16 December (Part 1) - Councillors’ criminal records
It may have crossed your mind that councils could be comprised of bunches of crooks;
which is possibly what was in Mick Barnbrook’s when he composed a Freedom
of Information request on 11th October 2011. It said “What checks does Bexley
council make to ensure that no serving councillor has a criminal record and
therefore a fit and proper person to serve the community”. One might have
expected a quick response to the effect that a check was made with the Criminal
Records Bureau or possibly that no check was made at all; either way it wasn't a
very difficult question to answer. But nothing is simple where Bexley council is concerned.
Two months and one reminder later Bexley council had made no response leading
once again to suspicions that something shameful was going on. Then late
yesterday all that changed, a reply came out of the blue.
According to the response “the Council’s Standards Committee agreed unanimously
that Councillors voluntarily undergo a criminal record check”. That probably
answers Mr. Barnbrook’s question. Bexley council does not make any check on
councillors (except for members of the ‘Corporate Parenting Forum’). The crime
free may voluntarily put themselves forward for a CRB check and anyone else will
probably choose not to. In both cases Bexley council will keep the results “strictly
confidential”. It may be the case that every single councillor has had a CRB check and
come from it clean. Or it may be that Bexley council is stuffed full of rogues.
An indication that all the CRB checks were perfection itself might have provoked
favourable conclusions. Bexley’s response leaves you free to put any
interpretation on their silence that you wish.
Correspondence with the Information Commissioner has recently revealed that all
Mr. Barnbrook’s questions to Bexley council are sent to the Chief Executive Will
Tuckley which may explain why his answers are invariably long delayed. Answering within
20 working days is a Statutory requirement. Regularly breaking that law is
something the Chief Executive chooses to do. I doubt that will surprise anyone.
Mr. Barnbrook played the leading role in bringing down local politicians Derek
Conway (former Conservative MP for Old Bexley) and Ian Clement (former
Conservative leader of Bexley council) and a significant part in the jailing of
several Labour and Conservative politicians. Complaints against Labour and BNP politicians
are still with the authorities.