Romford Town Hall where closed Conservative meetings took place
Bob Perry, who represents Emerson Park, has spoken out, saying some of his colleagues also feel the same way about Damian White, the leader of Havering Council.
Cllr Perry says he decided to speak publicly about the allegations after he tried to complain to the Conservative Party but it “tried to bat it off.”
Speaking to Time 107.5, Cllr Perry said: “Since Cllr White has been the leader, he has behaved in a dictatorial manner.
“I’m not going to go into what was said in a closed Conservative group meeting but basically it centred around campaigning.
“We were ordered to campaign every Monday evening between 6-8pm and then follow on for a group meeting afterwards at the Town Hall.
“It meant that some people are not getting to eat. Those who work are having to go straight from work to this.”
Cllr Bob Perry has gone public with his bullying allegations against the council leader
Cllr Perry claimed those who missed one such meeting were threatened with being removed from committee positions within the council.
Committee chairs are given an allowance of up to £14,418 per annum, depending on the committee in question. Cllr Perry chairs the crime and disorder overview and scrutiny committee and has an added allowance of £7,650.
Speaking on his decision to go public, he said: “This is not something I’ve done lightly. I didn’t really want to have to go public with this.
“I approached the Conservative party after the event and made an official complaint. It took them over a week to reply and they tried to “bat it off” as an internal matter that I needed to take up with the group.
“As the leader of the council is also head of the group, how do I complain to the person I’m making the accusations against.”
Councillor White responded to the allegations on Time 107.5 today.
Speaking to Mark Dover as part of his monthly slot answering listeners’ questions, Cllr White said: “Discrimination, bullying, all of this has no place in the Conservative party or in local government. I am very proud that one of the first things I did when I became leader of the council was to bring forward a community cohesion strategy to be able to champion diversity and inclusion in Havering.
“There’s been no complaint received by the Conservative group. We have established procedures that need to be followed if a complaint has been made.
“I cannot really comment any further because I don’t really want to prejudice a potential investigation.”
Tags: Havering, Emerson Park
