 |
| IN TROUBLE! |
Cllr O' Neill
The Dame offers you the right of reply...we are waiting....
K+C Labour Group Statement on Cllr. Dez O’Neill
K+C Labour Group Statement on Cllr. Dez O’Neill
Rumours are circulating about why Kensington and Chelsea Labour Group removed the Labour Whip last year from Cllr. Dez O’Neill and we wish to set the record straight.
As is well known, he is under-occupying a family-sized social rented flat while owning two houses in East London. This produced adverse publicity for the Labour Group at the time this was revealed. We hoped that he would then regularise his housing situation, but he failed to do so.
The Labour Party demands the highest standards of probity from its councillors, who are bound by a code of conduct which Cllr O’Neill failed to meet on a number of counts. This code requires Labour councillors to hold regular surgeries, deal expeditiously with casework and communicate regularly with their ward constituents.
Complaints were received from Colville residents that Cllr O’Neill was not properly dealing with concerns raised nor carrying out many of the duties expected of him as an elected councillor. Cllr O’Neill informed the Labour Group that he held regular surgeries, but no evidence was found to support this.
There were also serious questions regarding what was not declared in his Register of Interests. This Register was significantly tightened up by the Localism Act 2011.
In 2013, while a complaint from a resident was being investigated, it emerged that Urban Eye, the local charity of which Cllr. O’Neill is the chair and from which he draws an income, had been provided by the Council with rent-free premises at Unit 34 Baseline Business Studios since 2005. However, Cllr. O’Neill did not declare this financial benefit from the Council on his Register of Interests until prompted to do so when it was revealed in 2013.
The Labour Group felt that Cllr. O’Neill was bringing the Labour Group into disrepute and, following a hearing into all these matters, voted overwhelmingly to withdraw the Whip. Cllr. O'Neill had the opportunity to appeal to the Labour Party London Regional Office against this decision, but did not do so.
This is what we want from our Political Parties. Up front and transparent honesty. Well done K&C Labour. A Master Class for the Tories. O'Neil's shortcomings pale into insignificance when compared with some on the Tory benches
ReplyDeleteWhat a rascal O'Neill is!
DeleteCllrs Cockell, Pascal and Fairhead have never held Surgeries in Stanley Ward so why should Cllr O'Neill be criticized if he chooses not to hold Surgeries either. One school of thought is that they are a waste of time. And if an ex Leader of the Borough for fourteen years sets this example then it should not be brushed aside
DeleteMaybe 11.41, but Daley was told to step down for less. It isn't just what they've done, it's about reputation and how it looks - 'appearance of wrong-doing'.
DeleteI can't understand why the Labour PARTY hasn't booted him out.
Maybe Tory councillors don't have a code of conduct to work to. But Labour does, so it is silly to use Tories as an excuse for a former Labour councillor's failure to honour his contract with the electors.
DeleteVery detailed facts from the hornet. This is because it is a Labour blog
Delete17:17 aka Palmer
DeleteIf it were a Labour blog why would the Dame title one recent blog..."Stupid Labour".
The Dame will publish anything, from any political party, if relevant to the good governance of the Borough...hence the invite to Cllr O' Neill to post a rebuttal of the Labour statement.
The Conservative Group are as welcome to do so.
In fact, from memory, the only cllr ever to use the Hornet for that person was the excellent Fiona Buxton.
The Dame has great respect for many Conservative councillors, including the above and the likes of Cllr Mills, Mosley(for resigning on principle from the Planning Committee and Cllr Barbara Campbell...to mention just a few.
If you stop playing computer games in council you too, one day, might get a pat on the back...however that is an eventuality that would be remote.
Could the hornet please explain why cllr blakeman covered up the corruption of another labour councillor in colville.
DeleteA certain cllr Marianne Alapini was up in front of Myers for corrupt practises, Myers informed Blakeman, who then was party to cooking up a case that she was mentally unwell so to hide Labours shame. Alapini resigned in a cloud of secrecy.
DeleteWhat a nasty bunch of people the labour party select in Colville ward
Delete'Selected', past tense. We have a new regime now, no more of Cunningham's cronies.
DeleteDo WE?
DeleteWho is WE?
I forgot, this is a Labour blog
Clear out and clean up in Labour. First Cunningham and now O'Neill. Disgraced ex Councillors. Some exciting new faces appearing at the local elections in May. Quality to match that of Cllr Todd Foreman who is unfortunately stepping down.
ReplyDeleteSomething for the Tories to sit up and think about. Why not take a leaf out of Labour's book? Cllr Paget-Brown should take the opportunity to refresh the Tory stock. Give residents integrity, compassion and public service
Cracking good suggestion
DeleteHas Sir Malcolm Rifkin ever held a Surgery in North Kensington?
ReplyDeleteSir Malcolm welcomes visitors from his constituents at the House of Commons or they can write to him there. Sir Malcolm is a senior Member of Parliament with many responsibilities and is too busy to hold surgeries in N Kensington
DeleteDoes Sir Malcolm Rifkin have any idea how daunting it is, for some people, to travel to Westminster, to find the House of Commons, to brave St Stephen's Entrance, to get lost in the lobby looking out for an MP that they have never seen before? This man is so out of touch, so completely lacking the common touch, so utterly inappropriate to represent the residents fo North Kensington
DeleteApproaching Rif is a waste of time anyway. He never follows up and brushes everything off with "words". His contribution to residents is to witter on at Kensington Garden Parties and meetings of the Kensington Society
DeleteSurgeries are an inefficient use of time. It is the Internet Age. Send an email
ReplyDeleteVery funny 12.41. O'Neill would never answer emails either. The issue is that it seems he was supposed to be holding surgeries, and said he was, they were published in the Borer, but he didn't show up.
ReplyDeleteThe usual proportion of social tenants with access to the internet is just 50%. Many people would rather talk to a friendly face rather than put it down in words anyway. Good Councillors know that.
DeleteBut the main point here surely is the un-registered interest. How much did he save by getting rent-free premises?
And WHY did his Tory buddies think it appropriate to give him a rent-free office for nine years? I hope we find out eventually. This is evidently even darker than it appears.
Compare this reptile with the three 'gifted amateurs' in Stanley.
DeleteOne major difference: they care. One told me 'I don't want to be a Councillor, but if that's what it takes to save my community, I'll do it'.
Can you imagine O'Neil even thinking that?
Yes - the big questions the Tories need to answer is who gave his organisation rent-free premises for so long, how much Urban Eye should have paid in rent during that period and why they were given rent-free premises. Urban Eye were competing with other groups for arts commission from the Council, other groups who were paying their own rental costs - so it was not a level playing field.
ReplyDeleteAs per Baseline Studios' website, a single unit at current rental rate is £6,500pa, so that would be £52,000 total benefit maximum. Even half of that is an outrageous amount for the Council to subsidise a local Councillor's business. Given that he has also - if memory serves, it's somewhere here on Hornet - received a cut of all the work the Council has given his business, cc£50k, that's over £100,000 this creature has had in various ways from the Council in addition to the allowance we are told he did not deserve either.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder he could afford £30,000 to buy a boat for cash.
Cllr O'Neill now has a stubble beard. Just like Bernie Madof after he was found out.
ReplyDeleteThere is far more to the O'Neil story than this statement. The lengths Hornton Street went to favour him has been an open secret for years. So have his various unacceptable business practices. The Labour group ignored it all. They are not telling us the full truth now. They are hiding the real story. Something far darker has occurred to make them move against him at last.
ReplyDeleteThat may be so, North Ken, but you can only take action on matters that can be 110% proved or you could face legal action for defamation of character, libel or slander. So maybe the Labour Group heard other allegations, but they could not be proved in a court of law.
ReplyDeleteGiven the above, the facts as laid out may be the tip of the iceberg, but you can bet they are based on hard evidence. I would think a long-term collusion with the Council adding up to cc£100,000, plus the allowance of say £150,000 over the years that he apparently did not 'earn', is bad enough!
Anything else - and we've all heard stories - is just hearsay without solid evidence.
For a start, what is he doing buying a boat for £30,000 IN CASH? This smacks of money laundering – but this is a matter for the police to investigate, not council officers or councillors. Although he has taken thousands from the council for doing very little, the council does not pay people in cash, so the source of this money must be from some other form of business. The boat is not declared on his register of interests, nor is his local garage.
ReplyDeleteWhich local garage 09.30? Where is it? Is it a Council-owned garage, or is that a silly question?
ReplyDeleteSo, two houses split into two flats each, a boat, a socially rented flat he shouldn't really be occupying, a subsidised rented office that he didn't pay anything for nine years, and now a garage as well?
And still no stated means of support apart from his Council allowance of £10k, as the 'management consultancy' he works for has been dissolved.
Food for thought.
The canal boat is a rational decision. A £30k home in London for the rascal to move into.
DeleteCllr O'Neill has imploded
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean Owl?
Delete(Ray Ban New Wayfarer Polarized) french have got Canadians on additional. Penguins broadcaster robert Steigerwald, Who's looked at bulk of Lemieux's (Ray Ban Outlet Store) golf gaming programs, Tells, "I call him up i would say some sort of contra- Gretzky.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed his or her page around. He may not fit (Coach Outlet Online) in the arrest:) Some of the (Cheap Jordan Shoes Websites) most important boy has a photo in reference to his own private (New Jordan Releases 2020) weapon (Jordan Shoes For Sale Online) on his twitter account. This is why (Coach Outlet Store Online) o. Making the enormous string, For this reason adisable could generally clerk if you find the title. It's likely that it can be saved anywhere.Any flat frustrating in in an (New Yeezys 2020) exceedingly regional with an excellent fee is tricky to find. The good news is, Avana western side Lemmon, About Uptown as well as Highltoy store, Matches constantly lists.