Corruption In Brent Council (No. 2)

EDM number 164 in 1995-96, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 05/12/1995.

That this House notes that the Owen report into corruption in Brent Council records that Councillor Buckley began his affair with Ruth Jackson, director of the Ad Shop, in October 1993 and reported this to the then Chief Executive of Brent Council, Charles Wood, in November 1993; calls on Charles Wood to explain if he reported this to the Leader of the Council and, if not, why not; further calls on him to reveal if he advised Buckley that he should not chair meetings of the Brent Business Board, which was responsible for the Ad Shop and if not why not; notes that 13 officers have been made redundant following the Ad Shop losses but that Buckley intervened to pressure council officer John Walker, now on sick leave, to increase Jackson's redundancy payment by ú6,700; asks the District Auditor to investigate the legality of this payoff; calls on Councillor Blackman to explain why he supported it; is concerned that the report reveals the drive to privatise Brent Council into 170 separate business units was flawed by 'the failure ... to implement a sound infrastructure in support of the business units from inception, coupled to an almost total lack of positive or effective monitoring'; and that this 'was the primary cause of the Ad Shop's demise and subsequent closure'; calls on Brent to reverse this ill-thought out, ideological reorganisation; and calls on Councillor Buckley to resign immediately from the Council and, if he refuses to do so, at least hopes he will publicly declare his interest in this matter and not vote on the issue.

This motion has been signed by a total of 6 MPs.