Labour Cllr lives in Ireland

Over the last few weeks Labour have been up to their usual tricks of trying to bash opposition Cllrs and saying they sit on the moral high ground. They have accused an opposition Cllrs of mis using tax payers money and yet their have been sat on their own little dirty secret, One thing that is shocking the ward of Douglas tonight is a political scandal. I have learnt from a Labour Cllr, that is disgruntled at the way the Council are treating me, that Labour Cllr Joy Birch is and has been living in Ireland for a few months now, possibly for the last 5 months.

I also understand that she informed the Labour Party that she wanted to stand down a couple of months ago but they asked her not too because they are worried of the UKIP threat at the minute and asked her just to attend the one meeting in 6 months.

What is interesting when you send Labour Cllr Joy Birch  an email is it bounces back. Also if you look at her details on the Council website you see that there is no address but she uses the Town Hall address and also there is no phone number for her. So there is no way any residents in her ward can get in touch with her but yet I hear she still claims her Cllr allowance. This has cost tax payers 000's.  Residents in her ward believe she may have been ill and they wish her the best for recovering, as do I, but they feel why should she get paid for being a Cllr when she is doing nothing as a Cllr and lives in another Country.

This is not the first time this has happened Lib Dem Cllr Hoggs did this a few years ago and Labour Leader Peter smith said about that Cllrs should not get paid if they don't do Council work, to which I would agree with him. I wonder why he has allowed this to go on and also because the Council know this has been happening they are involved in this disgraceful act. One resident told me that if she has been paid but she has not been doing the work would that be classed as stealing tax payers money? Under the current rules, I explained, that Cllrs only have to attend one meeting every 6 months but even if they do this then they are expected to carry out the day to day duties which obviously this Labour cannot do if she lives abroad.

I am therefore demanding that Cllr Joy Birch stand down immediately and I am also writing to the Labour Leader and Chief Executive of the Council of this matter and request that they call a by election ASAP and if they don't, I know residents will be getting their own petition up calling for her to resign and force a by-election that they really should have called by now. Shame on them!!!