Not good reading for Clouseau Palmer, (who the Dame is going to rename Clumsy Councilskills Clouseau), 9 out of 10 respondents in our poll think he should have had the book thrown at him, rather than let off the hook.
The people have spoken.
And that, Dear Reader, is a good introduction into dealing with the so-called Standards Committee who have spared the errant member from any censure. Octogenarian Ms Ware, the "independent" on the panel who decide these things is a life long liberal who is tickled by power and plays wherever she can find it.
Kensington and Chelsea is controlled by the Tories so of course she cosied up to Council Leader Merrick Cockell and soon found herself the "independent" backstop of the Council's Standards Committee. As a resident of Earls Court she sucked up to disgraced ex councillor Barry Phelps and for many years sailed closely in his slip stream. How inconvenient when he was dragged before the Standards Committee twice before Chief Executive Derek Myers was forced to act as he used the council website to distribute inappropriate images of young boys.
At the Standards Committee Ware swung into damage limitation mode on behalf of Phelps and after declaring that she had "no conflict of interest", defended him stoutly and they publicly embraced at the end of second humiliation in front of the Standards Committee.
She has just performed her magic again for Conservative councillors by letting Cllr Palmer off the hook when he was hauled up before the Standards Committee for failing to declare business interests while trading with his fellow councillors in Hornton Street as well as using Town Hall facilities promoting this business.
Ware is currently involved in two campaigns in Earls Court. She is seeking funding for the Earls Court Trust, a charity that organises street parties in Earls Court which has in recent years attracted ca £50k funding per year, including £15k from Bloomberg, £10k from Chelsea Football Club and £10k from Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Nothing has come through this year and the trust is heading for bust.
Jennifer's other great campaign is to get Phelps rehabilitated and back as a councillor and she is using the platform of the Earls Court Society to campaign for this. Both of these organisations were organs of Phelps' machinations.
I will not let the matter of Palmer's failure to declare his interest and misuse of council facilities drop.
ReplyDeleteI will be appealing the decision and introducing incontrovertible evidence to persuade the Initial Assessment Sub Committee to take the complaint seriously
Excellent, Justin Downes. Don't let them off the hook.
ReplyDeleteThe more we test the ridiculous Ware in her role on the Standards Committee, the more absurd she appears as an "independent"
At some stage the walking blind of Hornton Street will have to take notice and stop the charade of this woman who is making an ass of democracy
And Cllr Coleridge had better smarten up his act too. He is the original "smoothie" and full of charm - but at times he needs to show the iron fist. Essential if he has Leadership ambitions in Hornton Street
It is rubbish to say Jennifer Ware is campaigning within the Earl's Cout Society to get Barry Phelps re-elected or that The ECS has any agenda what so ever on Barry Phelps. Your doing a good job on the bad leadership but please get your facts right on Earl's Court!
ReplyDeleteIt is rubbish to say Jennifer Ware is campaigning within the Earl's Cout Society to get Barry Phelps re-elected or that The ECS has any agenda what so ever on Barry Phelps. Your doing a good job on the bad leadership but please get your facts right on Earl's Court!
ReplyDeleteI have heard from two people who are personally known to me that Ms Ware and her friends in the Earls Court Society are campaigning to have the odious Phelps reinstated as a councillor in Earls Court
ReplyDeleteIf this information is wrong,15.45, this is excellent news. I am glad to hear it. And many others will be too.
If you are an "insider",15.45, it would be good if you could put the proverbial sock in the Ware mouth
No one in The Earl's Court Society is campaigning to reinstate Barry Phelps as the local EC councillor. This includes Jennifer Ware.
ReplyDeleteIt is understandable that people in Earl's Court were sorry to see Barry Phelps go as he was a very good councillor for Earl's Court for many years. However our worst fear that we as residents would be left without a voice, have not been realised. We now have Linda Wade as councillor, who is doing a brilliant job. She works very hard for all. Even Terence Buxton has improved much since Barry's departure and is doing a good job for both Portobello Road & the future EC development. We as EC residents have to make sure that we don't get the nasty boring mid-twentieth century type of development that has been "passed" at the other end of Warwick Road.
In short it is fortunate that the Earl's Court ward is now marginal as it keeps the councillors on their toes.
No need to reinstate Barry Phelps. He did a good job but his day is over.