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?

[Cognosco]

RUP you have confirmed from the inside what a lot of us knew from the outside that there was underhand dealings at the NTC. Not only are they not transparent and open but have serious problems with honesty.
It has long been known that the NTC is run as a small elite club and to buck the membership meant serious trouble for the person or persons who were trying to make them accountable!
I think it is an open secret that any "so called" investigation carried out by NTC would only be carried out if the outcome was already known and the correct and wanted result returned.
There are several local people who have been victimised by NTC for daring to question ethics etc. and I think that is why there is no demand for change? As soon as you put your head above the parapet then the full force of NTC Councillors and Officers are brought to bear and the person is ensured to be discredited by any means at their disposal.

I hope you will understand now why you did not get many offers when you requested people to join in from the inside with you? I do feel sorry for you and respect what you have tried to do by being open and honest but I'm afraid no one will succeed with this rabble and they will only force others to follow the clubs rules or else? The club has been running for years now and they are not going to be got rid of any time soon unless the precept payers take their heads from the sand and get more vociferous.

I also know very well that you will not get an independent audit investigation they will ensure that. Just look at how Simon has been victimised for asking pertinent questions over the years for this alone they should have been held to account. Let alone others who have suffered in rather more silence.
When you think of all the funds both local authorities are cutting from the most vulnerable of our society and how much has been wasted by NTC alone then I am really baffled why the precept payers are accepting this?

[Ruwan Uduwerage-...]

RUP you have confirmed from the inside what a lot of us knew from the outside that there was underhand dealings at the NTC. Not only are they not transparent and open but have serious problems with honesty.
It has long been known that the NTC is run as a small elite club and to buck the membership meant serious trouble for the person or persons who were trying to make them accountable!
I think it is an open secret that any "so called" investigation carried out by NTC would only be carried out if the outcome was already known and the correct and wanted result returned.
There are several local people who have been victimised by NTC for daring to question ethics etc. and I think that is why there is no demand for change? As soon as you put your head above the parapet then the full force of NTC Councillors and Officers are brought to bear and the person is ensured to be discredited by any means at their disposal.

I hope you will understand now why you did not get many offers when you requested people to join in from the inside with you? I do feel sorry for you and respect what you have tried to do by being open and honest but I'm afraid no one will succeed with this rabble and they will only force others to follow the clubs rules or else? The club has been running for years now and they are not going to be got rid of any time soon unless the precept payers take their heads from the sand and get more vociferous.

I also know very well that you will not get an independent audit investigation they will ensure that. Just look at how Simon has been victimised for asking pertinent questions over the years for this alone they should have been held to account. Let alone others who have suffered in rather more silence.
When you think of all the funds both local authorities are cutting from the most vulnerable of our society and how much has been wasted by NTC alone then I am really baffled why the precept payers are accepting this?

Cognosco,

I respect your opinion, but disagree with not standing up, challenging matters or otherwise not doing something.

If NTC is "run as a small elite club" then this must change, and there are a number of ways of doing this, but not getting involved is not the answer.

We you and others genuinely wish there to be change at NTC and at the District Council then there is a need to spread the word that change is required and for the reasons to be heard.

This misbehaviour within local politics only exists because we, the electorate vote in some people who are susceptible to abusing their positions.

Join me in calling for an independent inquiry into this fiasco, and the other potential cases where Officers and Members may have abused their power. The alternative is that come the 2015 Election the very same people, or similar minded people will be elected and our money will cant to be abused.

As the saying goes "there is more than one way to skin a cat."

Remember there are good people within the Council on both sides of the Chamber who genuinely care, but alas they are currently disempowered by those who desire power for the sake of power alone. We the public need to give our support where and when it is deserved and when necessary to hold people to account when they have abused our trust.

With regard to the local press, I have to say that I am deeply disappointed in their obvious desire to not expose their friends who have and are misbehaving in Newbury Town Council.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Former Councillor

[blackdog]

Join me in calling for an indecent inquiry into this fiasco

Consider my mind boggled.

[Ruwan Uduwerage-...]

Consider my mind boggled.

Noted and corrected, although an indecent inquiry sounds interesting!