9 June (Part 3) - Curiouser and curiouser
It seemed to be a very odd state of affairs that Bexley Council’s Head of
Legal who dishes out legal advice on the hoof at Council Meetings
is not a qualified
solicitor, but Bexley is a very odd sort of Council where very odd things go on unexplained.
Mr. Barnbrook who has turned Freedom of Information requests into an art form
asked Bexley Council what the job requirements are for Head of Legal, and for good measure,
what they are for the Legal Team Manager too. Neither are qualified solicitors.
With commendable speed, Human Resources Manager, Nick Hollier, gave a fulsome
reply with no redactions at all. It was almost as though he wanted Mick to know everything as soon as possible.
The job description was very clear indeed. The Head of Legal must be either a qualified
solicitor or a barrister. That section was marked E for Essential. It was the
same for his sidekick although an exemption would be allowed for an
exceptionally gifted candidate. One who can make up
false statements on demand perhaps?
The fact that Mr. Alabi is not a qualified solicitor is available for all to see on the
Law Society’s website but just to be sure a formal enquiry was made to the Law Society which confirmed it.
The Bar Council’s website is similarly free of anyone named Akin Alabi. A
formal enquiry has gone there too but with no reply so far.
Falsely masquerading as a solicitor is a criminal offence but perhaps a criminally
inclined council wouldn’t want a proper solicitor with ethics to be observed on board.
Nothing should be taken for granted in Bexley.