Does Brent Get Easy Ride From Local Press?

Thinking about a couple of Argyle issues - the GasBoard election cock up and the outstanding staff debt - there has been nothing in the local press. Maybe it's small beer in some ways but compare and contrast with how they fell over themselves with the coverage of the suggestion boxes.

if you take it a little further I don't think you'll find him answering questions as the Chairman of Devon and Exeter NHS Trust about regional pay cartels or the divorce between the two medical schools. The former being directly linked to his position. Think the Plymouth TUC has brought it up and marched against cuts etc.

Maybe none of it is deemed newsworthy but imagine Dan McCauley presiding over the same sort of debacle of the GasBoard. We've already seen the local press only being reactive as the club went down the pan. Can things be too cosy?

In my experience, the local press will respond to local "news" stories if you suggest an item to them. I was involved (very peripherally) some years ago when some kids painted a wall for a local playgroup with a muriel. The press were contacted and they were very pleased to have a heart-warming story to go with a photo.

If someone contacted the local rag with a suggestion maybe they would bite. Maybe.

Dougie,

I'm not sure that your second paragraph is right (but I'm not certain that its wrong, either).

JB is the Chairman of the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Trust, ie 'just' the RDE hospital, not the wider NHS Trusts in Devon & Exeter (if that makes sense).

Although as Chairman he will have full legal liability for the operational and financial performance of the Trust, operational decisions (such as pay, etc) will largely be the responsibility of the Chief Exec & her Executive Directors, albeit the full Board (under the leadership of the Chairman) will govern & oversee such issues.

I suspect that there is a Committee sitting under the Board (Eg something like Audit or Remuneration) which manages these issues, quite possibly chaired by an independent member.

I also suspect that the Board meetings are held in public, although this isn't always the case.

I do know that the RDE has a much better reputation than Derriford & I must say that having watched with horror as to how Derriford treated my wonderful, late father in the critical phase of his battle for life & having had a major op at the RDE myself in the last couple of years, the reputation is utterly justified in my eyes.

20 Trusts including royal Devon and Exeter have set up a South West Pay Cartel


http://www.gmb-health.com/?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=paste&utm_campaign=copypaste&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gmb-health.com%2F

A very very very easy ride.

Just hand the over the keys to the City to him.

Golden boy & no mistake.

He gets a far too easy ride from the fans and the local press.

Dougie wrote:

Thinking about a couple of Argyle issues - the GasBoard election cock up and the outstanding staff debt - there has been nothing in the local press. Maybe it's small beer in some ways but compare and contrast with how they fell over themselves with the coverage of the suggestion boxes.

if you take it a little further I don't think you'll find him answering questions as the Chairman of Devon and Exeter NHS Trust about regional pay cartels or the divorce between the two medical schools. The former being directly linked to his position. Think the Plymouth TUC has brought it up and marched against cuts etc.

Maybe none of it is deemed newsworthy but imagine Dan McCauley presiding over the same sort of debacle of the GasBoard. We've already seen the local press only being reactive as the club went down the pan. Can things be too cosy?

Interesting that you raise this Dougie, I have been watching quite closely with regards to a wider picture involving James Brent. Naturally we tend to focus on his dealings with PAFC as we're Argyle fans and this is an Argyle site, but PAFC is just a small part of the picture yet PAFC is also a high profile part of the picture.

I think it was the past Councillor Pengelly that described James Brent as a friend of Plymouth City Council, a phrase that should send a shudder down the spine of any Council Tax payer. As you say Dougue, James Brent is also a friend of D & E NHS Trust and it seems also a friend of Plymouth University making an interesting and possibly very powerful triangle if you happen to be sat in the middle of it. Then there's the other relationships that are spread far and wide throughout the Westcountry that include Torbay and Exeter local authorities, it appears that Jim is building his empire by targeting local authorities and large organisations, probing for a weakness and using that as a tool to lever in the more lucrative deals.

Of course there's nothing wrong with Jim's exploits, he is after all looking after the things that others have no interest in, but it seems to me that whenever there's a community with a need and a potential lucrative attachment, Jim is the first to jump up and tell us all what a favor he's doing for us and forgets to mention the more prosperous part of the deal. Whether or not Jim retains his interest in the community projects that he has so charitably taken care of after he has pulled in and pushed out the more lucrative deals in his portfolio remains to be seen but he's made it very clear to the fans of PAFC where he stands...he has no interest in the future, he would prefer to hand the club to someone with a greater knowledge of the game. He will not be adding to the bank account, the club must learn to stand on its own two feet. I don't think that paints an optimistic future for PAFC!

As for Torbay, I wonder if Jim will retain his interest in bowling once Akkeron Regeneration have completed the building of their town houses, although to be fair he's offered a share of the profits to the local council...where have I heard that before? Heard this before? I hope bowling in Torbay is profitable because it will need to stand on its own two feet and will JKim be responsible for the maintenance of gardens that he intends to restore and, I won't mention Pension Funds!

Keep an eye on one of the UK's largest potential housing developments at Derriford, beside the hospital, my guess is that Jim is!

I think you can forget the local press, we no longer have one!

The joys of Capitalism eh!

I read today the South West Pay Cartel was raised as a motion at the Labour Party Conference. Along with general cuts it must be one of the biggest issues facing the NHS in Plymouth and the rest of the West Country.

Nothing in the regions papers. Perhaps our favourite labour party activist can tell it went down at Conference.

The GasBoard fiasco continues to not interest the local rag.

Perhaps the local media are aware that if they feature anything anti-Brent, the 'dogs of war' will be unleashed once again.

Couldn't have that, could we?

GOB wrote:

As you say Dougue, James Brent is also a friend of D & E NHS Trust and it seems also a friend of Plymouth University making an interesting and possibly very powerful triangle if you happen to be sat in the middle of it. Then there's the other relationships that are spread far and wide throughout the Westcountry that include Torbay and Exeter local authorities, it appears that Jim is building his empire by targeting local authorities and large organisations, probing for a weakness and using that as a tool to lever in the more lucrative deals.

You're probably near the mark there Gob.
Perusal of some of his written articles for the Property trade will show him advising property gouls to be aware of the very probable huge fiscal downturn in the Western property market and it's resultant returns. None of them really know how wide the crash is going to be, but there's much about the drop in income where poor people reside, and he advises those well meaning and caring capitalists to search out safe investments where rents are as guaranteed as they can be when push comes to shove... ie.... goverment, health service, pfi type arrangements. They're all hoping to hide behind the governments of the day while everyone else has to sink or swim.

Anything anti brent would see the EH WSM banned from Home Park & with it all the column inches that fills on a daily basis.

I wouldn't be scared of that, if I were the EH/WMN. Nothing ever actually worthwhile from HP ever gets reported on, and who would lose out more by the lack of coverage? Them or Argyle?

The EH no longer investigates, it just reports, there's a big difference.

If you look at the This is Plymouth website you'll see that the news is rarely the news, it's just a list of readers comments that comment on things that have happened in their street, community centre etc. The Herald then uses these comments to progress a story under the guise of news. You still get the "Police arrest man for attempted bum sniffing episode", but that's about it.

Brent's a bigger fish, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if something like Private Eye is keeping an eye on him.

He's been in Private Eye quite recently - I'm sure someone pasted the cutting on here somewhere; it was something to do with Oldway Mansion (?) which Akkeron has bought and is looking to convert into a hotel, with a small housing development in the grounds. I'm sure it was something to do with Brent taking umbrage at the local MP's statements opposing the deal.

Edit: Yer tiz - https://www.argyletd.com/t1335-private-eye?highlight=Private+Eye#32209

I have a feeling that one or two Councillors maybe joining Jim in the interest of PE before to long.

Im yet to see/hear any journalist ask him any tough questions so i would say he certainly does.

GregCampbellFanClub wrote:

Anything anti brent would see the EH WSM banned from Home Park & with it all the column inches that fills on a daily basis.

Is there anything else that needs saying?

lets hope the tide turns soon............

He's got it very easy from Sparksy he won't say a bad word against the man.

Funnily though, Newell has publicly stated in the past his feelings on Sparksy yet now they're all part of the same "gang".