Now Mike is getting his feet under the desk at Westminster, it is a good time to look at the legacy of the Freer years at Barnet council. Mikes leadership transformed Barnet council. When he took over it was a largely ignored sleepy suburban backwater. When Mike handed it over to Lynne Hillan, it was a dynamic organisation, at the forefront of leading the way of modernising local government. Mike was the architect of the Future Shape program. This innovative program to rebuild the council and make it the most cost effective council in Britain is already reaping rich rewards. The BBC and other news outlets call Barnet first when they want to talk about local government. Huge back office savings have been identified and these allowed Barnet council to budget for a 0% increase.
Do the people of Barnet like it? You bet ! Whilst many Conservative councils sadly lost power in London, Barnets Conservatives gained seats. The proof is in the pudding. Mike had to put up with a vicious campaign by a team of malcontents and bloggers. The friends of Freer believe that much of this was homophobically motivated. The people of Finchley and Golders Green saw this spiteful bile for what it was. It is no surprise to Mike that whilst he romped home in Finchley, the leading detractor stood for the Liberal Democrats in a previously safe seat, was trounced by the Tories and came last out of the Lib Dems.
If you want to make an omlette, you must break a few eggs. Mike has shown he's got the guts to make tough decisions, the skills to implement them and charisma to take the people with him. Unlike his detractors he doesn't cry when people call him nasty names. Mikes council legacy will be seen for generations in Barnet.
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Would you like to explain the comments on the Barnet Eye blog referring to someone with dyslexia as a 'thickhead'? Do you think that this is acceptable? As the parent of children with such difficulties I can hardly believe that anyone would use such an offensive term. Do you not understand what effect this sort of language has on a child with this problem? What sort of reflection is this on Mike Freer, the man you are so keen to support? I hope that he has the integrity to instantly disassociate himself from such remarks.
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