16 May - To Bexley Council openness is an anathema
It is seven weeks since
the Maxine Fothergill business was
last mentioned here. Time flies!
Councillor Fothergill has apparently not appealed against being found guilty of conferring financial advantages on
herself, certainly there has been no appeal hearing.
Bexley Council went into extreme secrecy mode on this case as well they might, persistent enquiries
revealed that there was no complaint against Councillor Fothergill, at least not
a valid one under the Localism Act that would justify convening the Code of
Conduct Committee. The complaint was not in writing.
I
understand that it has taken five emails over three months to establish that
fact and a resident trying to get at the truth has in
mind seeking a Judicial Review to establish whether or not Bexley Council is
free to vary the Localism Act - by accepting a complaint not in writing - if it
is so inclined. Obviously the complainant would like to have all his questions
answered before making a judgment on whether or not to take that step.
He is up against Bexley’s Acting Chief Executive who is determined not to have his
Council judged and has done what Bexley Council always does when boxed into a corner.
He has asked the complainant to “refrain from submitting further correspondence” to
avoid being declared vexatious and thereby having his enquiries ignored.
The scoundrels have a whole armament of dirty tricks placed at their disposal by
successive governments which have failed to see that Local Government is both
incompetent and corrupt. Few more so than Bexley.