The Countdown has Begun

Readers will recall that, over a year ago, Cllr Terry Paul and the mayor had something of a contre temps.

In short, at a meeting of the Budget Working Commission, Cllr Paul questioned the mayor on her budget plans. Mayor Fiaz felt “unsafe” when being questioned. Fiaz accused Paul of racism and misogyny. Paul accused Fiaz of bullying.

We are aware that the investigation has interviewed a number of witnesses and these have included former staff members. 

We see that there is at last a meeting of the Standards Advisory Committee. It is now 13 months since the incident and at last the Committee will be asked to consider the report.

From the agenda:

However, before you get too excited, this is what the papers contain.

It’s hardly government in the sunshine, more like government under a shroud. The main purpose of the Standards Committee is to act as a check on elected representatives. This censorship suggests that transparency takes a poor second place to an attempt to ensure that the dirty linen is kept well out of sight.  Ultimately, this approach to a report on a petty squabble between two politicians invites accusations that there is something to hide.

Just what is it?

The murmurings from the Fourth Floor suggest that Fiaz is feeling acutely uneasy at the prospect of revealing the nature of her relationships with colleagues and staff, (they’re bad we’re told). If true, that would explain the reticence with regard to publication of the papers.

Will the parties be allowed to talk about the report? Will members or the public ever be able to see it?

Keeping it quiet will invite speculation, and we’ll be happy to oblige.