2 January (Part 2) - In for the long haul
Cutting the public out totally of what appears to be a very serious breach of
the Members’ Code of Conduct will inevitably bring a load more opprobrium down
on Bexley Council. Presumably they think it is preferable to the alternative; a
court appearance perhaps. The protection placed around Councillor Maxine
Fothergill (Conservative, Colyers, £12,418 p.a.) for whatever she has done is in marked contrast to putting
the
details in the newspaper when Councillor Geraldene Lucia-Hennis got in a strop with a resident.
Presumably Councillor Fothergill was engaged in far worse than a petty
disagreement. If the rumour mill is to be believed it was attempted fraud.
Past performance shows that when Bexley Council has been badly caught out they
will go into lockdown mode as far as is possible and lie prolifically when
forced to say something. This is what keeps BiB going. Instead of ditching the
bad apples as soon as possible Bexley Council prefers people to believe they are
all crooks together protecting their own.
And so the long drawn out search for the truth begins.
I thought
the Freedom of Information request for evidence that the complainant
requested anonymity was an excellent first shot against Bexley’s initial excuse
for silence. Information was exempted because it related to an individual.
If the gossip is true, the Fothergill case involves four individuals. The
Councillor, her accomplice, the victim and the complainant.
Within 20 working days we should learn Bexley’s reasons for keeping the complainant’s name secret.
The other important item of information that Bexley Council has not, unlike on
past occasions, put in the public domain is a summary of the ‘crime’.
We know that it was designed to enrich Councillor Maxine Fothergill because the
verdict passed on her says so. It was “conferring an advantage or other material
benefits for herself”
We can also be pretty sure it was not a simple offence because the meeting
opened at 10:30 in the morning and the verdict wasn’t reached until 17:04.
With the initially loose tongues now all gone silent the only way forward is
another Freedom of Information request.
Please supply a copy of the complaint against Councillor Maxine Fothergill, that
led to her appearance before the Members Code of Conduct Complaints Sub
Committee on 10th December 2015.
Please provide details of the allegations made against Councillor Maxine
Fothergill and/or any other council employee, that led to the appearance of
Councillor Fothergill before the Members Code of Conduct Complaints Sub
Committee on 10th December 2015.
Please provide details of any disciplinary proceedings, sanctions, or appearance
before any authority, against any council employee who was involved in the
allegations made against Councillor Fothergill, which led to her appearance
before the Members Code of Conduct Complaints Sub Committee on 10th December
2015.
Please provide copies of all correspondence relating to the decision to put
Councillor Fothergill before the Members Code of Conduct Complaints Sub
Committee on 10th December 2015, together with details of the individuals
involved in the decision making process.
Please provide copies of all correspondence relating to any discussion and/or
decision, as to whether or not the allegations made against Councillor Maxine
Fothergill and/or any other council employee, should or should not be forwarded
to the police for investigation of possible criminal offences.
By the end of the month we should know how Bexley Council intends to wriggle out
of that one, for wriggle they will. They know by now what happens if suspicions
of criminality are aroused. Michael Barnbrook sends the details to Sir Bernard
Hogan-Howe.
Bexley Council never seems to understand that evasion merely increases
suspicions. However if the gossip is true and they own up to it they merely
ensure the case goes to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. A rock and a hard
place, but it’s where deceivers most often end up.
I expect you are fed up with not knowing precisely what that gossip is and
I would agree, the teasing has gone on long enough. The bare bones of it will appear on Monday.