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News and Comment December 2015

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8 December (Part 2) - Open and transparent? I don’t think so

Collecting information, taking pictures and writing the blog requires that time is juggled efficiently and today I got it wrong. One of the research jobs took longer than anticipated and my doctor surprised me by offering a same day appointment. And this evening there is another Scrutiny meeting to attend.

There is a public council meeting on Thursday morning too. The Members’ Code of Conduct Complaints Sub-Committee. They are usually cancelled because no one can be bothered to make a complaint about a councillor any more. I tried once and when councillor Craske was caught out he fabricated a new excuse which was allowed.

These days the Committee is run by councillor Cheryl Bacon whose name is right now in front of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Case Unit and councillor Nigel Betts who would like to prevent the taking of photographs in the council chamber, even though that would be illegal. Just the sort of people you would expect the OBE (Overlooking Bacon’s Errors) to choose to set standards in Bexley.

However on Thursday the almost unprecedented is in prospect, a councillor is to face Bacon and Betts to answer a complaint at a public meeting.

Except that this public meeting is going to be held in private. Of the 204 pages in the Agenda, all but eight are blank.
In camera
RestrictedThe only possible purpose in a member of the public showing up is to note who goes into Public Gallery East. As well as the aforementioned rogues, Stefano Borella is on the committee. Anyone else will be coated in Teflon or tar and feathers dependent on their political allegiance.

In almost every court of justice in the land the mantra is that justice must be seen to be done. But not in Bexley where they prefer to hold private meetings that will “resolve the situation”.

 

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