Cllr Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera Resigns, Time for a clear-out at the town-hall? Options

[Simon Kirby]

In the Newbury Weekly today is the news that Cllr Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera has resigned from the Town Council for what he says is the failure of the Council to serve the public.

RUP was reported to have queried why the Council had not claimed on £50k worth of legal expenses insurance, and I think there are some questions to be asked about how that legitimate query precipitated his being elbowed out of the deputy-leader role, and now out of the council altogether.

Do you still have confidence that the Town Council are serving the public?

[Ruwan Uduwerage-...]

Dear Forum Members,

"Human Error" possibly, but a four year cover up is not a mere error in my opinion, how about yours?

Further questions need to be asked of those running the Newbury Town Council.

Yours

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Former Councillor

[Simon Kirby]

Dear Forum Members,

"Human Error" possibly, but a four year cover up is not a mere error in my opinion, how about yours?

Further questions need to be asked of those running the Newbury Town Council.

Yours

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Former Councillor

I quite agree, and I find it intolerable that the Town Council can't be made to cough-up those answers, and there is no holding them to account.

For asking awkward questions I was publicly humiliated with a designation as a Vexatious Complainant, and for asserting my consumer rights I was victimised and evicted from my allotment, and now I am not allowed to have one again.

I'd like to ask difficult questions about Parkgate and I feel that it's important to maintain the freedom to criticise the state or else we drift into a totalitarian dictatorship, but this is the gagging agreement that I'd have to sign if I was ever to have a Town Council allotment again - just how can a Lib Dem administration demand this? It's repugnant:

Simon Kirby agrees to:
Cease to make postings and pronouncements in public places (including in particular notice boards and e-forums) that are critical of or negative towards Newbury Town Council, its Members, Employees, Contractors, Customers, Tenants, and other associates, without prior discussion with the Chief Executive Officer of Newbury Town Council.

Not to cause nuisance to Newbury Town Council, its Members, Employees, Contractors, Customers, Tenant and other associates and in particular not to take action that entails inordinate amount of time to be spent by Newbury Town Council Members and Officers for no real benefit.

Newbury Town Council and Simon Kirby agree to keep the terms of this Agreement strictly confidential and agree not to disclose, communicate or otherwise make public the same to anyone (save professional advisers), or for the enforcement of the terms of this Agreement and otherwise as may be required to be disclosed by law.

I'm currently helping a friend with a Freedom of Information appeal for the hydrogeological reports, and under the terms of the gagging clause I'd be evicted from my allotment for that owing to the "inordinate amount of time" it would take the Council to oppose the request.

Digging out incriminating information and asking challenging questions is a start, but the Town Council just shrug it off. I really do think this level of unaccountability in local government is very dangerous. Parkgate has so far cost the tax-payer around £100k, but that's nothing really as they spend several times that amount every year on self-serving busywork. I've been screwed over, but unless you're actually me that's probably not a serious concern for the citizen of Newbury, though others have been screwed over too, and it might be you one day.