Sweet words for The Big Lemon

There was a lovely letter in today's Argus praising my friend Tom, MD of The Big Lemon, and all-round good chap:

ON behalf of Bevendean Primary School, I would like to say a big thank you to Tom Druitt of The Big Lemon Bus Company.

Our Playground Buddies had a date at the Race Hill, to celebrate the work they do in caring for other children in the school.

There was no funding for transport but Mr Druitt, who had been ferrying our children to the lagoon and back, offered to take us for free.

He greeted every child individually, which, though he didn’t know it, is part of the ethos of our school. He drove considerately and carefully, and as we disembarked, again individually wished every child a lovely time.

He was a fine example of the way we teach our children to behave. It was an integral part of the lovely afternoon that the children, and we staff, enjoyed.

Once again, thank you, Mr Druitt and The Big Lemon Bus Company. Long may you continue. Penny Hajduk, Manton Road, Brighton

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I had a bit of a lump in my throat as I read this; I could just imagine how nice Tom obviously was with the kids, and I actually found it very moving that their teacher had written a public letter of thanks to him.

Tom is such a lovely man, unflappable and optimistic, and he's worked very hard in making a success of The Big Lemon, which is a community interest company.

I'm proud to be a Big Lemon shareholder and supporter, and I hope the next few days' journeys forth and back to Glastonbury go well for his fleet of yellow chip-fat-fuelled buses. Keep up the good work Tom!

Goldsmid in Private Eye (again)

Goldsmid is featured yet again in the latest edition of Private Eye's 'Rotten Boroughs' column - the third item in the past eight weeks.

It could be argued that the Eye is entirely responsible for forcing this by-election: the 'Paul Lainchbury Situation' was an open secret in the council for months before the Tories were forced to confront it, and to do the decent thing by voters in the ward.

But just how decent was the Tories' timing when it came to setting the date for Polling Day?

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Private Eye, 12th June 2009 - 'Rotten Boroughs'

CURSE OF GNOME [*lol]

SO, FAREWELL then Paul Lainchbury, Skidrow-on-Sea's absentee Tory councillor (Eyes passim), who resigned on the day of last week's local and Euro elections.

After Lainchbury, who had missed every Brighton & Hove council committee meeting and community/resident group for a year, was exposed in the Eye, Tory council leader Mary Mears insisted he stay on long enough for Skidrow Tories - who now lose their overall majority [**] - to select the new mayor and cabinet unopposed last month.

This meant the ensuing by-election could not be held on the same day as the Euros, prompting a special poll in Goldsmid ward costing an extra £10,000 - £20,000. Trebles all round!


* I love the 'Curse of Gnome'. Previous victims have included Robert Maxwell and Mohammad Al Fayed.

** The Tories don't, in fact, have an overall majority - they rely on the vote of Independent (former Tory) Cllr Jayne Bennett and the Mayor's casting vote to win in the Council Chamber.

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Are these the same Tories that are forever pontificating about better use of public money?

In February I put forward an amendment to the council budget calling for £20,000 to produce an integrated campus-wide Schools Travel Plan for the Varndean campus (in order to start to tackle the traffic mayhem and serious road safety concerns in Surrenden and Balfour Roads), which the Tories rejected.

Clearly they would rather spend Brighton & Hove tax-payers' money on a needlessly delayed by-election (caused by the inability of one of their members to do the job properly) than road safety for thousands of the city's children and young people.