What Does Jim Brennan Know?

The new highly-controversial Monitoring Officer (at Director-level) Surjit Tour is playing silly buggers with me - refusing to even acknowledge correspondence let alone reply to it (a matter shortly to be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman.)

Here is an email - with redactions at present - where he has not even had the courtesy to acknowledge receipt despite a chaser too!

I hold other information which shows that a very senior employee, Jim Brennan, was involved in these matters. So perhaps Chief Executive Jan Britton will now respond noting that highly-paid Tour is incapable or unwilling to do so.

There has been no response either from male Cllr X who is said to personally know Ms Y.

Date: 17 Jan 2018 15:20
Subject: Whistleblowing Allegation
To: "Surjit Tour" <Surjit_Tour@sandwell.gov.uk>
Cc: [Cllr X]

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION SAVE FOR THE FOLLOWING 14 DAYS WHEN IT WILL REMAIN PRIVATE AT THIS END. THEREAFTER I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DO WITH IT WHAT I WILL.

A SMBC employee has sent me some information via a third party. I do NOT know the identity of the employee. The third party informs me that he or she is too scared to use the whistleblowing procedures within the Council fearing - with good reason given what has gone on under the Britton regime - bullying and/or other reprisals.

I have no intention of libelling Cllr X. I am simply facilitating a whistleblowing complaint. I have not investigated this matter and I make no comment whether the allegation is true or not. However, I reserve the right to refer to this email after 14 days in any way I see fit and, if there is any truth in the allegation, to include it in any formal standards complaint.

For all I know the allegation may be malicious but it is of a serious nature and requires proper investigation and Cllr X must be given fair opportunity to defend himself against what is being said.

The allegation (which I stress I personally do not say is true) is that Cllr X intervened and improperly used his position to secure a council house for [Ms Y] who was not even on the housing list. At some point thereafter Ms Y's grandfather died and she decided she wanted to move into his property. The second allegation is that Cllr X then abused his position to improperly facilitate Ms Y taking over the tenancy at [address]

I am informed that SMBC senior employee Jim Brennan also knows all about this.

Please acknowledge receipt of this email.

Julian Saunders

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

Facebook:  Julian Saunders                             Email:  thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

PROUD TO HAVE BEEN TROLLED BY DICKHEAD DARREN COOPER DECEASED!