Todays Tory party exposed
We have been sent a press release from Chalkley, not directly to Nutsville, but we obtained this Westminster City Council press release through a mainstream media source. This is not a spoof post, we say that because it’s rather incredible and full of threats. It’s published here in full without editing. We may make a comment about it later but we feel it speaks for Westminster City Council and Danny Chalkley on it’s own.
The only thing we want to add for now, is that in some of our posts we have given information clearly how to contact us, our data centre, our ISP and Nutsville have not received one single email complaining about this site or asking us to remove anything from Westminster City Council. Chalkley we have had some of your employees writing to us, from the Westminster City Council IP range, but we have protected them so far. But Chalkley, this is not a one way street and your IT department need to get a grip on your employees sending out emails from the Westminster City Council network. How dare you threaten us, shame on you Westminster City Council.
What happens when you back a frightened rat in to a corner?
——————————————————-
THE PRESS RELEASE FROM WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
Rogue motorcycle protestors may face legal action
Rogue motorcycle protestors could face legal action after launching a hate campaign against Westminster Council staff.
Parking bosses are currently trialling a charging scheme whereby for a maximum of £1.50 a day, motorcyclists can park in a dedicated bay anywhere in the borough.
The council has welcomed robust debate and constructive criticism over the introduction of the scheme and continues to listen to a wide range of views on the issue.
But in recent weeks a hardcore minority of increasingly militant motorcycle protestors have resorted to bully-boy tactics that include harassment and threatening behaviour against Westminster officers and councillors.
Individuals who continue to harass council staff could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to £5,000.
Examples include:
Issuing a number a inflammatory statements on the internet including the threat that anyone who supports motorcycle parking “must accept the consequences of their actions” and calling for the “gloves to come off” and “total war” against Westminster staff.
Posting the home address of a council officer on the “No to bike parking fees” website in a move designed to cause alarm and distress.
Emailing council contractors from a fake email address purporting to be from Cllr Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport. It is an offence under the 1972 Local Government Act to impersonate an elected official and this matter is now in the hands of the police.
Publishing Cllr Melvyn Caplan, Cabinet Member for Finance’s, personal mobile number on the internet and bombarding it with phone calls. Council work numbers have also been published and repeatedly called for long periods of time.
Recording phone conversations with customer service staff and posting them on the internet. It is an offence under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa) to record a phone call if the recording is passed on to a third party.
Other actions that are being investigated by the council include:
Calling for the vandalising and removal of motorcycle parking signs that provide vital information for motorcyclists wishing to park in Westminster.
Illegally fly-posting and obscuring traffic signs and shop windows on Oxford Street.
The council’s legal team has written to the “No to bike parking fees” group setting out it’s concerns.
Cllr Chalkley said: “We of course support people’s right to protest peacefully against council polices that they may not agree with.
“We also understand that occasionally passions can run high but the actions of some of those opposed to the council’s trial of motorbike parking charging fees go well beyond legitimate democratic opposition and protest.
“In recent weeks a number of our staff have been subjected to nothing more than a hate campaign of harassment, intimidation and bullying.
“If councillors and council officers continue to be targeted in this way we will report those responsible to the police and will not hesitate to pursue legal action to bring an end to such behaviour.”
Ends-
Notes to editors:
Media requesting more information should contact Westminster City Council’s press office on 0207 641 2259.
Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 a person must not pursue a course of conduct-
(a) which amounts to harassment of another, and
(b) which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of the other.
Over the last ten years there has been an increase in the number of motorcyclists coming into central London, resulting in thousands more riders driving into Westminster every day. The council has responded by introducing an extra 2,000 dedicated bays for motorcycles to park both on street and in our secure and covered carparks.
Under the current scheme it costs a maximum of £1.50 for motorcyclists to park in any motorcycle bay anywhere in the city all day. An annual permit costs £150, this works out at less than 50 pence per day.
Information about other permit types and further information regarding motorcycle parking is available on the council’s website.
http://www.westminster.gov.uk/transportandstreets/parking/
***********************************************************************************
Westminster City Council switchboard: +44 20 7641 6000
www.westminster.gov.uk
I’m sure if anyone went to http://www.notobikeparkingfees.com and looked the posts they’d soon come to the conclusion that this stealth tax from Danny Chalkley and this Conservative council does generate a lot of feeling. However, the minority of people may well be ‘militant’ but I can assure people this isn’t a military wing of commuter motorcyclists!
This press release is laughable. Firstly the facts… Westminster Council are right, the costs is less that 50p per day… If you pay £150 up front (doesn’t guarantee you a space though) and you park for more than 300 days per year (Westminster OWN report based it on 244 charging days per year… and it’s agreed that an average of 253 days per year are worked in the UK).
So, £150 up front with no confirmed space and if you park for more than 300 days per year. Chalkley might not think so but £150 for a lot of people is a great deal of money.
Conservative HQ dead against stealth taxes and you pile this on?
The press release mentions phone numbers and/or addresses… They are already on the internet? How stupid are they?
To me this press release shows Chalkley and Westminster are running scared, if their people are sticking their neck out on such dodgy issues then they should be prepared to take the odd knock on the chin. This is peoples lives they are messing about with.
Sorry, this has pissed me off so much I’ve checked WCC’s statement and it’s just gone to show how they twist and turn every word.
“total war” against Westminster staff. – Can’t find that anywhere on Notobikeparkingfees.com, so where has any Westminster staff been personally or as a member of the council been threatened?
Posting Kieran Fitsall’s address – Yep, but it’s already on the internet and no-one threatened the man or his home.
“Emailing council contractors from a fake email address purporting to be from Cllr Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport. It is an offence under the 1972 Local Government Act to impersonate an elected official and this matter is now in the hands of the police.”
Good because I have had emails from people purporting to be public servants and I’ll be handing those ‘impersonating’ emails full of distortion and lies to the police, Conservative HQ and the LGO. I’d love to see your ‘evidence’ on that WCC, why don’t you publish it?
“Publishing Cllr Melvyn Caplan, Cabinet Member for Finance’s, personal mobile number on the internet and bombarding it with phone calls.”
Cllr Melvyn Caplan put that mobile number on his Out of Office replies to his emails, I have a copy. If he didn’t want the number to be out in the public domain why did he use it on a work email? Why didn’t he have terms of use on the autoreply? Are we going to be blamed because he is incompetent?
“Council work numbers have also been published and repeatedly called for long periods of time.”
Erm… Are you serious? Where are they published and who were the people talking to? Conversations are generally two way things y’know, don’t your people have any control over when to hang up?
“Recording phone conversations with customer service staff and posting them on the internet. It is an offence under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa) to record a phone call if the recording is passed on to a third party.”
Let me see, do WCC record any calls? Do any third party use and listen to those recordings? Can I have astraight answer please?
“Calling for the vandalising and removal of motorcycle parking signs that provide vital information for motorcyclists wishing to park in Westminster.”
That is nothing to do with notobikeparkingfees.com and the committee have posted on there several times about not damaging public property.
“Illegally fly-posting and obscuring traffic signs and shop windows on Oxford Street.”
This really stinks… Do WCC care so much about cards advertising porn in phone boxes and lewd advertising posters? What about posters advertising clubs and dancevenues in Westminster? Let’s have some equality you biased bunch of hypocrites.
““In recent weeks a number of our staff have been subjected to nothing more than a hate campaign of harassment, intimidation and bullying.
“If councillors and council officers continue to be targeted in this way we will report those responsible to the police and will not hesitate to pursue legal action to bring an end to such behaviour.””
What hate campaign Chalkley? You really are a two faced, lying, self serving excuse for a man.
I’m really pissed of now! What the hell are Westminster playing at? That press release is a joke! Why are they wasting time and money monitoring the NTBPF forum? And as already pointed out, some of the posts WCC are referring to were in the members only section (a private forum) so what were WCC employees doing in there in the first place? Nothing illegal was discussed there anyway. I’m so angry right now I think it’s best if I stop typing. TARzan has hit the nail on the head with his/her comment!
[...] you for your emails of 9th and 10th March in connection with Westminster’s press release dated 9th March 2009, the contents of which I have carefully [...]