Coun. Farnell: 'No interference from politicians'

ON ROCHDALE online on the 8th, June 2014, it was reported that an 'independent inquiry (under Neil Garnham QC) into the role of Rochdale Council is due to report at the end of July.'

That was the inquiry that last week Rochdale Council has just binned or otherwise disposed of by merging into the overarching Goddard inquiry, that Lord Justice Wolf in yesterday's Sunday Mail said has become so unwieldy that he feared it may  undermine the British justice system:  the Goddard inquiry is expected to take five years in its perambulations and then more time before it is published.

When the local independent inquiry of Neil Garnham QC  was set up in 2014, the Rochdale Council leader, Richard Farnell, stoutly declared:   

'Until such time as the Review is finalised I am legally advised that, as Leader of the Council, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further [and that] the review is very important to the Council and Rochdale and the Inquiry should be allowed to get on with its job without interference from politicians'

It was noticeable that Council Farnell last week left it to his deputy to announce that this local review by Neil Garnham had been now sidelined and swallowed up by the seemingly eternal Goddard inquiry.