Follow The Telegraph fashion team live from the first London Collections: Men shows. Today: Sherlock Holmes on the cawalk, Prince Charles' style secrets, Martin Kemp catwalks on a bar and more...
BY Belinda White | 15 June 2012
LIVE STREAMING TODAY:
10:00 Lou Dalton 12:00 Topman Design 14:00 Martine Rose
18:00 Xander Zhou
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FRIDAY JUNE 15
17:00 The sun comes out at YMC
Watercolour post card images of tropical islands are projected onto screens along the catwalk and there is exotic birdsong from the speakers. Spring / summer 2013 has a distinctly holiday feel at YMC with a continuation of those island prints we've come to love from this excellent British brand. They appear on polo shirts, tailored jackets and jumpers in a subdued colour palette. There were also collegiate elements - wide striped jersey Jackets that hinted towards the Ivy League. While the opening section of the show was dominated by a soft shade of lemon - in light cotton trousers, shorts and raincoats, the finale was a series of more challenging leopard print pieces - from polos and parkas to T-shirts and baseball caps. These aside, this is a hugely wearable collection, one of the strongest of the day, and one that I suspect will appeal most to men who have an interest in clothes but are happy to leave the fashion behind. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegraph Magazine.
PHOTO: @mrporterlive / Twitter
16:50 AN OMG OUTSIDE YMC
Check out the bad-boys on this chap's feet...
PHOTO: David Nicholls
16:35 OLIVER SENCER HAS A RUSSIAN MODERNIST MOMENT
Beards (and mankles) were much in evidence on the catwalk today at Oliver Spencer, a designer who likes his models a bit menacing looking. The clothes were altogether less rugged than we've maybe come to expect of him, however, the silhouette being cleaner than of late. Ditto the palette, which majored on navies and neutrals punctuated by great blocks of vibrant colour such as Majorelle blue, emerald green, berry red and mustard (the whole lot inspired, apparently, by the work of the Russian modernists and the abstract painter Ben Nicholson). Speaking backstage, Spencer said he was particularly proud of his reworked parka, a more fitted affair with a high waisted back and single deep vent. Me, I really, really loved the jodhpur-style trousers in a thick canvassy cream cotton buttoned at the ankles, but then I wouldn't say no to any of it.
PS. As for Spencer's "star" model, Gordon Richardson, the design director at Topman (see below): he made a very good job of modelling a natty navy suit, comprising a jacket with a broadish shoulder and side-adjusters. But Gordon, you've really got to work on looking mean and moody if you're going to make it... - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
16:30 ALEXA OVERDRIVE
Alexa Chung is so everywhere at London Collections: Men. Martine Rose, Oliver Spencer, Topman Design - and even on top of the pillar box on the corner of Savile Row and Burlington Gardens. She was there to add a bit of YSL-shod Chungy-lustre to a shoot of the street's sharpest tailoring talent. Because she's doing some gig with the British Fashion Council she can't talk about the shows, she said - sigh - but did confirm that she's booked in between 10pm and 11pm to DJ at the Mr Porter/Jimmy Choo/Esquire party at the Corinthia Hotel. "I've got to go home and burn some CD's," she said. Now the Savile Row Open House event has just started. Most of the houses on "The Row" have thrown open their doors and workrooms to all-comers. The street is packed. For the first time in years there appears to be more people on Savile Row than there are adolescent tourists queueing outside Abercrombie and Fitch around the corner.
PHOTO: @lizmathewspr/ Twitter
16:15 SKORT SHRIFT
Could this be the first sighting on our streets of a pair of "skorts", aka the shorts-skirt hybrid for men, aka a coming trend (allegedly) in men's fashion? Spotted on Shan Temuri, a stylist, after Oliver Spencer's show. He assures me they're actually shorts "but flared". I'm not so sure. Anyway, the whole get up is by Comme des Garcons, with the exception of his chiffony cape thing at the back, which you can't see. And check out the peroxide eyebrows! - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
15:25 HUNKS IN TRUNKS A-GO-GO AT ORLEBAR BROWN
Providing the dishiest model of the day so far, men's swimwear brand Orlebar Brown hosted a presentation in their swanky new store just of Regent Street. Season after season the label provides chic trucks - as favoured by James Bond - which sit somewhere in between budgie-smugglers and board shorts. The new collection saw wicker prints in various colour ways and geometrics courtesy of the David Hicks archives. Continuing to see a rise in sales of the shorter swimming trunks, the label is hoping to banish badly dressed Brits from beaches worldwide. This season Orlebar Brown is pursuing a natural progression into sportswear, with natty shorts that fold away into the smallest of bags, sweatshirts in every colour under the sun and all-weather kagools. Unfortunately during Team Telegraph's appointment, the eye-catching model had donned pieces from the sportswear collection. Orlebar Brown, next time please may we have more hunks in trunks? - Sophie Warburton, stylist coordinator, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTO: Phillip Hollis
15:20 WE SPY A LOVELY NECK TIE
By Labour & Wait if you must know. 10 style points.
15:10 IN THE MOOD FOR ABBOUD
Citing London as the best fashion city for men, Bernardo Rojo, the creative director of American brand, Joseph Abboud very much felt like he was coming home. 'I took my first design job in London' explained Rojo but although presenting here he stayed true to the US based brand's roots. Hosting a salon-style show in the Bar Américain, Abboud presented a collection of slick sportswear in a colour palette of red, white and blue (with a little black thrown in for good measure). Post-show, the designer referenced pretty much every man's idol, James Dean, along with a modern twist courtesy of Ryan Gosling's character in 'Drive'. Models strutted in the runway in polonecks, styled under fitted blazers and shorts, while others wore macs with nipped in waists and slim cut chinos. With a nod to both the 1950's and the 80's the collection covered all bases for the modern man - wearable pieces, in innovative fabrics that can be styled up or down accordingly. Sleek and chic, even the snappiest of dressers could learn a thing or two from Abboud. - Sophie Warburton, stylist coordinator, The Daily Telegraph.
14:50 MIX IT LIKE MARTINE ROSE
Mix three parts bleached denim (oversized, Dexy's Midnight Runners proportions) with one part fake snakeskin, and one part scuba-style neoprene. Scatter in some handprint motifs, get your models to hold old band T-shirts (Pil, Screamadelica). Then top the whole thing with white, bankrobber-style facemasks. Finally bottom it with practical Velcro-strapped action-sandals of a type hitherto seen on any catwalk. Martine Rose was loopy and very niche - but fun. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTOS: Phillip Hollis
14:40 FIX UP, LOOK SHARP
While you're waiting for the next show to drop, take a look at London editor, John O'Ceallaigh's guide to the emerging stars of Savile Row.
14:15 GOR-BLIMEY!
Backstage at rehearsals for Oliver Spencer show and catch Gordon Richardson, design director at Topman, with his trousers round his ankles, revealing striped jersey trunk knickers. The reason? He begged Oliver for a cameo on the catwalk. This is a picture of him preparing (with trousers on)... - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
13:40 TOPMAN'S ARTY SPORTY SHOW
When the American graffiti cum neo Expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is mentioned in the pre-show blurb you have a pretty good idea what to expect. And so Topman Design presented a collection which was heavy on painterly prints which ranged from refined brush strokes, to those of the 'dab and splodge' variety.
Fuchsia, orange, red and various fluoro shades were the mainstay of a collection that included such delights as a Prince of Wales check shorts jumpsuit, and a section of Amercian football aertex crop tops. One genuine highlight was a series of lightweight tailored jackets that had been heavily lasercut. When worn with an underlayer of a different colour, it created a striking polka dot effect through the surface of the jacket. This was by no means a collection designed for an Everyman - the shapes (much of them oversized) were just as challenging as the prints and palette, but Topman Design's core clientele of urban street style youff fashionistas will not be disappointed.- David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegrpah Magazine.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
13:30 TINIE PROBLEM 
13:00 ANOTHER GREEN BEAN HITS THE SCENE
Sir Philip Green and his daughter Chloe we hear from quite regularly, but today the lesser spotted Green - Brandon - put in an appearance at the Topman Design show. Our first question - naturally - was what is he wearing: head-to-toe Topman? "All Topman. Except for the jacket, it's Neil Barrett. I was told to wear Topman but I couldn't find it this morning when I was rumagging." Apparently Brandon rolled out of bed "four minutes" before the Green limo was due to depart. So, as he can put together a look like that in four minutes, does Brandon plan to do a Chloe and design his own line?
"Personally I have no intention of designing. I stick with my dad, I started working with him about a year ago [in the business side of Arcadia]. But obviously as dad says product is the key part of any business, and in fashion, no matter how good you are at the business part you have to be involved in the product too. Topman I think is performing as well as any brand in the high street. Globally across the world Topman is the business in the Arcadia group which is performing hands-down, the best..".
And does he ever get his dad to try and different look? "No - I wouldn't even try!" - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
12:45 WAKE UP CALL 
12:30 POCKET ROCKETS
It's all about a pocket square at the moment don't you know? Check out these dapper dan's rocking the shows today. I say!
12:00 COOL MAN LUKE
Luke Day the Editor of GQ Style - and a stylist of some renown - has fully mastered the fashion Rock God look. For those who want to "Steal His Style" Luke's wearing a James Long shirt, various chains (Gucci, Jade Jagger, and a "God" medallion he bought in the church of Browns), plus some Topman Design jeans. Shows at the top of Luke's list are James Long and Martine Rose, plus MAN. He said: "we should all appreciate that without Topman there wouldn't be a London mens' fashion week at all." That suntan he added, not fake: he's just back from holiday. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
11:50 HACKETT GET INTO GREAT GATSBY MODE 
PHOTOS: Phillip Hollis
Hackett harked back to a lost, glorious, halcyon age this morning - the time when bankers wore bowlers, carried brollies, and could be trusted. An 18-strong phalanx of models carrying the traditional City accessories and wearing dapper double and single breasted suits - some a bit too loud to be convincingly vintager banker - closed the label's show at the Royal Opera House. Elsewhere, there was a noble and determined push for paisley-printed trousers - a big womenswear trend - to translate into menswear. But I'm not sure about it will succeed. Spanish-owned Hackett usually riffs on Englishness but much of today's collection - the seersucker jackets, baker boy caps, cream lined peaked lapel suits and white brogues - had something a little Great Gatsby-ish about them. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
The finale of city gents at Hackett. PJHOTO: Phillip Hollis
11:40 SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES
You know when a model's really big, because they sit front row instead of pounding the catwalk: David Gandy front row at Hackett.
PHOTO: mrporterlive / Instagram
11:06 SPENCER SOULBOY
Spencer Hart is a show to watch out for this afternoon - Benedict Cumberbatch and womenswear are set for catwalk cameos. Nick Hart said last night his collection this time round is going to be heavily music-influenced, then started reminiscing about competing in Soulboy dance-offs at a nightclub called Crackers. "I was a terrible dancer, though." - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
10:55 LOU DALTON
For spring/summer 2013 Lou Dalton has shifted her focus from the battle fields of WW1 to the playing fields of a very modern age. It was more 'sport luxe' than sportswear however, with a major focus on combining discordant fabrics. Panels of suede were added to cotton shirts. Velvet and jersey are combined on sweat tops. Airtex panels added a pleasing texture to sharply tailored jackets. Tailoring in general was very strong - and heavily structured thanks to a generous use of panelling. Alexa Chung arrived with British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tilman giving us the first front row pap frenzy of London Collections: Men; while swimmer Mark Foster and Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Hollie Johnson were also in attendance. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegrpah Magazine.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
10:45 Is Liam Gallagher the new Paul Smith? The Oasis... sorry, Beady Eye singer's Beatles/Mod influence brand, Pretty Green, is to open a standalone store in Tokyo next month. He's already got 11 shops in Britain. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
10:30 BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN WEBSTER
Stephen Webster kicked off the inaugural London Collections: Men shows with a busy-for-9-in-morning breakfast at Hix for his new mens jewellery collection. Called 'Highwayman', it was inspired by his yearly cross-America roadtrips (in his wheels of choice, a rather cool vintage Thunderbird). Hence, necklaces and bracelets centred on roadsigns and rings came as "rotating wheels". A chirpy Webster told Team Telegraph that he was planning on doing another sojourn from Colorado to the Napa Valley this year - "It's the only time I can get away from my family!". His road buddy of choice? "My mechanic!" Sensible man.
Mmmmmmushroom's with creme fraiche at Stephen Webster.
The Red Snapper cocktails (gin and tomato juice and fancy fry-ups served were top notch, but Webster had another trick up his sleeve. Taking to the bar-cum-catwalk, he annouced there was going to be a show. What he didnt tell us was that Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp and Nicky Clarke would be among the models. They goodnaturedly did their best Zoolanders and everyone cheered - although Kemp got rather bashful when we asked for a picture of his best Blue Steel. Clarke and Webster had no such reservations, though - check out their pouts. Early contenders for best BS of the week? - Phong Luu, Fashion Features Co-ordinator, The Daily Telegraph
Stephen Webster and Nicky Clarke pull their best Blue Steels for our camera.
Nicky Clarke, Stephen Webster, Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp strut their stuff. PHOTO: Phillip Hollis
10:00 ALEXA ARRIVES
No London fashion event would be complete without the British Fashion Council's Young Style ambassador, Miss Alexa Chung...
9:50 AND WE"RE OFF!
The first London Collections: Men kicks off proper this morning with... a breakfast. Why is it men can't do anything on an empty stomach? Jeweller Stephen Webster is playing host - more of this later. While we're waiting for the first show to begin (Lou Dalton 10am live streamed above), news has reached our inbox of the first bit of celebrity catwalk action. Sherlock Holmes AKA benedict Cumberbatch, will 'walk' in Spencer Hart's show today at 5pm. Spencer Hart dressed Benedict Cumberbatch for the BAFTA TV awards and the Golden Globes this year. If you're in Benedict's fan club - affectionately known as 'The Cumberbitches', get thee to the Old Selfridges Hotel where you might catch a glimpse of the man himself. Just don't tell him i sent you...
THURSDAY JUNE 14
PRINCE CHARLES: FASHION ICON? ME?
At a reception at St James Palace to officially launch London Collections: Men, Prince Charles batted off suggestions he was a sartorial icon. Luke Leitch went along to meet His Royal Highness and ask the all important question: what are you wearing? Read all about his adventures here...
Prince Charles takes the mic. PHOTO: REX
And here are our favourite pics from the glamorous soiree:
David Walliams meets Charles: "I asked Charles what he wears. He said mostly Primark, but George at Asda too: he likes to mix it up." PHOTO: REX
Tom Ford meets Prince Charles: Who's your tailor? Call me, not that guy next to me... don't call him... don't even look at him... PHOTO: REX
Source: fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Kent council boss made redundant after 16 months gets £420,000 payout - The Guardian
The former boss of a Conservative-run council received a £420,000 payout when she left the authority after just 16 months in the job, it has emerged.
Katherine Kerswell was made redundant from Kent county council last December just over a year after introducing a £340m cuts plan that will see 1,500 staff leave the council in the next four years.
Kent council initially refused to divulge the terms of her redundancy package but was forced to publish the payout this week under recently introduced local government transparency rules.
Kerswell, who joined the authority as managing director on a £200,000 annual salary in March 2010, received £589,000 in total remuneration last year, after her pay and pension contributions were taken into account.
She was the architect of a controversial savings programme known as the Change to Keep Succeeding plan, which will see 1,500 staff leave the council by 2015.
Kent said it had decided to abolish the position of council chief executive, and said Kerswell's role would not be filled. It decided instead to place the management role in the hands of the council leader and a senior team of directors. "Removing chief executive posts is what more and more councils should be doing," Carter said.
But trade unions asked why the council had hired Kerswell on such extravagant terms if they knew she would only be in place for a short term.
David Lloyd, secretary of the Kent local government branch of Unison, said: "When the previous chief executive left why didn't they do a feasibility study then of whether another CEO was needed? It's bad planning by the politicians."
He added: "Feelings are running high locally. The anger I'm picking up is with the council, not Katherine Kerswell.
"So many people here have lost their jobs. It's frontline staff and low-paid women workers who have taken a hit, and it doesn't seem fair."
The redundancy payout was defended by the council leader Paul Carter, who said employment law and contractual obligations dictated the size of the payout. Carter, who appointed Kerswell, said her departure "would save a fortune in the long term".
It is understood that soon after Kerswell's appointment relations soured with senior Tory group councillors who were said to be unhappy at being excluded from top-level decisions. "She had contrived to upset a lot of councillors. They felt she tried to bypass them a lot of the time," one local source said.
Unison said it had concerns that in the absence of a chief executive the council would now become a "politically run" council with no separation of political leaders and officials.
But Carter said: "Our council is now being guided by officers who have worked their way up and know what life is like from a Kent taxpayers' perspective."
The council said it had saved £1m in senior staff salaries over the past year, as a result of the reorganisation. But its draft annual accounts reveal that it paid out over £10m in severance payments in 2011-12 as nearly 1,000 staff left the authority. The council's former finance director Lynda McMullan received a £179,000 payout.
The government has consistently attacked high salaries paid to local government chief executives. The communities secretary, Eric Pickles, has called for authorities to abolish the chief executive role as a cost-saving measure.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London bus drivers to strike for extra Games pay - The Guardian
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London 2012: Kent councils budget £500,000 for relay - BBC News
Local councils in Kent will spend nearly £500,000 welcoming the Olympic torch as it passes through the county.
A BBC survey found budgets for the torch relay, which will be in Kent on 18, 19 and 20 July, varied from £750 in Gravesham to £210,000 in Maidstone.
Kent County Council will also spend more than £200,000 but has received grants from Olympics organiser Locog and the government to cover £120,000.
Kent will host two overnight stays, in Dover and Maidstone.
John Burden, leader of Gravesham Borough Council, said it was spending £750 of its taxpayers' money but had also received a grant from the government.
Spending by council
- Ashford - £15,500
- Canterbury - £12,000
- Dover - £90,000
- Gravesham - £750
- Swale - £21,000
- Shepway - not calculated
- Tunbridge Wells -£20,000
- Tonbridge and Malling - £10,000-£15,000
- Thanet - £30,000-£40,000
- Sevenoaks - £20,000
- Medway - £33,000
- Maidstone - up to £210,000
"It think it is excellent value for money. It is a very good event to be supporting," he said.
"We have to the local community doing food and entertainment and we have 50 volunteer marshals. It is a fabulous opportunity and people should go to see the torch."
Sandra Matthews-Marsh from Visit Kent said the Olympic torch was spending more time in Kent than any other county.
The tourism organisation has estimated the publicity and global coverage of the torch relay will be worth £324m over the next four years.
"We actually get the torch before it gets to London so I think the tension is going to mount as we get to that point," she said.
Andrew Bowles, leader of Swale Borough Council, said it estimated up to 20,000 people would visit Faversham to see the torch relay.
"I am absolutely convinced it will bring money into the local economy, if all those spend £10, which isn't very difficult," he said.
"It would be irresponsible for us to expect 20,000 people to turn up and not to spend the necessary money on first aid facilities, emergency car parking and crash barriers.
"We do have a duty of care."
Conservative-run Maidstone Borough Council said it had a budget of up to £210,000 but hoped to spend less.
Councillor Fran Wilson, leader of the Lib Dem opposition, said she believed the council should have been more frugal.
"I think we should have been a little bit more circumspect, but having said that. we are the county town so I would expect us to spend more than most other places," she said.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: London's Regents Street bedecked in national colours - Daily Mail
Flying the flag: (Front row, left to right) Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, (second row) Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, (third row) Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, (fourth row) Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, (fifth row) Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, (sixth row) Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, (seventh row) Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macau, Madagascar, (eighth row) Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
History of the London Metal Exchange - Reuters UK
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange, which the Hong Kong stock exchange agreed to buy on Friday, was formed in the last quarter of the 19th century to serve industrial Britain's insatiable appetite for metals.
From its beginnings above a London hat shop, the LME has grown into the world's largest non-ferrous metals marketplace.
Following is a chronology of major events in its 135-year history:
1571 - The Royal Exchange, the world's first commodities market, is established.
Early 1800s - The Royal Exchange becomes so crowded, metal merchants gather at the Jerusalem coffee house on London's Cornhill to conduct business, where the tradition of the ring and kerb are established.
When a dealer wished to trade he would draw a ring on the floor of the coffee shop and shout "Change".
The expression kerb trade developed when the coffee houses closed at the end of the day forcing traders onto the street to trade on the kerb of the road.
1877 - The London Metal Market and Exchange Company established above a hat shop in Lombard Court and trades in tin, copper and pig iron.
July 1914 - LME closes because of fear of supply shortages at the outbreak of the First World War. Reopens in autumn of same year.
1985 - Tin crisis - prices tumble after the World Tin Council's buffer stocks collapse. Contract suspended.
June 1996 - Sumitomo Corp head trader Yasuo Hamanaka plunges market into crisis after losing $2.6 billion on copper over a 10-year period.
End-2005 - Copper market in turmoil after Liu Qibing, a trader working on behalf of the Chinese government, vanishes.
August 2006 - Martin Abbott appointed LME Chief Executive from October 2.
March 2007 - LME CEO Martin Abbott says the exchange is not for sale or planning any acquisitions.
June 2007 - LME intervenes in nickel market to make more metal available at a time of tight supplies.
July 2007 - LME members approve proposal to create 1 million new B shares. LME sets price of its new Class B shares at 65 pounds per share.
September 2008 - LME says it has no plans to introduce position limits because it has systems in place to ensure an orderly market.
March 2009 - Plan to pay dividends to shareholders approved at annual general meeting.
July 2009 - LME says it has no plans to publish outstanding speculative positions on its contracts nor the names of dominant position holders.
September 2009 - A resolution to move the LME to a two-board structure from one board fails to secure the 75 percent of votes needed.
April 2010 - LME announces the appointment of Brian Bender as chairman of both its LME Holdings and LME Limited boards. Bender takes over from Donald Brydon.
July 2010 - LME officially launches its Asia office in Singapore, it's first outside of London.
September 2010 - The London Bullion Market Association and the LME say they will begin collecting data for the LBMA gold forward curve from September and will distribute this information from early in 2011.
May 2011 - LME fleshes out a strategy to create its own clearing house, still at the feasibility stage, saying that incumbent LCH.Clearnet may not be best placed for the job.
May 2011 - Report commissioned by the LME suggests warehouses with large stockpiles be required to deliver out much more metal each day following complaints by consumers of long delays to receive material.
September 2011 - The LME says interest in the exchange as a takeover target has snowballed and that it will set up a "data room," opening its books for would-be buyers, by early December.
June 2012 - The Hong Kong stock exchange agrees to pay 1.4 billion pounds to buy the 135-year-old London Metal Exchange, the world's biggest marketplace for industrial metals, underlining the shift in manufacturing's centre of gravity to Asia.
(Editing by Jason Neely)
Source: uk.reuters.com
Former council boss who left half-way through her four year contract receives £420,000 in one of the biggest local authority payoffs - Daily Mail
- Former chief exec had led major shake-up of the way the county council was run
- Council has now dished out more than 600,000 to pay off last two chief execs
- Authority has paid out 10.08m in 'exit packages' to staff made between 2011-2012
By Andrew Levy
|
Big pay out: Former Kent County Council chief Katherine Kerswell got a 589,165 pay off from Kent County Council
A council chief who lasted just 20 months in her job was given a 589,165 pay-off, the local authority has been forced to admit.
Katherine Kerswell was a third of the way into her four-year contract when she left Kent County Council in December.
The council had refused to disclose details of the settlement, saying it was subject to a confidentiality agreement. But it was forced to declare the sum under new transparency rules on executive pay.
Its Conservative administration insisted at the time that her departure was part of a cost-saving reorganisation she oversaw that included getting rid of her own post. But there was also speculation she had fallen out with colleagues and councillors.
It is thought to be one of the highest ever remuneration packages for a council manager, and is more than four times the Prime Minister’s 142,500 salary.
The statement of accounts for 2011-12 revealed that Mrs Kerswell, 49, received 139,806 of her 197,000 salary, 420,000 in redundancy payments and a 29,359 pension contribution.
Robert Oxley, campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the council had shown ‘scant regard’ to value for taxpayers’ money.
He added: ‘Councils may have a legal requirement to make a redundancy pay-out, but this is staggeringly excessive.
‘Councillors need to scrap the overly generous contracts that make these deals possible before any more money is blown on gargantuan redundancy pay-offs.’
Expensive business: Kent County Council headquarters. A total of 10.08million has been paid in 'exit packages' to staff between 2011 and 2012
Mrs Kerswell had a 197,136 salary in her previous job as chief executive of Northamptonshire County Council. She had defended the pay deal by saying it was equal to only 29p for each person in the county.
She was also lampooned at the time for her ‘Taste the Strawberry’ campaign – management speak that was meant to represent the overall ‘flavour’ of the council’s services and help it to improve its performance.
She moved to Kent in March 2010 and oversaw a shake-up of the way the county council was run under its ‘Change To Keep Succeeding’ programme, which involved a cull of senior directors.
Kent County Council, which needs to make savings of 97million this year, paid out 10.8million in so-called ‘exit packages’ to about 1,000 staff in 2011-12. This included 172,000 to the authority’s former finance director, Lynda McMullan, who left in September last year and now works for the National Audit Office.
History: The council gave the chief executive who Ms Kerswell replaced a 200,000 pay off
Council leader Paul Carter said: ‘Removing chief executive posts is what more and more councils should be doing.
‘Employment law and contractual obligations mean we have to pay significant redundancy costs, but it will save a fortune in the long run. Our council is now being guided by officers who have worked their way up and know what life is like from a Kent taxpayer’s perspective.’
Last year it emerged that Phil Dolan, the former chief executive of South Somerset District Council, which has just 162,000 residents, had received a redundancy package of almost 570,000.
The transparency rules which forced the council to reveal Mrs Kerswell’s pay were introduced by the Coalition government.
Local Government Minister Grant Shapps last night criticised Mrs Kerswell’s pay deal as ‘deeply concerning’. He said: ‘I find dipping into the public purse to make such an eye-watering pay-off unacceptable.’
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Kent’s new healthcare model praised by health secretary Andrew Lansley - Kent News
(l-r) Dr Chee Mah, chairman of South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group; Dr Joe Chaudhuri; health secretary Andrew Lansley; KCC leader Paul Carter; Dover MP Charlie Elphicke; and leader of Dover District Council Paul Watkins
By Marijke Cox, Reporter
Friday, June 15, 2012
8:00 AM
Kent Health Commission model could become leading example for the rest of the country
A pioneering new health and social care model which promises patient power and bespoke services could become the national beacon for a new type of healthcare.
Health secretary Andrew Lansley paid a special visit to Dover to launch the Kent Health Commission’s first report, a radical document looking to transform the way people are cared for in the county.
It looks to combine health and social care budgets to commission new services based on patients’ needs.
Among the recommendations is a major shift to community healthcare, where people receive support in their own homes or community.
This would be through the development of community hospital facilities and services in local areas meaning patients can avoid unnecessary long journeys to acute centres.
It could also lead to more district nurses, more occupational therapists, physiotherapists and intermediary care beds, and a whole range of services to support patients in their own home.
The document recommends shifting power to patients, enabling them to make informed choices about what is best for them, when and where to be treated and what treatment to receive under the principle “no decision about me without me”.
Self-management, such as telehealth where people can manage long-term illnesses themselves at home while still being monitored by professionals, is also at the heart of the recommendations.
Kent Health Commission said the leading principle should be that services are centred on the needs of patients rather than the organisations that deliver them.
During his visit, Mr Lansley said he welcomed the “bold move”.
“I welcome this report and the work underway to make sure the new health reforms provide the very best health and social care services for the people of Kent.
“I have asked for further updates on how these recommendations will be put into practice and the improved services that will be offered to local people with a view to using the health commission as a model for other areas to follow.”
Leader of Kent County Council Cllr Paul Carter established the commission, bringing together GPs, Dover MP Charlie Elphicke and Dover council leader Paul Watkins.
The report focuses on Dover and Shepway as templates for the proposed shake-up, which could release more than £59m a year in Kent – an average of £5m per district.
Cllr Carter said the commission supported radical and bold changes in the way primary health care is delivered.
The Tory leader, who admitted there were currently massive pressures on the system, said: “We want to cut bureaucracy and combine health and social care budgets to commission new services based around patient needs.
“Working together, we will commission new community health support that will transform the way people are cared for.
“In meeting local need, new local commissioning arrangements will make sure that ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’.
“Using a whole raft of services to support patients in their own homes, we are looking to avoid unnecessary hospitalisation, particularly for patients with long term illnesses.”
This first report looks to support GPs, who have been given power over commissioning under the new national health reforms.
Kent Health Commission says it wants to help give GPs freedom and flexibility in their new role and for an exciting new market in health provision to be developed.
It also wants pooled commissioning between health and social care to speed up.
Chairman of south Kent coast clinical commissioning group Dr Chee Mah said those involved believe the collaboration will have a great impact, providing the best possible health and social care services.
Dr Joe Chaudhuri called it an “ambitious and exciting” initiative.
He added: “Strong, trusting relationships among different agencies are key and the fact that we have a shared vision gives me real confidence that we can achieve our collective ambitions.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Locog release 50,000 more Olympic Park tickets on general sale - Daily Telegraph
Townsend added: "For those people who are no longer able to attend, or cannot give their tickets to friends or family, they can now use our resale platform. This will enable people to resell their tickets in a safe and legal way."
London 2012 have announced that the tickets will be validated and released for sale on a sport-by-sport basis. If a ticket is sold, the ticketholder will get an email and then a refund within 10 working days of the sale. The original ticket should go back to London 2012. If the ticket remains unsold it will be returned to the customer's account.
Tickets are on sale on the London 2012 Ticket website or by phone on 0844 847 2012. People who want to purchase tickets can only pay with a debit, credit or prepaid card.
Any potential purchasers wanting to check for wheelchair spaces should call the same number and speak to the London 2012 Accessibility team.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
London: the tailors of Savile Row - Daily Telegraph
We knew things would change in 2005 when the lease on our Savile Row property was to end and the building was to be gutted. I joined in 2004 and oversaw our move to Old Burlington Street, directly beside Savile Row. People said the change of address would affect business but we make about 115 suits a month and a two-piece suit starts at around £3,500.
I had worked in marketing cosmetics, first with Estée Lauder and then Dior. People might think tailoring is a dwindling industry but my background meant I could see it’s very contemporary. Nowadays people either buy instantly online or want a specialist product made by the very best people. Coming in as a woman also meant I could ask questions that maybe a man would be embarrassed to ask, whether that was something about accounts or basic working methods. I’ve found men less easy to sell to than women – they question things more. It’s a personal experience and customers range from the extremely wealthy to those who’ve saved up £100 a month for years. We had a taxi driver in recently who wanted a nice suit for his friends’ funerals, and his own.
I’m the only women in this particular position but once our move proved successful I was accepted, and there are many women who work around Savile Row generally – gone are those days when it was considered a terribly, terribly sexist place.
Philip Parker, MD and head cutter at Henry Poole
Henry Poole & Co appeared on Savile Row in 1846 and is the original tailor here. Back then it was full of doctors and surgeons and they didn’t like trade arriving so they cleared off to Harley Street – you got rid of one lot of people that stitched you one way and got a new lot that stitched you another.
I grew up in Teddington and underachieved in school. When I was 16 my father asked what I wanted to do and I told him I wanted to be a tailor. I had no idea why I said that but he arranged an interview at Savile Row for me and I got an apprenticeship. I worked my way up and up until recently I’d work 12 hours a day – you can make a good living here but you work hard for it.
I’m 65 now so unfortunately I’m old enough to have been through a number of recessions. None of them are ever comfortable but this one is different. Everything’s being disturbed by all this euro business and although our customers still have money they don’t necessarily feel like they can turn up in a brand new suit in times like this.
Our customers’ professions vary but average age is about 45, which is probably the point of time in life when they’ve made it in whatever they’re doing. We also get a number of young Japanese guys who aren’t earning a fortune but want something from Savile Row. Whether you ask in Tokyo, Paris or Moscow, people know Savile Row; it’s part of the country’s fabric and has been very powerful but you can’t rely just on reputation – you need to keep moving forward and we’re actively training young people in what we do. Less than 10 years ago the average age around Savile Row was about 60, now it’s closer to 40. There’s a lot of emerging talent here and we’ve got the nucleus of the young team of the future.
Gregor Clemens, MD of Hand & Lock
Military embroidery crafted at Hand & Lock
Hand & Lock isn't on on Savile Row but we’re closely associated with it. If someone gets a Savile Row shirt or bespoke suit monogrammed we’re the people who do it. If you get a uniform from Savile Row we’re the ones who supply the badges and embroidered accoutrements and gold work – basically all the bling. We say that until we’ve gone over the uniform it’s just a suit. Savile Row needs us because they can’t do what we can do – this craft is so specialist.
The business began when Mrs Hand set up a military clothing business in 1767; Mr Lock founded a business specialising in fashion embroidery in the early 1900s and when the firms joined together they kept both divisions. Mrs Hand’s military connections meant they always worked closely with the royal family – detailing you see on the princes’ uniforms is provided by us. From the early 1900s we’ve also done something for almost every royal wedding and for this year’s Diamond Jubilee we did the embroideries for the thrones and the banners on the royal barge, as well as the gold and silverwork on Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney’s outfits.
I’m from Germany and we got rid of our nobility there unfortunately but I consider myself a royalist. We’re proud of our association with the Royal Family but we get all types of customers. Monogramming a letter costs £11.40 plus VAT and most people just get two letters but occasionally Sir Edward vonwhatever will come in and get his full name embroidered on a shirt. We get a lot of young fashion designers and women who want us to repair their favourite dresses or bridal veils, things that are precious to them. Recently a guy asked us to embroider ‘lucky bride’ onto the back of a pair of see-through knickers – we try to do whatever’s asked of us.
Emma Martin, 2012's Young Tailor of the Year and a coat maker at Dege & Skinner
Growing up in Essex I loved making clothes so I moved to London at 18 and did a fashion foundation course at London College of Fashion. I didn’t like the atmosphere though and it seemed too unstructured for me. You’d do a bit of sewing here, some designing there, dress a few models… I wanted something more defined so my brother suggested tailoring; I went to Newham College to learn the basics. It’s just a normal college in Eastham, there’s nothing special to it and it’s kind of rough but it runs one of the best bespoke tailoring courses anywhere.
As part of the course I did one day’s work experience a week on the Row and that’s how I began at Dege & Skinner. As a tailor you learn to appreciate the smallest detail. Now a good man’s suit really makes me tick and it’s hard to see friends my age – I’m 24 – that don’t look the part or wear well-made garments. I tell friends who can’t afford to shop here to go vintage. I’d much prefer an altered vintage, bespoke suit that than something from the high street.
The Young Tailor of the Year competition formed part of a BBC ‘Britain’s Best’ series that was looking out for young people working in traditional industries so it was amazing to win. The person who taught me during my apprenticeship here was 72 and had been a tailor for 50 years, he was incredible.
I don’t get to meet many of the clients but when I started I spent some time on the shop floor. One customer who spoke to me sounded so posh that I couldn’t understand a word he said. I had to get a colleague to speak to him but everyone is very graceful and I’ve never felt like anyone has looked down on me. It’s an absolute privilege to work here.
Mark Henderson, deputy chairman of Gieves & Hawkes and chairman of Savile Row Bespoke
My background is in marketing. After university I helped to develop Mary Quant’s cosmetics business in Asia and then I became head of marketing at Dunhill. Having worked with two British icons, the idea of working on Savile Row became irresistible and I joined as chief executive of Gieves & Hawkes in 1996. The name Savile Row is instantly recognisable around the world and protecting its reputation was crucial to me so I established Savile Row Bespoke. Our aim is to protect and develop the art of bespoke tailoring as practised in the Row and the surrounding streets. Businesses here form a community and we share a common desire to ensure that hand-craft tailoring continues.
The challenge now is to make sure that Savile Row doesn’t become an overspill of Regent Street but maintains its unique character and association with world-class craftsmanship. Abercrombie & Fitch’s plans to open a children’s store on Savile Row is quite ridiculous – how could anyone say that it fits in with the character of the Row? There are over 100 working tailors here and this is a special place where it’s still possible to see world-class craftsmanship and to appreciate all the inspiration that gives to the British fashion and luxury industries – areas where we are truly world leaders.
The opportunities for Savile Row to develop the super-luxury of hand-crafted garments and other related businesses is enormous. People are fascinated by the authenticity of what we do and we have a passionate group of young apprentices coming up that should see us into the next century.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Our rates are approx 800 BPD's a year . We have one of the best rubbish pick ups in the World - so ask your councils what are they doing to justify your very expensive rates - why don't you form action groups and refuse to pay your rates until they justify them .
- Eric Grinham , Dee Why , Australia, 16/6/2012 03:29
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