Slagging Off Your Local Council

[Garibaldi2]

I recently responded to a question on AB involving a local council complainant:-

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question1221148.html#answer-7786675

I advised against complaining about the council, if they are your landlord. I also stated that I regularly remind my local council that they are a corrupt and dishonest organisation.

This got me thinking whether any other Abers make such similarly disparaging remarks about/to their local council – and whether it provokes any reaction from the local council.

[Peter Pedant]

Garibaldi was Nicois apparently - Nice was given a choice of being Italian or Fransh by plebiscite

anyway - funny you should ask.

So, you tell Coun Smith he is a complete twazzock and helping himself to various things
and he decides to sue for libel.
Is it lawful to get the Council to underwrite his costs of the action ?

well it certainly is, if he can get them to pay - with public money of course ie mine and yours
however that course of action was recently heavily criticised in the High Court (university paid for a lecturer's libel action)

in Tolstoy v Aldington, about the return and massacre of Cossacks back to Russia in 1945, see here: http://www.rbd26.dial.pipex.com/costrepu.htm
Lord Aldington lucky fellow got an insurance company to underwrite his costs.

As a past treasurer of an organisation, I would be v unwilling to use subscription funds to finance a court case such as this but clearly I may be alone in this

[Garibaldi2]

You have slightly misunderstood who I am calling ‘a corrupt and dishonest organisation’. It is not a councilor (or anyone elected, or an elected body), but the administration of my local council. As with jkz, it is the council administration that is questioning his behaviour as their tenant (not any elected person, or body).

I have no fear of being sued for libel – I could prove with ease to a jury in a court of law that the administration of my local council is corrupt and dishonest.

[Peter Pedant]

oops sorry about that

[tonywiltshire]

You will be aware Garibaldi2 in criminal liable truth is a defence only if the statement was published for the public good but an action in tort is possible even if there is no proof that the publication has caused financial or material loss.

[Garibaldi2]

People working within the administration of my local council have lied to me in writing, and the council refuses to investigate my complaints of such.

The above does not begin to touch on the absolute corruption and dishonesty within the administration of my local council.

[Dee Sa]

ifyou Google - Streetlife follwed by the area you live in you will probably find plenty of people slagging off your local council.

[Coobeastie]

"I regularly remind my local council that they are a corrupt and dishonest organisation"

Even if a council or a company had seriously pi $$ ed me off I think I'd have better things to do with my time than run whats sounds like a campaign of harrassment against them and their staff.

[Coobeastie]

"The council refuses to investigate my complaints of such"

Didn't you say that whatever your complaint was that it had been investigated by the LBO?

[Coobeastie]

LGO

[tonywiltshire]

If you have made a complaint and are not satisfied with the response you can contact either The Local Government Ombudsman on 0300 061 0614 or your Local Councillor.

[Garibaldi2]

Had I done in my job what I am complaining local council staff have done – I can guarantee that I would be dismissed for gross misconduct. Having complained to my local council, they refused to investigate my complaint. I then complained to the LGO who ruled that my council had done nothing wrong.

Given the above – there is nothing further I can do.

But I like to remind them that they are a corrupt and dishonest organisation – otherwise staff at my local council might get the idea that they are honest and act with integrity.

[emmie]

i have and no it doesn't, they seem to be oblivious to complaints, written to them directly, made on the phone, by letter or in fact posted to the local paper.

[Coobeastie]

So the independent lgo ruled that they'd done nothing wrong but you still harass them?

[boxtops]

If you keep harrassing them, you are probably being very irritating - a couple of times is one thing, regular complaints from the same person look like nitpicking, IMO, unless they can be substantiated. I report things to the council when the situation warrants it - if I wanted to change things radically, I'd stand as a councillor.

[Garibaldi2]

I am clearly in a minority of one – my local council staff are free to commit acts of gross misconduct – which are not investigated by the local council or LGO and it is my hard luck.

[Garibaldi2]

Of course, my local council could still investigate my complaint of staff gross misconduct, but why should they when the LGO has ruled that the council has done nothing wrong.

[boxtops]

If you feel strongly, have you told your local newspapers? They are usually keen on this sort of story.

[Garibaldi2]

I did complain to a local councillor, but it soon became clear to me that either he had no interest in my complaint or that he had no authority over the administration of the council, and there was nothing he would/could do about it – I suspect the latter, in the way local councils are run. You might think that elected councillors control the local council – but you’d be wrong.

[tonywiltshire]

Have you started civil proceedings (if not find a local legal firm with no connection to the LA and provide your evidence) or have you found that the courts consider this to be vexatious proceedings?

[Garibaldi2]

I do not believe that it is possible to sue your local council - the legal method of redress being through the LGO – otherwise the courts would be inundated with cases.