Second senior councillor quits in as many days as Joanne Hadley resigns in disgust at alleged corruption, cover-up and abuse
A second senior councillor in just two days has announced her resignation from the Labour party in disgust over its abuse of women and an alleged cover-up of corruption and malfeasance.
“We worked so hard to clean up politics in the borough”
Cllr Joanne Hadley, former cabinet member and housing director on Sandwell council, issued a withering statement announcing her intention to stand as an independent, just a day after former council leader Yvonne Davies made a similar announcement:
I have today resigned from the Labour Party as I’m disgusted by the ongoing attempts to cover up political corruption in the Sandwell Labour Group as well its treatment of strong local women. The Party has elbowed aside excellent female standing councillors and faceless Party officials from London have imposed candidates, including one who has committed gross misconduct – which is a disgrace. I’m not prepared to stay in a party that has no place for strong local women.
I was a member of the Sandwell Cabinet for 18 months under Yvonne Davies and we worked so hard to clean up politics in the borough and to uncover the corruption and cronyism that had been how Labour had run Sandwell for many years. Suspending and deselecting councillors is part of a concerted attempt by the Party to bury this and to prevent councillors being held to account for wrongdoing. They’ll sell the people of Sandwell down the river just to protect their own friends.
I’ve lived in Sandwell for all my life. I’ve run a business here. I’m part of the community, it runs through my blood.
We desperately need an opposition in Sandwell Council. I’ve tried to fight it from the inside, but it’s a one-party state and the corrupt Party machine just protects its own and spits you out.
I will now represent Great Bridge ward as an independent councillor and the people of Great Bridge can be assured that I will continue to fight for local interests with my usual passion.
What Sandwell Council needs is a strong Independent Party to hold the Labour Group to account. I am committing myself to working to establish that Sandwell Independent Party.
We also need the voters in Sandwell to take a stand against Labour corruption in the Council and to signal this at the ballot box on May 6th. People have a choice and an opportunity to make a difference. They need to recognise that the Labour Party in Sandwell will always put the Labour Party first rather than the people of the Sandwell. Sandwell need councillors that put people and services first.
Sandwell is the heartland of the Labour right, which lost control of the borough during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party, amid a slew of allegations of corruption as well as sexual harassment and sleaze. Yvonne Davies, during a speech resigning her leadership of the council last year, said that she had been “hounded out” because she was determined to uncover and clear out corruption, abuse, misogyny and even perjury.
Among a litany of scandals and alleged scandals, the previous right-wing council leadership was humiliated in court when a recording proved that its criminal allegations against a troublesome local blogger had been entirely false and the judge threw out the case summarily.
The right, once again protected by Labour’s new regime, has moved ruthlessly to re-establish its control.
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