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Old 12-03-2010, 20:53   #44
g jones
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Re: Leader reported for conduct breach

I have only made one Standards Board complaint ever before this one. That one and this one are over the multi-million pound failure to deliver a new bus station.

I did not complain when a leading Councillor called my 1 week old daughter 'the spawn of the devil'. It's water off a ducks back.

They are too often frivolous and David Cameron is right, they make too many mistakes and are amateurish and make Councillors appear like kids.

My complaint is over the 7 years of waiting for the bus station. In 2006 I complained because The Leader said the Bus Station would (in a style unique to him) 'only move over my dead body'. Now I thought that to be a huge vested interest and not fair when everyone else (at the meetings) wanted it moved and new one.

The SBE agreed and said there was a clear personal and prejudicial interest and wrote to both of us stating so. So we both had clear guidance. However there was no breach then because the Town Centre Regeneration Board did not fall under the Council's Code of Conduct.

Now in 2010 The Leader has enveloped himself once again in all the negotiations and all the decisions over Peel Street and spoke at Cabinet, Council and LCC about it. So I complained to LCC.

LCC found that there was a 'clear personal interest' and 'possibly a prejudicial interest'. They gave out the lightest sentence possible other than a short suspension, ie one to one training - the next would have been a short ban. The Leader has 90 days to attend to one to one training or the SB Panel will meet to deal with the issue again.

The reason it was a 'possible prejudicial interest' was due to it not being a decision, nor in a LCC capacity but a report from HBC councillor.

I just want a new bus station. The sad thing is after 7 years of turning opportunities down, the last chance, Pennine Reach may fall the wrong side of a General Election. It may not get built in the next 5 years plus now because of the Leaders stance. I think I was right to complain.

I have made no other complaints other than these two over this issue, the Bus Station.

Last edited by g jones; 12-03-2010 at 20:57.
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