REGARDING your leading story on March 22 about the Ivan Taylor investigation, I attended the Standards Committee's first meeting which was convened in order to decide whether to investigate the allegations against Coun Taylor and it was not Mr Essex-Crosby who recommended the Wyre Chief Executive but one of the three Labour members of the five-member committee.
I did write to our chief executive voicing my concerns of possible bias but Mr Essex-Crosby considered that the appointment had been made that that was an end to the matter.
I must therefore support Coun Callow 's observations, for it is not ethical for anyone, no matter how honourable they may be, to investigate an acquaitance.
If a JP recognises the accused in the dock, he/she retires and the case is heard by someone else.
Perhaps our council considers that a trial's procedure is irrelevant. But there is another example -- that of Lord Hoffman in the House of Lords whose wife had a passing acquaintance with Amnesty International and when that was discovered the Pinochet appeal had to be heard again.
I do not suggest that Mr Michael Brown is anything other than a man of integrity, but as Coun Callow has said, "Perception is everything in these matters" and the residents of Blackpool will not be satisfied with anything less than absolute honesty in this investigation.
Beverley Moy,
Blackpool First Alliance.
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