Slocombe Clique Undermining Democracy In Bristol? Misconduct in public office at Councils & Police?

Public service or private gain? Meritocracy or clique? Freelance journalist Joe Banks investigates secrecy, corruption and potential criminality in Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol City Council and WECA

https://politicsthisweek.gn.apc.org/2025/07/not-the-bcfm-politics-show-presented-by-tony-gosling-250/

Tiny, rule-breaking public appointment circle in the wake of eight years of Lord Marvin Rees OBE’s Bristol mayoralty. Joe Banks, freelance journalist, joins Tony and Martin. He has continued investigating Bristol City Council, and found malpractice, dodgy planning deals, a culture of cover up, and revolving door jobs. Who is Kevin Slocombe and why is he in the news? Slocombe's role with Marvin Rees at Bristol City Council. Examples of interference in the work of officers and in the planning process.

Kevin Slocombe was working for both WECA and Avon and Somerset police while they were investigating and then arresting the former WECA mayor and Slocombe's Bristol mayor office arch enemy, Dan Norris. Norris was dramatically arrested suspected of sexual abuse but there have still been no charges. Were the allegations against him malicious? Was the then metro-mayor Dan Norris' arrest made for political reasons...?

https://x.com/AudreySuzanne/status/1952367006126055639

Corrupt WECA appointments process: Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees is gone but what about his mayors' office? The boys are back in Town! WECA jobs for Marvin Rees’ Mayor's Office and ex BCC Chief Exec Peacock. Peacock gets Slocombe in too. But WECA's procurement rules were not followed - Police and Crime Commissioner: Who is Clare Moody, the PCC? How and why was Kevin Slocombe chosen as her Deputy?

What have the Greens been doing to improve the culture at Bristol City Council? –Joe explains why he thinks the Councillors were not scrutinising enough, and this culture has carried on with the Greens in charge. Data retention/deletion of emails - After it emerged Marvin Rees' emails had all been deleted, Golden Motion in December 2024, supported by all parties, calling for greater transparency - Report comes back from officers 6 months later saying new policy will be that all emails are deleted after two years.

Head of Information Assurance, BCC, Ben Hawkin is an expert in secrecy – not public service. -

Freedom of Information requests Enforcement notice from the Information Commissioner’s office is appealed by the Monitoring Officer, Tim O'Gara O'Gara has previously broken the law with his unlawful councillor complaints process. Who will monitor a corrupt and potentially criminal monitoring officer?

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/tensions-flare-over-transparency-secrecy-10199061

Bristol council accused of 'secrecy' after quiet attempt to overturn order An activist claimed the council "keeps covering stuff up and it just looks terrible" A top council lawyer has taken the unprecedented step of appealing an enforcement notice from a regulator to improve transparency. Persistent failures to provide the public with information within legal time limits has caused Bristol councillors to raise fears about a culture of secrecy. Last year the Information Commissioner’s Office ordered Bristol City Council to get better at responding to freedom of information requests (FoIs). The watchdog said Bristol was “consistently” one of the councils which had sparked the most complaints about FoIs in recent years. Tim O’Gara, director of legal and democratic services, was grilled by councillors on the audit committee on Monday, July 28, about the enforcement. He faced questions over why he chose to appeal, if any politician was involved in the decision, and why councillors weren’t told sooner. Article continues below He said: “It wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on live legal proceedings. The decision to appeal the enforcement notice was made by me. Under the council’s constitution, I’m responsible for instituting and defending legal proceedings. I did that based on legal advice. “We’re waiting probably longer than we thought we would be waiting. We will report back in due course as and when we receive a judgement. It’s not a political consideration whether or not I institute or defend legal proceedings. We do that day in, day out.” This could be the first time a public authority has ever appealed an enforcement notice from the Information Commissioner, according to one expert. . ...

See Joe's Substack or website for his articles. Steve Brodie Panorama documentary about Lloyds fraud the BBC are possibly the only media to investigate compelling allegations of corruption within Bristol City Council and the Police, who are paid by the council, despite hundreds of Freedom of Information requests which prove it.