I  too have suffered corruption from my local council with no legal help. When is something going to be done about corrupt councils and councillors who are allowed to dictate people's lives and discredit them?  I am desperate for somebody to reveal the level of corruption in Rugby Borough Council, which I only discovered after complaining about a criminal who was housed above me.  This was over two years ago, during which time I have suffered serious defamation of my character from the council and people known to them, and been a frequent victim of crime from mere anti-social behaviour to actual attempts on my life. 

Following the removal of this tenant who was seen supplying drugs to children apparently ten years old, he was replaced by an older man known to him, who frequently boasts of his connections with the UDA, and of having killed people in Ireland. I suspect this is merely an attempt to impress or intimidate people. However, I was due to give evidence in a prosecution case against his friend, the previous tenant, and I was subjected to numerous threats against my life and health as to a lesser degree was the other witness in the case. 

These threats were all recorded, but the police have as yet failed to prosecute the man.  I and the other witness did not appear in court but the defendant was still bound over to keep the peace for two years.

The involvement of my local council was the fact that I made legitimate complaints against these tenants, which not only went unheeded, but resulted in the council accepting if not canvassing serious false allegations against myself and my visitors, mostly from families with known criminal connections.  Housing officers promptly visited these people time and again, but never visited me.

The council constantly levelled accusations at me and my visitors long after the police had informed them that the incidents were not connected to myself or my visitors, even changing a police report regarding threats by two men in cars to the man above to 'a dozen motorcyclists' including a named friend of mine. This man made calls etc. on my behalf when I became too ill with the stress, and ever since the council have made a huge file on him and accused him of too many things to mention here.

If you want more information as a background to this case I can send you a brief synopsis and other relevant documentation. I have documentary, audio and other evidence for all my allegations.

This has become a human rights issue since the council have basically put me on trial in my absence and found ME guilty of the wrongdoings of others. I have other residents’ witness statements and complaints to the council to prove this. Councillors recently voted on a totally false report – again I have ALL the documents to prove this – with the recommendation that I be evicted. 

I understand that according to 13.08 of the Modular Constitutions for Local government from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that the meetings secretly held where decisions were made on evidence known by councillors to be false were illegal, since according to the above rule Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights applies. This means that I should have been involved in the proceedings at all times, represented if I wished and allowed to examine those giving evidence against me. 

These meetings are common and on one occasion, rather than deal with legitimate complaints from a party against them, the council voted not to investigate and to accept no more complaints.  The victim in desperation to make his complaints known visited many of those involved and naturally became somewhat agitated when nobody would listen. In order to silence him, he has now been placed under an interim Anti-Social Behaviour Order.  I mention this because at one secret cabinet meeting councillors voted to use a similar statutory instrument to silence me, even though I have never been guilty of any such behaviour, nor ever arrested. I have no criminal record.

Two local councillors  have viewed my documentation and are in full support of my innocence and are disgusted by my treatment. 

I am aware that I am not the only victim of this sort of thing and in fact have documents showing that in an attempt to prevent another party from making legitimate complaints the council used a 'forged' injunction.  I have confirmation from the local office of the County Court that this document was not issued by them, yet Rugby council used it to prevent a homeless man meeting the Local Government Ombudsman's representative at the Town Hall, as well as to have him arrested for entering the Town Hall.

I hope this may be of interest to you, if not please may I respectfully ask you to forward to someone who might be.  I am accused by the council of not wishing to resolve the problems, yet my attempts to do so have already generated 11kg of documentation in my possession alone.

Until recently I felt progress was being made.  Rugby then gained a new Chief Inspector of Police, who expressed his desire to sort out the situation and the crime in my area connected with it. However, since meeting with a representative of Rugby council I have been refused police attendance when threatened and refused any action against my main persecutor and others. He told me not to expect justice and even refuses to answer letters from councillors concerning my plight and their worries over it. The chief Executive of Rugby Borough council also refuses to answer written questions poses by the same councillors.

Needless to say I have become somewhat used to being ignored and treated as some sort of crank, since some of the events that have happened have appeared incredible.  I can only say that I allege nothing that I do not have the documents etc. to prove, and I am willing to show these to any genuinely interested party.

Julie Spires

Rugby

Warwickshire, England