22 November (Part 2) - Complaints Review. No obvious progress
I had hoped to be able to report something a bit more substantial than what
has been this week’s fare after
Mick Barnbrook went to see Mr. Alabi, Bexley
council’s Monitoring Officer, but the meeting may have been nothing more
than a time-wasting exercise.
The alleged purpose of the meeting was to progress Mick’s three outstanding complaints
against Bexley councillors, all of which are now at the review stage.
The complaints are…
• That councillor
Colin Campbell lied on BBC television by saying that a
recorder was pushed within inches of Cheryl Bacon’s nose and that anyone could
make a recording of any Bexley council meeting, “you just have to ask”. On the
council’s own admission, all ten people who had asked were
refused permission.
• That at a public meeting councillor
Colin Campbell used the word ‘crap’
to describe this website and rather more importantly lied by saying afterwards that
he didn’t. Lots of people heard him do so and the word was recorded at the time
in my notebook. Can you trust someone who lies about even the most trivial of matters?
• That councillor
Cheryl Bacon put a meeting into
‘Closed Session’ and then
a pack of lies was manufacured by the legal department about five members of the public present shouting,
remonstrating, waving papers and generally running amok, when none of the five
did anything remotely like that and councillors have been prepared to confirm it.
Also present at Mick’s meeting was the council’s ‘Independent Person’, a post introduced under the Localism Act.
It became clear at the meeting that Bexley council had done little or nothing towards reviewing
Mr. Barnbrook’s complaints in the two months since he requested the first of
them. He was asked to restate the complaints which
anyone can read on this
website. Why Mr. Alabi should make notes from what Mick recalled of his
complaints when he had the originals on file is anyone’s guess. Looking for a
discrepancy perhaps.
The only thing Mick could usefully add to his written complaint was to read from one of
the messages of support that have come from councillors of both parties.
Like Mr. Barnbrook I have no idea what Bexley council is playing at or whether
bringing in the Independent Person before the council reaches a decision means
she is not truly independent.
Obviously Mr. Barnbrook left the Independent Person under no illusion as to the
extent of the corruption within Bexley council and referred to some of the best
known cases documented on Bonkers. It is five months since Cheryl Bacon broke
the law and almost as long since she launched her defence which has been demonstrated
to be lies from beginning to end. Bexley council is still defending those lies and
refused until now at least to carry out a proper investigation, far from it,
they preferred to sling mud at a complainant instead.
Mr. Barnbrook will no doubt make up his own mind about what action he undertakes
next but whatever ultimately transpires some things cannot be undone.
We
know that councillor Cheryl Bacon decided on extensive lying rather than admit making a
mistake and we know that Mrs. Lynn Tyler and Mr. Nick Hollier decided to
turn a blind eye and not look at the evidence against her. Whatever course Mick
decides on I shall refer Cheryl Bacon and both council officers to the police with
an allegation of Misconduct in Public Office. Whether the names Akin Alabi and Rebecca
Sandhu (the Independent Person) are included remains to be seen.
Whilst it is almost inevitable that the police will take no action, perhaps
bowing to the “Political Interference” they complained of last time, I shall be
encouraged by the fact that the Independent Police Complaints Commission has so far
upheld every complaint I’ve made about the police colluding with Bexley council.
I think some people are expecting Cheryl Bacon to stand down now that she is at
the centre of such a large scale lying scandal but I wouldn’t bet on that happening. It would require a Bexley
councillor to be a person of honour and those in the upper echelons of Bexley
council who might qualify can be counted on the thumbs of one hand.