The unusual site banners are to bring attention to the fact that Labour activists in Bexley are manipulating Facebook Groups with fictional posters. They deny it, threaten police action for ‘harassing’ a fictitious character and then demonstrate their willingness to impersonate by creating a false Administrator account in my name. The banner on display is chosen randomly from a selection of three, with a fourth bearing the familiar Bexley Council is Bonkers logo.
25 February (Part 1) - Bridling
With
Mick Barnbrook’s attention being
diverted to other things I didn’t think there had been much progress with
the case of Bexley’s illegally closed bridleway. The last I heard was that he
made a formal complaint in January against Mike Frizoni who sanctioned the law breaking on
the authority of Sergeant Alison Bateman
and had had no reply However it seems that others have been bolder.
As I am not sure that the author would be happy to see their letter here, I’ll
just mention that they went to the top in the shape of a formal complaint
against Chief Executive Will Tuckley. He is accused of willfully disregarding
Section 130 of the Highways Act 1980 and a failure to use Sections 143 and 149.
Various precedents are quoted together with judges’ unequivocal pronouncements.
The most recent is the 2010 judgment of Lord Cranston who said…
“The public is entitled to use and to enjoy everything which is in law part of a
public footpath. The statute allowed gates over public highways, but only for
the pupose of restricting animal movements, and it was not open to the authority
to permit a gate for other reasons, any structure erected within the legal
extent of the way, and which prevents public passage or the enjoyment of amenity
rights over the area of its footprint, significantly interferes with the
exercise of public rights of way, Highway authorities which refuse to take
action to secure the removal of such structures may be subject to an order under
Section 130B of the Highway Act.”
It remains to be seen in which direction Bexley council will wriggle next.