Forum Topic

Jason Ellar - Labour Conucillor in absentia

Does he ever turn up to any meetings? Is he claiming allowances?

Chris Broadbent ● 4319d33 Comments

"David Hughes Alan barber John cooper haven't turned up for the last 3 area meetings and last night made 4"Its the  inherent culture of the party though isn't it?  Once elected, take a back seat or do a runner. Your allowances will continue to be paid into your bank account no matter what you do. Or if you go to Uni - you won't need to take student loan.

Steve Taylor ● 4314d

As I said in my earlier post David Hughes Alan barber John cooper haven't turned up for the last 3 area meetings and last night made 4

Gill Hutchison ● 4316d

The Labour members would have been out canvassing, and would have deemed this to have been more useful to them than attending this meeting.One thing their absence tells us is how unimportant and trivial Labour deems the Area Forums to be.  Time was when we had Area Committees which took important decisions and when that was the case attendance by Labour councillors was comparable to that of others. Now the present centralist Labour administration, supported if I remember correctly by the Conservative opposition, has abolished the Area Committees for a "cost saving" (a justification always guaranteed to get the Tories on board), and what remains is effectively a charade enacted every so often for the benefit of appearances.The time for the Tories to have been striking postures of indignation was back then when they could have done something about it, not now when there is an election approaching.

Phil Andrews ● 4316d

Sounds appalling John. Also notable by its absence is the report on this site detailing Mcleod's support of Maria Miller.

Ian Speed ● 4316d

“No show” by Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth Labour CouncillorsAt the final meeting of the Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth Area Forum on 10th April in Feltham Library, members of the public were outraged to witness no Labour Councillors in attendance from the West Area.    “Absent” Labour Councillors (LtoR): Sachin Gupta, Tom Bruce, John Cooper, David Hughes and Alan BarberLabour Councillors whom should have been there were as follows: • The Mayor of Hounslow Councillor Sachin Gupta who is a Bedfont Labour Councillor, as is the Education Lead Member Councillor Tom Bruce, • Councillor John Cooper of Feltham West as well Councillors David Hughes and Alan Barber of Hanworth (all three were also absent from the 13th March West Area Meeting) This comes just weeks before the Hounslow Council Elections and Conservative Councillor Paul Jabbal said in response:“This is an utter disgrace and an absolute dereliction of duty. More importantly, this non attendance by the entire Labour Councillors at an important Area Forum shows contempt for the voters.”The Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth Area Forum meets approximately six times a year and is where locally elected Councillors from the above mentioned areas get together to discuss issues of local importance, such as planning and funding important projects. It is also an ideal medium for residents to raise concerns to the local representatives. Vice Chair of the Forum Conservative Councillor Liz Mammatt added: “This is an important forum for residents and Councillors to hear each other’s views and pick up on issues which may have been missed or should be dealt with. Often residents give up their time in the evening to see the meeting but with a “no show” by Labour Councillors tonight, residents now know that a vote for Labour on 22nd May is a wasted vote.”

John Todd ● 4316d

She has been huge disappointment. A good constituency MP is what we need here. Not any better than her  predecessor who became consumed by ego,power and greed.We need an MP prepared to defend the residents and communities here who are almost under seige from so many fronts and a council that consistently fails from it's inherent problems with school playground politics and corruption.When one compares with Steve Pound and Angie Bray, Ms Macleod is in the junior little league and clearly out of her depth on too many issues and only tackling easy issues for press releases.Seema Malhotra is another poor performing MP who only picks and chooses easy issues and evades problems which cause many problems with the everyday lives of her constituents.One can only hope that Ruth Cadbury takes on board the way in which both these MPs have failed their constituents and electorate and commits to being a good local constituency MP.Some of the best parliamentarians are those who remain focused on their constituencies and not on the perks, and temptations of power.They are becoming too few and what is needed now is a complete overhaul of the political system from top right down to grass roots.

Raymond Havelock ● 4316d

"We have an MP who seems to be all but useless for her constituents and has her eyes firmly on career climbing in the commons."Its such a shame that Ms Macleod was given every opportunity to change things for the better for her constituents and after such a short time the corridors of Westminster have overwhelmed her and she has lost touch with reality and is oblivious to the opinions of the constituents she represents.First she stabs her constituents in the back by endorsing the expansion of Mogden slap bang in the middle of Hounslow & Richmond boroughs and then she officially opens the site as a buddy of Thames Water who had just been found guilty on 18 counts of mismanagement and negligence at the site. And then she thinks it appropriate to attack the press for reporting on the expenses scandal of Maria Millar.  All this while thousands of her constituents are struggling to make ends meet. This is definitely a woman who cares not a jot about  her constituents and public opinion at large.

Steve Taylor ● 4317d

"If you have true beliefs and convictions you would stand as an independent or in an Independent Group (or the Greens I guess)"Shame they can't stand on their own two feet and influence the circle making the decisions.  Shame the circle around the leader seems to have such a narrow field of vision.

Sarah Felstead ● 4317d

"I always thought, shows how daft I am, that politics was, or at least should be, a matter of conviction and belief."It used to be but these days if you are to represent a main party you have to tow the party line and do as you are told. Therefore sit back, do little, and watch your bank balance grow for doing very little r.g Ellar Jnr.If you have true beliefs and convictions you would stand as an independent or in an Independent Group (or the Greens I guess)

Steve Taylor ● 4317d

I think you need to understand the 'power' individual councillors actually have in the great scheme of things. Sometimes you feel as if you are trying to push a double decker bus through jelly, in an effort to do things. You are also part of a larger group of people with competing priorities, and of course ever decreasing budgets. None of that thought should get in the way of dealing with local issues, and I am thinking about the famous roundabout saga and also the Public Hall nonsense. I really do think the cabinet model in local government has affected the way councillors conduct business, and I think it does exclude rather than give everyone a proper chance to get involved.

Vanessa Smith ● 4317d

All very disturbing.We have an MP who seems to be all but useless for her constituents and has her eyes firmly on career climbing in the commons. Only a first termer but not really achieved anything of note for her constituents.She's good at mouthing off about issues she is clearly out of her depth on. Not too good at tackling local issues and getting a result.The A2Dominon debacle is one example where both her and her neighbouring MPs have simply dropped what I understand is a red hot potato.As for our ward councillors, well our local ones do have one thing going for them.They do turn up to meetings, they do participate.It's just they make some dreadful policies and decisions and conduct things in a rather poor way. None have done much to be proud of. Which is a shame as one or two showed a lot of promise once.Is it the power or the party politics that corrupts and consumes?

Anthony Waller ● 4317d

Mary Macleod accused complainants about Maria Miller of conducting a witch-hunt...

Ian Speed ● 4318d

I'm afraid I haven't a clue, I left the party some years ago, but in my time no-one seemed to want to soil their hands by facing up to this sort of thing. If you keep sweeping things under the carpet sooner or later that pile of old cr*p becomes a bloomin' great heap and tends to start tripping people up.

Vanessa Smith ● 4318d

Vanessa you paint a truly shocking picture are these behaviours part of the reason why certain labour constituency parties in the borough were placed under special measures? Are they still under special measures - has it made any difference?

Chris Broadbent ● 4318d

Absolutely, and that was a point I had intended to make but omitted to do so.  How can somebody oppose Tory austerity and benefit cuts with deep conviction, for example, and support Labour austerity and benefit cuts with equal sincerity?

Phil Andrews ● 4318d

I had several complaints made to me about certain councillors charging residents for taking up their problems and signing documents. One lady from Cranford contacted me  about a planning issue as she had been told it would cost her for it to be taken up by her local councillor. I dealt with it for her but advised she must make an official complaint to the Leader of the Council and/or the Borough Solicitor, she point blank refused as she would be ostracised by her local community, that's the way the business is done in some areas. It is wrong, unacceptable, unfair and corrupt, but when others are prepared to turn a blind eye to get the votes they want internally then you are stuffed. When I think of the way some of us got treated because we wouldn't play games it makes me sick. However, I am a great believer in pigeons coming home to roost, some have already and I am sure there are more to come. The damage these people do to politics and the feeble response by the parties doesn't fill you with any confidence. It will need it to get to Tower Hamlets proportions before someone wakes up and smells the rotting flesh, but by then it's too bloody late.

Vanessa Smith ● 4318d

"it seems almost like league football now where people who want to be councillors flit seamlessly from one to the other depending upon where the best deal is on offer."The reason it is so seamless is simply because, despite the pretend "tribalism" of the three main parties, in actual fact there isn't so much as a fag paper's thickness between them.

Mick Brent ● 4318d

Even better, I'll  only charge a pint of cider in the Magpie.

Neil Chippendale ● 4318d

Yes I saw that Vanessa and I agree that for some being a councillor seems to be a status ego tripThere are many rumours of councillors especially in the West of the Borough taking advantage of their position by "charging" £80 residents to verify passport applications for example and expecting free meals in certain restaurantsIf there was a policy of UKIP that I would agree with it would be their councillor voter recall idea

Paul Fisher ● 4318d

There seems to be more of this happening these days.  Anybody is entitled to change their mind, and goodness knows I changed mine, but it seems almost like league football now where people who want to be councillors flit seamlessly from one to the other depending upon where the best deal is on offer.During our administration there was one councillor who went during the space of a few weeks from being a Lib Dem to an independent to a Tory, freely announcing as he did so that he wasn't really much of a Tory but that he felt it offered him the best vehicle through which to promote himself.I know of one current Labour candidate who had indicated his intention to offer his services to a party some considerable way across the "political spectrum" had he not been selected for the ward he is now contesting.

Phil Andrews ● 4318d

'I'll join any party that fancies me'That might just be the problem. The woman who went out and shouted at the rioters in Hackney was on 'The Daily Politics' show the other day, she is now trying to get a position in the hierarchy of the Lib Dems, because they courted her more assiduously that any other party. I always thought, shows how daft I am, that politics was, or at least should be, a matter of conviction and belief. Thinking that this looks a jolly good wheeze to get a  living and earn few bob and get your name in the press seems to me to be entirely the wrong reason.

Vanessa Smith ● 4318d

Can I be elected a Cllr and live in OZ. I can use the net/email to do the job. I wouldn't mind x grand a year. Any taker. I'll join any party that fancies me.

Neil Chippendale ● 4318d

On the subject of related councillors (and both Paul and I have in the past been part of such a set up, although please be assured each councillor has stood on their merits), an article on the front page of the Chiswick W4 site confirms that one of the Chiswick Labour candidates is the daughter of two Isleworth Conservative candidates who would appear to have been "loaned" to the Tories by the Labour Party of which they were at least until very recently still members, and possibly still are.This will certainly be very interesting in the unlikely event that Labour triumphs in the Chiswick ward and the even more unlikely event that the Conservatives win in Isleworth.

Phil Andrews ● 4318d

Cllr Ellar jnr despite attending possibly the least meetings in four years of any councillor since the formation of Hounslow Council has accepted the sum of just under £10,000 a year plus he also took an allowance of just over £1000 a year for his time as the Labour Chief Whip !Some still try and justify this though

Paul Fisher ● 4318d

Raymond, if you've never heard of such a thing you've led a sheltered life.  During the 2006-2010 council we had a Conservative councillor living in Spain and a Labour councillor living in Pakistan, still drawing allowances.Today we still have a Hanworth Conservative councillor who has lived in Mansfield for the last three years and another is believed to reside in the West Country.  Experience tells me that the fact Labour have chosen to make nothing of this suggests they probably have at least one of their own in a similar situation.

Phil Andrews ● 4318d

£45,000 does seem to be excessive. What would be interesting is that given the number of councillors that seem to be relate to one another (for example the Ellars, Grewalls and Dhillons etc) would be the amount of council tax payers money that they are claiming on a per family basis.

Chris Broadbent ● 4318d

I've never heard of such a thing? Is this some sort of April Fool?How can an absent Councillor be claiming any sort of expenses? Let alone one who is under 21 and a student?What a bunch of crooked spivs.Do the press or indeed the police know about this?  Or is it a wind up?I find it quite unbelievable.

Raymond Havelock ● 4318d

Failed to attend both meetings in summer 2012 when he was on long vac from uni, what's more - that's just taking the piss.

Ian Speed ● 4319d

He could have done the honorable thing and resigned when he realised that he could not carry out his duties as a councillor to the full. I don't think his dad would have been too keen on a by-election though.

Andrew Sibley ● 4319d

How can a student barely out of nappies be claiming £45,000 as a local councillor?Is that true? Utterly scandalous and if not criminal, morally reprehensible.Interesting the comparison to all those graduates and undergraduates who do internships for minimum expenses. Not right either.

Anthony Waller ● 4319d

The data athttp://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgAttendance.aspx?UID=1914suggests that he has only made one meeting out of five in the period 15th October to 9th April - but he usually sends his apologies.

Tim Henderson ● 4319d

David Hughes labour cllr not attended last 3 area committee Alan barber labour cllr not attended the last 3 area committee  John cooper labour cllr not attended the last 3 area committee.  There seams to be a pattern hear  David Hughes and Alan barber are suppose to represent the residents of hanworth  been let down big time by labour

Gill Hutchison ● 4319d

To be fair he has only claimed about £45,000 over the last four years while a full time student at Oxford and does attend about four meetings a year back here in Hounslow !

Paul Fisher ● 4319d