CLLR PHILIP GOLDENBERG CLEARED BY STANDARDS BOARD

"I will not be gagged by Woking's arrogant Tories"- and the Standards Board backs me."

This was the key comment from Liberal Democrat Group Deputy Leader Cllr Philip Goldenberg after the Standards Board threw out the complaint about him by Woking Tories reported in last week's newspapers.

In a formal statement, Cllr Goldenberg said:

"The Standards Board performs a serious role enforcing the Local Government Code of Conduct. Its time should not be wasted by party-political point-scoring, as Woking Tories have done on this occasion by submitting a spurious complaint. That they were playing political games is shown by the fact that, having made the complaint a fortnight ago, they then gave details to the local press on a Tuesday afternoon just before their press deadline, making it impossible for me to make a full reply. In addition, they compromised the impartiality of Council Officers by wrongly implying that Officers supported their false allegations.

"The underlying issue is an important one. Woking's Planning Committee should not be party-political. Yet, on the Loampits Farm application, it divided on strictly party-political lines, with the Tory Chairman exercising a casting vote, to make an exception to Green Belt policy in favour of a landowner who was a former Tory Councillor.

"Only Woking's arrogant Tories would think that this conduct was not open to criticism.

"Everything I said in my original press release was either true as a question of fact (apart from an error as to the Ward represented by the former Tory Councillor, which was immediately corrected), or a reasonable expression of opinion on a matter of public interest. This has now been effectively endorsed by the Standards Board in throwing out the spurious Tory complaint against me."

ENDS