Events at Council Meeting 8th December 2010 Councillor Peter Thirlwall's View.

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At the previous Council Meeting on 27th October, at which Councillor Sharman was absent, I asked how Councillor Sharman had voted on the Local Development Framework (Incursion into the Greenbelt).

The Leader of the Council refused to answer the question and said that he would respond to me in writing.

No such response was received, I therefore asked Councillor Sharman, at this month’s Council Meeting on Wednesday 8th December 2010, how had he voted? He answered, “that he was in hospital at the time and did not attend cabinet on that day”.

During the meeting I checked the minutes of the cabinet meeting, and found that, the answer I was given was not the truth, the minutes revealed that Cllr Sharman had in fact attended the meeting.

At this point, I raised a point of order with the Mayor, pointing out the inaccuracy and asked for an accurate answer.

The Mayor told me that “I had had an answer” (although now obviously wrong) and because I kept pressing for the truth, which the Leader did not want to give me, the Leader moved 'that I be no longer be heard'. All Labour Group members then voted in favour.

The Mayor then, in breach of standing orders, immediately moved that 'I be ordered to leave the meeting'. Again all Labour Group members voted in favour.

In view of the fact that the Labour Group have never abided by standing orders and seem to want to cherrypick the ones that suit them and interpret them in imaginative ways when it suits them, I refused to leave, in protest.

My legitimate protest was met with a response that rapidly descended into farce by Labour Group members acting in a thoroughly undignified manner.

The Chief Executive then told me that, “if I refused to leave, he would fetch the Police”. I told him that “if the Police ask me to leave I was prepared to do so but I would not be bullied by the Labour Group into doing so”.  This was a flagrant abuse of the Chief Executive’s influence by involving the Police and putting them in an invidious position in a civil matter that had nothing to do with them.

When the Police arrived and asked me to leave I did so.

I am 65 years of age and have never allowed myself to be bullied and I don’t propose to start now.

The Labour Group believes that, because they have an overwhelming majority on the Council, they can do as they please regardless of the rules; Rules that they themselves made but are not prepared to abide by. I try to show them just how fundamentally unfair and undemocratic they are.

The people of Rotherham have been lied to, Labour Councillors know this, but nevertheless allowed a flagrant abuse of power to silence me and to keep the actual truth from us.  

We are still none the wiser as to the way Councillor Sharman voted? It cannot be a 'State Secret'?

A democratic outrage if ever there was one!

Peter Thirlwall

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A very big thank you!

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A very big thank you to each and every elector who took the trouble to cast their vote for me in spite of the many siren voices desperately appealing to them, to vote the way they always did in the past.

My vote of 2,366, was 6.3% of those voting and easily exceeded the threshold of 5% needed to save my £500 deposit and I am delighted at it's return.

I would also like to place on record my thanks and eternal gratitude to all those who contributed to my campaign, from encouraging me to stand in the first place, supporting me over the last two years and helping me in a successful campaign during the last few months, space does not allow me to mention you all by name but I am sure you all know who you are. 

A special thank you to my Agent, Rik Van Hegan. Without him, all my efforts and resources and those of the Rotherham Independents would not have been used to best effect, nor would we be so well placed across the Borough for the future. I know his commitment to the Independents cause in Rotherham is total and his future involvement assured, to the benefit of all who want to find a better way of running things here in Rotherham.

Set in a National context of the Independent Network, our performance was remarkable, only exceeded by three others who were backed by pre-existing mass membership campaigns with money and troops being plentiful. We came fourth nationally and one of only six in the whole country to save their deposit. Unfortunately most Independent Network candidates managed at most a few hundred votes, the lowest was 76 I believe! Esther Rantzen standing against a serial expenses offender, Labour MP Margaret Moran, managed only 4.4% vote share with a well financed campaign, complete with large numbers of volunteers behind her. In my case I funded my own campaign and because the local elections deprived me of significant human resources as the local candidates fought their own campaigns, in spite of these handicaps, we achieved an electoral result beyond any reasonable expectation when the campaign started.

The local government elections in Rotherham this year with eleven Rotherham Independent candidates was a huge success, We garnered 10,000 votes, averaging 15.3% of the vote. A magnificent result especially when the local election results are clearly skewed by the increased turnout that the General Election  produced. In Rotherham a total of 12,348 votes supported our vision for a new approach to politics based on a freedom from dogma and tribalism that, I know, is at the root of many of the problems that we face daily and they have not solved in the 36 years since RMBC came into being in 1974. Enough time you would have thought? to have at least a grip of things, but they fail every time they try, why? because they don't listen to the people, no matter how loud they shout. Rotherham Independents are that voice and you will all hear much more from them in the future.

I have always made it clear that this would likely be, the last time I would contest a public election above Parish level.  I have served the people of Rotherham in many capacities over more years than I care to remember and now is the time for me to gradually retire from public life and to give me the time to devote to my family and to get a chance, at last, to enjoy some of my interests that I have never had the time for, until now. I have found it all very rewarding personally, I hope that it at least helped in some small way. The promises I made during the campaign I will honour to the best of my ability during the remaining period I am on the Council.

Without the steadfast support of Jean, my wife and my family, very little would have been possible, they have been my bedrock through good times and bad. I will be eternally grateful for their love and support.

On the future, Rotherham Independents have grown from modest beginnings to be the committed group they are now. I am convinced that theirs is going to be a successful future with great possibilities as they work to gain the support of Rotherham's voters for their vision of inclusion and involvement, tolerance and above all freedom from all Party dogma, fixed policy and a maturity, not unfortunately, commonly demonstrated by either Labour and the Tories on the Borough, Town and Parish Councils of Rotherham.

Thank you once again to everyone.

Peter Thirlwall

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Breaking News - Independent Network Endorsement

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We are proud to announce that Peter Thirlwall's candidature has been endorsed by the Independent Network. This clearly demonstrates Peter's commitment to the Independents cause and their commitment to him as a torch bearer for openness, truth and integrity in public life.

 

Aims of the Independent Network

• create a sense of cohesion and identity for Independent candidates using the IN brand 
• establish national credibility for independent candidates - enabling the electorate to vote independent with greater confidence that an Independent vote is a vote for a more representative government.
• provide support to independent candidates. Many independents do not have access to the same scale of resources of a national political party.
• provide a forum of discussion, experience and advice for independent candidates. Candidates can use the network to share knowledge and work cooperatively in the best interests of the electorate.
• provide guidance and resources for independent candidates that will enable them to be elected at local, regional, national and European elections.
• promote a fairer system in which independents can compete with political parties.
• promote independent politics and encourage the electorate to acknowledge the success and influence independents are having in local government and Parliament.

If you would like to know more, Peter would love to hear from you, the contact information on the left side will help.

If you want to help, or join us or have a general question about the Rotherham Independents please Email us at independentsteam@googlemail.com.

Peter's Parliamentary Campaign Team
Rotherham Independents

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Mick Sylvester on Peter Thirlwall

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Michael Sylvester standing as an

Independent in Wingfield Ward.

"I completely support Peter Thirlwall's standing as an Independent for Rotherham in the 2010 General Election.

I first had the pleasure of working with Peter in his attempt to secure the Labour Party nomination for the Rotherham by-election of 1994 when despite the overwhelming support of local Labour Party members, he was left off the candidates shortlist leaving Party 'yes' man Denis MacShane to become our MP.

I admire that despite being on the approved Labour parliamentary candidates list, Peter only ever sought to stand in the town and to my mind, this sets him apart from the 'run of the mill' career politicians we see too much of.

In the past few years, Peter could have chosen to keep quiet, be a good boy for the Labour Party and have a good income with special responsibility allowances and junkets.  Instead he chose to make a stand against the culture that infects local and national politics of nest feathering and milking the tax payer.

The Tories and Liberal Democrats are an irrelevance in Rotherham and Peter has been working day in, day out against what I view as a corrupt Labour MP and Council.  Our choice in Rotherham is between a Labour MP who needs a map to find his constituency, which is only of use to help support his various income streams, and a brave champion who has said "enough" to the idea that politics is just about crossing your own palm with silver.

At 7am on May 6th in the St Johns Green polling station, I will be nothing but proud to put my cross against Peter Thirlwall's name."

Mick Sylvester 
Wingfield Ward 

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Question Time for MacShane?

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MacShane has finally surfaced again, as predicted, a few weeks before the General Election!
He set up his own version of Question Time, organised by the supposedly non political South Yorkshire Women's Development Trust.
Chaired by MacShane himself with a hand picked panel, he even included his latest girl friend for good measure. None of them having any relevance to the voters of Rotherham.
Denis hand picked the questions to give himself an easy ride, preaching to the converted! From this point of view a 'Church’ hosting such a politically partisan event seems to me to be crassly inappropriate at best and an outrage at worst!
Not one direct question on his scandalous expenses! None either on the lamentable record of the Labour Government! Or anything about the disgraceful scandals that have engulfed him and the information he simply refuses to give us! John Healey can manage it, so why can’t MacShane!
MacShane thinks he can go into this election without explaining any of his expenses to his voters! He is treating his voters with total contempt!
Anna Chester, one of MacShanes party organisers, said "there is clearly an appetite to have those meetings more often". I can assure her there is.
Perhaps Anna, who as well as being a labour organiser and also a volunteer with the non political SYWD, would organise a Question Time chaired by a neutral.
Invite a panel that included Peter Thirlwall and MacShane.
It would give you an audience that would be so large that there is no venue in Rotherham that could fit everyone in! The tickets would be very much sought after!
The Women of Rotherham require answers too!
They deserve answers from both the incumbent and his principal challenger, Peter Thirlwall. Answers to the questions they actually want to ask!
Peter Thirlwall, the Independent Candidate, is an incredible politician and if the roles were reversed and MacShane was the Independent candidate at the next election, MacShane would lose his deposit!
Thirlwall's popularity is increasing by the day. With your help, he will defy all the odds, and win the Rotherham seat!
If you would like to help Peter or would like to speak to him directly, don't delay he is the most approachable person you are likely to meet and would love to hear from you.

George Valentine
Council Waste Watcher
Stag
Rotherham

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Labours Dirty Dozen! There are many more!

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Guido Fawkes Blog order-order.com published this story today 'Labours Dirty Dozen'.

I do not personally endorse this web site, but often important stories on Parliamentary Sleaze first see the light of day on this site, I think all Rotherham's Voters should look at this site from time to time.

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Labour and Tory Party's - Non-Domicile Embarrassment!

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The truth has finally been revealed. The Tory Party's principal donor, Lord Ashcroft (Baron Ashcroft, of Chichester in the county of West Sussex, ennobled in 2000), is a tax evader!
He pays only a small proportion of the tax he should pay to the United Kingdom Exchequer.

Why does this matter? Lord Ashcroft is not only a very generous Tory benefactor (reported to have given £6,000,000 in the recent past) but is part of William Hague's team, present when policy matters are discussed and travelling with William Hague on foreign trips. 

Today's revelations also call into question his entitlement to sit in the House of Lords as Non-Doms are no longer supposed to be allowed. 

My Tory opponent, Jacqueline Whiteley, has some explaining to do!  

If she wants to be trusted by the voters of Rotherham, she has to explain why this man has been able to get so much influence, apparently with his money, when he is not resident in this country for Tax purposes. How does this fit in with the Tory Party's claims to be open and honest when all questions have been met with obfuscation or silence. It is now time to come clean!

The Labour Party has a similar problem in the shape of Sraj Paul, Baron Paul, of Marylebone in the City of Westminster to give him his full title.  He is a significant Labour Donor, ennobled in 1996 and put on the Privy Council, a very high honour indeed allowing him to us the title preceded by Rt Hon the Lord Paul.

Like Lord Ashcroft, Sraj Paul is a Non-Dom too, it has emerged, and similar questions need a full an honest answer from Labour as well.

Denis MacShane needs to explain this to his constituents, as well as properly accounting for our money he has spent.

If he wants to regain any credibility amongst his voters, he must answer the above, simple questions.

One would like to say, Denis.  It is your continued silence on these matters, that is harming your prospects electorally. Your constituents cannot believe that you are acting in this way and previous disclosures and the inevitable questions they provoke, must be answered by you.

The contempt for your electorate that is involved here, is staggering!

This can be remedied easily and simply by the disclosure of the basic information your electorate expects from you, if you are to get them to vote for you. 

Put simply, Denis please tell us?

Denis and Jacqueline, Rotherham is waiting, don't treat them with contempt, your electorate demand answers, before they vote for either of you!

Peter Thirlwall  

Rotherham Independents

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Tory Candidate for Rotherham Constituency Announced At Last!

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It has just been announced, that the Rotherham Constituency Tory Candidate, is to be businesswoman, Jacqueline Whiteley.

A former 'Yorkshire Woman of the Year' and winner of other awards in business, including a Business Link Competition for 'bucking the trend' in the recession.

She is reported to be a member of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce.  She has also been a Woman's Ambassador for Enterprise for campaign group Forward Ladies.

She is said to be an ambitious candidate, presumably here to add to her political CV for next time and a safe seat. The Conservative vote in the Rotherham Constituency will probably have the rather dubious distinction, of being the only constituency in the country, where the Conservative vote actually goes down!

All the evidence we have, clearly shows that this trend is already under way here in Rotherham. That is even before Jacqueline Whiteley was selected. It is being said that it will probably not be as much benefit to her future career prospects as she is hoping.

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The Rotherham Star Joins the Fray on First Class Travel!

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Peters Campaign to change the way the Council spends your money has now reached the Rotherham Star and has been covered on the Rotherham Independents Campaign site.

Peter's View.

"The time is coming when all of Rotherham's voters will be able to vote for candidates they can trust to be honest, open and committed to bringing basic decency and a non-dogmatic attitude to making the best decisions for Rotherham and all of it's people".

Peter Thirlwall

Rotherham’s Prospective Independent Parliamentary Candidate.
Rotherham Independents Campaign.

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Peter's Perspective - On MacShane

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Like many Rotherham people I find the revelations in this weeks Advertiser, about my opponent to be, and his disappearance at a time when his disgraceful behaviour is made public, are the actions of someone not worthy to represent Rotherham and its people.

I know that my outrage and anger and the feelings of shame over this expenses affair are shared by many, both in his constituency and throughout the whole of Rotherham.

Unless the Labour Party suddenly comes to its senses, prevails upon MacShane to step aside as their candidate and chooses an honest replacement more interested in their constituents, the problem will be put in the hands of the Rotherham constituency’s voters at the General Election.

I am proposing to stand in Rotherham as a serious alternative to candidates locked in the confines of tribal politics that all the mainstream national parties, of whatever hue, practise here in Rotherham and throughout the country. This has resulted in the people in the Towns and Cities of the North feeling abandoned, little understood, and taken for fools by being taken for granted.

The people of Rotherham deserve better than this! Now is the chance for change!

The power is in all our hands come the elections. Remember we live in a democracy, where every vote counts and the decision you make is yours alone.
Each and every voter has to make their mind up whether to vote the way they always have or to vote for a candidate committed to the highest standards of conduct and openness.

I invite you all to take the time to find out more about me and the fresh start my candidacy represents, before making your choice in the General Election to come.

I am also the most easily contactable of the prospective candidates and invite you to do so. See left side panel for ways to contact me. I would love to hear what you have to say.

If you would like to know more or help in our campaign, you would be most welcome. We are a friendly bunch, totally committed to our task of offering real and effective change both in Parliament and here in Rotherham.

Peter Thirlwall
Rotherham’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
Rotherham Independents Campaign

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More Questions for MacShane?

I can now reveal the contents of a letter I have written to Denis MacShane asking him to account for his behaviour to his constituents, something he has always refused to do.

I am still considering the rest of the information now in the public arena, thanks to the Advertiser and their reporters, Phil Turner and Naumaan Farooq.

Rt. Hon. Dr Denis MacShane MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A  0AA

Dear Dr MacShane,
For some time now you have been prevaricating on the issue of your use of public money. You expect to be re-elected later this year, yet you continue to treat your electorate with contempt. You refuse to answer even the most basic of questions about your expenses.
The standard of accounting for expenditure now expected of our elected representatives is such that those accounts presented by John Healey on his website should be the benchmark of what is expected in terms of minimum disclosure. When do you propose publication of this information?

Scrutiny of all the available online sources providing information on your use of public money has been illuminating and leads inevitably to ask that you clarify the following areas of concern to me and no doubt many of your constituents that you will be asking to return you to parliament at the elections to come.

Firstly a matter of general principle, why have you, at every opportunity, argued and voted against disclosure of the information that is now required? Don't you think your electorate has a right to know how you have spent their money?

Is it true that, amongst other things, you are presently being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over the £12,400 you have given your brother, Edmund Matyjazek in the years 2005-8 for translation services?  Please specify the languages translated between and indicate how this was justified as being 'actually and necessary to your work as Rotherhams MP' or was it performed in pursuit of your journalistic activities?

During the period December 2004 and January 2008, covering just 3 financial years, you claimed for a total of 10 computers (mostly portable ones) at a cost of £6654:39. Were they all properly receipted? Why did you need so many? Did you keep losing/breaking them? Where are they now?

There appears much confusion on your designation of your second home for allowance purposes that does not fit well with your Council Tax arrangements, please clarify the position?
I am led to believe that you spend the majority of your time at your London home. If this is correct it means that you are claiming your second home allowance on the wrong property. Could you please clarify this matter and perhaps substantiate this by providing your travel claims? Is it also true that you are being asked to pay back hundreds of pounds that you have over claimed for food?

Confusion also surrounds your arrangements viz a viz your constituency home and your office. It appears for all the world as though you have driven a coach and horses through even the previous rules then in force. Bills that must apply to your Rotherham home have been claimed against your office costs allowances, in contravention of the then rules. You seem to have found a way of financing both your properties at public expense. This type of behaviour is a disgrace that has never been tolerated under any rules applicable since you entered parliament and the Green Book specifically warns against it!   Why have you not yet applied for planning permission for change of use of your garage from domestic to business use? And why are you not therefore paying the proper council tax?

Clarification of your apparently large staffing allowance would be appreciated as there is little discernible evidence of output from all this activity. Do they all work in support of your parliamentary duties or were they expended on your work as a journalist or author?
You are spending extremely large sums on you telecommunications in excess of £700 per month! The public purse really should not bear the burden of your long distance and international calls that are essentially private and that is what your salary is for. If this impression is false then please disclosure is the answer.

I have one last question for you, what precisely do you think your parliamentary salary is for? The rest of us have to pay for a great deal of the things you claim for out of our income, so why don't you?

Yours sincerely,

Peter Thirlwall

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Peter Thirlwall and Ben Slade Challenge Greedy Rotherham Councillors

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Our Independent councillors, Peter Thirlwall and Ben Slade, are proposing the following change to Council Policy at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday February 3rd:

"At a time of severe pressures on the Council budget, this Council resolves to discontinue first class rail travel for Councillors and use the money saved to support front line services for the people of Rotherham."

Peter will be proposing and Ben will be seconding the proposal.

Rotherham Independents Campaign members are fully supportive and consider it the most reasonable thing to do when Rotherham's residents are suffering great economic hardship.

In a bi-partisan approach to fellow councillors, Peter has written individually to all Rotherham councillors asking them to consider what Rotherham's people want, just for once.

What Peter has said to them:

Dear Fellow Councillor,

On Wednesday at the full Council Meeting I will be proposing the following motion to bring to an end the practise of using first class travel whilst on Council business.

Motion to Council on the 3^rd February 2010

"At a time of severe pressures on the Council budget, this Council resolves to discontinue first class rail travel for Councillors and use the money saved to support front line services for the people of Rotherham."

Proposed:  Councillor Peter Thirlwall

Seconded:  Councillor Ben Slade

I would ask you all to consider your position carefully before rejecting this motion, which would be taken by the vast majority of Rotherham people, a sign that you do not live in the same world as them. For just once take a decision to save some taxpayers money to help save the front line services that your constituents may rely on.

Collectively councillors in Rotherham are already amongst the most well rewarded in the country. Last year each of you received the basic allowance of £12,271. Most of you in addition have received 'special responsibility allowances' varying from a Cabinet Adviser on £1.203 to the Leader of the council on £32,544. The Special Responsibility Allowances cost the taxpayer a total of £356,150. A grand total of £1,136,767 last year in fact!

The fact that you insist on getting every last penny out of us, is nothing short of an outrage, especially when it comes at the end of a financial year when you have made swingeing cuts to essential services that the most vulnerable in our communities depended upon.

I would point out to you that these cuts are occurring now, before any of the post election belt tightening that all parties are promising to come. I do hope that you do not suggest that, even in a time of great austerity in public services, you are totally unwilling to share any of the pain? (If giving up first class travel could in any way be described as pain.)

Finally I make the plea, once again, on behalf of all in Rotherham for you to stop first class travel. 

Yours,

Councillor Peter Thirlwall

Rotherham Independents

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An Alternative to Spoiling Our Green Belt

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An Alternative to Spoiling Our Green Belt

By Councillor Peter Thirlwall

I have always said that a criticism is only as good as the alternative that it replaces. Well I would like to suggest the following alternative to the proposed greenbelt incursion ( LDF ) being offered by the Rotherham Labour Group:

(1) Remove the ‘Growth Points Status’ of 2,200 houses which was entered into by the Leader of Rotherham Council, along with other council leaders of South Yorkshire. It is understood that Sheffield, for instance, can accommodate their ‘Growth Point’ housing numbers without the need to use greenbelt land at all. It’s a shame, but not entirely unpredictable, that Councillor Roger Stone didn’t take the time to check what effect it would have upon Rotherham and its residents, before he committed us to the ‘Growth Point’ agreement.

(2) The number of houses that the Government say that we will need in Rotherham by 2026 is 22,300. In the Government calculations they have assumed that 11,150 of those houses will be required for people emigrating into Rotherham from other parts of the country. I believe this figure is ridiculously high and should be reduced by 5,575 houses i.e. from 50% to 25%.

(3) If the amount of houses needed were reduced in accordance with (1) and (2) above, then the industrial land needed could also be reduced by around 82 hectares.

(4) The council have assumed a building density of between 30 to 40 dwellings per hectare, but the planning guidance says it should be between 30 to 50 dwellings per hectare and I therefore believe that figure, should be used so we can accommodate more houses on the precious land that we have.

(5) We should trawl the Borough again to find more brownfield sites, which includes talking to Corus and also our neighbouring Councils, to see if they have any brownfield sites on their borders that could be used in our calculations.

If we could achieve the above, I believe we could avoid building in the green belt at all, other than the bits of scrubland that have no amenity value. Although I don’t have access to all of the figures and the ones quoted are not strictly accurate, they are I believe in the right ball park.
In the past, Rotherham has not been able to build houses at the rate at which the Government required and it is very unlikely that we will be able to so in the future, so the outcomes of the LDF are fairly academic. We certainly do not therefore want to give up our green belt based on the whims and fancies of a few statisticians in Whitehall, and their obedient servants at Rotherham Council.

Not all of what I have suggested may be achievable, but I do hope that the Labour Group will at least consider, for a change, the points that I have made with a view to making Rotherham a better place to live.




Peter Thirlwall 
Independent Parliamentary Candidate
Rotherham Constituency

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