer, more sustainable and sociable society that we all want to see?

Best wishes

Tim

On Wed, 15 Mar 2023 at 09:22, Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Richard

Do you agree that the hundreds of millions are there for all the wrong projects - and the staff at 16 Summer Lane, too?

That the money and people can easily be diverted to our Nine Action Points, here:

 Nine Action Points from W Mids Climate Coalitio...

It only needs the political will.  Is that right?

Are you happy with the Nine Action Points, Richard?

Why do you not support me in even one thing that I have been insisting on for decades?!  Or do you?  What?

Do you agree that the Tory Mayor is one of eight leaders in the Corrupt/Comedy Authority?

That the other seven are four Labour and three Tory?

Am I right in thinking that Andy cannot force his way over the other seven?  That all eight have to work together and that they do, presumably, accept majority decisions?

Do you accept that our views are in the tiny majority but we do have right on our side and that it is worth pursuing?

So why do you not support me, Richard?

What is wrong with you (the computer prompts!!) with my suggestions - see below?

WRITE to me, please Richard.  I've only ever had one one email saying "Thanks" and that was fantastic, thanks!

Please engage.

Divided we fall.  United we stand!

Tim -  Richard, what is wrong with what I have written, below?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2023 at 07:21
Subject: Reform is needed, I think - REPLY, please

Until upright, honest people put a stop to the fraudulent, financial abuse of billions in price and in weight of greenhouse gases going into High Scam 2, Metro and Sprint, buses will continue to lurch from one three monthly handout to another and buses will continue to be the forlorn, forgotten, Cinderella mode that gets stuck in traffic as car commuters block its path and business vehicles are hindered.

Literally, a handout of billions for Metro tram and Sprint extensions that destroy railway lines, destroy nature and create more congestion and mayhem in their construction and use.  Fare-Free Public Transport of the kind that I have had for 15 years must be given to ALL.

Dudley No 1 Canal embankment, public open space, housing land and lots of nature at Merry Hill SC all get spoilt or obliterated by tram construction.  Already, the UK's very last principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance" has been destroyed by Metro largesse given to build the trams.  As well as to bring in multi-modal rail transport hubs to make for more changes and delays in our journeys.

A public marketing campaign to shame the thoughtless, selfish car commuter who clogs up the roads must be mounted to reward them with free bus, train and tram travel in the region if they leave their beloved in the garage.

Bus lane experiment for two years on Hagley Road that is strictly enforced to speed the bus and inconvenience the car commuter.

BUS at the top of the prestige pile and High Scandal 2, Metro and Sprint at the bottom!

to Richard Worrall

Dear Richard

Lovely to hear from you.  And you were so decent in meeting me to view the threatened Dudley No 1 Canal embankment.

I spent hours on Sunday and Monday sending exactly the same but, personalised email to every one of the 72 councillors forming Dudley MBC and the same email, personally, to every single member of TDC.

My view is that, in theory, the electorate reads the election manifestos to help them decide how to vote.  The winning councillors then tell the officers to implement their winning party's manifesto.  Unfortunately, from my point of view, every single party, including the Green Party, has been desperate for trams everywhere, regardless of the expense and the scale of the destruction wreaked or, the irresponsible spending of massive amounts of taxpayers' money or, the vast weight of GHG emissions to worsen climate catastrophe/breakdown/emergency.

In my opinion, you councillors are meant to scrutinise, question and challenge what the officers get up to.  Obviously, you also have to work with them as you question, challenge and understand what they want or are doing.  Therefore, Richard I want all of you to be a check on their decisions and actions.  To hold them to account and to say, at times, "No way, my friend."  And they must obey you VIPs who are all members of the WMCA and who are ultimately responsible.

Is that fair enough, my lovely friend Richard who is such a good socialist and is a much better man than me in not having a car?  Remember, you are the POWER, not them!!

Very best wishes to you

An Almighty Big U-turn is Needed - and can be easily achieved!!

This is brilliant, Richard  - and, to get a reply!  Thanks so much.

SUMMARY

Top priority for change, in my opinion: stopping, throughout the region, highly extravagant, very expensive, LR and VLR tram rollouts and the Sprint bus that thinks it's a tram.  All this should come before insulating and solar powering our leaky, energy hungry housing stock.  For, you then have the money and staff to work on it and, with no redundancies.

Really, what I am pleading for is a sensible set of priorities for us to campaign on.  Stop the wrong funding first and, then divert the staff and funds to the right, sensible priority and funding.

OR,

When our nice Emperor Andy has no clothes, tell him first.  Then, explain clothes are needed and must be bought!

OR,

Stop the ecocidal rush to the cliff edge, first.  Then start doing what Chris Skidmore MP advises in his over 300 pages report and do what Chris Stark, CEO and John Gummer of the Climate Change Committee wants.

AND,

Stop the insane business as usual destruction, demolition, rebuilding, re-demolition, rebuilding first.  Turn round and face in the opposite direction.  Next, spend our finite resources in cutting GHG in the medium to long term by doing our Nine Action Points.

MORE DETAIL

The scandal I have exposed is the obvious destruction of two mainline railways and two and a quarter mainline stations for unnecessary "bus on rails" Metro trams.  I think this is wrong, foolish and incompetent.  Especially, when 106 Kms of double track mainline railways in our region are still without passenger trains and stations!  Do you agree, Richard that this is clear wrong doing, negligence and the most weird and wonderful, truly eccentric priorities that simply accelerate the climate emergency and failing life support systems?

This has gone on since 1981, too.  Actually, it is 70 years of tram and train destruction in the W Mids.  And, it continues to this day with the Dudley Tram (WBHE Phase 2) wrecking Nature, public open space, wasted housing land and my guerrilla garden.  It is a totally unnecessary spending of billions of pounds to speed climate breakdown and the exhaustion of finite resources.  All courtesy of W Mids Comedy Authority.  Do you agree, Richard?

Failing to build warmer homes and to upgrade the existing housing stock has gone on since 1982 when Paul Lewis published his plans.  This idiocy is negligence and folly but has not involved the enormous sums of money involved in deliberately acting to destroy first the tram network in the 50s, then one  third of the train network in subsequent decades with, from the 80s, rebuilding the tram network on what was left of the railway network.  Extraordinary madness from, supposedly, intelligent people!

This is just not unsustainable transport but the most idiotic unsustainable transport imaginable, that even a child could see and understand!  None of this is controversial, as you wrote, Richard, is it?  And getting rid of one HS2 extension and one Metro extension on the Kings Heath/Moseley railway were both achieved by us campaigners.  Stopping WBHE Phase 2 (Dudley Tram) is urgent and possible if only many more people would help me to kick up an almighty fuss.

It was brilliant to hear from you.  Thanks for replying with your thoughts.

Tim

On Fri, 13 Jan 2023 at 19:50, Richard Hatcher <Richard.Hatcher@bcu.ac.uk> wrote:

Tim, in your latest email you have addressed 18 questions to me personally. Your method of haranguing is not the most effective way of inviting a discussion. 

I also think it bizarre that you have chosen to send your series of demands that I personally answer your questions to 3 of your local MPs. 

In answer to your question…”Stopping the funding of extensions of HS2 (we won in stopping the E arm to Leeds), Metro and Sprint is the FIRST and most BASIC step towards addressing the climate emergency and getting funding for insulation, retrofitting and solar powering homes.  Do you acknowledge that, Richard?  Why do you disagree?” 

I agree with stopping the funding of HS2 and the Metro (I don’t know enough about the argument about Sprint). But I do not agree that we should link it in the way you do to retrofit as the method of solving the retrofit funding crisis, for two reasons. First, because support for a big increase in retrofit funding, which would be pretty well universal among the local communities if they were properly informed about it, should not be dependent on their support for your transport demands, which would be more controversial. Secondly, because getting rid of HS2 and the Metro is highly unlikely, and to make it a precondition for retrofit funding would in effect block a big increase in retrofit funding, which is urgently needed and more feasible to achieve. 

A final point. You say: 

“Richard, do you believe in the power of persuasion?  Of a rational, cogent set of facts and arguments being put to someone in the hope that they might understand and then give their point of view in reply? 

Is political education part of your vocabulary?  Is dialogue and discussion to try and reach mutual understanding and consensus something you can go along with, Richard? 

 

Therefore, would you please join me in engaging in polite, pleasant conversation with senior officers and members of the seven constituent and non-constituent authorities of the CA?” 

 

I believe that engaging in what I’d hope is some sort of dialogue with those in power is a vital part of our strategic arsenal. In that I disagree with some currents in the climate movement. But unlike some others I recognise that local government is structured and constrained by the neoliberal policies of the Conservative government and the capitalist interests they serve, and mass popular pressure is needed to challenge those, not just argument, however rational and cogent. 

 

Richard

Transport AND RETROFITTING for W Mids

Luxury, extravagant expenditure, like more Metro extensions that divert money from the poor and desperate needy and what their priorities are, must be avoided.

"Is there any support from members of your committee for Metro staff to be retrained and redeployed into retrofitting the homes of those owned by the councils and all on state benefits?

"Addressing the climate emergency in sensible, effective ways like above is urgent."

Dear friends

Richard, would you feel able to submit something to Cllr Cathy Bayton, Chair of the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as she is offering or suggesting here, today?  It would be really nice for her to hear from you, instead of me and, it could make all the difference!

"If you want to circulate something about the need to increase skills in retrofit to make a more mobile and responsive workforce that is fine but it will need to be written and not verbal."

She also wrote in today's email, "As you know there is no speaking function by members of the public at our CA scrutiny meetings and I think I have explained that this is something I seek to change for the next municipal year."

Therefore, Richard I was mistaken in thinking she might let you speak.  But why don't you ask her, anyway or go along to observe what they say on housing?  There might be a recording on YouTube.

What do the rest of you think about retraining Metro extension employees at 16 Summer Lane to become skilled in retrofitting to save their jobs and to work on something much more worthwhile, climate helpful, constructive and important?

Metro extensions are highly extravagant, a lovely luxury but are entirely unnecessary, unaffordable and an insult to the poor needing help with their food and energy bills.

to Richard Hatcher

Thanks for this Richard.  All good stuff and most helpful.

Do join Chris Crean and I at the Environment and Energy Board on the 1 March.  The Chair allowed both Chris and I to speak, briefly on the 7 December and will, no doubt, let you have your say, as well as or, instead of, me.  So that would be fine with me.  I will give way to you, if necessary.  I don't advise "forcefully if necessary,"  The meeting is open to the public, anyway and conversations do take place before and after.  Cllr Ian Courts is really decent and most obliging and pleasant.

Cllr Peter Hughes is less open but I'm sure you will get somewhere with him, Richard if you approach him, please.  The key member for the first net zero neighbourhood demonstrator in Brockmoor, Brierley Hill, Dudley is Cllr Rob Clinton (Dudley's climate change champion) and the officer in Dudley is Andy Hughes.  Both need lobbying but, especially, to give them every support and encouragement from ourselves.  This is the year for action on Brockmoor, it seems!  But how much?  It needs you, too Richard to make all the difference!

Richard, all your excellent reports/documents must be sent to the officers and, at least, the Chairs, please as you now have them.  Remember, there seems to be hundreds of millions shortfall in funding University station and the Metro extensions.  That is why it is so important that you join Chris C and I in asking them to scrap new Metro extensions.  In my opinion, the money diverted and staff must be redeployed for retrofitting as a new Transport and Retrofitting for W Mids (T&RfWM, instead of just TfWM).

Cllr Cathy Bayton, Chair of the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny will very likely allow you to speak if you ask her and mention what you want to say.  She has been very good to me in the past.  Do write and ask her.  Again, I will give way to you if only one of us is allowed to speak, as is likely on the 12 January.  Members of the public speaking in committee is still a novelty to them and, anyway, we are totally dependent on their goodwill!

All the best 

to retrofitting Richard

It was great to meet you in person this afternoon.  You have done enormous amounts of great, detailed work and are much respected.  Well done.

I'm a proper old grumpy grandad that has been around in Brum, non stop, for exactly 54 years.  I think I've uncovered the biggest and longest running financial/transport scandal in UK history but no-one else thinks so!  However, I'm wanting exactly what you want as regards home retrofit and read and agree with every word of your/our resolution for our Tuesday meeting.

I want the taxpayers' billions on military warfare, on Trident renewal, on war on countryside/nature and the extensions for High Scam 2, Metro, Sprint to be diverted, with all the workers reskilled and redeployed, into rigorous retrofitting of every building in the land!  Well, actually some of that money must be used for trains on railway lines not yet used, would you believe, for brand new energy inefficient buildings!

My delight and personal contribution is gate crashing Dudley's committees and the CA's Board meetings, when open to the public, with our propaganda.  They all have a few bright ideas but no funding for what they want to do.  Incredible!

To Richard Hatcher

Hi Richard​

 Nine Action Points from W Mids Climate Coalitio...

​

Every member present, plus officers got their copy this morning before the meeting of Housing and Land Delivery Board.  I asked Wendy Slater if she might send out the A4 sheet to those not present but with their name I had written on.

This morning, I approached some members about the scandalous negligence at Merry Hill Shopping Centre where land has been designated for housing for years (actually, decades of land wasted, unused yet available) but nothing is ever done.  Plan here:​

 WBHE plan for Merry Hill.jpeg

​​I've worked out about 10,000 sq m is designated at the two sites.  Can you be any more accurate, please Richard?  I am suggesting: for very low cost, highly energy efficient apartments of 1 and 2 bedrooms, with maximum PV solar for the most needy, including migrants​.

I hope to be at Dudley's Housing and Public Realm Scrutiny at 6 pm tomorrow to speak in the public forum about the worsening housing crisis with over 40,000 migrants already arrived this year in England but the land at Merry Hill is still not being used.  So far, no one can tell me who owns it, even!

Please help or advise me in some or, any way, Richard if you have the availability.  Thanks!

All the best

Tim

​​PS bonus:​

 GARETH DENNIS: This articulate young man has go...

​