Standards Board confirms - New Labour's allegations are unsubstantiated
I have commented several times on this forum about the unsubstantiated nature of a host of allegations directed against myself, the Community Group and the administration at the London Borough of Hounslow by the local New Labour Party, usually through the offices of its former Bedfont councillor and Executive member David Hughes.Anybody who has followed the progress of these unsubstantiated allegations, or has been unsuccessful when requesting evidence with which to support them, might be interested to read the following remarks, received by me this morning from the Standards Board for England:"The Standards Board for England recently received a complaint from Mr. David Hughes concerning the alleged conduct of Councillor Phil Andrews of the London Borough of Hounslow. Officers conducted an assessment and decided not to refer the complaint for investigation. The following summarises the general nature of the allegation:"The complainant alleged that on a number of occasions Councillor Andrews has threatened staff who he thinks are Labour Party members. It is reported that following the announcement of job cuts, Councillor Andrews used his position as an executive member on www.brentfordtw8.com to target officers who may be left wing (PA's note: Mr. Hughes evidently confuses membership of the New Labour Party with being "left wing", a connection which I have never made). It is further alleged that 'any employment with Hounslow Council is being vetted for political alliance (sic)' by another member. The complainant contends that there is more evidence of this activity on Councillor Andrews' website when he allegedly bullied the housing director and his assistant who have since left the council."The complainant has provided a copy of two forum messages in support of his complaint."It is noted the the complainant and Councillor Andrews have different political views given their frank exchange of words over the internet (PA's note: I personally would content that differences between David's views and my own are largely organisational rather than political). However, there is no information to support the view that Councillor Andrews has reportedly threatened council staff in the way that the complainant alleges. Generally speaking the Standards Board for England does not refer allegations for investigation unless there is more information on which to base a referral than supposition on the part of the complainant."The Standards Board for England has decided that the allegation should not be referred to an ethical standards officer for investigation. Having taken account of the available information we do not believe that a potential breach of the Code of Conduct is disclosed."
Phil Andrews ● 6434d10 Comments