Middlesbrough Council - News Forum - Setting a light to the News

Potential Police Commissioner being frugal with the truth.
March 15, 2012 by rocklifferover
Cllr Barry Coppinger is in todays Gazette telling people that he will give up his job if he is elected as Police Commissioner
No, Barry. The TRUTH is that you will HAVE TO give up your job as political advisor to Redcar & Cleveland Council, if you are elected to the post. Let’s not try to kid the public that you are giving the job up to concentrate on the commissioners’ role. It is a requisite of the post that you cannot be employed by any of the local authorities served by Cleveland Police.
If you can’t be 100% open and honest while putting yourself forward for a position in which you MUST be beyond reproach, what chance do we have if, God forbid, you get elected?
I notice, also, that Home Secretary Theresa May has said that she “intends to ensure that a PCC declares any paid AND/ OR UNPAID INTERESTS that may conflict with their role or affect the amount of time they will be devoting to it.”
So, the questions now are, would party membership, close affiliations with councillors, the Mayor of Middlesbrough and his executive constitute an unpaid interest which WILL conflict with the role of PCC? Would being a long-serving member of a Police Authority currently under no fewer than eight separate investigations, including Operation Sacristy, giving him a track record of holding a position of authority within Cleveland Police while high-level corruption has allegedly occurred, not show that cllr Coppinger has already proved beyond doubt that he is incapable of performing in the role?
Middlesbrough is desperate for change. Cllr Coppinger taking the Commssioners job is just another step towards locking down the status quo, another opportunity for Middlesbrough to break free from decades of left-wing dogma-driven deprivation gone to waste.
Our Police Commissioner MUST be free from political influence from ANY party. For Coppinger to say that this role is a political role created by government is an outright LIE. This role will be what the people vote for it to be. As yet, Police Commissioners do not exist. To claim, therefore, that this is a political role is, at best, a disingenious way to convince the public that he’s suited to the role. At worst, it’s more dishonesty from a man who wants to be ultimately responsible for upholding the law across Teesside.
http://bettermiddlesbrough.wordpress.co ... -the-truth

Cleveland police commissioner hopefuls to give up jobs if elected
by Sandy McKenzie, Evening Gazette Mar 15 2012
TWO Middlesbrough councillors bidding to become Cleveland’s first Police and Crime Commissioner have said they will give up their full-time jobs if successful.
Elections for the new commissioners take place across the country on November 15.
Here the commissioner will replace the 17-strong Cleveland Police Authority and will have an annual salary of about £70,000.
Middlesbrough councillors Barry Coppinger and Sajaad Khan are both seeking the nomination to be the Labour candidate.
Home Secretary Theresa May said commissioners should be clear with their electorate about what outside interests they had. She said: “I intend to ensure that a PCC declares any paid and/or unpaid interests that may conflict with their role or affect the amount of time they will be devoting to it.”
Cllr Coppinger, who is a Pallister ward representative and the Executive member for social care, said: “Representing the interests of all communities in Cleveland is clearly a full-time role.
“If selected as Labour’s candidate, I would give up my employment to contest the election, and I would stand down from the council if elected.” He is employed as political assistant to the Labour Group at Redcar and Cleveland Council.
Cllr Khan, who works in hotel management, said: “It is my opinion that the people of Cleveland deserve a commissioner prepared to commit his full-time attention to the role without any distractions or conflict of interests.”
But he said he was proud to represent Gresham. “It is not my intention to forego that role,” he said, but would not claim councillor’s allowances if elected commissioner.

Read More http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... -30534989/

Indie
11:46 AM on 15/3/2012
If the job will be a full time one how can Cllr Khan still look after the day to day issues in Gresham ward? If he puts the well being of those residents first, he would stand down and allow someone else to be elected who could devote the time and attention needed to do a councillors' job fully. If both these Labour cllrs are in full time employment now, why are they taking money from the council tax for a job they don't have time to do? Are they not at work every day - all day? At the very least they should be taking only 50% surely? After all Lavour do look after the working man do they not? Or is it the working man can have what's left after they take what they can?

sherlock1
1:05 PM on 15/3/2012
This will be a sad day for the Police Service when up jumped political wanna be's start to run the show.
Glad I'm out of it.

hobo
1:13 PM on 15/3/2012
So what experiance have these guys got in law and law enforcement. Will we have to employ some more experts aswell because the guys voted into the job don't now anything about law and law enforcment and court procedures. Lets at least put somebody into the job that knows about such things so the tax payer doesnt get stung twice.

Indie
2:30 PM on 15/3/2012
The article stated that Coppinger is a "political assistant to the Labour Group in Redcar" - if that's the case then how come he got elected as a cllr in Mbro? Anyone working in this role is barred from standing as a cllr in a nearby authority. Perhaps they changed his title to Admin assistant when the time came?

PredatorDrone
3:13 PM on 15/3/2012
I've got news for those who are saying they will give up their job if successful.
The rules state they have to give their jobs up... in order to apply to stand, not when they are successful getting the PC job.
They will have to comitt themselves BEFORE standing
I wonder what they are going to do about that?

goodcopbadcop
4:50 PM on 15/3/2012
This is stupid, neither of them are qualified to do the job. In any industry there would be interviews and a selection process. The job would go to the best person. The salary is substantial not to mention the responsibility. This should not be decided by a political vote.

PredatorDrone
7:10 PM on 15/3/2012
Quote Indie "Or is it the working man can have what's left after they take what they can?"
How they look at it....Sung to the Red Flag.
The working class can kiss my **** ..... I get paid well, from the council tax.


Read More http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... -30534989/