Posted on
September 29, 2009 by
Teresa Pearce
At LP conference in Brighton and having a strange time. I’m not a delegate so I dont have a voting role to play. I’m not an MP so dont have that role, I am a PPC but not a new shiny one so dont seem to be included in the photo calls, offers to speak from platform or Q&A’s. All in all tis a bit lonely.
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Posted on
September 08, 2009 by
Teresa Pearce
Today Mr Ian Clement former leader of Bexley Conservative Council and former deputy Mayor of London stood in court and faced five charges of fraud relating to allegations regarding his use of a corporate credit card. He declined to enter pleas to the charges at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the case was adjourned until 6 October.
Mr Clement resigned his post of deputy mayor after his corporate credit card was confiscated when it was revealed the he had been using it for personal expenditure on items such as groceries and meals. The GLA spotted the mis use of the credit card as they have checks and procedures in place to do so.
It is a great concern to me as a Bexley resident that he had a similar pattern of expense claims whilst leading Bexley Council which went unchallenged. Bexley appeared to have no process in place to make sure that corporate credit cards are used for appropriate reasons and there are serious questions to be asked of the former Chief Executive and Finance Director as to why there was no due diligence in authorising that use of public money. In my opinion if they knew and did nothing to challenge the expenditure they are complicit and if they did not know then one might say they were incompetent.
On a personal note ( I know this wont be popular) I did feel sorry for Mr Clement today. He cut a lonely figure with only his legal team for company. If one of my friends found them self in his position I would hope that although I would nt condone, in any way, the actions that had resulted in such serious charges I would not turn my back on a friend in a time of need they way his ex colleagues seem to have done.
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Posted on
September 02, 2009 by
Teresa Pearce
I think it is a tragic waste that Erith does not make more of it’s history. The wonderful people who have kept Erith Museum going know only too well that there is much to interest us if only it was all brought together. With this in mind I accepted an invitation from the British Library to a viewing of their exhibition “Henry VIII – Man and Monarch” which was fascinating.
As local historians will know Erith played a part during the reign of Henry VIII (1509 – 47) . Henry is believed to have spent a night here on his way to France . Part of his naval dockyard was founded at Erith, and his famous warship, Henri Grace à Dieu or ‘Great Harry’, was fitted out here in 1515.
Erith has a rich and varied history that is rarely discussed or celebrated. There is a fascinating history of smuggling in the 17th and 18th century, as well as the more recently uncovered role in the East India Companies trading and I am sure that many people moving to the area do not realise that the reason there are roads around the “pom pom ” area called Friday and Crusoe is because the real life mariner Alexander Selkirk ( upon whom Robinson Crusoe was based ) came back to UK after his shipwreck arriving at Erith on 14 October 1711.
I think Erith deserves a permanent building to house a visitors and education centre to celebrate the history or Erith and the river and I will be campaigning to make that happen.
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