From: Councillor Paul Murphy [cllr.p.murphy@manchester.gov.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 7:46 PM
To: Sheila Oliver
Cc: Bernstein, Russell
Subject: Re: Official complaint about Stockport Council wasting police time
Dear Ms Oliver
I acknowledge your complaint and in accordance with GMPA procedure will ask our Monitoring Officer, Russell Bernstein, to process your complaint. Thank you for contacting me Paul
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Email sent 20/04/2011 17:01
Dear Councillor Murphy
I learn with astonishment that Councillor Goddard is a member of the Police Authority. What on earth is a member of the Police Authority doing being a senior protagonist in a case which has needlessly wasted hundreds of police man hours, court time and probably hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ pounds? I have been asking him since he became Leader to sort out this problem yet he has done nothing – quite the opposite.
All Mr Parnell needs is for the Council to use some of the £600,000 it was given for such cases from the Government for counselling for his daughters adopted from Stockport Council and to stop hounding him for council tax he doesn’t owe. Even if he did, which he doesn’t, this small amount could have been written off by the Director of Finance at Stockport Council. The senior officer responsible, Peter Jones, won’t even reply, which leads me to suspect they are unable to disclose what has gone on as it doesn’t stand close scrutiny.
It is a matter of public record that the police have been called many times to council meetings at which Goddard was officiating as Leader to try have Mr Parnell arrested for such “offences” as trying to leave the meeting before the end and trying to put a public question.
If the abuse of police time continues, I shall report to you and to the press every single instance.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Sheila
