Controversial Blackburn councillors back in fold (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Controversial Blackburn councillors back in fold
11:31am Monday 8th September 2008 in
-
- By Tom Moseley » Reporter
TWO controversial councillors have been readmitted to their party’s ranks on Blackburn with Darwen’s ruling group.
Coun Arif Waghat, who was given an eight-week suspended sentence for a £3,000 benefit fraud, and Coun Yusuf Sidat, who left the borough for three months and faced a police investigation, had been excluded from the Liberal Democrat group.
Both had faced calls by opposition politicians to resign from the town hall - but at a Lib Dem party meeting last week members voted to allow the two councillors, who had been standing as independents, back to the fold.
Shear Brow councillor Waghat had suspended himself from the Liberal Democrat party, of which he was deputy leader, in August 2007 after admitting benefit fraud.
He said: “They needed our hands on the deck. I am glad to be back in the fold after my time in the wilderness and look forward to working towards Liberal Democrat principles.”
Coun Sidat, who represents Queen’s Park, was suspended by party leader David Foster in March "pending an investigations into allegations of inappropriate conduct that could bring the group into disrepute."
Police spoke to him following an alleged incident involving a woman in Bradford, but he was not arrested or charged.
Coun Foster said: “I feel Arif Waghat has served his sentence as it were.
“He is a valued councillor, and we respect his integrity. He has signed up to all the principles of the partnership and the group so we want to be able to use his experience and skills.
“Coun Sidat is slightly different. He had personal circumstances that affected his ability to perform as a councillor.
“Those have been resolved and now he is able to perform his duties and has promised to do that.”
Labour leader Kate Hollern said: “It doesn’t surprise me, but I think they both should have resigned.”
Comments(19)
akon
says...
11:54am Mon 8 Sep 08
Impartial
says...
11:57am Mon 8 Sep 08
It shows beyond any shadow of doubt that complacency amongst the electorate allows people like these to treat ride roughshod over the democratic process.
Ian the Beancounter
says...
2:04pm Mon 8 Sep 08
Councillor Foster said “He is a valued councillor, and we respect his integrity."
Is there a part of "Liberal Democrat principles" that condones stealing from the community?
Does Mr Foster's interpretation of "integrity" differ from anyone else's? A benefit cheat is nothing more than a thief - how can he have any "integrity"?
I despair when it comes to standards in politics these days - both local and national.
hoodle
says...
2:44pm Mon 8 Sep 08
batesempire
says...
3:16pm Mon 8 Sep 08
akon
says...
3:18pm Mon 8 Sep 08
Woody Riversider
says...
4:37pm Mon 8 Sep 08
How the hell does a councillor of proven theft & deceit end up back in the boardroom of power?
& what does this councillor Foster have to say 'He is a man of integrity & we respect him'
This is a absolute smack in the face for any decent member of our community.
I cannot believe what I am reading!! Any other person appearing before the law courts in this country on matters of theft/dishonesty end up with a criminal record that reduces them to the lowest paid jobs that society as to offer.
Why? Because normal members of society pay for the failings of the likes of 'Councillor Waghat'
This(reinstatement) is fundementally wrong which ever way you choose to look at it, & now I understand why LIB/DEM as never been in power in my 46 years.
One thing is for certain I will make sure that my vote(for what it is worth) will not be wasted on this morally corrupt council.
OUTRAGE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!!
TONY WALES
says...
7:28pm Mon 8 Sep 08
Dont forget to write out the P45's before the next election.
M.DANNY
says...
8:27pm Mon 8 Sep 08
guardian
says...
11:04pm Mon 8 Sep 08
Councillor Karimeh Foster is instrumental in recruiting Liberal Democrats within the Asian community in Blackburn. They are not really Liberal Democrats (i.e they wouldn't know a Liberal-Democrat policy if it slapped them in the face !) but want to become Councillors because they happen not to like the Labour candidates or belong to a different mosques / clan than the Labour candidate.
How many of the Asian Liberal Democrats were members of the Party before being asked or chosen as candidates ?? Councillor Foster spends quite a lot of time in Bastwell and Audley trying to recruit Asian candidates with particularly large families in the area.
batesempire
says...
9:01am Tue 9 Sep 08
guardian wrote:It sounds about right for her. She should stick to her whitehall ward knocking on doors. If she ever catches me in i am afraid to say Miss Foster I will tell you what i think of you and that is your a snide woman. I said many yeas ago that when Labour first let in the visitors in to the council it would have a damaging effect on our district as they will only help there own and any one who will line ther pockets. May i stress i am not racist I am just saying it as I see it. If they do wrong kick them out once and for all
Yes, it's terrible that Councillor Waghat is back with the Liberal-Democrats after cheating the taxpayer. Liberal-Democrats on the Council are totally split between the Darwen Liberal Democrats and Blackburn Liberal Democrats. For some reason the Blackburn Liberal Democrats seem to want Waghat back in the fold whilst some Darwen Liberal Democrats (especially Paul Browne)are not keen at all. Councillor Karimeh Foster is instrumental in recruiting Liberal Democrats within the Asian community in Blackburn. They are not really Liberal Democrats (i.e they wouldn't know a Liberal-Democrat policy if it slapped them in the face !) but want to become Councillors because they happen not to like the Labour candidates or belong to a different mosques / clan than the Labour candidate.How many of the Asian Liberal Democrats were members of the Party before being asked or chosen as candidates ?? Councillor Foster spends quite a lot of time in Bastwell and Audley trying to recruit Asian candidates with particularly large families in the area.
akon
says...
10:17am Tue 9 Sep 08
TONY WALES
says...
10:25am Tue 9 Sep 08
M.DANNY wrote:If India is so good why are so many people from the Indian sub-continent trying to settle into this country, by illegal immigration, and phoney marriages?
TONY WALES,politics same as Pakistan? these two councillore are from INDIA the world's largest democracy,where corruptions are rife,and the politicians there are most corrupt in the world,neverless ,INDIA is second fastest growing economy in the world after communist CHINA.INDIA will be the next economic superpower in 2020 with their corrupt politicians.
Perhaps some people would be better off and have better job prospects by returning?
De La Rosa
says...
3:27pm Tue 9 Sep 08
modan
says...
4:20pm Tue 9 Sep 08
Africa and West Indies setteled in 1950s,1960s and 1970s to work in mills,foundries,drov
e our buses and taxis,we should be grateful that they came and worked hard,young men with little or no English but settled quite nicely bringing their spouse and kids later on settle with them and later they became British Subjects.So after 50 years or so they are British Subjects and their children are born here and no more of this racist comments about them being Indians or Pakistanis.As for India and China is concern,these two nations are big giants with a billion population each and the new economic tigers that the world will have to face the emergence of two global superpowers from 2020 to 2050 ,the USA and RUSSIA will be challenged at the world stage for global supremacy ie in technology wars,space wars,global trade and military and arms race.
TONY WALES
says...
7:31pm Tue 9 Sep 08
modan wrote:What you need to understand is that this country can only accomodate so many people, of any colour or race.We do not have the resources or money to keep accepting more immigrants from any counry including the EEC This is not racist is is common sense. The same as you can only fit so many peole into a telephone box.
Perhaps Tony Wales try and read British Empire when Britain ruled India for two centuries,until India was granted independence in 1947,then India become a republic and a member of Commenwealth club.Indians were allowed to come and settle in UK after post war Britain due to labour shortages in our textile mills in Lancashire and Yorshire.Many of the Commenwealth citizens from Indian-subcontinent,
Africa and West Indies setteled in 1950s,1960s and 1970s to work in mills,foundries,drov
e our buses and taxis,we should be grateful that they came and worked hard,young men with little or no English but settled quite nicely bringing their spouse and kids later on settle with them and later they became British Subjects.So after 50 years or so they are British Subjects and their children are born here and no more of this racist comments about them being Indians or Pakistanis.As for India and China is concern,these two nations are big giants with a billion population each and the new economic tigers that the world will have to face the emergence of two global superpowers from 2020 to 2050 ,the USA and RUSSIA will be challenged at the world stage for global supremacy ie in technology wars,space wars,global trade and military and arms race.
Our health service, education system and our welfare systems only has so much money, if it is over-stretched the standard must drop.
My comments are not racist but they make sense. Any person of any race or colour born in the UK or not will see in future years a drop in the standard of their social services because of the growth in population. Your schools and the education system and also your health services will get worse. The MP's in London will pretend not to notice this, but the working ordinary people will.
modan
says...
6:08pm Wed 10 Sep 08
NES etc etc.Then there is the population of this planet set to double by 2050 to ten billion from present over six billion.Britain's population now 60 million is set to rise by 70 million by 2030,indeed we are an overcrowded nation,but with 60 million people we have skilled shortages in this country plus there is unskilled shortages too,in farming industries,care industries hotels and restaurants business and so on.Now perhaps Tony Walsh can tell us in this comment site so what you mean by this country is getting overcrowded and why is our politicians allowing more immigrants to come settle over here ,is Britain a soft touch? not just for those EU nationals,THE COMMOMWEALTH COUNTRIES OR IS IT THAT THE BRITISH are lazy layabout that led skilled shortages and unskilled shortages? I like your veiws again in this site again so what is your problems when the GOVERNMENTS and the IMMIGRATION DEPARMENTS are letting too many immigrants in country while its okay for our countrymen and women can emigrate to other parts of the world?
blackburner
says...
7:07pm Wed 10 Sep 08
anyone want to join me in starting a, for blackburn party,
i am pretty sure than 99% of this towns residents are fed up to the back teeth with this muppet show
sorry, thats an insult to kermit & his friends, they are intelligent
Diss1t
says...
12:02am Thu 11 Sep 08
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