Brent Audit and Standards Committee was told tonight that Cllr Collymore has resigned from her position as Deputy Mayor and from her other council positions. This follows the finding that she had breached the Members Code of Conduct in an altercation with a parking warden. See LINK
Members noted the outcome of the investigation bt Debra Norman, Corporate Director of Law and Governance and the sanctions imposed.
Cllr Janice Long remarked that the report made what appeared to be something nasty seem bland, and it was hard to judge without seeing the video footage referred to. Debra Norman said the video was private but had been made available to the leaders of the Labour Group. The complaint was serious but she could imagine worse. She did not want therefore to use the full range of sanctions available to her.
She confirmed that as the decsion had been made under her delegated powers it would not go the Audit Committee.
I understand that at present Cllr Collymore remains a councillor and a member of the Labour Party.
This is a link to the Officer's Report on the incident. (Also availabe on the link in the first paragraph above). https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/documents/s145017/08.%20Standards%20Update%20Report.pdf
39 comments:
Another Council cover up to protect serious wrong doing (racist attack against a black worker) by a Labour Councillor. If Labour Councillors have any principles they should demand that the Labour Leader releases the video that only he has been selected to see.
If the video was "private" why was ONLY the Leader of the Labour Group allowed to see it?
How do you know the worker was black?
Because he is so powerful that no one is allowed to say No to Mo!!!
Several reliable sources have confirmed that this is the case.
Her behaviour was unacceptable and she has done the right thing in resigning as Dep Mayor and a member of Committees. The Labour Group Leadership were however rather slow in taking action. She should have been sacked as soon as the internal report was provided to the Labour group
Is it still racism or xenophobia? How do we describe the horrible things this councillor said given both immigranted here.
Agree. Why has only the Labour leader of the council seen the video of a Labour councillor’s misconduct? Shouldn't the council’s formal disciplinary process handle this instead of it being dealt with behind closed doors? If it's a council issue, the proper committees should be involved, not just the party leader. It’s important to have transparency and fairness when it comes to public office, and keeping this within the party feels like an attempt to protect their own interests. Misconduct should be dealt with openly, not hidden away.
Sensible decision
The electorate should be well advised to call for a by-election, as we do not need people with these views and thoughtless comments representing us in any capacity. What does this say about the Labour party if she remains a member?
But is Cllr Collymore also not black? Are readers missing a plot, if there is one?
But is Cllr Collymore not black ?
Or are readers missing a plot if there is one?
Councillor Collymore apparently used language and words "acceptable" when black people abuse or talk to each other. We would need to see the Video or transcript to know exactly what those words were. Clearly the words are bad otherwise why is the Council refusing to show the video or publish the transcript? it was given to the Labour Leader. Should not the Leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Groups be entitled to see it too? Have they asked for it? Has this been refused?
How many "leaders" does the Labour Group have? Will the 'democratic' (rather than dictatorial) leader please show us the video.
Had she been white and male all this could have been swept under the rug. Racism is very much alive they just keep concealing it with sly ambiguous clauses. 400 years later we’re still at war with racism!! Aluta continua!!!
Why do I have the feeling that she was coerced into stepping down as the deputy mayor? Many people in power have clung to their positions after committing far worse atrocities and just one misunderstanding has led her to resign. There is more to this than meets the eye. Centuries later and justice is still served based on colour. The powers that be would rather elect a puppet than a strong willed black woman that stands to liberate the oppressed! Shall forever be trapped in the system!!! Aluta continua!!
She must have done something wrong. Why would she otherwise have stepped down? Not sure why you are playing the race card. Yes, racism exists and should not be tolerated, but it should not be used to defend/justify unacceptable behaviour. Just because somebody else might get away with a criminal act, doesn't mean I should too if I am caught. That is nonsense.
Makes total sense to keep this away from Daily Mail and GB News salivations.
Several points re comments above. As far as I am able to ascertain Cllr M Butt did not represent/defend Cllr Collymore. The process was undertaken by an council officer under delegated powers and subsequent actions reported to the Committee as a breach of the Members Code of Conduct. The Labour leadership/Labour Group role is to consider any action under Labour Party rules separately, which is presumably why they have sight of the video/transcript - I imagine this would require the permission of the person who made the video.
What about her role on Corporate Parenting? Has she been removed off the committee?
Yes. The only Committee now shown for Cllr Collymore on the Council website is Full Council. The removal from committees is not just a loss of position but also a financial loss of committee allowances.
Why has she not been sacked as a Councillor?
Which oppressed people is she liberating? Certainly not the worker she nastily abused. I'm willing to guess that this worker is not well paid and lacks job security - exactly the kind of person Labour should be fighting for, not abusing.
If it was a council matter, processed by officers etc, then how under information governance rules was the labour leader allowed to have a copy of the tape, if their consideration of what to do is a separate manner. You say this would require the permission of the person who made the tape, but it seems if it was a civil enforcement officer, the tape was made on their work camera? In which case gdpr?
A councillor can only be "sacked" if they move away from the borough or fail to attend any meetings for more than six months.
However, it is open to any party to suspend a member.
Why do you keep asking questions here when you should already know them being a councillor yourself?
Because there is no legal power or process to sack a Councillor. Councillors are elected. If a Council Officer did this they could sacked - because they are appointed and not elected. As she seems to have been found guilty of racism and abuse power (irrespective of her colour) she should resign. The evidence should be published - can you imagine what demand for publication there would be if a Conservative or Liberal Democrat was involved? Council officers are clearly protecting their Labour Party bosses.
I published a link to the Officer's Report on the incident on September 20th. Here it is again and I will add it to the post above. https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/documents/s145017/08.%20Standards%20Update%20Report.pdf
Martin Francis reported the words of a Labour Councillor - "Cllr Janice Long remarked that the report made what appeared to be something nasty seem bland". Even a Labour Councillor is questioning whether the officers' report tells the full story. The Labour Group were presumably briefed (and some even showed the Video - Labour Whip? Labour Deputy Leader? Labour Mayor?) so they could agree to refer Councillor Collymore to the Labour's Regional Party to pursue her suspension/expulsion from the Brent Labour Group. It would not be surprising if the Chair of the London Region of the Labour Party has seen the video too.
The Labour Leader has been allowed to see the video/transcript evidence and has almost certainly shared it with others so that his actions in sacking Councillor Collymore from various Council positions could not be questioned. We should be too so that we can make our own judgement about the seriousness of what Labour Councillor Diane Collymore did.
Maybe the Brent Labour Leadership will publish if/when they get authorisation from the London Labour Party to finally withdraw Labour Party membership from Councillor Collymore and expel her from the Brent Labour Group.
I hear on the grapevine that the knives are out as the contest for the replacement Deputy Mayor has started as a number of people are jockeying for position. Be in no doubt - position of a Mayor is not just ceremonial - the Labour Leadership will almost certainly want to use the TAXPAYER paid position well in 2026 Election year! As money is tight a few thousands could be saved if the position of the Deputy Mayor remained unfilled. After all Brent Council which has over 1000 allotment plots has been keeping the position of the Allotments Officer vacant for a very long time.
Have the local and national press not picked this story up?
Better not, we are still very much in Windrush scandal persistent times, Brent's approach good on this matter.
What does the Windrush scandal have to do with abusive behaviour by an elected local councillor towards a parking official???
No one ever wants to be given a parking ticket and is annoying to say the least but if we don’t obey parking restrictions and get ticket only we ourselves are to blame no reason to take it out on the parking attendant who is only doing their job. This is especially a disgraceful act from a councillor and a deputy mayor whom should be upholding and protecting and serving the people and interests of the borough she has done the right thing in resigning. It’s a disgrace that other councillors rallied behind her and supported and defended this disgraceful behaviour they should also resign if they think this was appropriate.
Or, what does Brownfield land still having no English legal definition have to do with the Windrush scandal?
Brownfield land is where England's growth, growth, growth harsh policy is focused (protected conservation areas are legally defined by lawmakers), yet still no legal definition of what BL is? Growth on Brownfield lands never lawmaker defined is a long way from the rule of law and a very Windrush persistent policy.
No wonder the tsunami of freebies keeps piling high and councillors fully captured and occupied are so deliberately distanced and disengaged from the majority of their constituents. And when councillors do engage, this.
30 September 2024 at 06:16 I have neither seen nor heard any evidence that other councillors rallied behind Cllr Collymore and defended her.
Of the 60 odd councillors how many get freebies? Let’s put this into some perspective.
And how many don't declare them or don't declare then at the correct value??? Recently one councilor hadn't declared football tickets at Wembley Stadium, it was only because residents saw him at the match that he had to declare them - and then he declared his 2 Club Wembley seats at below £50 when we all know they are worth much more than that!!!
Freebies is a wider issue, some would say conservation areas are freebies for those who live in them no need knowingly unmet, with brownfield cauldrons being very much their Brent opposites of degrade, exclude, neglect, brown.
The Granville Centres community garden meanwhile project (a job for QP resident) is now built on Mayor of London 'Homes for Londoners' its poster says. The meanwhile community garden ( job for QP resident) has however in 2024 migrated itself onto nearby Granville Road Public Open Space (masterplan policy park investment renewed in 2010) which has ever since then had ongoing problems of local residents being locked out of it by persons unknown. How long before this public park, with a new meanwhile building on it now in 2024 becomes another 'Homes for Londoners' brown site?
Post a Comment