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Brighton councillor in 'Mugabe' backlash

11:00am Tuesday 9th September 2008 in News By Andy Whelan

An outspoken councillor could face disciplinary action for accusing colleagues of behaving like Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe over plans for a travellers’ site.

Labour councillor Craig Turton will today be reported to Brighton and Hove City Council’s standards committee watchdog by Conservative councillor Brian Oxley.

The East Brighton councillor made the controversial comments to The Argus in July after the Tories refused to allow members of the public to ask questions at or hand over petitions during a special cabinet meeting.

At the meeting, councillors approved plans to build a permanent travellers’ site with up to 14 pitches at Sheepcote Valley in Whitehawk, Brighton.

Coun Turton said: “Such dodgy anti-democratic practices have more in common with Zimbabwe than Brighton and Hove.” In a letter addressed to Alan McCarthy, council chief executive, Mr Oxley said Mr Turton had breached the code of conduct by bringing the authority into disrepute.

He said: “It is ludicrous to compare the actions of Brighton and Hove City Council to ‘the antidemocratic practices of Zimbabwe’.

“Clearly nothing could be further from the truth and I think the use of such language is both deeply objectionable and a deliberate attempt to smear the name of the council.

“The truth is that the arrangements for special cabinet meetings are set out by the council’s constitution, which was approved by all the political groups that make up the council.”

But Coun Turton believes the Tories reported him in revenge after their decision to build the site was called in for review by the environment and community safety overview and scrutiny committee in August. He said: “I’m not alone in thinking that Oxley’s decision to make a formal complaint has been influenced by the embarrassment caused to the Conservatives by my call-in request.

“Complaints to the Standards Board should relate to substantial issues and not to attempts at political mischief-making.

“Given the credit crunch, I’m sure taxpayers would prefer to see the valuable time of the chief executive and other officers being spent more productively than on disagreements of political opinion.”

Coun Oxley said he would post the official complaint today. A date for the standards committee hearing has not been set.

Do you think Councillor Turton should be censured? Let us know below.

Comments(14)

Dirk Von Roden says...
11:14am Tue 9 Sep 08

Craig Turton speaks for many Brighton Residents,I find Oxley to be objectionable;The only consideration mr Oxley has is to himself he should listen to what is said not ride roughshod over the people of Brighton!! hopefully he will find that out come election timeCraig you have my support at all times.After all you helped when the council ignored me cheers mate ,(thedelboy)

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Acheron says...
11:33am Tue 9 Sep 08

Given the council has refused to hand over information relating to the 'questionable' sale of beach huts under the Freedom on Information Act on the grounds that it's not in the public interest (see story on BBC Sussex webpage) is it any surprise. Not in the public interest really means 'too likely to proove embarassing to the council'.


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Andy R says...
12:32pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Complete waste of the Council's time and money. I had no idea that Cllr Oxley was so sensitive. HE should be reported to the Audit Commission for wasting resources with vexatious complaints. This is just part of the general cut and thrust of politics. There is also an issue of free speech here - if Cllr Turton wants to compare the current administration to Mugabe (and I don't believe he explicitly did), then he is free to do so, whether Oxley likes it or not. Time to grow up.

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Charismatic Andrew says...
12:35pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Thanks Turton but as a taxpayer I'm more than happy to see time spent taking hypocritical councillors like you down a peg or two.

Your Labour controlled council was littered with "dodgy anti-democratic practices" and your party's constant bleatings to the Argus are becoming extremely tiresome.

By the way did you know that "Mugabe" backwards is "E-Ba-Gum". If you didn't you do now.

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Mary Hinge says...
12:40pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Yes Acheron it is definitely worth pointing out that the beach hut issue you refer to was back in 2003 when, guess what, Labour were in power.

So frankly anything that Turton says has to be dealt with in the context that a) he sat on the Environment Committee and b) he is just trying to make cheap political capital (as he was with his original "Mugabe" statements).

Perhaps instead of constantly criticising the tories the current Labour incumbents should take a long look in the mirror first...

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Fight Back says...
12:45pm Tue 9 Sep 08

It never ceases to amaze me how childish our councillors are ( of all parties ). And Cllr Oxley - the council HAS acted in a Muagbe style here - you have not allowed the public a say. Recent consultations on numerous things have been a sham. Why are you so scared to allow the public a voice ? Stop acting like some spoilt six year old and allow people a say. I truely worry about the future with the idiotic councillors we currently have.

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Scorpion says...
1:04pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Compare and contrast: East Sussex County Council : Has public consultations and then ignores them. When it wants to do something it starts with the answer it wants to have and then makes everything else fit. Incinerator, sewage plant, reopening rail link ... all end up with the answer that they first thought of. Certainly seems to have more in common with a banana republic than the concept of democracy.

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colavey says...
4:14pm Tue 9 Sep 08

And who chose to introduce the undemocratic cabinet style in local government? The arrogant labour council who wished to railroad everything through without the public knowing until it was too late now you moan because its come back to haunt you. And why is this going to the chief exec, after all this overpaid council worker agreed with this undemocratic style of running our city, along with the then labour council’s idea that we the people were not fit or able to vote for our mayor. And as for the party in power you should grow up a councilor made a remark you didn`t like that’s tough, a lot of your council workers in the guise of officials, make remarks about the general public we laugh it off. Councilors and council officials might think they are gods but to me and many others your nobodies who wish to dictate the way we eat, sleep and live.

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Gentleman Jim says...
7:05pm Tue 9 Sep 08

I agree that when Labour were in power they bulldozed items through without a second thought of the known public opinion,however all members of the so called cabinet should be able to give their opinion without fear or favour.

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Kickboxer says...
9:19pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Councilers and the like thereof should remember that they are civil servants, ie they are there to serve US not the other way around. If it carries on like this the revolution will come.

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Camp Freddy says...
10:11pm Tue 9 Sep 08

Andy R wrote:
Complete waste of the Council's time and money. I had no idea that Cllr Oxley was so sensitive. HE should be reported to the Audit Commission for wasting resources with vexatious complaints. This is just part of the general cut and thrust of politics. There is also an issue of free speech here - if Cllr Turton wants to compare the current administration to Mugabe (and I don't believe he explicitly did), then he is free to do so, whether Oxley likes it or not. Time to grow up.
Spot on, Andy R! What a waste of our money. What happended to free speech? If Turton's coments were reported in the Argus in July, why did Oxley wait two months to complain? If he was genuinely offended, why wait that long?

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chris elmes says...
7:38am Wed 10 Sep 08

Hmm very intresting, but you all forget that as far as these knaves poltroons and uprightmen are concerned civil servant is semanticly equivalent to civil master.

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King from Hove says...
11:05am Wed 10 Sep 08

New labour were to blame for so many ludicrous plans put in place when they were in power.Now they are making out that they have all the answers.Useless when they were in and irrelevant now that they are out.

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Scorpion says...
12:48pm Wed 10 Sep 08

Strictly speaking, the "civil servants" are the staff at all levels of government and don't usually include the elected members. True, you do expect the elected members to serve their constituents. The political barracking is all part of the show...albeit that it looks a tad childish from time to time.

Personally, I find it very hard to distinguish between the Blue Tories and the Red Tories..er..new Labour. They have had their days and done some good things. Then they've always managed to screw up and when we've found out, somehow our collective memory seems to forget what the other lot did the last time and we vote em back in again. So if you really want to know who's to blame for the shambolic bunch in city hall, look-around. Either you voted the wrong way or you didn't... equally culpable.

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