Just received a copy of a letter sent to the Rutland Times and Rutland Mercury Editor
The Editor, Rutland Times and Mercury
5 November 2011
Sir,
I refer to articles you published with such bias and inaccuracy in the Rutland Times of 3 November ‘Councillor broke code of conduct,’ and in the Rutland Mercury of 4 November ‘Councillor breached rules six times.’
It is a pity that the local paper fails to send reporters to Oakham Town Council meetings. If you did so you would ascertain that Cllr Brookes tries to keep the Council fiscally and democratically responsible, and it is an uphill battle. He is reported by you as having ‘displayed an obscene poster on an official notice board.’ However you failed to report that this was a copy of a malicious posting, which was put onto his web page by those who seek to limit Cllr Brookes’ effectiveness in representing local constituents. Both Cllr Brookes and the person in whose name they were fraudulently and maliciously posted, complained to the police and the police took no action, refusing to give the incident a crime number.
Subsequently a complaint to Police Standards found that Inspector Monks had a ‘point of learning’ attached to his personnel file in relation to his inaction in this incident. I note that the local paper failed to publish the true details of this event. With such biased reporting is it any wonder that the local paper fails to thrive. The press should hold those in local democracy to account. The fact that your paper is so far in bed with those in power on our Council that is fails to report on serious matters of financial impropriety leads one to suspect that your paper is nothing more than a propaganda sheet for the ruling party. There is much to be concerned about locally both on Oakham Town Council and at Rutland County Council, most of it due to the financial mess they are creating.
Local Councillors appear to believe they have some sort of ‘divine right’ and when, at the local elections in May, the Chief Executive of RCC and Conservatives on RCC tried to steal an election for a local Conservative, Peter Jones, your paper failed to report the thorough undermining of the democratic processes and five recounts. Is it any wonder that at times Cllr Brookes has occasionally taken steps to ensure that members of the local Conservative Party are exposed for the way in which they conduct themselves?
(Name and address provided )
