Cllr Simon Hackett - Part 1

WITHOUT DENYING THE TRUTH OF THE ALLEGATIONS MADE IN THIS POST, SANDWELL COUNCIL HAVE THREATENED ME WITH AN INJUNCTION FOR PUBLISHING SERIOUS MATTERS THAT ARE CLEARLY A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC INTEREST. I AM A ONE-MAN BAND AND DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES OF SANDWELL COUNCIL AND SO I HAVE HAD TO REDACT CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THIS POST PENDING RESOLUTION OF LEGAL ISSUES.

PLEASE ALSO SEE MY FURTHER POST "SHOOTING THE MESSENGER..." VIA:

http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/shooting-messenger-smbc-make-legal.html

An open letter to Edward Timpson MP, Minister for Vulnerable Children with copies to Cllr Steve Eling, Jan Britton (for what that is worth) and The Albion Foundation.

"Dear Minister,

Re: Cllr Simon Hackett - Head of Children’s Services - Sandwell SMBC

On 6th October, 2016 you wrote to Cllr Steve Eling, the new Labour Leader of Sandwell Council explaining that the Borough’s disastrous Children’s Services were to be taken over by a trust. As you succinctly put it:

“SMBC has failed its most vulnerable children and young people for approaching seven years.”

(Coincidentally, the Chief Executive [sic] of SMBC, Jan Britton, has been in post since 2010).

For you to make sense of what follows I need to explain how Sandwell Council operates to a different code of ethics (insofar as it has one) from most other councils. Until recent difficulties Labour held 71 of the 72 council seats and the party has been in total control for decades. The Council and “The Party” are now synonymous in the manner of the Pyongyang regime. Every decision is initially assessed as “will it help the Party” before any greater discussion of the wider public good.

You probably had the good fortune never to meet the previous Leader of the Council, Darren Cooper (now deceased). He was a thick, bullying moron and social media troll who liked to attempt to control every aspect of life in the Borough and who loved to obtain information on people in the hope he could use it for his own political ends at a later date. (You may also wish to investigate how Cooper and Britton intervened during the tendering process which led to Impower being employed at huge fees to "improve" Children's Services).

(Again it is noteworthy that under the Cooper/Britton regime the Council became a byword for corruption, incompetence and cronyism so that there have been a large number of high-profile departures from the Council recently - albeit at huge cost to the taxpayer).

Sitting above all this is the loathsome Tom Watson MP (infamous, of course, for hounding a man to his grave with unfounded allegations of the vilest kind). He employs Simon Hackett (according to the latter’s Register of Interests) AND another Councillor who was privy to what follows. He also claims, for electoral registration purposes, to spend a considerable period of time living Chez Hackett when this is not true - a matter duly ignored by the said Jan Britton qua Returning Officer.

Simon Hackett has gained very extensive knowledge of the “third sector” through earlier employment and is a trustee of a charity which has significant child safeguarding responsibilities. He is an experienced Councillor and Cabinet member. In the circumstances he his very well aware of the duty of confidentiality when dealing with children and young people. Unfortunately, he has abused the trust placed in him and failed in his duty.

[Paragraph temporarily removed under threat of injunction by Sandwell MBC]

This is not only a very significant breach of standards and a gross dereliction of his duty but this shabby behaviour was also highly likely to have been a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 [Addendum - even though SMBC have not disputed the facts upon which I based this post their lawyers insist that there was NO breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. They provide no evidence for this assertion and I cannot comment further until additional information is available.]

I should say that I have the evidence of all this.

The problem that the people of Sandwell have is that Councillors who are “caught out” there never do the honourable thing and resign. Unfortunately, the new Leader, Mr Eling, does not have the power to dismiss Hackett because of the malign influence of Mr Watson in the running of the Borough. Therefore I am asking you to use your good offices to have this appalling state of affairs thoroughly investigated by your department and/or by the new Trust to make sure that Hackett can never xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [sentence partially redacted under threat of injunction by SMBC]. I respectfully submit that your duty to vulnerable children in Sandwell (already so badly let down) demands your intervention here.

I am copying in the Albion Foundation where Hackett is a Trustee as they need to review their own safeguarding policy given Hackett’s apparent willingness xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [sentence partially redacted under threat of injunction by Sandwell SMBC]

I leave it to you to investigate whether Hackett acted maliciously in behaving in the unacceptable way he did.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist further but Jan Britton and SMBC employee Jane Perham will be able to assist you with all the facts and documents involved in this sordid and scandalous affair and Hackett xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [sentence partially redacted under threat of injunction by Sandwell SMBC].

I await the outcome of your investigations with interest.

Yours faithfully etc...."

THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - COMMUNITY NEWS - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!

Confidential phone no: 07599 983737 Facebook: Julian Saunders

Email: thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

PROUD TO HAVE BEEN TROLLED BY DICKHEAD DARREN COOPER (DECEASED)!