Leicester Mercury Political correspondent
Posts tagged Ross Grant
Sketch: Willmott in cruise control
Jun 17th
Casual Wednesday at Leicester City Council.
Finance select committee. Ross Willmott bounds in. No tie, light pink shirt, casual trousers. Jovial lines peppered with his own giggles. It was a council scrutiny meeting, but he could have been embarking on a package cruise.
He took his seat in front of me and was soon joined by Andy Connelly, positively pink thanks to the beaming summer sunshine, and Patrick Kitterick.
The line-up looked like the back seat of a school bus – packed with the class rabble-rousers.
They were in good spirits for a trio so recently sheared of their cabinet responsibilities. Why? Because they now sit on one of the most powerful committees.
They look after the money. How on earth did the Labour whips let this one slip through the net?
Did any members want a briefing about how council finances work – an officer asked. You’d hope not, or they’re on the wrong committee.
But it was an opportunity for a Willmott boast: “The chief finance officer tells me everything he tells the cabinet anyway.” [See comments]
Hooray! They’re still in the loop. Or are they?
“You’ve got to read the Mercury to find out what’s happening at the council these days,” grumbled Kitterick. Perhaps not.
Five minutes in and the first trap had been set. Kitterick requested that Vi Dempster, cabinet member for children and schools, turn up next time around to explain some missed targets. “I second that,” said Willmott.
“It’s an ambush,” Ross Grant Tweeted.
Later on the presence of leader Veejay Patel was requested. Directors and documents were also necessary for the next meeting, they said. Chief executive Sheila Lock ended up sitting at the table to explain items. Officers were grilled. Just one item went through on the nod. No quarter was given here.
When the poor council scribe taking notes was asked to read back the committee’s shopping list of demands she mentioned that the two cabinet members would address the committee.
“I don’t want to be addressed,” said Willmott, “I want to question them.”
Will they be added to the agenda for the next meeting on July 7? No-one could say.
Chair Coley said, half-joking, that if they couldn’t then they’d have to arrange an emergency session.
“Perfect,” said Willmott, “I’ve got a lot of time on my hands these days.”
Mistaken identity
Mar 19th
Never let it be said that city Tory leader Ross Grant lacks the common touch.
On arrival at the Mercury building this week, clad in t-shirt and jeans rather than his usual sharp suit, he headed to reception to announce his arrival.
But the leader of the opposition’s status was lost on one of our receptionists, who asked him: “Are you here to fix the toilets downstairs?”
Not his area of expertise. The only experience politicians have of plumbing is plugging leaks…
Out of sorts
Feb 25th
Ross Grant made a decent fist of his budget amendment presentation this week – he even did a bit of a web-launch – but I was more concerned with his performance after he’d spoken at full council on Wednesday.
The usual cut-and-thrust of full council means partisan attacks are bandied back and forth, but digs at Ross (example – “there are lots of interesting and useful things on the internet, then there’s Ross Grant’s blog”) didn’t seem to stir the Conservative leader this time round. He barely raised his eyebrow at the blog attack.
Had Ross Grant discovered Buddhism? Perhaps he’d signed up as a Quaker.
“I’ve gone about three days without sleep,” he admitted after the meeting, with a bleary-eyed expression presumably last seen in the excesses of his student days. All down to his work, it seems, which can involve a lot of travel and uncomfortable hotels.
All good experience for when he become a father later this year…
