| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re::Hounslow's appearance in Rotten Boroughs UPDATE | |
| Posted by: | Paul Fisher | |
| Date/Time: | 17/08/12 13:43:00 |
| From the Chronicle I know where I would place my money on who allegedly put the pressure on the Standards Committee! "ALLEGATIONS of sabotage surrounding an inquiry into the actions of disgraced Labour councillor Mohinder Gill are being considered by police. Hounslow Council’s recently disbanded standards committee spent two years investigating and members say during that time an attempt was made to intimidate one of their members. Mr Gill faced calls for his resignation after abusing his position on Hounslow Council and was stripped of a number of his responsibilities. The council probe criticised him for rejecting planning officers’ advice to order the demolition of an illegal extension at the home of a Labour candidate in Hounslow Council elections. Mr Gill, a former mayor of the borough, had failed to declare an interest at the meeting to consider enforcement action, which was in September 2010. Members of the disbanded committee are angry at the time it has taken police to act after informing them of their concerns in February. The committee member at the centre of the allegation claims he was asked at a December meeting to ‘soften the allegations’ against Mr Gill. Then he was told… ‘I don’t want you to suffer any loss’. The committee believed the words were a threat and an attempt to interfere with its inquiry. There is no suggestion that Mr Gill was involved in the alleged exchange. Former police commander of Hounslow, Martin Rusling, told the council in February that the matter had been investigated and there was no evidence of criminal conduct. However committee members, who have yet to see a copy of this crime report, questioned why it was dated 2011 when the matter had not been referred to the police until February this year. Police at Hounslow have now agreed to reopen their investigations and blame the confusion on an ‘administrative error’. DI Craig Robson said: “As a result of a meeting with members of the standards committee I have recorded details of an alleged incident and am assessing whether there’s a criminal offence to investigate. If there is an offence it will be treated like any other investigation of this nature.”" |