Rochdale Labour Party Boss Jumps Ship!

Faced with a no-confidence motion Councillor Farnell resigns
WORKERS at Rochdale MBC have been betting on when Richard Farnell would step down ever since he made a fool of himself at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, last October.  With each week they have been disappointed, but next Wednesday at a full Rochdale council meeting he was facing a motion of no-confidence tabled by Councillor Andy Kelly, the leader of the Lib Dems.  The motion stated:  “This council has no confidence in the leader of the council and calls for him to step down and resign his position until such time that the findings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) are made public.”

 
The Lib Dem motion follows the resignation of the secretary of the Rochdale Constituency Labour Party who protested at the party’s handling of the scandal.

The findings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse are expected to be published before April.
 
Councillor Farnell e-mailed fellow councillors claiming he stepped down to prevent causing 'disunity.':

'Following the evidence to the child abuse inquiry there's been a persistent campaign from a small minority of members in the party calling for my suspension in an attempt to undermine my leadership and cause disunity in the party and group,'

In his letter to councillors, he blamed a ‘small minority’ of Labour members for ‘undermining’ his leadership ever since the Child Sex Abuse hearing.#

His resignation is immediately effective and his responsibilities will now be taken over by the council’s two deputy leaders, Allen Brett and Donna Martin, until a replacement is chosen.

 
In an agonising cross-examination at the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, Farnell continually denied ever having known about abuse in Knowl View boys’ school when he was last leader during the early 1990s - and placed the blame firmly on senior officers.

In the summing-up at the end of the Child Sex Abuse Inquiry it was concluded that it was ‘inconceivable’ that Coun Farnell had been unaware of the scandal.

Farnell's evidence was quickly condemned by the solicitorr acting on behalf of victims and since then four Labour branches in Rochdale have passed motions of no-confidence against him.

However, the Labour Party’s standard response has been that it must wait until the inquiry reports back next April until a decision was made on Councillor Farnell’s future in his role. Until now, the leader had appeared to be keen to hang on to power at least until next April.  The healthy stipend.he is on must have been tempting.

Inconvenient Questions at Rochdale Township!

GREEN Party activist, Daniel Clayton in a letter in this Wednesday's Rochdale Observer challenges the process and working of last Wednesday's Rochdale Township Committee.  Mr. Clayton, who was present at the Township Committee to hear a response to his query which we set out below:
'It was reported on 14 March 2016 that the Labour Group wanted to adopt a policy promoted by the local Green Party to create additional allotments in Rochdale.  How many allotments have been created over the 12 months since then?'
The Chair described Clayton's question as 'too politically motivated'.
How extraordinary!
The Chair told Mr. Clayton, that his question was tardy and hence, as Private Eye might say 'Reply came there none!', but he then promised that a written response would be forthcoming.
It now seems that in truth the question from the Green Mr. Clayton had been in fact been received in good time but that it had been forwarded to the Environment Dept., and seeming lost in the Council machine.
The Chairman was much kinder to one of his council colleagues, Allen Brett who got pride of place with the questioning allowing him to use the Township as a platform to ask his own question about when the Metro tram would be able access the town centre again after the recent upset caused owing to the long-neglected buildings on Drake Street?  Councillor Brett, it seems, is anxious to prove his worth since he moved to represent a ward nearer the town centre.

Answer to Councillor Cecile Biant in Fly-Tip Row

from Mick Coats:

JUST a few thoughts on Cllr Biants email to you:
First and foremost, the reply to my request for information has not been properly answered.
My original email was sent at the beginning of February, seven weeks ago.  That's a long holiday.
I never said, sorry 'proclaimed' that I was an expert. What I said was that Save Spodden Valley (SSV) have access to international experts.
Incidentally, untill my recent retirement I was a Chartered Member of the Institute of Safety and Health (CMIOSH) with my own health and safety company. You say that you are
'Familiar with (my) employment over many years' - what does that mean?
The piles of rubbish have littered the site for over 6 months and it is not possible to ascertain whether they are a threat to public health without due examination. What does 'mainly inert' mean in this context? 'Mainly' is not reassuring!
I am surprised at your description of councillors - Cllr Farnell, Cllr Brett, 'positive, knowledgeable, friendly, relaxed, and diligent.' Really?
Which (and who's) emails are 'hell-bent on nastiness or self indulgence'?  Examples please.  With regard to councillors, you say -
'Most (not all, name the ones who haven't) of us have a great deal of common sense, wisdom and experience'.
So why do you want to see 250 houses built on a highly contaminated site?
More substance, openness and cooperation would benefit resolution of the problems of this highly contaminated site which has been responsible for blighting, and ending, the lives of so many residents of Rochdale.

Morning Star interviews Danczuk's former Mistress

TODAY the editor of the Morning Star, Ben Chacko, defended an interview the paper did last Saturday with Labour councillor Claire Hamilton, the former partner of Simon Danczuk..  Mr. Chacko wrote that Ms Hamilton had 'approached the Morning Star with her story, and did not request or receive any payment.'


Claire Hamilton, in told the Morning Star that she had first-hand evidence that she felt should be heard by Labour's internal investigation into the Rochdale MP's conduct.  She said:
'I don’t think it would be fair for Simon just to go and talk his way out of it.  I think it needs to be a full hearing about what he’s been up to.  As a member of the Labour Party, I’m willing to give evidence in person. I’m quite disgusted at what he’s been doing.  In any other profession, there would be repercussions for that kind of behaviour — it shouldn’t be different just because he’s an MP.'


Ms. Hamilton ended her relationship with Mr Danczuk when she discovered the lewd text messages he had sent to teenager Sophena Houlihan, which led to the MP’s suspension from the Labour Party on New Year’s Eve.


Ms Hamilton also told the Star that her relationship with the MP was also put under strain by frequent clashes over his right-wing positions, which include support for rail privatisation and fox hunting.
During one row, she told Mr Danczuk: 'I don’t understand how you can be in the Labour Party.'


To which he allegedly replied:  'Because they asked me first.'


According to the Star the MP’s agent, Rochdale Councillor Allen Brett, recently gave him a 'bollocking' after receiving over 100 complaints from local party members about his conduct, according to Ms Hamilton.


A spokesman for Mr Danczuk hit back at the claims, saying:
'Simon has been involved with the trade union movement and the Labour Party since the 1980s.  Any suggestion he would even consider joining another party is unfounded and completely lacking in credibility.  Simon has the full support of the local party.'


According to the Star some Rochdale Labour councillors are furious that the MP is bringing the party and town into disrepute and will discuss his conduct at their group meeting on Monday evening.  And one local councillor said:   'I’m not the biggest fan of Simon Danczuk. I don’t agree with attacking the party through the press. I just despair at times.  Jeremy Corbyn is the democratically elected leader and MPs should respect that.'


A Labour Party spokeswoman said the party would not comment on its internal inquiry while a police investigation into separate rape allegations against Mr Danczuk are ongoing.