30 July 2012

Why are the Tories supporting fraud probe councillor Dennen?

This blog reported earlier this year the strange goings on over the forced resignation from the Lib Dems of Canbury Cllr Tim Dennen.

It has now emerged - according to this report from local newspaper the Surrey Comet - that Dennen is being investigated for benefit fraud. A crime for which, if convicted, would almost certainly see him being thrown off the council.  The report also makes clear that Kingston's Tory councillors knew full well what these 'personal reasons' for his resignation were.

Yet it didn't stop them voting Cllr Dennen into the post of Neighbourhood chair - with an £11,500 pay rise to boot.  And when it became clear the benefit fraud investigation made his position untenable it still didn't stop the Tories working closely with Dennen. 

Last week, Cllr Dennen was replaced as neighbourhood chair by long serving Conservative councillor, Dennis Doe.  Guess who was one of his proposers?  And guess whose vote was crucial in allowing the Tories to grab control of a committee they have a minority of councillors in?  That's right Cllr Dennen.

2 comments:

  1. At a guess, the Tories didn't know the reason for the "forced resignation", and withdrew their support for him as "Neighbourhood chair" when they found out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Except if you read the article from the Surrey Comet it is clear the Tories knew of the investigation in advance of backing him for chair, they continued to work with him even after his resignation and sought his backing for their replacement.

    ReplyDelete