28 May (Part 1) - Another council plot
A Mr. Johnson from from one of the allotment societies rang me yesterday; he
hasn’t got a computer so news of the Harassment Letter that Bexley council
persuaded the police to send me had only just reached him. He told me that he
had been threatened by Bexley council too, not through the police but by Bexley’s
legal department. He has received a letter signed by Mr. Guy Atkins, the man who
unsuccessfully represented Bexley council at the
Thames Innovation Centre
Industrial Tribunal hearing, telling him that he is forbidden to represent
fellow allotment holders at a meeting next Wednesday to discuss the future of
Bexley’s allotments. Mr. Atkins says that the allotment man is banned from
council premises because of his “behaviour”. Mr. Atkins has refused to explain
what he means by that and the allotment holders will have to field another
representative on Wednesday; a lady who lives in Lewisham. Bexley council is
happy with that, the future of allotments is to be debated with someone from outside
the borough!
Mr. Johnson has complained to his councillor, Gareth Bacon, but did not get any
useful information from him. I suggested to Mr. Johnson that if Bexley council
refuses to say why they have imposed a ban on him going to the Civic Offices - the
unqualified catch-all of “behaviour” is not good enough - he issues a
Subject Access Request to put them under some
legal obligation to provide useful information. Democracy appears to be dead in
Bexley, they discuss important matters with Lewisham residents on an unexplained whim.