Hackney Council lawyer makes Private Eye Rotten Boroughs Awards
A Hackney Council lawyer has been awarded runner-up place in Private Eye‘s Rotten Boroughs Awards 2010.
In awarding the honour, Private Eye announced Lawyer of the Year runner-up as:
“Hackney’s Graham White, who sent a pompous letter to a small community newspaper, the Hackney Citizen, threatening a punitive claim for invasion- of-privacy costs after the paper put online an embarrassing recording of a council spokeswoman misleadingly telling callers that the Conservative standing in the council’s mayoral election, Andrew Boff, was not, in fact, a candidate.
“Earlier the council had omitted Boff’s election address from the official booklet containing all the candidates’ statements. ”
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Related:
‘An embarrassing recording of a council [telephone operator mistakenly] telling [Andrew Boff AM] that the Conservative standing in the council’s mayoral election, Andrew Boff [AM], was not, in fact, a candidate. Earlier the council had omitted Boff’s election address from the official booklet containing all the candidates’ statements’ [because it had been submitted only a few minutes before the deadline and had included statements ruled to be illegal under electoral legislation].
I want competent candidates representing their Parties in Hackney and every one of them and their agents know the score and submit everything five days before the deadline so that the lawyers can supply any feedback on outstanding issues in good time. There are funny examples of entire slates of Party candidates in elections being ruled out and it happens somewhere at every election but then to a very experienced ex-Councillor in Hackney and sitting Londonwide Assembly Member, it’s a bit disappointing.
Congratulations to Hackney Council’s lawyers. They may only have been runners-up, but I’m sure they’ll win first prize soon.
We have just found out that stallholders on Broadway Market were charged more than £3,000 last year for a court case that had nothing to do with them. That’s a good start.
Of course private law firms benefit most from Hackney’s legal largesse. Taxpayers might like to search for “legal” in the new spending reports (linked by the Citizen) to see where their money went.
Jed never tires of cheerleading Hackney labour.
The boy’s never had an original thought in his life, so I hope he’s getting something in return for his loyalty.