Council denies making complaint regarding blog (From This Is Local London)

Council denies making complaint regarding blog

1:42pm Monday 30th April 2012 in Where I Live By Rebecca Cain

POLICE have been called in to investigate a blog which pokes fun at town councillors in Princes Risborough.

At a Princes Risborough Town Council (PRTC) meeting the issue was raised after a letter was sent in by resident, Iain McLauchlan. In the letter, which he handed to the BFP too, he said he had been interviewed by two policemen on March 13 regarding the potential harassment of councillors through a “Mr Dumpty” blog.

The blog has compared the behaviour of members of PRTC to that of dictatorial regimes such as North Korea.

He wrote the police were satisfied he was not involved but he was told by officers the complaint had come from the town council.

The clerk, Sue Griffiths, said in last Tuesday’s meeting she was unaware of the complaint and it had not been made by the town council. When she contacted the police they said it was a complaint made by an individual.

She said she checked with the Buckinghamshire Association of Local Councils who said as the complaint was not initiated by the town council it is not a matter for councillors to discuss.

Cllr Bill Bendyshe-Brown said the resident [Mr McLauchlan] had someone with him writing notes at the time of the interview and the police apparently made it clear at the time that PRTC made the complaint, although they have not since confirmed this.

He said: “My worry is that the PRTC name is being used to make a complaint against an individual. That individual is quite understandably upset about this. He has been interviewed by the police, on that basis. They [the police] have subsequently denied that was the case.”

Cllr Alan Turner said: “I understand what Bill is saying. We don’t want someone going around pretending to be the town council. Clearly it is nothing to do with us.

“I don’t see how we can progress any further.”

Mr McLauchlan said in the letter he has made a complaint to the police as he believes the person or persons who made the original complaint about him was doing so maliciously and he reported them for harassment.

In the letter he asked for a public apology from the person or persons who had made the allegations.

The Mr Dumpty blog says in its profile it is about what “really is going on with the town council.”

Mayor of Princes Risborough, Eunice Clifford, who did not make the complaint, said about the blog: “It is nothing but a load of rubbish and blown out of all proportion.

“People are very sad. I think it is sad people write these sort of things.”

She said it is absolutely nothing to do with the town council.

A statement from Thames Valley Police said: “We can confirm that we received two reports of harassment, one on 22 February and another on 28 March. We take all reports of harassment, which can cause significant distress to victims, seriously, and on both occasions officers conducted a thorough investigation. It was decided that no further action would be taken in both instances at this stage. We do not feel it would be appropriate to comment further.”