Mohers deny role in John's ousting and threaten libel action

I received the following e-mail yesterday from Jim and Ruth Moher.

Dear Mr Francis,

16th May 2012

On Tuesday 15th May, you republished an item on your 'Wembley Matters' blog headed, 'BNCTV names the Mohers as possible conspirators behind John's ousting'.

This is a scurrious libel on us from an anonymous 'source' by BNCTV, which you have given much wider circulation to. It is extremely damaging to our reputation in the Brent Labour Group of councillors and Party and  Brent Council. It is completely untrue.

We demand an unreserved apology from you and equally prominant space to rebut it on your blog. We are also taking legal advice as to how best to proceed in law against BNCTV and you for compensation in  respect of this very serious libel.

yours sincerely,

Jim and Ruth Moher

Ruth Moher was confirmed as Deputy Leader of Brent Council at yesterday's Annual Meeting of the council and Jim Moher continues as an Executive member.

I responded to their e-mail thus:

Dear Jim and Ruth,

I am not sure if WM has a wider circulation than a TV channel. As my blog states I am happy to publish any comments etc and will be happy to a publish any guest blog that you wish to write setting out your position and also Tweet it so that it has the same circulation.  

As I understand normal proceedings in such cases that arrangement would mean no further legal action would be taken.

If you send me your statement in the body of an e-mail or as a word document it can be put up on my blog within minutes. I will be going out about 6.30pm so if you can get it to me before then it will be published before the AGM.

Regards,

Martin Francis

No statement for the blog arrived before I went out but I will post it as soon as it is received. I look forward to it with interest.

Barred by Democratic Services from entry to Brent Council meeting

I am sorry to disappoint readers who were expecting a blow by blow account of the Annual Council Meeting tonight. Brent  Democratic Services refused me admission despite the Agenda clearly stating 'The press and public are welcome to attend this meeting'.

I was told that I could only attend by invitation and the the meeting was mainly ceremonial.  I pointed out the wording on the agenda and that  Item 5 involved changes to the constitution which affected petitions.  I also wanted to observe the vote for the new leader. I was told there wouldn't be debate on the constitutional amendment  but  if space was found I might be let in.  However the Democratic Services Officer concerned never returned to the lobby and security were not letting anyone through.

The Council were clearly expecting trouble and I heard the Democratic Services Officerr briefing the police that disruption was expected over the the vote for the new leader. Half a dozen police and about the same number of PCSOs  were present as well as AA security.

I retired to the Torch with friends and enjoyed a pint of delicious Doom Bar bitter from Cornwall which was probably more pleasurable.

On the way home I bumped into Cllr Michael Pavey, my opponent in the Barnhill by-election, who admitted that being barred by Democratic Services from watching democracy in action was 'a bit ironic'.

He told me that everything had gone through smoothly except for a spat about political representation on Brent Housing Partnership.

No a new dawn for democracy in Brent...

Kensal Rise emptying stopped after protests

Outside Kensal Rise Library earlier today

The local press are now reporting that after protesters tried to prevent council officers removing books and equipment from Kensal Rise, and after telephone conversations with Brent Council leader-elect Muhammed Butt, that the emptying has been stopped.

Further information:

KILBURN TIMES


WEMBLEY AND WILLESDEN OBSERVER

Butt: Libraries 'not an issue' in leadership change

In an interview with Michael R Goss of BNCTV LINK incoming Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt  says that the library closure controversy was 'not an issue' in the leadership change which saw him ousting Ann John.  He said the change was 'democracy in action'.

He defended the Civic Centre project and the Willesden Green regeneration and said that the library closure programme was forced on the Council by the Coalition's funding cuts. The interview was conducted yesterday before the Council emptied the Kensal Rise Library. He said that  no action can be taken on Kensal Rise until the outcome of the reverter to All Souls but that once in office he will respond the various e-mail from campaign groups.

In a key passage outlining how he would be different to Ann John he said:

What I want to do is take stock of what we're doing at the moment and see what we need to do taking into consideration the budget we've just implemented.  The we need to engage with our councillors, especially between the front bench and the back benchers - get them involved in the decision making process so everyone has an input and also I want to have more engagement with out residents and the electorate, listen to them rather than just sort of blindly defending our decisions.

I want to be able to go out to them, reach out to them, explain to them as to why we've taken the decisions we have.

Asked if this was an issue in the library controversy he said:

We should have got our messages a bit more clearer and that's why I'm saying we want to engage with people. I think our communication with the library campaigns, the electorate and perhaps within the Council, could have been a lot clearer and we could have explained things in simple terms, easier terms and expressed the enormity of the £32m cuts we had to make.

Muhammed Butt said that the resignation of the Labour Chief Whip was just a matter of taking advantage of the AGM. He expressed confidence in Cllr Shafique Choudhary, the new whip, and said he was confident that the Labour Group would get behind his leadership despite the close 21 to 19 vote.

Butt says he was not aware of Kensal Rise empyting plans but declines to visit scene

The Kilburn Times reports on today's events HERE

They quote Butt as saying:

I am in the process of trying to ascertain exactly what is going on but I am not the leader of the council yet and don’t become the leader until tomorrow so I need to work to find out why this is happening.

I will however be willing to speak to the campaigners in the future about possibly moving forward with All Soul’s and the best way to progress with this.

Ann John's last day in office - Kensal Rise Library ransacked

From Brent Liberal Democrats LINK

Councillor Ann John’s final day in office as Council Leader has been marked by Brent Council attempting to remove books and computers from the historic Kensal Rise library, so that the council can get ride of the building.

Liberal Democrat council group leader Paul Lorber, who joined protesters outside the ransacked library, said:

This is a kick in the teeth for local residents, who have demonstrated their opposition to Labour’s library closure plan at every opportunity.
It would have been appropriate to pause the process until library campaigners had a chance to meet the new council leader, Muhammed Butt. Inevitably this will lead to speculation that Ann John and libraries portfolio holder James Powney wanted to empty the library and get rid of the building quickly to make any change in policy as difficult as possible.

Despite explicit assurances from All Souls College that it was open to the idea of members of the community providing library services at Kensal Rise library, Labour councillors have up to now been determined to see the end of book borrowing at Kensal Rise and rejected the well thought out bid from local residents to run the library at no cost to the council. Because of restrictions imposed when the land was donated, the building valued at £772,034 will transfer to All Souls College for free.

Sarah Teather, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, has expressed her disappointment at Brent Council’s decision to clear Kensal Rise Library building of books and IT equipment today.
Commenting, Ms Teather said:

This is another sad day for Brent’s libraries. Campaigners have tried to work with officials to keep Kensal Rise library open, but have been ignored at every turn.
Labour leaders need to remember who they are supposed to be working for.  They must stop removing books immediately and talk to campaigners and local residents before it’s too late.
Councillor Butt has to get a grip of this matter if he wants to show that he can make a difference as Leader of the Council.

Kensal Rise library was erected on land provided by All Souls College Oxford using funds contributed by Willesden Urban District Council taxpayers, a donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and public donations. The terms of the land transfer meant that the land could be used to provide libraries for ever for the benefit of local people.

Full report into allegations against Ann John published

The report of the investigation into allegations that Ann John illegally intervened in a planning application, which exonerated her has now been published and is available below.

Apart from the findings the report gives insight into the relationships within the Labour group, concern over the the way the Planning Committee operates and the conduct of the chair, and includes walk-on parts from Navin Shah AM and Barry Gardiner MP. (Read from para 4.40)

It is possible to conclude that although she was cleared of wrong-doing the report's contents did not help Ann John in her bid to retain the leadership of Brent Council.

Save Central Middlesex (Park Royal) Hospital

GUEST BLOG

The public 'consultation' on the NW London NHS Strategy 'Shaping A Healthier Future' held in Brent at the Pattidar Centre, Wembley tonight ( 15 May) descended into chaos  as NHS bureaucrats led by Anne Rainsberry, NHS NW LONDON Chief Executive, desperately fought to prevent debate by patients hostile to the closure proposal for Central Middlesex Hospital.

The official programme of three hours of 'NHS talking heads' was forced to a vote to enable an open debate - however despite all 80  patients and patient representatives present supporting a demand from Brent NHS Patients Campaign  to hold an open debate a small majority of highly -paid NHS bureaucrats, a few Tory supporting doctors and paid NHS hirelings voted to continue with three hours of meaningless platform presentations.

Graham Durham,newly elected Secretary of Brent NHS Patients Campaign,said 

' The NHS is notorious for ignoring patient views and holding events which prevent open debate. This was the worst example yet with NHS bureaucrats earning over £200,000 a year desperately whipping NHS staff to vote to  prevent open debate on the controversial proposals to close Central Middlesex hospital and deny NHS patients their  opportunity to voice their opposition.

Whilst some of the ideas in Shaping ..are based on sound principles of locally available services they are to be achieved only by decimation of hospital services  across NW London.The preferred option of Tory GP Mark Spencer,Medical Director for NW London, was announced as the run down of Ealing, Charing Cross and Central Middlesex Hospitals.

The fight to save these hospitals starts now ..Brent NHS Patients Campaign is supporting the public meeting at Harlesden Methodist Church on 13 June (7.30pm) called by campaigners across NW London to prevent the destruction of these hospitals.

We invite all NHS staff opposed to this butchery of services in the poorest areas of NW London to join this campaign'

BRENT NHS PATIENTS CAMPAIGN 

Tel 07866 616492