SAB - The Perfect Storm

[mk1]

None of us, presumably, know the ins and outs of the situation and in my view, which I doubt will be popular but it's my view, he, like anyone else, is entitled to due process before anyone starts throwing any stones.

And we will never find out the whole story.
Fact is he was sacked.
It is a done deal.
This is not a criminal case and there are no restrictions on comments.

If it is moral support  he needs then I suggest he contacts the  sacked Manor workers for help with his upcoming tribunal.

[94994]

Well said David,

For all the failings of Mr Akers-Belcher, the full facts of the case are not in the public domain.

In these scenarios you have to put yourself in the sacked persons shoes before commenting and understand that neither party the due process interfered with.

Jim

[steveL]

For what it's worth, there is potentially a 'due process' which needs to be followed here.

If somebody has been 'sacked', whether that be Councillor Akers-Belcher or whomever, they're entitled to have their case heard and potentially an employment tribunal, if they feel the situation is worthy of one.

I'm obviously far from a 'fan' of Stephen, but I do genuinely feel people should allow due process to occur before casting any judgements.

We are all entitled to our views on people in 'public office', but I do genuinely feel there is a line here that people need to be careful not to dive over feet first.

None of us, presumably, know the ins and outs of the situation and in my view, which I doubt will be popular but it's my view, he, like anyone else, is entitled to due process before anyone starts throwing any stones.

I'm sure all will be revealed in due course but I have to say I don't buy into the 'due process' argument. This employer is 40 miles up the A1 and unlikely to read and is certainly unlikely to pay any attention to comments made on this forum. Also, he is appealing against the loss of his job through Newcastle C.C.'s grievance procedure - it isn't a court of law. Even at tribunal level, there were plenty of comments here on the MR tribunals.

If people get involved in public life then they automatically expose themselves to public scrutiny - as CAB would put it "you can't change the terms and conditions afterwards"

The story is on this site (and now pinched by The Mail  ) because it was and is in the public interest for it to be published. There is a family history here of people consistently and habitually leaving their employment 'under a cloud' and that makes it interesting.

People are entitled to know precisely who it is they are voting for - and look at the date of publication 16th September - nearly two months after he was sacked and four months after he was first suspended. Is anyone telling me that no one was trying to deliberately keep this story quiet?

Just a final point. Check the dates when SAB was first suspended and when CAB coincidentally first went on the sick and then ask yourself if these two are the sort of people that HBC itself would want to employ.

[DRiddle]

I'm not saying the story so far isn't worthy of an article. At the end of the day, a 'Mayor' or a 'Chair of the council' or whatever being sacked from his or her day job IS a story in it's own right.

I just feel that occasionally, genuinely unfair dismissals do occur. In time, the employee in question MIGHT win an employment tribunal and people who have thrown the stones could be left with egg of their faces.

Granted, in time the sacking might be 100% shown to be entirely justified. In which case the vilification will rightly come.

I just don't think we're at the vilification stage... yet.

Although as I say, that's just my opinion.

[fred c]

The Fat Boy has managed to keep the lid on this for 4 months, & for something like this to have been kept under wraps for so long has taken a concerted effort on someones part to keep it that way.

I know of, & have been a victim of, Fatties nasty & vindictive hissy fits, including a visit from the boys in blue & a phone call from a mail reporter whilst attending a funeral, so personally speaking, he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword

I did pose the question why "Handsome Ste" was so conspicuos by his absence in the Mail, now we know.

As mk1 suggests if he requires any information regarding employment tribunals, he could seek the advice of the 4 Victims of the scandal hit Manor Residents Asc, an organisation of which he was a trustee....... How Ironic

[steveL]

They haven't exactly rushed in to this. They took 2 months while they investigated before deciding to sack him for gross misconduct. But in any case, this is just a pre-cursor to the main event.

I've always said the same to those councillors who have took it upon themselves to take a personal pop at me: "Don't criticise us for what we publish; thank us for what we DO NOT publish."

[Ted Bass]

I can just see Ste going to the tribunural in his ceremonial dress and saying "Errrr Mr they all pick on me"
It makes me wonder why The Fail have only picked this story up, surely they didn't know about it for all these months and were waiting for someone else to have the testicles to publish it?

[Tommy]

Well looking at Stephen Akers Belcher's Facebook (via a friends), apparently after keeping it quiet for 4 months, he's a do gooder now, a whistle blower!, oh cumon man!

I bet it was for bullying or claiming that some one was homophobic towards him, well I have more faith in the Officers of Newcastle Council than the Officers in our town.

Does he honestly think that he was suspended for 4 months, then sacked for "GROSS MISCONDUCT" and has a chance crying "WOLF" as I suspect he will do, claiming he may have been a target of "homophobia", look fella you have no power over Newcastle's Officers like you do here!, because of you I recon the MP should be really worried for his seat now and no doubt UKIP Phil could be crowned new boss of Hartlepool, oh goodness me what a blunder.

People I know are sick of those that claim falsely, race, religion and homophobia.

Town Mayor sacked, oh dear god, the town in Private Eye again, what next! 

[Tommy]

Ted Bass, since you choose not to answer any of my questions or reply to me in comment, what do the good people of the Fens make of this and Paul Gough too?

[PostItNote]

Where does Paul gough come in to this?

Why has Stephen never whistle blew in Hartlepool?

[Tommy]

PostItNote, in reply to you question to me "Where does Paul gough come in to this?", I was merely asking Ted Bass, what his good friend Paul Gough would make of all this.

[Stevef]

I'd say that the Mail have been forced into this after it appeared on The Post. They seem to have lifted the story en block from The Post with the only difference being that they have phoned SAB for his version of events.

There's no point in any of us phoning SAB for a statement.

When we contacted Newcastle CC Press Office they had to ask around before putting a statement together specifically for us and we only received it around 4pm this afternoon. It was pretty obvious that no one else, including The Mail, had been in touch with them. By 6.13, two hours later, the story appeared on The Mail website complete with the statement and SAB's own additions.

We've got no problem with that. The important thing is to get the story out there and more people will now know about it now because The Mail followed our lead. I do get the feeling though that if The Post hadn't published it we'd still be waiting for it to appear in The Mail and I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that.

[Tommy]

So it's to be housed in some hidden page in the Sheffield Echo due to the Scottish Boxing Match, and we thought the newspaper grew some, how wrong we are.

I would like to suggest to the Councillors reading this that they think about asking the Council Press Department for a official statement, so the people that voted in the last elections are fairly treat.

[PostItNote]

Thank you Tommy, don't know who Ted Bass is, but if there is a reason why Paul Gough's opinion would come into it, then yes, I thank you for asking Ted Bass the question.

I have noticed that Paul Gough is doing a lot around the newspaper and the council, and getting involved with community work.  Maybe he is trying to promote Stephen but would he do so now?

[DRiddle]

I'm told The Mail will be running a second article in relation to the Councillor Akers-Belchers sacking tomorrow.

It'll contain a series of views expressed by online readers, as well as people who have commented on it via their facebook page.

Several councillors have been contacted today and asked for quotes on the matter.

Interesting times.