Welcome to the official website of Bexley Council Monitoring Group launched on 17 November 2010.

We have seen evidence, that will be reproduced on this website, which shows that Bexley Council is infested with illegal and criminal activities and thus there is a real need for its conduct to be constantly monitored on a regular basis by independent, fair minded residents.

For example, Senior High Court Judge Lewison ruled that Bexley Council was more than bent when he threw out a claim by Bexley Council in connection with a false demand Bexley had made against a Bexley taxpayer for £1,250,000 [one million two hundred and fifty thousand pounds]. You can read the full Judgment here.

The precise words that the High Court Judge used in his Judgment to condemn and describe Bexley Council’s conduct was “Unconscionable” and that “they had effectively set a trap…”. “Unconscionable” is a very strong word for a High Court Judge. It is defined in the Shorter Oxford Dictionary to mean “…monstrously extortionate; unscrupulous; having no conscience; irreconcilable with what is right…”. In other words, and to use the vernacular, Bexley Council is corrupt. Please see paragraph 70 of the judgement.

Councillor Colin Campbell, Cabinet Member and Councillor Nigel Betts, former Mayor of Bexley, both refused to support an inquiry as to who the Bexley Council employees were responsible for making this false demand. Currently they are working together to try and deprive residents of their statutory right to make freedom of information requests of Bexley Council under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This is not only illegal under that Act but it is also illegal under the Human Rights Act 1998. They have a legal obligation under the Human Rights Act to uphold, protect and enforce such rights of residents: violating those rights is unlawful.

Also on the 17 November 2010 Bexley Council convened a full Council Meeting with the Government’s financial cut-backs on the Agenda. Bexley Council proposes to sack 300 staff and cutback front line services, including services for children and the elderly, while many of the salaries of Bexley’s high earners, whom David Cameron referred to as “the fat cats” remains untouched and they continue to lap up their excessive salaries.

Two high earners, Chief Executive Will Tuckley and the Director of the Public Protection Department, Peter Ellershaw, continue to receive excessive salaries, to the extent of being paid more than David Cameron, the Prime Minister: about £100,000 more in the case of Chief Executive Will Tuckley. It is Bexley Councillors who have awarded such excessive salaries to Council Staff. This must stop.

Here are a few examples of the many of the failings of Bexley Council which we believe show the need for the conduct of Bexley Council employees and its Councillors to be constantly monitored:

• Ian Clement former Conservative Leader of Bexley Council convicted of fraud for fiddling his expenses.

• Council’s Director of Law illegally refused to stop fraud being committed against Bexley Council Authority.

• Ombudsman finds Bexley Council guilty of maladministration for concealing a resident’s planning objection until after the Planning Application had been dealt with, on the specific instructions of a Planning Officer.

• Blackfriars Crown Court Judge imprisoned a Bexley Council Officer for stealing £224,631.93 persistently over 9 years.

• Solicitors Department of Bexley Council illegally lies and cheats to permit breaches of Enforcement Notices and refuses to uphold the law.

• Planning Enforcement Department of Bexley Council illegally lies and cheats to permit breaches of Enforcement Notices i.e. criminal offences.

• Planning Enforcement Department of Bexley Council lies and cheats to permit breaches of planning conditions.

• Bexley Council persistently violates The Human Rights Act 1998 by supporting illegal and criminal activities instead of upholding the law and supporting residents’ rights.

• Ian Clement while Leader of Bexley Council arranged for Chief Executive Nick Johnson to receive over £300,000.00 as a pay off.

We are proposing to establish an Independent Bexley Residents’ Complaints Tribunal comprised of residents in the majority and Councillors in the minority in order to fairly investigate complaints against Bexley Staff and Bexley Councillors. We have found that the complaints procedure run by Bexley Council is wholly inadequate. Bexley Council publicizes its Complaints Procedure but often refuses to implement it or obstructs its use. Membership of this Tribunal will be on a voluntary basis.

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