Forum Topic

NAJSAREK and BELL

An open letter to Julian Bell.Dear Julian Bell,We have again had contact with Mr Najsarek and again have cause to doubt his integrity and suitability to occupy the post of CEO.  The question of how he managed to gain employment with Ealing Council will not go away. In February 2016, when he was appointed, you wrote: “I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of Paul’s calibre to Ealing …Paul has an excellent record of achievement in local government”.: All we knew of his record in his previous appointment in Bolton was that he had been in his post there a short while.On June 30 2016, we learned from the national press, that, when he applied for his job here in Ealing, he had taken legal action to prevent his behaviour in his previous employment becoming known.  His “record of achievement” in Bolton was a front-page scandal: he was, it seemed from the reports, a financial liability and a man who could not be trusted to keep his word.  We had been sold or you had bought for us the CEO equivalent of a “dodgy motor”.  Ealing Council did not even see fit to comment on the disquieting disclosure. We cannot blame you for Mr Najsarek’s appointment if you were deceived as we were.  The question is: Were you? Did you already know anything of what appeared in the press on June 30 2016 in respect of Mr Najsarek’s behaviour in Bolton when you appointed him? “Yes” or “No” will do by way of a response.  Your sincerely,Andrew Farmer

Andrew Farmer ● 1785d16 Comments

I started this thread as a for-your-information exercise, to put my letter to Bell on public record.  That is all.  The time to “move on” will be when I receive a response from Julian Bell and beyond that when the Council has dealt, according to due process, with the complaints I and my neighbours are going to bring against senior officers who have lied to us.  Our complaint against Mr Najsarek will begin, but only begin with the manner in which he gained employment here.  When I suggested that any stray remark that came into your head would help to send my post back to the top of the Forum list, I did expect you might come up with a new one not repeat yourself. AND YOU ARE A NAUGHTY BOY.  What is this about speculating about my personal habits?  I hope you weren’t playing with yourself while you were doing that.  Control your phantasies please.

Andrew Farmer ● 1779d

Andrew, other than speculation about your personal habits I don't think there will be that many more replies to this thread. You originally asked the question did the council know about the issues surrounding Paul Nasjarek's departure from his previous employer. People, who agree with the underlying point that there was something deeply unsatisfactory about this train of events, told you the answer was probably yes. Anyone other than a tupperware polisher would have accepted that and moved on.

Andy Jones ● 1781d

Mr Jones,Thank you for your latest contribution.  For a while, it had the effect of sending my post right back up to the top of the forum list.  I am sincerely grateful to you for assuring continuing prominence for my original post.I am hoping I can rely on you in future.  Let’s work together to make sure my post remains top of the list.  You don’t have to write anything sensible of substance – well, I know you are not likely to do that anyway.  No. Any stray comment that comes into your head, similar to your latest effort, for instance, will serve my purpose.

Andrew Farmer ● 1781d

I think it is pretty clear that Andrew Farmer is a complete and utter tupperware polisher.

Andy Jones ● 1782d

I don't own any tupperware and I don't do housework.  It was not a euphemism.  I don't deal in euphemisms.  I call antisemites antisemites.  It was a humourous suggestion of what a lady with nothing better to do that write feebly insulting remarks might better spend her time doing.

Andrew Farmer ● 1783d

Is 'polishing the tupperware' a euphemism or something that you actually do?

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 1783d

I think I analysed Mr Jones' second contribution sensibly enough.  I think I treated Ms Arbuthnot's contribution with the scorn it deserved.  Is her remark your idea of "a sensible exchange"?  As for Huq, she besmirched her reputation when she made excuses for the foul antisemitic memes that Naz Shah liked and published.  The pair of them are unworthy of public office.

Andrew Farmer ● 1783d

If that is the feeble sexist level to which you wish to reduce discussion, what can I say?  To the dead in the language  of the dead:  you are a very silly woman.  Now, why don't you go and polish the tupperware, my dear, and leave discussion to people who have something sensible to contribute?

Andrew Farmer ● 1783d

It is very difficult to have a sensible exchange with him. The way he personalises things is also wrong. He does the same with Rupa Huq. It completely undermines any point he is trying to make because it soon becomes apparent he is only interested in smearing people he doesn't like.

Christine Mulligan ● 1783d

You really are a very silly man.

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 1783d

I am doing no such thing.  I am relying on such evidence as we have to examine the case.  I began this thread with my letter to Bell asking him in the simplest terms to throw some light on the situation so that we can understand better what happened.Your contribution in contrast is nothing but speculation, comically so in the light of your accusation against me.You write:  “Whatever the reason for the change of heart it was probably something more fundamental than him not having told his wife that they were moving to Bolton.”What is that but speculation?You write: “Chances are that it was something of equivalent gravity that prompted the decision not to move up north.”What is that but speculation?You write: “when Mr Najserak was interviewed by Ealing … whatever explanation he gave, proved to be satisfactory.What is that but speculation? Well done, Mr Jones, with what economy of words you have managed three times to make a fool of yourself. Carry on speculating.  I shall go on examining such evidence as we have and await a response from Julian Bell - with no expectation that I shall receive one.

Andrew Farmer ● 1783d

You are just speculating and filling in any gaps with the most negative possible scenario. Whatever the reason for the change of heart it was probably something more fundamental than him not having told his wife that they were moving to Bolton. A long time ago I had to renege on a job offer because of a family illness, and although I didn't get a big payout, the chances are that it was something of equivalent gravity that prompted the decision not to move up north.It isn't at all possible that the reasons for not moving to Bolton weren't fully discussed when Mr Majserak was interviewed by Ealing and, whatever explanation he gave, proved to be satisfactory.The only thing we can say for sure is that Mr Najsarek's commitment to value for money for taxpayers does not extend to him having to make a personal financial sacrifice. I suspect if Ealing excluded such people from their search for a CEO they wouldn't have many to pick from.

Andy Jones ● 1783d

Yes, it was more or less as you describe it. The problem was that, at the time they appointed Mr Najserak, the Council can have had no idea what happened in Bolton so would not have known what questions to ask him.  That is unless there had been secret discussions and they did know, in which case, in singing his praises to us, Mr Bell was being deceitful.  It was to put him on the spot in that regard that I sent my letter to him.It appears that the personal obstacle that prevented Mr Najsarek’s keeping his word was Mrs Najsarek, who did not want to go and live up north!  Didn’t the Najsareks discuss that before he took the job!  He appears to be a spineless, albeit scrawny, version of Dickens’ Mr Bumble who conducts his public life under his wife’s thumb.  The other suspicious factor is that he did not resign and give notice because of personal reasons, the honourable course.  Bolton made a payment to him in lieu of notice.  What we need to worry about is the "looseness" of his contract with Ealing.  Mrs Najsarek might decide she wants to live in Benidorm and that he can run Ealing Council from there. What is certain is that Najsarek is a definitive example of a CEO jumping from one post to another with his  reputation collapsing behind him.

Andrew Farmer ● 1783d

I remember reading about this at the time and thinking it was all a bit odd. The explanation is that there was probably a change in Mr Najsarek's personal circumstances which meant he could honour his original intention to go and work in Bolton. The key word here is personal and it is probably not in the public interest that his family privacy is compromised by a full explanation being given. He then appears to have offered to do the job from London, which is obviously presposterous, but his contract was so loosely worded that he had an effective claim for constructive dismissal when they refused. If this is what happened you could argue that it wasn't a particularly honourable way to act but I don't think people who work in the public sector are any less jealous of their entitlements than private sector employees. It isn't a good look for someone so highly paid to be so apparently venal but Ealing will have known the full story and, even if he didn't act to the highest standards, they clearly thought he had other qualities that compensated.

Andy Jones ● 1784d

As you say, it is unlikely Ealing didn’t know.  It appears, though, as you will have discovered from the Mail, even the people of Bolton didn’t know, despite making a Freedom of Information Request to find out.  The important question is: Did Mr Najsarek make a full and honest disclosure about what happened in Bolton when he applied for his job in Ealing?  The fullest coverage was in the Bolton press.  I’ll set out the full story later (and deal with the issue of his contract entitlement).  I thought to start the thread it was best to put the matter in bare outline so that I could ask Julian Bell a very simple question.  Actually, I have already asked him the question three times privately. He ignored the emails.

Andrew Farmer ● 1784d

The only story I could find from 2016 was a report in the Mail about the arrangements for his contract termination from Bolton. It isn't very likely that Ealing were unaware of the issue when they hired him. The pay offs that senior council officers get are preposterous but it looks like this was a contact entitlement so the system is at fault not the individual.The taxpayer can't afford to be as generous to public sector fat cats because there are fewer of us these days!

Christine Mulligan ● 1785d