PaulRogan

It is my view that the Secretary of State's decision, published 17^th Jan. 09 could bring about an earlier date for swimming to be restored to Brighouse.

Details of news articles are here:-

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Builder-victorious-in-battle-for.3690640.jp

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/The-1m-blow-for-Brighouse.3689995.jp

This is what I have issued to the press:-

I am of course delighted with the Secretary of State's decision as it confirms the views I have held from the outset. I welcome it also as it could and should now mark a turning point in the Sugden's saga.

I hope all parties will now agree, in the light of this clear message, to be prepared to sit down together so a way forward can be found which will positively benefit Brighouse. I will to this end, as Chairman of Brighouse Forward Partnership, be seeking to arrange for all stakeholders to come together at the earliest available time, including senior Council Officers.

Brighouse needs a solution to the withdrawal of the swimming facility, a means of easing it's traffic congestion and a river/canal side development which will enhance the town, to the benefit of our town centre traders and all our residents. This is what we must now all work for, especially as it is so long overdue. We must all, Calderdale, developers, stakeholders and residents, work together to build bridges and fill in trenches.

Cllr Paul Rogan, Rastrick Ward, English Democrats Party. 18^th January 2008.

I am not impressed with the spin put on the announcement of the decision by the Leader of Calderdale Council. Actions speak louder than words and this Councillor was a member of the ruling Cabinet which closed down the old pool and who has resisted calls to bring it back into use whilst Leader. I will be seeking Councillor's support for a budget amendment aimed at restoring Brighouse's swimming pool at next month's Budget Council. Lets see if votes can replace spin.

In an attempt to establish the openess and extent of the investigations into what is hoped will not become a 'caldergate', i asked the Conservative Leader of Calderdale Council the following questians at last week's Council meeting on 5th Dec.

"Re:- Inquiry into Compulsory Purchase order relating to Sugdens Mill, Mill Royd Street, Brighouse, and the associated closing of Mill Royd Street.

Following allegations published in the Yorkshire Post last week that false evidence was given to the public inquiry by witnesses acting for Calderdale Council, I note that you have asked the Chief Executive for a full and independent inquiry into the matter. I had earlier called for this publicly and Janet Battye, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, also supported this call in a press release.

1. Members have been advised that a Liverpool solicitor will be carrying out the inquiry and the firm's website details their specialties in handling matters for local authorities. Do you agree that it is essential that the inquiry is independent, comprehensive and takes evidence from all those persons and parties wishing to give evidence?
2. Do you see any reason why the police should not carry out the inquiry, as being the necessary independent body qualified to deal with matters of this sort?
3. Further, will you please tell us now,

3.1   Who will be paying for the solicitor to carry out the inquiry?
3.2   What are the terms of reference for the inquiry?
3.3   What instructions have been given to the solicitor with regard to who should be approached to submit evidence to him?
3.4   Given the Chief Executive has requested a report by end December and has stated that should nothing improper have happened that the Council may consider whether action is to be taken as a result, has the solicitor given any indication that he will be able to comply with the requested timescale?
3.5   Will the report be made public at the time of submission to Calderdale Council?"

Of course the answers are far more telling than the questions. I will post these as soon as I have received them in full.

I draw your attention to today's report from the Yorkshire Post's multi-award winning reporter Robert Sutcliffe. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Calls-for-probe-into-council.3542147.jp I have now issued the following press release.

Further to the publication in the Yorkshire Post of allegations that Calderdale Council's gave false evidence to a Public Inquiry into a Compulsory Purchase Order, English Democrat Councillor Paul Rogan, (Rastrick) immediately called for a full and independent Inquiry into the matter.

Yesterday Calderdale's present Chief Executive (a new one is to be confirmed 19th Dec.) told Councillors he had issued instructions to commission an investigation into the allegations made in the letter dated 26 November 2007, to the Secretary of State by Messrs Hammonds. As a result Graeme Creer of Weightmans Solicitors, Liverpool has been instructed and a report is expected by the end of December.

Councillor Paul Rogan (English Democrats)  has responded to the Chief Executive asking for Mr Creer's contact  details and pointing out that the Public Inquiry's result was originally expected early December, before Calderdale's investigation is completed.

Councillor Rogan commented:  "I still believe the Police should also open an investigation and I will therefore be contacting them today to ask them to do this".

At the Full Council meeting scheduled next week, at which Councillor Rogan also tabled a Motion calling upon the Prime Minister to hold a Referendum on the EU Treaty,  he now intends to be able to bring a vote of no confidence in the Tory Cabinet.

Councillor Rogan stated:  "In my view if the Council has provided false evidence to a Public Enquiry, this will have happened while a Tory Cabinet was in charge.  This business has brought the entire Borough under a cloud, and, if the case is proven, then they should accept full responsibility and resign".

The English Democrats are anxious to ensure that despite the current climate of sleaze and third party donations which are plaguing the main parties, that The English Democrats stand up for transparency in local government and ensure wrong doing is identified and punished where it is found to have taken place.

Is there a fraud and cover up in Calderdale over the Council's plans for Brighouse's river and canal side retail sheds scheme?

Link to today's story in the Yorkshire Post is:- http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Council-accused-of-fraud-in.3534314.jp

When I first saw the Hammond's solicitors letter to the Secretary of State, which contained the allegations of the Council's false evidence to the Sugden's Mill CPO Inquiry, my first thoughts were that this is a total disgrace. Those like me, who sat through much of the Inquiry, already felt that there was something very wrong with the Council's scheme but now these new allegations if founded demonstrate that the people of Brighouse have been very seriously let down. The allegations could also have much wider ramifications in the whole Calderdale borough. The Tory Cabinet has been presiding (for some years now) over this ‘scheme', which allegedly involves fraud, cover up and gagging. I hold them entirely and collectively responsible and think they should resign immediately.

There have been many occasions in the past when both myself and Councillor Nick Yates have been ignored, gagged, be-littled, threatened and not allowed to speak about our concerns at meetings in the Town Hall held either in private or public. These go back to times when we were still both members of the Conservative group. A group which not only gave no support what so ever to our concerns but now appears to perhaps have been a party to cover-up, intimidation and whose leaders weakly followed recommendations without proper scrutiny, making as a result some very poor decisions. Hardly surprising neither of us are no longer Tories!

Labour are no better. Their Panel Chairman refused last year to let community representatives be heard at a scrutiny meeting, where they had hoped to point out some of the many inconsistencies which are now apparently evidenced in the letter sent to the Secretary of State. The Liberal-Dem chairing the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel meeting earlier this year likewise refused to let me speak as soon as he knew my theme related to the subject now to hand. It now appears to many that the cover up and alleged deception may go very deeply and touch all the main 3 political Parties.

I will not only be calling for a full and public investigation into the matter by an independent body but also for an immediate police investigation into the allegations of fraud.

Should these allegations prove to be founded, i shall call for further investigations which may perhaps reveal more instances in Brighouse or indeed across the entire Borough of Calderdale, where supposed ‘regeneration' has been more like ‘stagnation'. Putting the matter into a wider context for Brighouse, further questions are raised.

Had a proper and well thought out regeneration been started 10 years ago in Brighouse, would Tesco's be where it is today? Who led the plans to locate Tesco's on their present (now Town Centre) site consigning the sports club to the back woods?

Would the resulting traffic congestion caused by the Tesco's roundabout be substantially less?

Would Brighouse people now be swimming in either a refurbished traditional pool or a brand new one, rather than no swimming facility at all?

Would the town be littered with eyes sores, more akin to derelict WW2 bombsites?

Would the river and canal fronts now be a vibrant and stunning tourist attraction instead of a wasted asset?

So many questions may be raised as the worms creep out of this newly opened tin.

The people of Brighouse have indeed been very badly let down in more ways than one and in the meantime, whilst investigations are being made the very least the Council can now do is to repair the town's swimming pool forthwith until a new one can be provided.

Exciting plans for Bradford's regeneration were announced within days of an article in The Echo that Brighouse is behind the times.

Bradford's ‘living water front' vision, a plan by leading architect Will Alsop is going forward at a cost of many millions. The irony is that with a site bounded by a flowing river and tranquil canal, a similar Alsop waterfront vision for Brighouse has been dismissed by Calderdale, who consider an outdated ‘tin shed' development as being good enough for our town.

As usual, the Echo with little by way of constructive proposals and even less knowledge - they couldn't even be bothered to send a reporter to the Sugden's Public Inquiry - heap all the blame on one local developer.

This is not my understanding. The Council's Sugden scheme still awaits planning approval and they have had since 1997 to get this done. This was confirmed to me by the Inspector at the Public Inquiry which has not yet concluded.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but facts should always come first.