Cos I Said So!

Written by Lynne Featherstone on Fri 25th Oct 2002

'Cos I said so! Occasionally, and when I'm in a benign frame of mind, I ask my children for their opinion on a decision I am making. I try not to make a habit of it - because (despite being a liberal) more often than not, the truth is that I have already made up my mind what we are going to do that day or what I have decided they can wear to a family 'do' where trainers would be outré.

However, on those occasions when I do consult my offspring, I do try and deliver the outcome they voice as desirable.

Mayor Livingstone clearly hasn't got the hang of this yet - that consultation has to have a point. That people, if asked their opinion or asked to vote on a local transport issue, expect the outcome of the consultation to reflect their collective views in some measure.

At the Assembly this week, the Mayor came in for severe criticism (from me and other Assembly members) for taking no notice of the results of his consultations - if they don't deliver the result he wants.

Two recent examples included a small consultation on the re-routeing of the P13 bus, which goes from Streatham, via Southwark, to Surrey Quays. A huge majority voted in favour of one route - but the Mayor decided to ignore this and route the bus where he wanted it to go all along. When challenged, his explanation boiled down to 'Cos I say so and I'm the Mayor'.

The other example was on a new tram line through West London where huge swathes of residents didn't even receive the consultation and where the plans on which they were consulted have since been declared erroneous in content. And yet, the Mayor has used this first consultation to make an initial decision - regardless of the fact it was flawed.

His constant cry is - if you don't like it, vote me out next time. Not good enough Ken!

I am so sick of consultations that are really public relations exercises for the local council or in this case the Mayor, that I had a real go at him in the Assembly. If the Mayor's made up his mind to do something, he should say so - not dress it up in a meaningless consultation.

I asked Ken to agree to a 'Consultation Charter' which would make clear to those he was consulting exactly what their answers could affect and what was not changeable.

Ken is cavalier and contemptuous on the issue of consultation and if you haven't yet experienced one of the Mayor's so-called consultations yourself - just wait until you do. Consultation is important and the constant abuse of the process is devaluing its real value and benefit.

I know from the feedback I get through the post and via my website, www.lynnefeatherstone.org, how useful and well-considered the views you get through consultation often are. Those using public services day-to-day often spot things that elected representatives miss - and genuinely listening to them means we can do a better job.

Although Ken banged on for a bit longer about being the Mayor and it being up to him to make decisions, he did agree to work with the Transport Committee of the Assembly on a 'Consultation Toolkit'. This will hopefully mean in the future that there will be more of a point to the Mayor's consultations.

That would be a welcome change. After all, if I took Ken's approach into my own home environment, it would be like asking my kids what they want for dinner when the pizza delivery man was, in reality, already on the way!