A COUNCIL leader accused of a £45,000 benefit fraud is today set to step down, the Post can reveal.

Milan Radulovic, Labour leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, is accused of receiving an overpayment in his incapacity benefit of £45,511.

The Post understands this relates to allowances he is said to have claimed as a councillor, but did not declare as earnings.

Read on: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Broxtowe-council-leader-accused-fraud-stepping/story-15156283-detail/story.html

TORBAY Council vice-chairman Terry Manning has been suspended for abusing his position as councillor.

A council standards hearing yesterday heard how he threatened to make trouble for a car recovery firm in a row over the release of his daughter-in-law’s car.

But today the Brixham Tory insisted he had only done ‘what any father would do’.

A hearing sub-committee of the standards board of the council unanimously agreed Cllr Manning, a Tory Brixham councillor, had twice breached the code of conduct of councillors.

It found Cllr Manning had tried to use his position to secure the release of a car belonging to his daughter-in-law after it had been impounded by police and also made threats to make trouble for the business.

Cllr Manning, who has represented St Marys for four years and as vice-chairman would normally become chairman later this year, was:

censured,

suspended from the council for two weeks and;

ordered to sign a letter of apology which will be written for him.

Suspension means he will not receive any allowances, cannot carry out any ward work or claim to be a member of the council. Censure is a reprimand which will go on his council record.

Read on:  http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/TORY-COUNCILLOR-SUSPENDED-CAR-ROW/story-11704150-detail/story.html

ABOVE: Cllr. Judith Best and her alleged victim, Neil Potter.

Lambeth’s deputy mayor and her son have been arrested after an early morning attack that left a man with a broken jaw, broken ribs and requiring 27 stitches.

Councillor Judith Best was arrested after 41-year-old Neil Potter, of Fullsbrook Road, Streatham, was assaulted in Madeira Road in the early hours of Friday morning.

Coun Best, 51, was detained after attending a police station on Saturday.

Her son, Scott Richards, 31, was captured on Sunday following a police chase, and police are still looking for others in connection with the incident.

Lambeth police attended the scene shortly after 3.20am and an ambulance took Mr Potter to a south London hospital, where he needed 27 stitches for his injuries.

He had an operation on his jaw the next day.

His father, Steve Potter, said he would be forced to eat soft food for at least eight weeks, adding “he is lucky to be alive”.

Police charged Mr Richards with grievous bodily harm. He remains in custody at a south London police station.

Coun Best, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Streatham Wells ward, was arrested for actual bodily harm with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and has been bailed to return to a south London police station in September.

Read on:  http://www.streathamguardian.co.uk/news/9171543.EXCLUSIVE__Deputy_mayor_and_son_arrested_over_alleged_attack/

Denis Bennett, 50, a married father of two who had served on St Austell Town Council, was yesterday convicted of stood in the dock at Truro Crown Court yesterday (thursday) to hear the verdict. The jury took an hour and fifteen minutes to find the supermarket worker guilty of one count of indecently assaulting the 18-year-old man.

Bennett had denied the allegation at Truro Crown Court, insisting he had merely been fooling around with the teenager, admitting only that he might have gone “over the top a bit”.

Judge Christopher Elwen adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports and released Bennett on bail to reappear in four weeks’ time for sentence.

During the one-day trial the court heard the victim had been visiting Bennett’s family home on Market Hill, St Austell, when the attack took place. The defendant has since moved out of the house.

Read on: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Married-Cornwall-ex-councillor-guilty-sex-attack/story-13033548-detail/story.html

Nathan Brett Bale, 31, resigned from Cornwall Council about three months ago citing ill health reasons.

Married Bale, of Penfound Gardens, Bude, attended Bodmin Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to ten counts of making indecent photographs of children.

The charges he admits relate to between April 2003 to June 2011 and range from level one to level four on a scale of severity – level five is the most serious. Following the brief hearing, Bale was released on unconditional bail to return to Bodmin Magistrates on December 7.

Bale had served as shadow spokesman for adult care for the Liberal Democrat group on the council.

Until recently, he held the Bude North and Stratton seat for the Liberal Democrats for three years.

He took the seat in the June 2009 election securing 72 per cent of the vote – the largest on the council.

Before the new unitary authority came into force in April 2009 Bale was a councillor on North Cornwall District Council.

At the time of Bale’s resignation, councillor Jeremy Rowe, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said he was very sorry he had stepped down.

He said: “He was a dedicated councillor who was very proud to represent his home town of Bude both on North Cornwall and Cornwall Council.”

Last night a spokesman for Cornwall Council confirmed Bale had appeared in court charged with the offences

Read on:  http://www.budepeople.co.uk/Ex-councillor-admits-child-porn-charges/story-13808705-detail/story.html

A Labour councillor has called for the leader of Leicestershire County Council to resign after an expenses matter was referred to the Standards Committee.

David Parsons has been accused of not promptly repaying money that he owed for trips to Europe.

A county council report found debts were built up in 2007 but Mr Parsons has denied any wrongdoing.

Labour County Councillor Jewel Miah said Mr Parsons should stand down while investigations take place.

“Do I think he should resign? Yes I do,” said Mr Miah.

“If you’re facing such serious allegations…against you, it is very hard to concentrate on delivering the savings and the budgets we’re going to be debating in the next few months.”

A cross-party committee of councillors at the county council met on Monday to discuss a report into the allegations against Mr Parsons.

Read on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-16924147

A TORY councillor has pleaded guilty to assault after he threw a pudding bowl at his wife’s head during a meal-time row.

Paul Woodall’s wife Joanne was left with a one-inch cut to her forehead and blood pouring down her face after she spilled the bowl of food down him , Dudley Magistrates Court heard.

The 45-year-old  got into an argument with his wife when she began quizzing him about worries to do with losing his job at their Kingswinford home, in the West Midlands, on January 22.

After calling his wife a ‘slut’ and a ‘slag’, the councillor made comments about a previous relationship – which caused Mrs Woodhall to become angry and throw a TV remote at him.

The court heard how the dispute simmered throughout the lunch but reached boiling point when Cllr Woodhall brought out dessert.

“His wife of two years picked up her bowl as if to throw it at him – but he stopped her and the food went down his front,” said Mrs Sikhi Rai, prosecuting.

“He then threw his dish at her and it connected with her forehead. She immediately felt blood and could feel a hole in her head.”

Read on: http://www.newstoday.co.uk/5118/2012/02/councillor-throws-pudding-bowl-at-wife/

A PORTCHESTER councillor has resigned from Fareham Borough Council after failing to attend any council meetings in the last six months.

Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Brown, pictured, who represents Portchester East, has not attended a meeting since August 5. In that time he has received £3,230 which councillors are paid through their members’ allowances.

Yesterday the council confirmed that Cllr Brown, who had been a ward councillor since May 2010, had handed in a letter of resignation. A by-election will now take place.

Conservative councillor Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: ‘He has failed to attend a council meeting for six months. The people of Portchester East have a right to be represented.

Chris Huhne has been charged with perverting the course of justice and will almost certainly have to step down from his position as energy and climate change secretary.

The matter dates back to allegations that he forced his now ex-wife Vicky Pryce to accept penalty points for a speeding offence on his behalf to dodge a ban in 2003.

Both Huhne and Pryce will face charges, the Crown Prosecution Service announced this morning, and will appear in court on 16 February.

“All the available evidence… has now been carefully considered by the CPS and we have concluded there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce for perverting the course of justice,” said Keir Starmer QC, director of Public Prosecutions.

Discussions between David Cameron and Nick Clegg are thought to have concluded, with both men agreeing Huhne cannot remain in his job while fighting a legal battle to clear his name. Huhne has also said he would step down from his position to concentrate on fighting the case.

Read on: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2143732/breaking-chris-huhne-step-speeding-charges-confirmed

The names of the four Cornwall councillors taken to court for failing to pay their council tax have finally been revealed.

Five months after the Packet first revealed the number of members missing payments, a succession of Freedom of Information requests and a trawl through magistrates courts records have brought the names into the public domain.

They are; *Councillor Chris Pascoe (Lib Dem, Threemilestone and Gloweth), taken to court in July 2011 for arrears of £1,805.31 *Councillor Sasha Gillard-Loft (Lib Dem, Launceston South), taken to court in March 2010 for arrears of £210 *Councillor Jan Powell (Lib Dem, Liskeard North), taken to court in August 2010 for arrears of £833.85.

*Councillor Alex Folkes (Lib Dem, Launceston Central), taken to court three times, the final time in July 2011 for arrears of £811.07.

Despite each being approached by the Packet in October and directly asked if they had ever faced legal action against them for council tax arrears, all four chose to offer no reply at the time.

Read on: http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/9504917.Council_tax_non_payers_names_are_finally_revealed/