The behaviour of two Ealing councillors has been put in the spotlight this week after one was found to be in breach of the standards committee and another exposed as using a false online identity.

Southall Labour Councillor, Zahida Abbas Noori, broke three counts of the Council’s Code of Conduct and one of the Code of Conduct in relation to Planning Matters .

The committee heard that she interfered with two planning matters and a child protection investigation. She has been ordered to take training in planning, the code of conduct, working with officers and child protection.

Meanwhile, the Labour group is calling for an investigation after an 'opposition Councillor' was revealed as using a fake identity on the Ealing Today forum to make political attacks.

The poster used the alias ‘Mark Stevens’ and claimed to have been a resident in the public gallery at a full council meeting to make a complaint against Labour councillor, Ray Wall.

Councillor Ray Wall, who represents Hobbayne ward in Hanwell, said, ''It really is despicable that an opposition councillor is launching anonymous, unfounded attacks against Labour politicians and trying to undermine their good character.

''This kind of behaviour is completely underhand and cowardly. I think this kind of politics is spiteful and childish and damages the reputation of local democracy.''

Labour has condemned anonymous online attacks and want an investigation and an apology.

However Conservative spokesman, Councillor Mark Reen said it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black:

'' It is rather ironic that Labour is accusing the opposition of undermining the good character of Labour Councillors, when their own Cllr Noori is doing it for them.

'' Councillor Noori continues to sit on planning and far as we know, remains a full member of the Labour Group and Labour party. Is it surprisingly therefore that Labour wants to concentrate on a fictional person, rather than the problems in their own Group?

''So come on Labour, focus on the issues really affecting residents of the Borough and who knows, Mark Stevens might actually be Cllr Noori trying to get her own back.”

A Code of Conduct can be found for users of the Ealing Today forum, and a spokesperson for Neighbour Net said: ''We don’t comment on individual cases but the IP address of every post is logged. If someone contacts us to complain about a post on one of our discussion boards the first thing we ask the author of the post to verify their identity and their account is suspended until they do so.''

 

18th July 2012