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News and Comment April 2022

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26 April (Part 2) - No need to make it up

I imagine that it may be a minority view but in the Rogue Developer versus Planning Committee saga I see the latter as being in by far the most embarrassing position. One sort of expects developers to use every card they have to advance their position but a Council’s planning processes should be beyond reproach. In Bexley they clearly are not. Even a former (?) Tory activist emailed “you couldn’t make it up”.

Various candidates and Councillors including the Planning Vice-Chairman and his wife have embraced the developers as their friends and political supporters and short of back-handers they cannot get much worse than that.

Not just any old developers of course but developers who threaten and shove photographers around and at worst, violently run them out of town with the police in pursuit.

The blind eyes turned now come across as some sort of protection racket run by Bexley Council. Why did it not cooperate with the Health & Safety Executive in connection with the Leather Bottle demolition until threatened with legal action?

It wasn’t the first time that the H&SE became involved, there was another when The Woodman pub was demolished in 2014 (†) and Dhadda Estates earned an immediate Prohibition Notice for Wharfside Close, Erith only a couple of months ago with another in Southwark a month earlier. Bexley Tories’ choice of associates leaves a great deal to be desired and one can understand their addiction to secrecy.

Electoral LawOn that subject I am wondering why I was not immediately welcomed into Electoral Services when I asked to look at the nomination papers last week. The Electoral Commission website says “From close of nominations until the day before the poll, nominations forms and consent to nomination forms that have been delivered are open to inspection by anyone during normal office hours, and anyone can take a copy of them”.

Perhaps I am getting to be too suspicious of Bexley Council’s motives. Watching it closely for twelve years takes its toll.


† Removed from H&SE website in 2019 under their five year rule.

 

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