Labour and Tories in new Chief Exec scandal

East London News:  We understand that the confidential part of the Council agenda on 16th May ended in uproar, with the police being called in to investigate threats of violence being made by a councillor on the Labour benches against an Independent Councillor – and the Conservative Group uniting with most of the Labour Group to veto the appointment of the sole candidate left in the race (current Acting Chief Executive Aman Dalvi) as Chief Executive.

Whereas party political groups can insist that their members obey the “Whip” (the majority vote in that group) on most political issues, matters such as appointments are, like planning applications, done in accordance with the law, and no party political whip can be exercised.  The refusal to appoint Mr Dalvi therefore leaves those councillors who voted against it having to come up with reasons for their vote which will withstand legal scrutiny – or face being surcharged if Mr Dalvi takes legal action against the Council for its failure to adopt a fair appointment process.  No good reasons were advanced in the meeting, so there will be some anxious councillors trying to sleep tonight as they weigh up how much of their savings are now under threat.

We previously reported on the strange goings on at the Council’s Appointments Sub Committee over the appointment of a new Chief Executive (see http://www.eastlondonnews.com/why-did-labour-veto-appointment-of-asian-chief-exec).  Two potential candidates were interviewed, but one withdrew after the interviews, leaving current Acting Chief Executive Aman Dalvi as the only candidate in the frame.  The full Council had previously appointed Mr Dalvi to the “acting” role, so it is extremely hard to see what sudden justification there could be for declaring him un-appointable to the permanent position.

It is hard to find an explanation for these events other than that Labour and the Conservatives are just playing party political games.  Labour Leader Joshua Peck had absented himself from the Committee: no public reasons have been given for this, but the inference has to be that he has somehow prejudiced his right to play a part in the appointment process by revealing some prior bias or interest.  This was confirmed at full Council, as Cllr Peck left the meeting again.  The two Labour representatives, Deputy Leader Motin Uz-Zaman and Housing Spokesperson Judith Gardiner, appear to have vetoed Dalvi’s appointment at the sub-committee.  Cllr Gardiner has been heard explaining to colleagues that she was somewhat disappointed by Mr Dalvi’s comments on the Borough’s anti-obesity strategy: however it is inconceivable that this could, on its own, be sufficient to veto an appointment and presumably she must have given some further justifications to her Labour colleagues in private.  Suspicions that this is all a matter of party political games were strengthened when Labour attempted to suggest alternative senior officers – who hadn’t even applied for the job – be appointed.  Mr Dalvi’s lawyers must be looking in the index of their law books for “open and shut cases”.

Tower Hamlets could have emerged from the Council meeting on 16th May with a new Chief Executive, even if he wasn’t an expert on anti-obesity strategies, and even if the Council had had to recommend to the Mayor that this failing be addressed.  What has happened is that the Borough has emerged into chaos – just before the Olympics, when we really need a strong leadership team in Mulberry Place.  Is there nothing that Labour and the Tories won’t stoop to doing to destablise the Mayor’s Administration, no matter what the cost to the voters of Tower Hamlets?