TOWN HALL REFUSED TO DISCLOSE THE RECORDING. AGAIN!
This is the second time since I sat on the STC that I have been denied access to a recording made at an official STC meeting. Just so there is no doubt- Town Clerk decided to deny access to the recording solely to hide from residents what was going on at the STC. Before I go into detail about how the Town Clerk is trying to cover up yet another Labour Party councillor’s “sins”, I encourage you to read a previous example of this behaviour. Links to articles:
HERE WE GO AGAIN!
In an article from 21 Feb 2022, I informed that Chair of STC Chrisk Kane told untruths about STC contacts with the office of MP Mark Fletcher. To understand just how meaningful this was, I also encourage you to read the article on the subject. I know- more and more references are being made to archived articles, but there is a reason for this- those who don’t know the history will have to repeat it.
In the article below, you will find an audio recording and a transcript of this excerpt showing the exact moment when Chris Kane diverged from the truth:
In this recording, the Town Clerk can be heard interrupting(sic!) the Chair and giving him an update confirming that he has said something that is untrue. Chris Kane has never corrected his false statement, never apologised for his hurtful words towards our MP, and Town Clerk has never explained why she has so far ignored Cllr John Lewis’ enquiries about meeting the MP. Unfortunately, I was sitting on the other side of the room from Town Clerk, and as soon as she started to explain to Chair what STC was doing under his “leadership”, her voice was drowned out by another councillor (it is from this time that I always try to sit on the right of our enlightened “leader”). Since then, I have always been intrigued by what the Town Clerk said to the Chair that it shut his mouth for several long minutes.
Before I elaborate, I would like you to know what Town Clerk’s response was to a request for an OFFICIAL copy of the recording of this meeting:
 “You will recall that the recording to which you refer was requested as the meeting was beginning on the 16th February 2022 and no recording equipment had been prepared. The recording was therefore made as a voice note on my mobile telephone and therefore not subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.“
Tadaaaa!
Now… let’s elaborate on the issue.
HISTORY CREATED IN FRONT OF YOUR… EARS
That meeting was also historic for another reason – it was the first meeting at which a Labour councillor asked for the proceedings to be recorded. To this day, I still wonder what the real reason for this request was. Anyway- the decision to record came at the perfect time because it was at a meeting where Chris Kane showed a glaring lack of knowledge about the STC’s activities under his chairmanship. Hence- I thought it would be worth writing a Freedom of Information Act request to get an “official” recording of the proceedings and see what the Town Clerk was whispering to the Chair there.
Writing this FOIA request has been on my ‘to-do list’ for months. However, after the events of the Leisure Centre ‘heating scandal’ and the township debt scandal- I decided to increase the pressure on STC to resolve a few more issues before the end of my term of office. I succeeded in forcing STC to build CCTV; I succeeded in forcing STC to pay off the debt before interest rates rose; I succeeded in forcing them to look at the blatant abuse of the heating system. I am still fighting for the rest of the documentation in this case and for STC to implement a control system so that abuses do not happen in the future. Thanks to my investigation, pellet consumption has magically fallen by 50%, saving the taxpayer thousands of pounds. How much exactly- I will be able to calculate if and when Town Clerk sends me the missing documents.
TOWN CLERK GOES POLITICAL
I have already demonstrated more than once on my blog that the Town Clerk is engaging in playing political games in the Chamber. While I have nothing against Labour councillors’ political gamesmanship, I regard the fact that a Civil Servant is engaging in politics as a gross breach of ethics and the impartiality that Civil Servants should display.
The fact that Town Clerk hid MP Mark Fletcher’s office staff’s attempts to organise a meeting from councillors is one of many examples confirming where Town Clerk’s political loyalties lie. Do you need another example?
For me, an even more blatant example is the fact that Town Clerk hid information from me (but also from other councillors and residents) about the township’s debt rollover and the costs involved. This cost us £10,000 in interest alone. Hiding the true state of finances is written in the Labour Party genes. The Town Clerk actively assisted in this despite the fact that she PROMISED me at the first meeting I attended that I would be updated on it as soon as there was new information. Did she lie? Did she forget? Or did she take political instruction from the Labour Party and abandon her impartiality by following the political needs of the Labour Party in violation of all democratic rules? We will probably never know.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BRAZEN POLITICAL BIAS
As you noted above, in recent days, I have added another to the long list of allegations I have against the Town Clerk. Well, Town Clerk has REFUSED to release the recording of the meeting I mentioned above. Let me quote the content of her response again:
You will recall that the recording to which you refer was requested as the meeting was beginning on the 16th February 2022 and no recording equipment had been prepared. The recording was therefore made as a voice note on my mobile telephone and therefore not subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
Firstly: the STC has had the equipment to record voice and video for years. In the past, meetings have been held via zoom- so the technical possibilities are there. Even at a meeting, I was not invited to, which took place only half a month ago- one of the guests took part via zoom. It doesn’t take a computer genius to know that such meetings can be recorded.
Secondly: if I understand correctly, no one has the right to listen to what the Town Clerk said to the Chair at an OFFICIAL STC meeting. Not even Labour Party councillors? Not even the Chair? So why and for whom was this recording made? What was the purpose of declaring the meeting was recorded if no one had the right to listen to the recording again? Or is it double-standard working again? Maybe Chris Kane listened to the recording from the Town Clerk, and they decided that residents and the only opposition councillor absolutely could not find out what was said at the OFFICIAL STC meeting?
Thirdly: in my view, the recording made by the Civil Servant in Chambers at the request of Cllr Councillor Sandra Peake is an official document. Refusing to release it, in my view, shows a lack of professionalism, a lack of impartiality and a lack of basic work ethic.
Fourthly: if anyone asked me to make a recording of the proceedings available, I would have absolutely no problem doing so. It would take me no more than a few minutes of my time. Hence my question: why does the Town Clerk deny me the pleasure of listening to her voice when she explains to our “leader” what is happening under “his rule”?
HIDE THE TRUTH BECAUSE OUR WAY IS THE ONLY WAY
In my opinion, refusing to release the video is a political ploy to hide what went on between the Chair and Town Clerk. Town Clerk is covering for himself- because, from my information, MP Mark Fletcher’s office staff had been asking for a meeting date for months, and their attempts were IGNORED by STC.
I could prove this quite easily: drawing up a FOIA requesting the release of the correspondence between the STC and the MP’s office. Would I do that? No. I have more important things on my agenda, and this one doesn’t have the slightest bearing on the future of our town. However, it says a lot about the past and present. I want to focus on the future, but I need to ensure that the past is carefully described and remembered.
The Town Clerk is also covering for the Labour Party– it is clear that the Chair has no idea what is going on regarding the STC meeting with the MP. I don’t think I need to convince anyone that being an STC leader is not a priority for Chris Kane- it’s the Town Clerk who runs the show at STC and Chris Kane is very often blindsided by her.
MEETING WITH MP
After my intervention, the STC meeting with the MP finally took place. STC was the last authority to meet with the MP, as all others had held such meetings months earlier. Labour in Shirebrook still resents people for daring to vote Conservatives.
As you can see from our MP’s frequent visits to Shirebrook, keeping his word on the Brexit vote and the drop in crime after voting for Conservative PCC Angelique Foster– the change from “same.old.labour” to “new.fresh.tories” is having a positive effect on the people of Shirebrook. I would immodestly add that I am also trying to show that voting Conservatives into STC has positive results.
Regarding the MP meeting with the STC. It proceeded in a good, constructive atmosphere. I sat quietly for almost an hour, allowing Labour Party councillors to ask MP Mark Fletcher anything they wanted. I waited my turn without interrupting or interjecting. When I finally asked a question- the Chair did not answer. He just closed the meeting and left the room. You read correctly: he did the same thing when I asked about the debt at the STC precept (tax and finances) meeting. The Chair behaved like a teenager: he took offence and left the room.
What question did I ask? Well – if you’ve read this far and you’re interested in why the Chair ran away from the meeting for the second time after I asked him a question, then maybe you should think about getting more deeply involved in the town issues so that you’re at the centre of these events.
Lead photo: Pressmasters from pexels.com
Sylwester Zwierzynski info@shirebook247.com
