Councillors in angry clashes on plans to shut pool Dimensions splash pool in Burslem
LEAKED emails have revealed how Labour councillors clashed behind closed doors over plans to close the Dimensions splash pool.
The emails describe a stormy emergency group meeting held in March 2008, following the announcement that Stoke-on-Trent City Council wanted to shut the Burslem splash pool.
-
Dimensions in Burslem.
• READ MORE:The full Dimensions correspondence
Mark Meredith, who was then elected mayor, and Mohammed Pervez, a cabinet member at the time, angrily denied rumours that talks had taken place with Waterworld-owner Mo Chaudry.
Thinking of changing your job or looking to change career.
Contact BlueSky CVs and get a CV to get your noticed.
Terms: 1 CV per customer full payment prior to commencement of CV
Contact: 01538 710408
Valid until: Monday, May 27 2013
It is now known that senior officers and politicians had held secret talks with Mr Chaudry about the Dimensions proposals which involved £50,000 in taxpayers' cash being used to run a pilot scheme offering 'free' access for school-age children to WaterWorld.
But according to an email from councillor Joy Garner, she claimed Mr Meredith and Mr Pervez 'bullied' their colleagues over the issue at the meeting. Mrs Garner says Mr Pervez, now council leader, claimed he was being 'racially abused' in relation to the links between Waterworld and Dimensions.
This was after Mrs Garner referred to a BNP email touching on the issue. She wrote: "He ranted to the room, hoping that using this issue would make members agree with him. All he did was anger myself and others with his attitude, barracking, and mudslinging. I am not racist. I cannot let this go unchallenged, as every time race is used wrongly, it undermines and weakens real cases."
Current cabinet member Olwen Hamer, who was present at the meeting, also lodged a complaint, but did not refer to either Mr Meredith or Mr Pervez. She accused unnamed councillors of making 'inappropriate and personalised attacks' on colleagues. Mrs Hamer declined to comment, but a spokesman for West Midlands Labour said: "I can say with confidence that Olwen Hamer was not referring to Mark Meredith or Mohammed Pervez in her email, but to people who are no longer Labour Party members."
The spokesman declined to comment on the leaked email from Joy Garner.
Former councillor Mike Barnes, who called the meeting as Labour group secretary, said he was shocked at the behaviour of Mr Meredith and Mr Pervez.
He said: "There have always been disagreements over issues, but this meeting stuck in the memory because in the 20 years I was a member of the Labour Party it was unique. "What's even more shocking is that no action was taken. In the past, people have been warned or banned from meetings for a time. I know there were four written complaints, and other people made verbal complaints, but nothing came of them."
Mr Pervez and Mrs Garner declined to comment. Mr Meredith was unavailable.
16 Comments
View all
by Backdoored
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 1:50PM
“Well put mole -and WELL SAID!
'Pervez's Prats -that's 'prats' not Platts...(although it would be easy to make the slip in the present climate).... are the real culprits with not one vertebrae of backbone between them. Cowering in the Corner -afraid of 'their leader's wrath' -peace be upon him.”
by mole10
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 11:12AM
“Those that opposed a Mayor and his dealings (which we knew little of) found themselves targetted.
I've pointed out to you that there is no rule anywhere, in anyone's political party for that matter, where opposing sides do not clash internally.
The 'West Midlands spokesman' had his own agenda where certain people would be demonised and others (tiny minority) would be idolised.
Toadies sided with the 'West Midlands spokesman' and transferred from A Mayor's EMB to a Leaders Cabinet, with ease.
Some, unwanted by almost everyone, became cabinet members.
Others were denied any chance of becoming a Councillor.
I was one denied by my own party I served loyally for 30 years.
"You are too anti Mayor" was the official line.
"We don't have a Mayor" was my reply.
"The public ran him out, and we (Labour) agree with the public."
The look on their faces was a picture, when I said that.
The only way to remove this 'West Midland' bunch of toadies is to deny them every single vote in this City.”
by Backdoored
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 10:02PM
“(correction)..."Tory Cabinet Members started off on their political careers as fully paid-up members of the Communist Party".
Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ayvzb8c
Follow us: @thisisstaffs on Twitter | thisisstaffordshire on Facebook”
by Backdoored
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 9:58PM
“The simple point I was making -was to address the view of BucknallMel on 'her take' on the 'working class' connection to the Labour Party and its idiosyncratic 'class warfare' meanderings.
The Tories are oft' heard scoffing, referring to 'champagne socialists' -but the fact that some of their past Cabinet Members started of on their political careers in the Communist Part -Thatcher's toy-boy for one... are quickly and quietly forgotten.
My reference to Manny Shinwell was to use as an example that no matter what one's political principles are when young, way over to the left in some cases, -some will, with age, relent when later in life a 'cosy arm' is put round their shoulder, and they are persuaded they can be just as useful at the top table of the establishment...... ?
Others, like Benn, don't relent.... It takes all sorts is the message.
A couple of quotes... to chew over in relation to the 'little local problem' -that is Stoke:-
"On occasions we have also been the victim of division and disunity, which, as we all know, has cost us dear in electoral terms. -Labour.
"The agenda for the future is to ensure that our values become rooted in British culture so that we can achieve lasting social, economic and political change in Britain". -Labour (Stoke culture?)”
by pj123
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 9:20PM
“Barnes, Meredith, Pervez, Garner, all Labour and all knew.
I would not believe a word any one of them, (and that includes the rest of the Labour muppets)came out with.
This City has been dragged into the gutter by these guttersnipes.
Kick the politics, and the lieing politicians out of Stoke.”
by Redtone
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 8:13PM
“Won't have a word said against Manny Shinwell. His greatest quote, more relevant than ever : "the difference between us and the Tories is we talk class war, but they wage it".
Bedroom tax anyone?”
by mole10
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 5:03PM
“I'm not sure that your version of Manny Shinwell is held within the right context of a politician elevated by his peers and certain Stoke Councillors given a free pass into higher office.
I think your example falls when we analyse the events in the North of Ireland, where Republicans take office within the British realm.
They hold a minority mandate that demands recognition in a peculiar Government designed to accomodate minorities.
Manny Shinwell was none of that.”
by Backdoored
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 3:04PM
“Manny Shinwell -staunch Labour Glasgow-ite -at one time with his rousing speeches on the Streets of Clydeside -caused such public unrest that the authorities declared it a riot and brought the TANKS ONTO THE STREETS TO QUELL IT -so out of control had it become.
He was afterwards tried for incitement to riot and was sentenced to five months' imprisonment.
Shinwell, according to Smith, was one of Red Clydeside's "towering figures." When "Churchill ordered British army tanks into Glasgow's George Square to avert a Scottish revolution", he writes, Shinwell was "thrown in jail for his part in the revolt after he faced down the tanks on 31st January that year."
To put the above more succinctly: great revolutionary leader exposed by Scottish historian as racist pogromist.
But Shinwell was no great revolutionary leader (and never aspired to be one either). Nor was he was a racist pogromist (although he certainly deserves condemnation for his attitude to black seafarers).
Later though, for all his 'red' reputation... and anti-establishment posturing... he ended his political career in the ermine robes of the peerage finishing up in the House of Lords as Lord Shinwell. Died aged 101 in 1986.
So you see this 'Labour' working class thing (movement)... has a history of ambiguity running through it since day one. Democratic... UNTIL NOW WITH THIS CORRUPT LOT.”
by mole10
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 2:53PM
“We are getting to the crunch of the reason why Stoke-on-Trent is the laughing stock of Great Britain, with the following quote:
'a spokesman for West Midlands Labour said:' (quite comical).
Let's re-cap events.
The Government (Labour) allowed for a referendum on the Mayor.
The NEC (Labour) advised that any members opposed to a Mayor, could openly campaign to remove it, but not use any references to the 'Labour Party'.
Those instructions were carried out to the letter.
Personal objections were raised of a Mayor and presented to the public; who in turn, voted and removed the position from City life.
We know that 'a West Midlands spokesman' was very very very upset that his former photo copy boy was now 'unemployed' and in many eyes, politically unemployable.
As a rule of thumb, I never believe a single word coming from the 'West Midland spokeman's' mouth.”
by BucknallMel
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 2:37PM
“Working class party, mole? That's a laugh. For years we had Mark Fisher as our Labour MP, and nobody I knew had a clue he was the son of conservative MP Sir Nigel Fisher (and his maternal grandfather was the Earl of Lisburne). Now we have Tristam Hunt, parachutist extraordinaire, who happens to be the son of Baron Hunt of Chesterton (yes, he was not born a peer but was made one by Tony Blair, but he was a public schoolboy and remains a director of some interestingly vague global company). Men of the people, eh? I don't count professional politicians and academics as working class, moley.”