5 April - The police state of Bexley
The 9th of March was
the day that Bexley council showed its true colours. A man who
goes by the name Olly Cromwell (photo far left) had given Mayor Clark advance notice of his
intention to take a video camera into the council chamber. Only a week earlier
he had done so with great effect and caught our incompetent
Mayor breaking Standing Orders and generally manipulating the meeting to the
disadvantage of the public in attendance. She had been caught
on tape red-handed and wasn’t going to risk that again.
A month later the council still hasn’t managed to dream up a
half-plausible lie to cover themselves following the inevitable
official complaint to their Standards Board, even though they have the advantage of a
constitution which doesn’t follow government guidelines and allows the Standards
Board to be rigged against honesty and democracy.
Clark’s attitude to open and transparent local government, poking two
fingers in the direction of the Under Secretary of State at the Communities Department, banning
photography and enforcing her anti-democratic tantrum with 27 police officers and
about a dozen bouncers doesn’t come cheap. I can now report thanks to the FOI legislation that the Mayor spent £1,320 on the heavy mob. The cost of the police operation is unknown.
Another public council meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. It will be interesting
to see if Clark has learned anything from her many mistakes.
FOI request by Olly Cromwell.