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To: Slough Borough Council Subject: [SOLA 009551] Public Question 3, 11 December 2007 Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:28:44 +0000
Dear Assistant Director for Democratic Services,
(1) I refer to my question submitted to Cllr David Munkley for the meeting of the full council held on 11th ultimo in Slough Town Hall. The council numbered it as 'public question 3'. For David's convenience I now repeat it:
"Are you personally satisfied you have devoted sufficient time to your Commissioner duties and are up-to-date with the various education budgets and how they are being spent to satisfy children's human right to education (Council of Europe Treaty 9, protocol 1, article 3 from 1952 and included in the UK's Human Rights Act 1998 schedule 1, part 2, article 3). If so, does the Local Education Authority have sufficient funding to entirely and properly fulfil all its statutory obligations mindful of the youths excluded from school now wandering the streets during lesson time and getting involved in crimes including drugs?"
(2) David has refused to give a written answer to the council for its records of that public meeting. David stated in writing to council officials
"I gave a comprehensive oral reply to Mr Janik's question at the meeting on 11th December, 2007."
(3) For a comprehensive answer to be made at a public meeting it would have been necessary for David to research the matter and prepare his reply in writing rather than willy-nilly invent a response wrapped in waffle and then attempt to retain in his memory the constituent aspects of what he claims was "a comprehensive oral reply" particularly because David is known to suffer from memory retention difficulties - a fact known to those who encounter him as the executive councillor for children's education. Thus it is reasonable to expect detailed notes existed at the material time when David gave what he described as his "comprehensive oral reply".
(4) Those who know David will be aware he simply loves putting things in writing including directions to council staff to force one of his local residents in the Northborough Estate to remove the barbed wire on the inside of that neighbour's rear garden fence erected as protection against the then epidemic of incessant burglaries and vandalism. (I bet David never dreamed I would know about that one and the others). David is also a compulsive hoarder of council documents and council information.
(5) David knows that in the very dim council chamber where lighting is now inadequate and whilst speaking in poorly articulated prose at normal talking speed it is impossible for an ordinary person like me to write down with even 50% accuracy David's evasive, rambling and defensive monologue.
(6) Had I known in advance David was deliberately intending to deny me and other members of the public the details of his reply to the very serious matter I raised in writing, I would have objected to the speed of his oral delivery and read-back to him the notes I could have, with prior notice and preparation, attempted to write down.
(7) Was David intent on causing mischief, or was it part of a Conservative-BILLD cover-up, by deliberately failing to warn me he was too afraid to put his answer on the public record and he did not want anyone to record his protestations that absolutely everything was wonderful in the Borough of Slough and there was no scandal of excluded children deprived of education wandering the Borough's streets committing crimes and consuming unlawful drugs. Please will you kindly ask Cllr David Munkley to place on the public record his official answer to my written question?
(8) David's childish and immature behaviour refusing to comply with normal council policy, practice and procedure by submitting a written reply like all the other councillors do, is making a mockery of the long established council traditions whilst actively encouraging the public to believe David, like so many other members of the Conservative-BILLD administration, is intent on covering-up more of their deplorable scandals and embarrassing failures.
(9) The public may not be aware David has been a member, and is now chairman for many years, of the council's secretive rule and procedure making committee known as the Constitution Working Party. He, therefore, knows better than almost all other councillors the advantage of following the council's normal protocols and submitting written replies.
(10) The matter of children not attending school, taking drugs and wandering streets committing crimes when they ought to be receiving supervised education is gravely worrying. It is therefore important to me that the council's executive councillor with lawful responsibility for the local authority's education system and its performance gives an explanation that can be examined and scrutinised. Hot air can not. That is why I need a written reply.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Janik. A resident of Slough.
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