London Bangla A Force for the community…
Cllr Helal Abbas
Cllr Helal Abbas has lost his appeal against a decision that he broke the Tower Hamlets Councillors' Code of Conduct.
On 6th December 2011, the Hearings Sub-Committee of Tower Hamlets Standards Committee (the body which enforces standards of behaviour of Tower Hamlets councillors) met to consider a charge against Cllr Helal Abbas (Labour Party member for Spitalfields & Banglatown ward). The charge was that he had “failed to comply with the Code of Conduct for Members of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in that he disclosed confidential staffing information regarding a council officer to a third party in September 2010.” The Hearings Sub-Committee finding was that “Councillor Abbas’ conduct represented a failure to comply with paragraphs 3.3 (b) and 3.4 of the Code of Conduct for Members.”
The Hea
rings Sub-Committee applied four sanctions:
1. that Cllr Abbas be censured for this breach of the Code;
2. that Cllr Abbas be suspended from his office as a Councillor for one week;
3. that Cllr Abbas send a written apology to the council employee concerned;
4. that if Cllr Abbas did not send a suitable apology, he should be suspended from his office as a Councillor for a further three weeks.
Cllr Helal Abbas appealed against the decision and sanctions to the First Tier Tribunal (Local Government Standards in England). In a decision of the Tribunal dated 4th April 2012, the Tribunal upheld the decision of the Tower Hamlets Hearings Sub-Committee and the sanctions it imposed. Cllr Abbas has a right of appeal against the Tribunal's decision.
•Update: Cllr Abbas's entry on the Council's “Meet your Councillor” website page has now been updated to indicate that Cllr Abbas is suspended – http://sps2ksrv.towerhamlets.gov.uk/meetYourCouncillor/MemberDetails.aspx?ID=12.
•The decision of the First Tier Tribunal can be found on:
http://www.adjudicationpanel.tribunals.gov.uk/Public/Decisions.aspx
Unfortunately the decision by the Stds Committee was based on the fact that he was also a serving officer employed by the council and the Code of Conduct for Members was applicable because of the fact that Cllr Abbas had a protocol to abide by like all councillors. Cllr Abbas and Lutfur Rahman should both ‘sort it out in the ring’!
^ ‘ I am very happy on the judgement made and again this put Labour party in a question on what kind of people they nominate to be elected as councillors to represent the community’. Rafique you’ve surpassed yourself. That has to be the greatest line ever ! Right up there with : ‘ I did not have sexual relations with that woman’ and ‘They’ll be no white wash at the white house’. *Claps.
I am very happy on the judgement made and again this put Labour party in a question on what kind of people they nominate to be elected as councillors to represent the community. I strongly request to find people who have more interests to work for the community rather than their own interests and those who are able to represent the community with their knowledge, qualification, skills and experience.