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?

oh dear.

What I am not clear about is that given someone at the council made a mistake, what have the council have done or not done that has caused the kick-up?

The loss of some fifty grand by failing to claim on the insurance as far ax I can see. Some 'clerical error'! Just wish my boss was so nice.

Not too much staying power then, unlike the rest of them. Velcro local government.

I'm not so sure, agree with him or not, RUP's resignation was principled. Given the state of the Council we should have seen rather more.

So come 2015, will we really be asking the ruling group Councillors why they have drifted so far from their party's stated values?

There is a world of difference between stated values and actual values though isn't there! Especially with this self serving egotistical non transparent rabble.

I think it's a great shame that Ruwan has resigned - if he had stayed he could have become a focus for more new reforming councillors. Of course he could have been deselected by the Lib-Dems at the next election (he wouldn't be the first) - which would stir up local politics a bit more (always good fun). By resigning he has surrendered to the status quo - it's the best result for the ruling clique.

I think this is the problem with parties in local politics. The party, usually a couple or even one person, having all the say on who should or should not be allowed to stand for election. As for representing constituents there is very little hope in this system.

I expect he was declared as vexatious and sent to Coventry
So much for the suggesting of "joining and making changes from within" then?

Has he resigned as a Councillor, or from the Limp-Dems?

Maybe the former and will seek re-election as an Independent?

Just a second, so the council should resign because an individual made a mistake? I could understand if the council were advised to make a claim but failed as a collective to do so. Like I said, what have the council done, not an individual, that should cause a mass resignation.

Oh for some decent journalism to ask the bleedin obvious questions.

...new reforming Councillors. Nice one Blakdog!

This is the problem as I see it. The Council say there was an independent report into whether or not someone did or didn't claim on the legal expenses insurance, and that the investigation ruled that it was "human error, nothing more" - but why can't we see that investigation?

The Council are telling us there's "nothing to see, move along now", but they also told us that they couldn't publish the hydrogeological reports because of a "confidentiality agreement", so my experience tells me not to take on trust anything the Council says but always to seek independent confirmation.

So let's see that independent investigation.

I wonder if this is connected with the Chief Executive resigning a couple of months back. While I think their handling of the Crackgate has been inept (but not as inept as the WBC) I don't see why the big kick-up. If Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera has evidence the council are covering something up they aught not, then I think he should explain.

I think he has, trouble is when no one, your party, the opposition or the secretariat is willing to give or fight for acceptable answers, there is not much else to do. Yes, he could just sit it out, but having some experience of knowing just what it's like commercially sitting in meetings where everyone else is 'against' , as he's not paid, why would he want that?

Yes but it would be nice to know just who made the human error and why Councillors or officers did not notice this error a darn sight sooner?
A statement such as it was "Human Error" informs the public of absolutely nothing and fails to give confidence, especially with the trail of gaffs this rabble have made in recent past history, that there are practices in place to prevent this happening continuously.
Name the person, or persons more likely, who made the error and state why there was no checks and balances to catch errors such as one person being responsible. What responsibility are the rest of the council going to take for this "Human Error"?
Why does everything this council gets involved with have to be carried out with a cloak of secrecy draped over it? Have they never heard the word transparency only vexatious?

When asked if the investigation could be made public the Councillor replied "no no no yes"
Talk about a farcical organisation the sooner we get rid of the lot of them the better!

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:



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.

For a stranger to Newbury reading this they would probably assume it was originated in the dark recesses of a building fronting on the Red Square in Moscow rather than a very small market town in WB!

How any of the rabble are able to walk through Newbury without hanging their head in shame beggars belief. To just add insult they blithely declare the loss of £80000 as just human error! Yes human error that was then covered up in the usual NTC way for a very long time. When will these fiasco's all end? Why is there no public outcry? Is it because people have tried to complain in the past and have been treated in the same manner as Simon and others? It really requires a proper independent investigation as to what is actually going on with this rabble now and we need answers to all the outstanding issues that have been accumulating such as Parkway, Parkgate etc.

I agree, matters are serious, and the council so bunkered and unaccountable, that an independent enquiry is necessary. The Council itself will obviously not consent to this, so someone with standing needs to get involved and demand one. That doesn't imply any guilt or fault, but there are enough questions now needing answers with the Town Council clearly unwilling to engage with any of those questions, that an independent inquiry has to be called. And more than that, of the individuals in West Berkshire with the standing to demand an independent inquiry, those who remain silent condone the abuse and are as much part of the problem as the Council itself.

Anyone considered complaint to_

http://www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint/w...we-can-look-at/?

Unfortunately town and parish councils are not within the scope of the local government ombudsman. It would possibly help if they were, but the LGO is a particularly weak and feeble institution peopled by ex-council officers and as such it has a tremendous establishment bias.

Individual councillors can be reported to the Standards Committee of their primary council if they have broken the code of conduct, but that can't address the decisions and actions of the council itself and it is also ineffectual and self-serving.

My feeling is that town and parish councils should be accountable the Ombudsman and decisions of that ombudsman should be appeal-able to a legal tribunal. As things stand the ordinary citizen has no practical means of holding their town or parish council to account or seeking redress. If you're fabulously wealthy you can appeal a decision of a town or parish council to a judicial review which will judge the decision against established standards of sanity and probity but that's hardly an option for most of us.

A duty of care? I'm not sure it is necessary to humiliate someone and nor do I think it would make any difference.


Agreed. The NTC have not proven to me there is a CA. Sadly, even when it was investigated the ICO didn't seem to recognise what constitutes an agreement either.

Looking at the survey results, I think I can spot the leader of the council's responses!

"We consider the matter settled" states Deputy Leader of Newbury Town Council.

I am not so sure that the public will consider this matter "settled" for the pertinent questions have still to be answered, by Newbury Town Council as to why this "human error" was kept under wraps for four years, and who else was involved or otherwise knew?

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Former Councillor

I don't know.

It's easy enough to forget to send off a form, but a professional business organises itself so that this kind of error is less easily made. This was a reasonably significant matter for the Council and I would expect as a minimum for there to be a series of business meetings with the appropriate officers and councillors present to formulate responses and review actions. People can forget stuff, and that's why you minute and review, so it's not so much that someone forgot to fill in a form, but that the council may conceivably be managed so chaotically that such an error wasn't picked up.

We elect our councillors to ensure that the business of the council is managed efficiently, and it manifestly is not, so it's only fair to expect to know how exactly the error happened, even if we don't know who exactly. The "who" is relatively unimportant, as long as we know that it won't happen again.

However, the more troubling aspect of this snafu is that it was hidden from the tax-paying public for four years and a grudging acknowledgement of the failing was only made after the councillor who blew the whistle resigned in protest at what he says was a "cover-up". In point of fact the Council have still not published a public acknowledgement of the failing or an explanation for how it happened, and Cllr Allen just wants us to take on trust that it was "human error" and let the matter drop. Now the Council can be effusive in the public explanation when it suits them - take this one for example - and I suggest this business also needs a fulsome explanation.

Ah yes, Deputy Leader Smee.

Ruwan - are you going to apply for an allotment now?

So when exactly did this investigation take place? Was it recently or did they investigate four years ago and not bother to inform the precept payers until recently?
Who carried out the investigation? Will we be able to see the results of the investigation?

How can this rabble keep making these gaffs and still keep carrying on as though it were just the Mayor breaking wind again and nobody trying to notice?

If it were not the fact that it is costing precept payers each time one of their gaffs occur it would be laughable. Yet they declare one precept payer vexatious for asking too many questions that they did not want to answer and explained it was costing taxpayers a lot of money in having to supply answers so what punishment should we place on this rabble for costing us £80000 and that is just this gaff let alone the rest over recent years!

Ah, I now understand a little more: the council sat on this until it was revealed. So the real question is did the council 'sit on it'?

I admire Ruwan. I never vote for the Liberal Demagogues but I am glad to see somebody in office had some probity and honesty...qualities obviously lacking with many elected officials in West Berks!

So RUP, what's next for you?

I'm still wondering.... Why resign as a Councillor? Why not just continue as an Independent?

Would you like to be known for having any association with this bunch of misfits?
He would only be blamed for propping up a long discredited council and why stay when you know full well they it is a closed shop unless you are part of the private club?

Couldn't agree more! What is also very concerning is the deafening silence of the opposition and yet both parties still pretend there is no coalition locally.

Afraid it is just one charade.......it is a private club run for the benefit of the few!

It's like Cognosco says, you either resign or sell-out.

Should we factor in the fiasco with last year's Christmas market freebie?.

Maybe they've done a deal! Conservatives don't highlight Lib Dem incompetence at NTC in not claiming insurance. Lib Dems don't highlight Conservatives at WBC involvement in not realising that allowing Parkway construction to massively reducing the water table will cause problems.

Two bunches of Feckwits protected - public fleeced as normal - All OK

The online paper states:

"NEWBURY Town Council has been accused of failing to disclose the loss of public money, and of failing to uphold the basic principles of public office

Its former deputy leader Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera (pictured right) made the claims in a letter of resignation last week.

An independent investigation was launched by the town council after Mr Uduwerage-Perera whistleblew that it may have missed out on the chance to claim back up to £50,000 of its legal expenses in its ongoing dispute with Parkway developer Costain.

The council this week admitted it failed to trigger a legal expenses claim with an insurance company for years ago and put the fault down to ‘human error’"

The £50,000 figure is a bit of a 'red herring' , for the maximum claim for legal costs was as far as I was aware, potentially considerably greater than this figure.

Personally I feel that there should be a genuinely independent investigation into this matter for the residents of Newbury deserve to know the truth.

As for my political future, well having been 'sent to Coventry' (which I am sure is very pleasant, but not overly convenient), I will doggedly continue to support the Liberal Democrat Party, Regionally and Nationally in promoting a 'social liberal' agenda, for I am a social liberal to the core.

I urge everyone to please not to give up on politics, but to do demand more of their elected representatives, for this matter has nothing to do with Party politics, but attempting to cover up the ineptitude of some.

There are a significant number of Newbury Town Councillors who are committed to supporting the public, but alas they have been 'treated as mushrooms' by a few who retain the real power. One never knows, perhaps the Councillors themselves will demand an inquiry?

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Former Councillor

I think for this to be a story there has to be an element of deliberately keeping the information hidden, or perhaps evidence of a failure to respond to advice given at the time it would have been advantageous. It would be much worse if the 'clerical error' was contrived, then we would have a story.

Here is the core of the problem - the lack of democracy within the council itself. The same problem permeates throughout our political system.

Well they always seem to keep quite until they are found out, apart from that incompetence and wasting public money is a story.

When our local councils issue a press release of their own accord, and not because someone else is about to "spill the beans", will the public be able to believe they are really learning from their mistakes and being open and honest with the electorate.

I believe there is a major problem with our NTC. There is not a shred of transparency to be found. The continuous, at best lack of acumen, gaffs that are being made. The then continuous underhand efforts to not allow the public to find out about these gaffs. Is it any wonder that they like to declare anyone, who persists with difficult questions when answers are not forthcoming, vexatious.
It means that all trust in the NTC is now at rock bottom and they have brought an organisation that should be held with a high regard into total disrepute. It is not only the large amounts of precept payers cash that they have wasted, though this is important, it is the fact of not being open and transparent not only with this latest gaff but all the others in recent history.
They should all follow the respected decision of RUP, after being unable to persuade them to amend there unethical ways, and do the only decent thing that has ever been done by the rabble and all tender their resignations immediately.

In all seriousness, I agree. There is no rehabilitating this council. Resign.

We now appear to have been visited by a second councillor.

Seems to me RUP is implying loyalty to Party is more important than loyalty to constituents. He was elected to serve his community. Many of those who voted will have voted for the person, not the Party. By staying as a Councillor he could have continued to serve. Now there will be an election and he will be replaced by another party loyalist.....

By resigning he is saying he cannot be a part of what he sees as a 'broken' council. I'm not sure resigning was a great idea, but now he avoids censure!

Sad to see RUP step down... I think it's time for a fully blown investigation into the conduct of officers and the leadership at Newbury Town Council. So much money has been wasted, and quite possibly any chance of getting what was owed and helping those residents / businesses who were affected is now gone.

Julian Swift-Hook and David Allen should be the first to resign over this.

I am saying that 'Principles' are more important, I for one do not blindly or silently support anything or anyone that does not demonstrate ethical principles, and sometimes there is a need to simply step aside, when it is apparent that the battle cannot be won from within.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera

Former Councillor