NTC and Political Discrimination Options

[Andy Capp]

This is the kind of bigoted, misinformed nonsense that we are used to, my little misspelling friend.

No to you my grammar police little "friend". The person you seem to be defending has no issue protecting his own (and his party) instead of looking after the people who put him into the position he now holds.

Would you both please take this discussion somewhere else? Many thanks.

[Penelope]

Would you both please take this discussion somewhere else? Many thanks.

yes Sir, Sorry Sir, won't happen again Sir.

[Nothing Much]

Strangely enough I hopped on a bus to a garden center yesterday.
Walking back I came upon a Benyon Estates sign.

Only about 2 miles from my neck of the woods. Intrigued was I.
Seems the family trusts or whatever owns a lot of the area I was in.
300 houses on leaseholds. Very well cared for area....So a plus for that.
£1.5m for most if they went on the market. Lucky lad.
Never knew of the local connection.

So despite having to look after a younger wife and a sprog, and a Dad.
He should have time to care for a constituent.

Well he is obviously richer than I am so bung him in the Tower.
ce

[blackdog]

So despite having to look after a younger wife and a sprog, and a Dad.

Five kids. But he has siblings to help with dad.

I quite often walk the dogs on Benyon land - they are much, much, better than most local landowners when it comes to public access.

[Cognosco]

Five kids. But he has siblings to help with dad.

I quite often walk the dogs on Benyon land - they are much, much, better than most local landowners when it comes to public access.

Is he any good at ensuring local people are allowed to continue to have free speech in spite of the efforsts of a local rogue council though?

[JeffG]

Is he any good at ensuring local people are allowed to continue to have free speech in spite of the efforsts of a local rogue council though?

Well we won't know unless Simon contacts him, will we?

[Simon Kirby]

Don't suppose anyone knows whether the Council passed the Resolution last night which would allow them to refuse me a new tenancy?

Probably time I posted the gagging clauses - this is what the Council wanted me to sign in order for them to offer me a new tenancy. I didn't sign and that's why they needed last night's Resolution.

Simon Kirby agrees to:

c. 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.

d. 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.

If you've missed it this is the gist of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act that guarantees freedom of expression.

Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by a public authority and regardless of frontiers.

And Section 6 of the act makes it unlawful for a council to do anything (or indeed fail to do anything) which interferes with that right.

[Andy Capp]

Drawing from what I have seen and heard of them, I think the Newbury Town Council are a bunch of spineless self-serving hypocrites. This applies to both the Tories and Lib Dem members, and I can't wait for the opportunity to tell them so face to face, come election time.







... unless they voted down the resolution of course!

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

What is terms a) and b,)?

What a bunch of nobbers. (I like that word now)
I think fair play to you for arguing your corner, obviously you have them all a-flustered.
Even though you openly wear a hat like an Australian and wear shorts more often than trousers, in this instance you are quite cool.

I would be very surprised if they did actually now force you out. And if they did, I think a Newbury Weekly News article, not to mention national papers, would be very interested in what you have to say. Plus you could sell your story for a few pounds, perhaps treat the family to a dinner of something other than Cabbage.

[Simon Kirby]

What is terms a) and b,)?

I didn't mention them as they weren't anatomically possible.

What a bunch of nobbers. (I like that word now)
I think fair play to you for arguing your corner, obviously you have them all a-flustered.
Even though you openly wear a hat like an Australian and wear shorts more often than trousers, in this instance you are quite cool.

I would be very surprised if they did actually now force you out. And if they did, I think a Newbury Weekly News article, not to mention national papers, would be very interested in what you have to say. Plus you could sell your story for a few pounds, perhaps treat the family to a dinner of something other than Cabbage.

I like that word too now.

[Simon Kirby]

Drawing from what I have seen and heard of them, I think the Newbury Town Council are a bunch of spineless self-serving hypocrites. This applies to both the Tories and Lib Dem members, and I can't wait for the opportunity to tell them so face to face, come election time.

... unless they voted down the resolution of course!

Thank you. I don't think they're in any mood to be conciliatory, they're just getting ready to evict me. I made an effort over the weekend to start discussions with a councillor but it seems they want some kind of capitulation from me before they'll even talk to me, and I can't think what I have left that they could want so that just got nowhere. I mean, they're evicting me for goodness sake.

All of this current dispute, the court case, everything, is all because the Council couldn't acknowledge they'd been wrong.

Early 2010 the Council acknowledged that the rent review term was unfair because they cooperated with Trading Standards and changed the Tenancy Agreement. This is what Trading Standards said:

I spoke to our legal representative yesterday and she is of the opinion that the 'rent review term' in the old agreement was itself not unfair, what made it unfair was the lack of ability to withdraw from the contract without penalty, ie you had to give 12 months notice and pay the higher price in the meantime.

and

The old agreement, we agreed was unfair, but was changed to comply with the legislation. (If they had not changed it WBC could have applied for a civil injunction to prevent The Council from using the term).

and this is what the Town Council said about the new Tenancy Agreement

Following concerns raised by an allotment tenant to West Berkshire Council Trading Standards, Newbury Town Council has agreed to make a number of changes to the Allotment Rental Agreement and Allotment Rules. Those changes have been agreed with Trading Standards, discussed with the Stewards, and ratified by the Town Council at its Community Services Committee meeting on 26 July 2010.

And that should have been an end to it. I had witheld £20 of rent because the increase was unlawful, but we all agreed that now and we should all have moved on. I should have been offered the new agreement along with the other 500 of Newbury's allotmenteers, and the Town Council might have usefully reflected how it would have been better to have discussed the issue sensibly in the first place.

What actually happened was that the Council offered me the new agreement pre-evicted on 13 December 2010. Here's the agreement they offered me, with the rider added in biro.
[attachment=114:Allotmen...greement.jpg]

Obviously I wasn't going sit idle and be evicted so I've had to fight on ever since, but if the Council had just shown some honesty and accountability two years ago none of this would ever have followed. Of course the Council couldn't evict me on 13 December because the rent review term was unlawful, so February 2011 they revoke it and make it a Notice to Quit 1 April 2012, and to challenge that I need the minutes of the meeting where they decided that, and they wouldn't let me have the minutes so I made a complaint to the police, etc, etc.

[Penelope]

I am, frankly, disgusted, dismayed And incensed in equal measure. what a bunch of self serving fat weasels.

[Simon Kirby]

I am, frankly, disgusted, dismayed And incensed in equal measure. what a bunch of self serving fat weasels.

Thank you. (though easy on the weasels, they're really very cute if you're not a mouse!).

[Andy Capp]

Meanwhile; the Newbury Town 'Lodge' can all sit round patting themselves on the back for a job badly done.

[Cognosco]

Meanwhile; the Newbury Town 'Lodge' can all sit round patting themselves on the back for a job badly done.

The only honourable thing left for the council to do is to resign enmass. How can they possibly be expected to face the local taxpayers after such underhanded and utterly despicable actions. For even contemplating this gagging order let alone issuing it, there must be immediate action taken against them!

[Andy Capp]

The only honourable thing left for the council to do is to resign enmass. How can they possibly be expected to face the local taxpayers after such underhanded and utterly despicable actions. For even contemplating this gagging order let alone issuing it, there must be immediate action taken against them!

I seriously think 'the Chair' or the CEO should go. They preside over a council that appears to me to be morally bankrupt.

[Penelope]

How about a Facebook campaign ?

[Simon Kirby]

How about a Facebook campaign ?

I guess I need to try everything now. I'm not on Facebook and don't really know anything about it so I'll have to have a look. Thanks.

[Andy Capp]

I guess I need to try everything now. I'm not on Facebook and don't really know anything about it so I'll have to have a look. Thanks.

Is there any national allotmenteers support group of any kind?

And while I'm at it, I'd like to say to the local bottlers allotmenteers that might be reading. It might be Simon Kirby, now, but you might be next, and look-out for those silencing clauses in the next contract you sign!

[Penelope]

Is there any national allotmenteers support group of any kind?

And while I'm at it, I'd like to say to the local bottlers allotmenteers that might be reading. It might be Simon Kirby, now, but you might be next, and look-out for those silencing clauses in the next contract you sign!

Like Simon I'm a Facebook newbie. But there must be someone out there who can organise this, if of course they are interested in justice.