What is going on?

Front page article calling for Cllr Brice to resign... yet he still sits on the Council!

The issue of errant Councillor Dennis McFarlane has been resurrected for one last outing on the widely read and award winning blog from Alan Watkins.

Dennis McFarlane was correctly dismissed as a Councillor and removed from the Labour Group as soon as the issue of benefit fraud became apparent. As this blog stated last week, no one political group has a monopoly on honesty and Mr McFarlane was convicted and found guilty.

According to Alan Watkins, what he did was 'dishonest, lacked integrity, brought the Council into disrepute and failed to uphold the principles of public life'

He was rightly shamed for his actions.

It is then with a slight sense of bewilderment that whilst the issue of Mr McFarlene has been correctly raised and dealt with by the Standard's Committee, we are not seeing the such swift response to other Councillors who have also led themselves into 'disrepute and failed to uphold the principles of public life.'

Noticeably the numerous numbers of Councillors who happen to be members of the ruling Conservative group.

Former (said very very loosely) Conservative Councillor Nick Brice, who continues to wear a blue rosette, has still not been called to book for what on the face-of-it is a shut book case. Cllr Brice was caught kerb-crawling by Kent Police in River Ward in November 2009. He admitted to the offence and was given a conditional caution.

To the general public at the time this was a simple case of resign as you can read from the press cutting.

There are also incidentally further cases pending of staff bullying, problems with leading cabinet members disclosures and accusations of skullduggery over the recent primary school re-organisations. Each of these involves Conservative Councillors.

So why is it taking the Council so long to actually deal with the Cllr Brice issue?

The mere fact that it is Tories that seem to be getting of the hook is seemingly becoming visible to all. We need to see Cllr Brice held accountable.

In issues such as public accountability, no individual from any party can be above the rule book. It is simply not in the public interest for Cllr Brice, who has sullied the reputation of the Council and himself to be allowed to sit in a position where he is making decisions on vulnerable adults and children.

The Conservative Party locally have closed ranks behind all those who still stand to be called to the Standards Committee. Cllr Brice, the most public, meanwhile still continues to sport his rosette and still votes with the Tory whip (though not as a formal member).

This blog, the local media and the public have all been calling him to honourably resign. Unsurprisingly, he has not taken the advice.

Incidentally, the issue of kerb-crawling is very much a concern in parts of River Ward.

Perhaps the new River candidate [Mr Alan MacKness] can give his opinion to the press on the delay for action which impacts his potential residents, and what punishments should be meted out to kerb-crawlers in his ward?

It seems like they are getting away with it from this bloggers angle.

Cllr Brice thought at the time that he was 'down but not out'

It looks like he might be right