As the flames of fury at the Assembly Rooms sale fiasco subside into the dying embers of a fait accompli badly done, it is still impossible for the borough’s Tory leadership to be graceful in victory.
As on previous occasions, winning the day is not enough – they have to go one step further and rub the losers’ noses in it just for the sake of it.
Last week, Labour Group Leader Councillor Paul Kenny sent all councillors a copy of an e-mail to Tory member for Wyberton - Councillor James Knowles - concerning last week’s extraordinary council meeting to discuss the Assembly Rooms sale.
Councillor Kenny was unable to attend, and might  therefore have been surprised that Councillor Knowles told the meeting that when the Labour leader was a cabinet member in 2006/07 he supported the sale of the Assembly Rooms.
Councillor Kenny said that in successive budget years between 2003 and 2007, he “voted against all budgets including the proposal to sell the Assembly Rooms, which was in the 2006/07 budget proposal.”
His e-mail concluded: “I am informing you that what you told the council members at the meeting was incorrect and I will insist that any minutes of the council with your assertions are removed.
“I don't expect to hear from you, so I will accept that as an apology for you misinforming council members in my absence.”
What interested us in particular was why Councillor Knowles decided so assiduously to research records from so long ago.
Even more interesting, was that whilst Councillor Kenny correctly predicted that he would not receive a reply from Councillor Knowles – he nonetheless got a response – from Council Leader Peter Bedford.
It read: “Although you may as a group voted (sic) against the budget setting at full council the cabinet minutes do not report that any of the labour (sic) group voted against the sale of the assembly rooms.”
We have to say that we think it more likely that Councillor Kenny’s recollection of events is more reliable than the cabinet minutes – unless Councillor Bedford is suggesting that the Labour leader’s account is “economic” with the truth.
Unfortunately, there is a slight ambiguity in Councillor Kenny’s e-mail – but one that reinforces his assertion that he voted against the sale.
To vote against all budgets including the proposal to sell the Assembly Rooms could mean voting against more than one budget containing such a proposal which makes the opposition even more emphatic!
Far be it from us to muse that Councillor Knowles – who amusingly told electors last May “I think I can bring to the council, diplomacy and democracy and … I would like to install basic common-sense” – might have been involved in a little coaching. But the thought did cross our mind.
Something else that concerned us was the interruption of Independent Councillor Carol Taylor at last week’s extraordinary meeting by none other than the Mayor, Councillor Colin Brotherton.
Councillor Taylor worked hard to ensure that her argument against closing the public toilets in the Assembly Rooms did not exceed  its permitted five minute limit.
She is a registered nurse, and therefore knows whereof she speaks on the various medical reasons why the need for sufficient toilets is essential - but was interrupted but the rude interjection “Do we really have to listen to this?" which caused her to lose her momentum.
The answer to the Mayor’s question is “Yes, you do have to listen – otherwise you might  miss something important that could influence a bad decision.
As the Mayor’s fellow dignitary, Councillor Yvonne Gunter, famously said recently: “you don't learn if you don't attend" – similarly, you don’t learn if you don’t listen.
What makes matters worse is that the Mayor is supposed to remain apolitical during his term of office.
That means not interrupting, and - more importantly  - not trying to block the democratic process – as he did when he refused to allow the cabinet decision on the  Assembly Rooms sale to receive closer inspection.
A final point that struck us is that in its most recently published register of assets, the Assembly Rooms toilets appeared distinct from the rest of the building.
The Assembly Rooms were on the Asset Register of “operational indirect service” with a value of £140,000, whilst the public toilets were in the operational “direct” service list with a valuation of £100,000.
The retail units included in the Assembly Rooms sale appear on a non-operational investment register valued at £458,000 – and two years ago earned a combined rental of £58,000.
Whilst this data is most probably designed so that ordinary folk will not understand it – we have a strong impression that the Assembly Rooms and the shops below it could be sold separately from the public toilets.
And after all, what on earth would the top-secret buyer want with a collection of sub-standard,  run-down jakes, which would cost a fortune to convert to something profitable?

 

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