22 August (Part 1) - Round 2 of Desk Wars
Making a complaint about a council is a torturous long drawn out business which is why I generally
leave such things to Mick Barnbrook. I’ve not complained to Bexley Council since I discovered that Lynn Tyler,
Bexley’s Legal Team Manager, was referring untruthfully to my misbehaviour at a Council meeting as part of
her response to Freedom of Information requests.
I have several statements from Councillors that confirm that I neither moved nor opened my mouth at that meeting.
Usually Bexley’s priority is to withhold anything remotely personal, even things that would be freely available elsewhere like
Mr. Alabi’s legal
qualifications - if there are any. Ms. Tyler’s lies led to the
allegation of Misconduct in Public Office against her which is still with the CPS.
But
my reluctance to embark on such a course must be overcome in the case of
the PITA who is now Bexley’s Chief Executive. First you ask a question, then you
make a complaint, then you ask for a review of the inevitable whitewash and
finally you try your luck with the Local Government Ombudsman, an organisation
stuffed full of former local government officers whose aim in life you can easily guess at.
Last week, and a month after it was sent, I received
the letter informing me of
Gill Steward’s perverse decision to withdraw reporting facilities at Bexley
Council meetings. The original letter went astray because she had guessed my email
address and got it wrong. You’d think that she would have noticed the message
bounce but apparently that is beyond her skill set
So here’s the enquiry I sent her over the weekend. I suspect this will just be
the beginning of another totally unnecessary argument.
Bexley Council simply hates residents who notice what they do.
Dear Ms. Steward,
Thank you for your letter dated 13th July which was delivered to me last week.
Whilst it makes your decision clear it does not offer any clue as to why such a
perverse decision was taken. Generally speaking, only malevolent dictators do
that. I therefore have just a few questions.
1. Who initiated the review of the current arrangements and how many people were involved?
2. What was the object of the review?
3. Has the provision of a table ever caused a problem or the facility been abused?
4. Theoretically any resident or even non-resident may report on Bexley Council
meetings. Am I alone in receiving one of your letters?
5. Your Press Officer occasionally sits at a desk identical to that withdrawn
and in a similar position to facilitate his report writing. Is Mr. Ferry subject
to the same restrictions?
6. Whilst it is no longer a regular occurrence, only one instance in the past
year to my knowledge, the local press sometimes attends and reports Bexley
Council meetings. Are their reporters also deprived of the facilities which the
Council has traditionally provided?
I look forward to your comprehensive reply.
Yours sincerely
As Gill Steward shows every sign of being an enduring cretin, an
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