'A FORMER County Councillor claims he is being
hounded by Essex County Council'
Since
Barry Aspinell stepped in to help a vulnerable Brentwood couple
prevent their children being compulsorily adopted he has - he says -
become a target of the authority he served on till recently. "The County
Council does not like me asking questions, calling for facts or talking to
the press.
But all I am doing is helping constituents which is
what I was elected for. "I feel hunted and I am very angry because of the
concern it is causing my family and friends," he said. Mr Aspinell, who
lost his County Council seat this year but is still a member of Brentwood
Borough Council, was hauled into Chelmsford County Court by the County
Council in May.
He fought off a gagging injunction, and Judge Gypps,
who dismissed the application, told him he was free to continue his
investigations to aid constituents. Since then he has been the subject of
two failed complaints to the local government watchdog - either of which
could have seen him barred from public office for five years. The first
complaint made to the Standards Board by ( Councillor ) Tracey Chapman,
County Council profile holder for Children and Families in June alleged Mr
Aspinell divulged confidential information to the media.
This was fully investigated, then rejected. The
board will release the full terms of its decision shortly. The second
complaint, also made by Mrs Tracey Chapman, claimed Mr Aspinell had
"peddled lies" to a national newspaper and caused "deep offence to
officers". This time the board said "it could not justify a publicly
funded investigation" into the allegations. "I am pleased to be cleared,
but there is no way any of this is going to stop me fighting for that
couple - and any of the others who have appealed to me for help since," he
added.
Please also read:
Councillor
risks jail to aid adoption-fight parents
Fighting for Families - a fight we must win for all our sakes
My name is Barry Aspinell. I am
currently a
local Borough Councillor and, until
recently, have also served as a County Councillor.
http://www.crdassociates.co.uk/fightingforfamilies/
