In November 2008, a former North Devon Simon Mansell, from Cornwall Council said: The gentleman was making reference to Peel
District councillor Laurence Haydn-Higgins was “Due to Mr Redmanʼs experience as a councillor, Holdings sponsoring a cushy trip to Shanghai for
spared jail. The ex-councillor fiddled his own he could have gone down other avenues, like Wirral Council.....The quote being the admirable;
authority out of £5,200 in benefits while jetting speaking to another council officer or the chief “It is very easy to undermine or criticise, but
off on luxury foreign holidays. He was given a executive, to air his opinions about Mr Foster.”
I expect that to come from the mouths of
community order with a 300 hours unpaid work
those who have done nothing for Wirral, and
requirement. While he was operating the fraud However, despite Cllr Redmanʼs admission,
have no concept of the lost word ʻvisionʼ. This
Haydn-Higgins and his family went on luxury the board found that section 3.2b, regarding
roughly translates to....if any of you dare question
holidays costing over £10,000 to Tunisia, bullying, could not be established and that
this £28K trip we wonʼt be happy!
Turkey and the Dominican Republic. Then section 3.2c was not broken, with Mr Evans
when he came back he pleaded poverty and stating: “The comments were inappropriate
Incidentally undermining and criticising are two
made an application for a hardship payment. but not a breach.” Cllr Redman was also
of my favourite things, but before I forget I have
found guilty at a standards hearing last year
done f*ck all for ʻThe Wirralʼ, which – according
“Vote Early, Vote Often” for allegedly offering to charge a group
to some puts me on a par with what Wirral
of residents £400 to represent them at a
council has done for the cab trade, unless
In July 2008 ex-councillor Eshaq Khan found licensing hearing. He was cleared, after
buying diesel from a Shell service station can
himself back in court after being charged with appealing the decision, last month.
be classed as doing something, in which case,
conspiracy to pervert the course of justice
and perjury. The former Tory, 51 was charged In February 2010 Councillor Marc Cranfield-
Iʼve possibly invested more?
by detectives in connection to the High Court Adams, one of Londonʼs first “openly gay”
Election Petition hearing at Slough Town Hall in borough mayors has been suspended amid
Iʼve been thinking about this lost word ʻvisionʼ
February 2008 where Khan was found guilty of accusations of bullying. Cranfield-Adams,
for about three weeks and the vision I keep
vote rigging in Sloughʼs Central ward during 50, has been banned from meetings and is
getting is......let me remind you..
the May 2007 elections. unable to undertake any official duties after
a member of Richmond council staff made a
Former Peterborough city councillor Abdul series of complaints against him. The councilʼs
Razaq was found guilty of cheating his standards hearings sub-committee last week
way to election victory by forging votes. found he was guilty of bullying and failing to
Ex-Conservative Abdul Razaq received 5 treat someone with respect — a breach of the
months in jail in October 2008 after a jury membersʼ code of conduct.
convicted him of setting up a vote-rigging
“production line” to guarantee success in the More depraved goings on from those wacky
2004 council elections. councillors next month!

Earlier in 2008, Mohammed Choudhary, Super Reiver goes ballistic Wirral are
Peterboroughʼs first Asian mayor in 1997, was
atrocious
jailed for nine months after he was found guilty I donʼt think taxi talk has ever had a headline
of forgery. Raja Akhtar, Peterboroughʼs Mayor
Okay, I couldnʼt help myself, I knew one day – such as “Wirral MBC supports totalitarian
in 2004, was sentenced to three months.
if I was patient enough, Iʼd be able to use it dictatorship” before, so I am obviously quite
and Iʼve finally borrowed a favourite headline pleased to write the exclusive. But what of the
Kung Fu! of someone elseʼs. It would appear I owe guy in front of the tank?
a rather large apology to Wirral MBC. Last
In February 2010 a prominent Newquay month I mentioned the library situation, which
......I personally think the person standing in
councillor was reprimanded after stating was heavily criticised by Sue Charteris the
front of a tank during the Tiananmen Square
he was going to punch a council officer government inspector who criticised Wirral
protests of 1989 has lost something or heʼs
(we know how he feels but we are a strictly council for their lack of consultation on the
tread on some really sticky chewing gum......
pacifist publication). Town councillor Gary library closures.
more seriously and I hope both Wirral Council
Redman was hauled before Cornwall Councilʼs
and Peel Holdings are reading this, “vision” is
standards committee, accused of breaking It has been drawn to my attention that Wirral
a lost word isnʼt it, it certainly is in China.....a
the councillorsʼ code of conduct – the third Globe did in November 2009 publish a story
vision of a democratic future, a vision of a free
time in the past eight months. He admitted where (Wirral) Council leader Steve Foulkes
Tibet, a vision of people not telling me what my
to saying he was going to punch monitoring rebuffed the report in a statement headed
vision should be and not one of a council and
officer Stephen Foster – a statement he made “Wirral not in breach of their Statutory Duty”,
their mates effectively telling me China is “cool”
to council officer Diane Williams, in March last hmmm... thatʼs interesting, itʼs not exactly
now letʼs do business.
year at the Restormel Borough Council offices the view of the government inspector, but itʼs
in St Austell. a view nonetheless. Talking of interesting,
Let me write the headlines of a forthcoming
council leader Steve claimed allowances of
Less than a week before Cllr Redman £ 32230.56 during the period of 2008 / 2009;
paper for you.......“taxi talk dissent threatens
also claimed, at Newquay Town Council, interestingly enough thatʼs almost the cost of a
investment?”
Mr Foster “makes things up as he goes new taxi!
along” (he actually sounds like us now!). At
Incidentally......taxi talk have a few words
the standards meeting held at the council I am quite impressed with Wirral MBC, a quick
too......”freedom of speech”...... (As well as
chamber in St Austell, Mr Redman admitted Google will surely please all of you good folks
they have bigger lawyers.....Ed).
to saying ʻsomething likeʼ the words quoted. on the Wirral, apparently they have a ʻforward
The standards committee - made up of Rik planʼ........No, and it isnʼt making everyone
The Wirral news stated the following in their
Evans, Keltie Seaber and Colin Brewer, on drive taxis! Of course, history has a long
article; “Wirral Council is sending officers out
Wednesday decided the allegations that Mr succession of plans, some range from the mad
to Shanghai at a cost of £28,000, paid out of
Redman had breached section 3.1 – ʻyou and some are of the window licking variety.
the Working Neighbourhoods Fund provided
must treat others with respectʼ – had not Lord Kitchener and General Haig had plans, as
by central government to improve economic
been broken. did Adolf Hitler.
performance.” Yea right...You people can draw
your own conclusions!
But sections 3.2b and 3.2c, which refer to As youʼll be aware last month I quoted a chap
bullying and intimidation, were investigated by from Peel Holdings, the £4.5 billion pound Till next month....Your Reiver....in a cell, beside
the standards board. ʻwinnersʼ of the Wirral waterfront scheme. a Chinaman with sticky feet.
Click.. Look...Find...your next used cab
Just click
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