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I couldn’t be at Wednesday night’s Greenwich Council meeting, having been otherwise occupied for much of this week. So, instead of watching councillors row over debate our council tax bills, I was on the sofa with a laptop, the England match, and a chilled glass of Dioralyte. There’s a lot of it about, you know.

There were no raging Trots in Woolwich Town Hall, though – another tranche of cuts was nodded through, with council tax bills frozen again. The debate sounded interesting from what I read on Twitter. You won’t be reading a word of it in next week’s News Shopper, by the way – the paper which complains “Royal Greenwich” is the most undemocratic in the country once again couldn’t be bothered to send a reporter to the town hall. The People’s Republic of Lewisham had its meeting on Wednesday too, and its sole reporter on duty had to make a choice between Catford and Woolwich. Still, all good for Newsquest’s profits, eh?

When I mentioned the Shopper’s no-shows last month, I suggested that maybe you – yes, you – could help rectify this democratic loss by asking questions the local press or politicians aren’t getting answers to. One 853 reader did just that, and scored a bullseye. Take a bow, Daddy Timmers.

Question from Tim Freeman, Greenwich, SE10 to Councillor Chris Roberts, Leader of the Council.
How much money was spent on the Royal transformation of the borough by the council?
What is the breakdown of this spend (i.e. advertising & media, fireworks, new road signs, new stationery etc)?

Reply –
I thank Mr Freeman for his question.

The strategy for ‘transforming’ Royal borough [sic] was to create as much impact as possible at minimal cost. This was achieved by doing all design work in- house, delaying some renewal work until the new status was effective and developing new products to have the longest possible usable life.

The borough boundary signs that were erected 12 years ago have been replaced. The previous Boundary signs were dilapidated, some had collapsed and were in need of urgent replacement. The renewal programme was delayed so that the change to Royal Borough could be done as cost effectively as possible.

The cost of the new Borough Boundary signs was £21.8K. This is significantly cheaper than the cost of replacing the previous signs as a much simpler design has been used. The lamppost banners that have been installed in town centres cost £41.4K. The cost of new street signs only placed in selected areas was £19K.

Across the Royal Borough there is an agreement that we will avoid producing new stationery. Existing stocks are being used up and the bulk of letters will now be produced on letter templates which have been designed in-house thus avoiding pre-printing costs.

The cost of fireworks displays in the three town centres on three successive nights was £32.5K including music, lighting and displays. This was offset partially by contributions from sponsors to the general celebrations.

Which makes a total bill so far of £114,700. Now, some of this stuff would have been done anyway, banners look nice, and I like fireworks. It’s something Mr Freeman feels very strongly about, though, and it’s the sort of discussion we should have (I don’t see any new royal borough signs in Charlton yet) so good on him for getting it out of the council. It’s worth pointing out that there’ll be more figures to come, of course.

That’s the same council which was “unable to provide a cost” to local journalists a month ago. He also did better than Lib Dem Assembly candidate John Russell, who only yesterday complained about the council’s lack of knowledge. Should have gone down the town hall, John.

So, there you go. Asking questions at council meetings isn’t just for the angry, the lunatic, or the politically-minded. And it gets results.

Of course, perhaps this should be something that elected councillors should be querying, but maybe they were too delighted with those free certificates to ask any serious questions.

But how much did those certificates cost? A whole four pence each, replied Chris Roberts to a query from, er, me, explaining that they’d been done on a colour photocopier. I’ve actually got to pause and applaud that, although I do know that in future, I’m getting my photocopying done down the town hall, rather than in Staples. They should have given out certificates to everyone who turned up on Wednesday night, I reckon.

Conservative councillor Nigel Fletcher wasn’t impressed with my question:

Well, quite. Doesn’t he know we’re all in this together?

Here’s all the questions put in advance to the council, together with written answers. Here’s the decisions taken. If you want to put a question to the next meeting (on 28 March) then make sure it’s with committees@greenwich.gov.uk by noon on 21 March. More details here. Be nice to them.

Thank you to the kind person who managed to sneakily snap this for me…

Every Greenwich councillor was given one of these last week – a commemorative certificate, with a seal, to mark the fact that they are part of a council serving a royal borough. It’s worth remembering it’s the borough – which contains 230,000 of us – that’s been declared royal, not the actual council, which is 51 of them. Still, they got these certificates anyway.

The certificates are signed by mayor Jim Gillman, leader Chris Roberts, and chief executive Mary Ney.

After I was sent this, I asked around – was this normal? Do councillors usually get a certificate to mark their entry into the council?

It appears they don’t – yet somehow, the 51 current councillors have been deemed worthy enough to have been given these expensive-looking certificates which, presumably, we’re paying for.

With councillors due to vote on another round of cuts soon, it’s good to know where the council’s priorities lie. Maybe they really do think it’s them being honoured.

Greenwich – sorry, “Royal Greenwich” – has managed to dodge questions so far about the costs of the changeover from dowdy old London Borough of Greenwich to snazzy Royal Borough of Greenwich. I like fireworks and think councils should put on big public parties every now and then, so I wasn’t that bothered, but after seeing these certificates and hearing other tales of cash being blown on the royal borough bandwagon, I’m hoping to get some proper answers soon.

One thing I do know is that councillors have been told to bin their old “Greenwich Council” notepaper and start using new “Royal Borough of Greenwich” stationery immediately. Peninsula ward councillor Mary Mills has given this short shrift, declaring in her blog: “I have told staff that I will continue to use old notepaper and visiting cards until they run out. I have not been to any of the social events run by the council over the past month – not to any of the fireworks displays, or any of the parties.”

It’s good to know that at least one of them has a sense of embarrassment at all this. But what of the others?

As for mayor Jim Gillman, who signed each of the certificates celebrating royal status, I’ve been alerted to a passage in a book called The Politics of Local Socialism by John Gyford. Published in 1985, it quotes Greenwich’s mayor speaking to the Evening Standard on 11 November 1982…

Jim Gillman, chair of Greenwich’s Personnel and Industrial Relations Committee, welcomed job applicants ‘who are sympathetic to the socialist cause and the aims of this council – that is the creation and furtherance of a socialist society’.

From creating a “socialist society” to accepting a free booze-up in his honour on council taxpayers’ cash, and signing certificates endorsing a “royal favour” as little presents from council taxpayers to their representatives. Interesting how people’s views change with time.

You may like to get in touch with your local councillors to ask what they’ve done with their certificates. Or you could always submit a question to next week’s council meeting...

Of course, not everyone is eye-rolling like me about Greenwich borough’s new royal status. I had to (sssh….) step just outside the borough to find out, and briefly enter a distant borough apparently called “Bexley”. As icy winds blew through Sidcup, a man crossed Halfway Street, at the point where the tarmac changes, and paused in front of a sign. Gone was a welcome to “the millennium borough”. In its place was something new.

In the council’s swish new Eltham Centre, a small crowd had gathered.

What were they staring at? The day old royal charter which declares this a royal borough…

…which came complete with a huge royal seal.

Down at Well Hall Pleasaunce, there was a bit of a party going on.

There were some words from local MP Clive Efford…

There’s an MC’s job for him if the politics goes belly-up, you know. And then there were some fireworks. The sound’s a bit rubbish for the first minute, but bear with it, it’s impressive stuff.

Of course, the council still held its own private party inside the Tudor Barn while the great unwashed shivered outside, but at least we had some fireworks and some music and some spiced apple juice to warm us up. Luck was on their side, too, as it finished just before the snow came falling down. Sunday afternoon is due to – weather permitting – see a procession and more of the same in Greenwich town centre.

If it goes ahead and he shows, say hello to Henry for me.

(12:45PM UPDATE: It’s still going ahead, despite the snow which has blanketed south-east London.)

So, it’s here. Today – Friday 3 February, 2012 – I become a resident of a royal borough. Get up – it’s a beautiful, crisp morning, and take a look around. Does it feel any different?

Nah, me neither. For the vast majority of us, life will trundle along as normal. Once the regional news crews have buggered off, we’ll go back to being forgotten about. But – hey, royal! Woo-hoo! It’s party time!

Chief among the celebrants will be the councillors of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, many of whom will be joining “key stakeholders” at a bash this afternoon at the council’s new Woolwich HQ. They’ll get to see the freshly-awarded letter patent, and then settle back to a speech from council leader Chris Roberts that’s scheduled to last an hour and a quarter. Sadly, this blog’s invitation got lost in the post.

There’ll then be a public celebration in Woolwich between 4.30pm-7.00pm, including another speech from Roberts and some fireworks, and more in Eltham and Greenwich across the weekend – details on the council’s website.

Hopefully the councillors and “key stakeholders” will remember all this is about us, and not them.

It’ll be a proud day for the Dear Leader, nonetheless – he gets to go to Westminster with his loyal mayor, Jim Gillman, to collect the paperwork before returning in triumph for a celebration. He’s a figure who sharply divides opinion – witness this intriguing exchange with a member of the public at a council meeting, and this spoof Twitter account, set up in anticipation of a rumoured knighthood which didn’t arrive at New Year. A less-than-loyal citizen sent me a special reworking of the new borough crest to mark his contribution.

But his skills have always been in big projects and big schemes, and he’ll no doubt feel finally getting the borough branded “royal” after nearly 50 years of knockbacks will be a crowning (arf) achievement.

I saw some council workers in new uniforms last week, and this week new street signs have emerged throughout Greenwich town centre. They don’t look too bad, actually – by Greenwich standards they’re very nice – although unfortunately at least one or two of the old lozenge-shaped signs, which predate the council’s current incarnation, have been replaced by the new designs. I hope that was a mistake – those old wooden signs (below) are more a part of our shared heritage than royal status is.

Trinkets are nice, royal status is nice, but that’s about all it is. Union flag banners are already up in central Greenwich, councillors are no doubt preparing to toast Her Majesty and her lovely family. The council’s newspaper, Greenwich Time, has even suggested we put its back page – which features the new crest – in our windows to celebrate.

But all the royal borough bunting just papers over the cracks. Royal status costs the government nothing, but us lots in renewing signage and paperwork. If they wanted to honour this area, why not give us a new Tube line instead?

It’s infrastructure and investment we need here, not a pat on the head because some old kings and queens lived here, followed by the fervent hope that we’ll go away, content with our new shiny thing.

All in all, this whole celebration just feels odd. If the royals really cared, wouldn’t they come to visit this weekend? I quite liked living in something called a “London borough”, and they’re taking that away from me. My local identity’s not bound up in borders drawn up in the 1960s, it’s in coming from a determinedly down-to-earth corner of the capital city. The council’s new logo emphasises “ROYAL GREENWICH” with a Tudor rose, but it all feels more Lancashire than London.

In fact, I can’t help thinking it’ll be more tedious ammunition for the “oh, it’s not really in London” crowd, who think of Greenwich as that funny place that’s not on the Tube and “feels like being at the seaside” (I’ve never, ever understood that one), when more than ever we need to be a part of London, connected to and playing a part in the life of the capital. I can’t help fearing the royal obsession pushes us further away from that, into a place where it’s easy to be forgotten about – like usual.

One challenge is making this “special” status relevant to the places in the borough which aren’t, well, Greenwich. It’s striking how the royal borough signage vanishes as soon as you head into east Greenwich, never mind Charlton. Yes, Woolwich and Eltham have royal pasts, but if the council’s own iPhone tourist guide barely even mentions them, why bother? People in the borough’s other two big town centres will have to watch their identities aren’t completely snuffed out under some all-encompassing “Royal Greenwich” brand.

The other challenge, frankly, is making the place look the part. Let’s be honest, here, Greenwich borough is home to some spectacularly ugly street furniture, and the council’s never really been a good guardian of public spaces. The royal borough signs are a pleasant surprise, getting some nicer street lights would be lovely. but even just keeping the streets clean would be a start. When your road’s strewn with rubbish, royal status rings rather hollow, frankly.

There’ll be lots of talk about “civic pride”, but around here that usually means “the council celebrating itself again”. If this status means it gets off its backside and makes our streets look good, like London’s other royal boroughs, then maybe this will be worth something.

It’s all about turning this into a tangible benefit. Will those guzzling champagne this afternoon be up to the job? We’ll be watching.

Still, it could have been dafter, it could have been city status. Ignore the crawling councillors, drink a toast to your neighbours – whether they’re in Greenwich, Charlton, Woolwich, Eltham, Blackheath, Plumstead or (gasp) Lewisham, and remember the words of the Irish socialist Jim Larkin. “The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise.”

Now, when’s my road getting a smart new street sign, and when are the old ones going on eBay?

There’s been a short delay in converting Greenwich from a dowdy old London borough to a shiny new royal borough, councillors heard last night – with the changeover now due to take place on Friday 3 February, a month later than previously expected.

The big day is likely to be marked with an event for councillors and “key stakeholders” at Woolwich Town Hall, where they will be able to vie the letter patent which grants royal status, assistant chief executive Katrina Delaney (who’s also the council’s head of communications) told a cabinet meeting.

As for the rest of us mere mortals, the council is considering showing the letter patent off to the public at events in Greenwich and Eltham over that weekend.

A community concert is planned for Woolwich in the spring, while a suite of music known as the Greenwich Diamond Jubilee Suite has been commissioned. It is being overseen by the Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, and is being composed by Trinity Laban for performance by local schoolchildren.

Many of the royal borough plans are tied in with celebrations for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, with council leader Chris Roberts confirming at a meeting a fortnight ago that a royal visit is planned for the river pageant on 3 June.

A poplar tree – every London borough is getting one – will also be planted in Eltham, in recognition of the fact that most of the regal festivitives will be in the north of the borough.

Other ideas under consideration include the striking of a commemorative coin and holding a fireworks display (“I’d be delighted to have the fireworks back,” quipped culture cabinet member John Fahy) as well as commissioning an opera singer to perform in Woolwich town centre.

The changeover will also mean a new crest for the borough. Ms Delaney said “consultations with community groups” had uncovered a desire to build on the borough’s current crest – featuring stars representing Greenwich and cannons for Woolwich – but new elements would also feature a Tudor rose and supporters with crowns. The council was “very close to a crest acceptable to the Royal College of Arms,” she added.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise when you all get to see it,” she told cabinet members.

Greenwich will also get new a logo in February to replace the current “green angular representation of the river“, which has been around in a couple of incarnations since the mid 1980s. Ms Delaney said after “research and consultation” that the new logo would include the river and the Tudor rose, which already appears on the council’s new website.

As for stationary and signage, Ms Delaney said legally important documents – such as parking tickets – would get the new borough name and identity first, with others as they are replaced.

I don’t know about you, but I still can’t get worked up about the idea of living in a royal borough. I suspect I may be in a minority, but I see my identity as being more about London than Britain or England.

I don’t really identify with the “borough”, either, more the places I lived in and grew up in. Talk of “key stakeholders” and “consultations” that took place largely out of sight only reinforce that view. But if I think of the borough of Greenwich, I tend to think of the river, parks, the clatter of overground trains and reddy-brown lamp posts more than the royalty who haven’t lived here for centuries.

Indeed, there’s no material benefit, no special privileges from becoming a royal borough – council leader Chris Roberts said at the last full meeting that “the primary result is one of civic pride… but our work in tourism and economic development will be enhanced by royal borough status”. Anything that brings economic benefits has got to be a good thing, but the rest of it leaves me a bit underwhelmed, and “civic pride” always feels like “the council celebrating itself again”.

I’d like to know what you think, though – if you live in the borough, please vote in my poll, and wherever you live, share your thoughts below.

Sound the fanfares! There’s a special meeting of Greenwich Council next Wednesday. Never mind that there’s a normal meeting of the council that night, but there’s now a special meeting added to it too.

What can this be about?

Motion Signed by Councillors Chris Roberts and Spencer Drury Regarding Royal Borough Status and the Name of the Borough

This Council welcomes that Her Majesty the Queen has announced her intention to convey Royal Borough status on Greenwich as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

The Council notes that the new status of Royal Borough is expected to come into force on 3rd January 2012; and, that the event will be marked by the issue of Letters Patent.

The Council welcomes the honour and resolves, in line with Section 74(1) and (2) of the Local Government Act 1972, to agree to change the name of the Borough to the Royal Borough of Greenwich with effect from 3 January 2012.

So there’s just 166 days left of being a dull old London borough, before Greenwich becomes a royal borough on 3 January. Curiously, that’s a Tuesday, and will be the first day back at work for most of the borough’s population, so don’t go expecting a flurry of street parties on the big day.

The setting of a date starts the countdown, though, and we’ll be seeing more of this in the weeks and months to come as the council gets set to change over to the new name.

One thing to go will be the old borough crest – with the hourglass of Greenwich and the cannons of Woolwich – since a royal borough demands a proper coat of arms. Mayoral chains will change. But more visibly, so will signs and notepaper. Those “millennium borough” signs as you come in from Lewisham, Bexley and Bromley haven’t got long left.

So expect a PR coup on 3 January, on what’s usually a deathly quiet day for a news media who’ll be desperate to fill column inches and airtime – and the expectation of lots of lovely tourist lolly in what’s going to be a big, big year for the borough, even without the regal trinkets.

Yes, expect the likes of London Tonight and BBC London News to be in town – but get it on Good Morning America and it’ll be worth its weight in royal diamonds. Old Labour firebrands might be crossing their fingers and humming the Sex Pistols’ version of God Save The Queen, others might be wincing at the cost of a shedload of new signs.

But’s a little like the Olympics – except we aren’t losing a park for a month here. The moment the Royal Borough of Greenwich gets its first mention on US TV, or in Japan or China, even cynics might begin to agree it’s all worth it.

Less than a year until the dowdy old London Borough of Greenwich becomes a royal borough – so why don’t you book now to stay in this exciting corner of east Greenwich, sandwiched between industrial yards and the historic Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach? Remember, when you open your eyes in the morning to be greeted with a traditional queue of traffic, thank the planning inspector!

You could get to the hotel using the well-policed cycle routes! In the best British tradition, there’ll always be a surprise as you freewheel along National Cycle Route 1 to get to your bijou bedroom. And when you take a photo, there’ll always be a warm welcome from a bloke who comes out of Associated Reclaimed Oils asking “are you taking a picture of that car?”

Of course, for both the Royal Borough and its diligent residents, keeping the streets clean and tidy is of the utmost importance. So as you stroll down to the borough’s proud sporting arena on a Monday lunchtime, think of the hard work and care that’s put into both putting out and collecting these majestic black bags. And when the bags are collected, the rest of the debris stays there for all to admire – because that’s somebody else’s job in this historic regal district.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich – fit for a king!

BEHOLD! An announcement from Lord Mandelson… (cue fanfare) Greenwich is to become a royal borough.

My Lords, I can confirm that the Queen has agreed, as a mark of Royal favour, to confer Royal Borough status on the London Borough of Greenwich.

This rare honour is to be bestowed in recognition of the historically close links forged between Greenwich and our Royal Family, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and the Borough’s global significance as the home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Didn’t see that coming. Actually, it appears various Greenwich councillors have been eyeing up the honour for a long time, and “Royal Borough of Greenwich” has a ring to it, doesn’t it? Signs like the one above will soon become museum pieces. Indeed, it’ll be a good time to be in the sign-making business, as those “welcome to the millennium borough” signs can now be recycled into souvenir ashtrays or whatever. I’m sure someone at the town hall is already eyeing up some gothic fonts…

But what does being a “royal borough” mean? A little bit of research on the internet… and, it’d appear, not a lot. Windsor has held the title since 1277. But even then, the title of “royal borough” held no extra privileges, even for its modern day successor, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Like many royal trinkets, we’ve Queen Victoria to thank for the slow spread of the royal borough – she posthmously conferred the honour on the brand-new Metropolitan Borough of Kensington in 1901, because she wanted to mark the place of her birth. Kingston‘s royal borough status dates back to 1927, when George V decided to commemoratee its Saxon connections. In Wales, Canaerfon was once a royal borough, and is now a royal town.

So it’s an honour, and it’s a very nice honour and all that, but… whisper it, I actually quite like being a “London borough”. A royal borough could be anywhere, but I like the fact that I pay taxes to a body which unambiguously states that I’m in the capital of the world. But it’s not as daft as “City of Greenwich”, which the council actually bid for at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

Once the champagne corks have stopped popping, hopefully there won’t be a row over how much it’ll cost – there’s very few signs in the borough containing its full name, so it’s not as if a mass replacement job is needed. But I hope we don’t end up with some gaudy “Royal Greenwich” title slapped all over dustbin vans.

Just, please, nobody tell the estate agents and housing developers. The first lot to come up with a “Live like a queen in Royal Greenwich SE28!” slogan will be sent to the Tower.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to send a flunky to grit the front steps.

UPDATE 11.45PM, 6 JANUARY: Brockley Central ponders how our neighbours in Lewisham should respond… while Greenwich Council leader Chris Roberts says “people living in Greenwich will want it to say ‘Royal Borough of Greenwich’ on the street sign“. Get ready for that row over rebranding…