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News and Comment September 2012

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14 September (Part 1) - Birds of a feather

Teresa O'Neill, leader of Bexley councilIt doesn’t take a genius to work out that I think the leader of Bexley council is a thoroughly dishonest woman. Police records show she reported Olly Cromwell and me to the police for repeating (or not repeating in Olly’s case) a metaphor used on another website without so much as a warning to the original author. Documents held by the Bexley Council Monitoring Group reveal how the leader refused to report misuse of a council credit card by her predecessor to the police. Recently she claimed at a council meeting that cabinet member Peter Craske resigned that post for Personal reasons but the News Shopper has revealed he resigned three days after his arrest for Misconduct in Public Office. Nothing personal at all.

Then there are all the little day to day lies and subterfuges. Filibustering question time, almost certainly sanctioning Melvin Seymour’s false claims that very nearly put Olly Cromwell behind bars. You can see why I think Teresa O’Neill is no stranger to dishonesty and that she is ably supported by her closest political colleagues and the Chief Executive. He is no better, denying that the police have investigated crimes by Bexley council when the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.


Blog entry While searching for more evidence I found this on the Barnehurst based website Name ‘n’ Shame. N&S has been around a long time and when I started Bonkers I went to see the author to see what I might be letting myself in for. I’ve only met the man twice since then but we exchange the occasional email. I sent him another one to see if he had any way of contacting the author of that intriguing comment. He did and eventually I was able to discuss the issue with ‘Anon of London’. This is what he said - edited for brevity.


Clement used to be the Assistant General Manager at [name of company] in Charlton when it was far more successful than it is currently. The company had its suspicions aroused and the Head Office audit team carried out a snap audit. It revealed that Clement had claimed or been forwarded circa £700 of expenses which were unaccounted for.

Rules allowed for 48 hours for accounts to be settled or invoices to be submitted but these had been outstanding for some months. The national Head of Personnel had conveniently accompanied the auditors and gave Clement four hours to return home and provide the receipts he said were there or the cash sum to balance matters. Clement was unable to do so (despite the pinks shirts and expensive suits he didn't have the proverbial pot to piss in) and an investigative meeting was held and a disciplinary called for the following day.

During the disciplinary Clement brought forth a litany of excuses and ever more fantastic scenarios which might explain why he could not provide the proof of expenditure and then he asked for a recess. During the recess he submitted his resignation which was accepted on the proviso that any outstanding amount would be deducted from his outstanding salary. He lost his company car was retrieved the following morning.

Within two weeks he was on Bexleyheath Broadway as bold as brass canvassing for the Conservatives.

Subsequent investigations revealed that he had left his previous employers (a supermarket chain) under a similar deal after a misunderstanding which allegedly saw a huge quantity of wines and spirits marked down for clearance and purchased by Mr. C. and his friends. The excuse was that the beverages were approaching their sell by date!

Ian Clement subsequently worked for the Post Office delivering post in the Belvedere area but I understand that role ended when his employment history became known. Fortunately Bexley council came along to save him.

Needless to say it came as no surprise when the allegations at both Bexley and the mayor’s office emerged. I will happily verify anything I have said.


Interview with Ian ClementSo the former leader of Bexley council had ‘form’ and Teresa O’Neill, his deputy and fellow member of the local Conservative Club, didn’t have a clue of his character or what he was up to under her nose until he was caught out by a complaint to the police by Mick Barnbrook of the Bexley Council Monitoring Group. Is that appallingly bad judgment or another fib?

Click second image for Name ‘n’ Shame. Click third for source of that interview.

 

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