More square pegs in round holes damaging Prudhoe?

 

The damage being done to the Conservative Party in Northumberland through the series of investigations into the standards expected from democratically elected representatives and the regular and ever ongoing changes required at the top level of the Tory Party at County Hall to cover for those lost through bullying and intimidation of both Council Officers and other councillors appears to be unique in local government, although it does mirror the sleaze antics of the Conservatives in Government.

A number of those enforced changes at the County Council have thrown up completely inadequate people, but the most recent shows that the Council's leadership duo of Councillors Sanderson and top regional Tory, Councillor Wearmouth have taken no notice of the needs of residents, and those needs are quite simple, that of having councillors who can deliver for the people without their own hangups and personalities getting in the way of progress. From their most recent debacle we can assume that no vetting of Councillors has taken place before they brought in the latest and arguably most unfit person to help manage the portfolio for community services. 

From information openly available on public websites the replacement for the allegedly bullied Councillor Dunbar has been named by the Leadership team based at Morpeth as Councillor Gordon Stewart.

What makes us believe he is unsuitable?

Last week those of us who watch Council committee videos noticed that at the West Area local committee, Councillor Stewart made a big thing of praising the County Council's youth service employees from Prudhoe in a manner befitting someone in love with the service newly under his control. Yet the day after his slobbering two faced statements information was passed out to staff that the County Council believes enough voluntary provision for youth was available in Prudhoe and the service under his control was being disbanded.

Following the release of the information to abandon young people in need from Prudhoe, passing them to the four winds in an area of high social deprivation combined with an underlying low wage structure, the release of information on social media has shown the decision was made by Councillor Stewart in conjunction with Councillor Renner-Thompson prior to the meeting of the aforesaid Area Committee taking place and letters had been issued to a number of people citing councillors Stewart and Renner-Thompson as the culprits for change illustrating in our eyes how unsuitable or is that unethical he is?.

The other role Councillor Stewart has picked up is the heady responsibility of community safety and that is where vetting would have really shown the Conservative leadership pair why they should have had their new incumbent vetted prior to making and supporting a proposal to move him up the ranks and be responsible for community safety and therefore liaison with the Police.

A simple viewing via the Internet would have exposed Councillor Stewart's former life as a cop and his membership of a group who tried to drag the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police through the courts. The case was lost and cost Councillor Stewart thousands.

The case is openly available and shows why the Leader of Northumberland County Council and his team should not only reconsider youth provision in Prudhoe but also the responsibilities endowed onto Councillor Stewart as the remarks exposed in his lawsuit appear to sit well outside the Nolan principles to which County Councillors should always operate. 

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/six-police-officers-lose-bullying-1421598

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/uk/5a8ff7e260d03e7f57eb29de

So our message to the Leadership at County Hall is, following your recent press release to ditch joint working with the Mayoralty of North of Tyne and therefore ruin opportunities for regional devolution, 'why do you not care at all about the needs of families, youth's and the wider cooperation of people who need to have their communities voices heard at a democratically elected senior level and their messages relayed to the Police without the possibility of undeclared personal interests clouding matters on the public's behalf?'