The answer is: I don’t know. And although Tower Hamlets council recovered the arrears by deducting the cash from the member’s annual allowance, it is now citing data protection laws to keep the name secret.
But someone knows who it is and I’m hoping you, my dear readers, can help. Comments naming people will not be approved unless there is copper-bottomed proof, but you can always email me with tips or leads.
Yet again, the Tories deserve credit for unearthing this little gem. Here’s their Freedom of Information request, and the council’s response:
Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, I am requesting the following formation:
• Whether any currently serving councillor has received a court summons from the local authority for non-payment of council tax?
• If so, which councillor and what was the result of the action against them?
Can you please include in the response any relevant answers to previous requests and please may I be sent receipt of this request complete with a reference number.
I can confirm that one currently serving councillor received a court summons for non-payment of council tax in the financial year 2012/13
An attachment to allowances was issued to recover the arrears.
The exemption under Section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act applies to the Personal Data of a third party; this information is exempt if its disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles in the Data Protection Act 1998. This serves as a Refusal Notice in respect of the individual’s name.
In any case, once the council is legally obliged to open its 2012/13 accounts for public inspection later this year, I’m certain we’ll at least then identify the new Councillor X.
[By way of further explanation, I drafted this post on Monday afternoon but then decided to email every non-Tory councillor (the Conservatives had already denied any culpability) to ask whether they would like to come forward before publication. Only three replied: Shahed Ali, Stephanie Eaton and Anwar Khan, all of whom ruled themselves out….tonight, I hear one member has resigned the Labour whip. Whether it’s connected to this or not, I don’t know.]
UPDATE
Councillor X is Omer Ahmed, who was the civic mayor in 2009/10, and who I understand has had some financial difficulties of late. Labour has decided to stand by him.
Trial by Jeory 
Presumably it wasn’t billed on expenses, a la Lembit Opik?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/8047205.stm
maybe he didnt understand the form……..????…lol
> In any case, once the council is legally obliged to open its 2012/13 accounts for public inspection later this year, I’m certain we’ll at least then identify the new Councillor X.
Interesting assertion. Where specifically in the accounts would one expect to find the information ?
Payments made to councillors re allowances. One councillor would have less than the full shilling.
Reblogged this on Sundial Centre Shipton Street.
Reblogged this on pinkpig7 and commented:
we should know who this person is…………………
I wonder if the councillor concerned will have the guts to admit this before we have to find out through other means?
Under s. 112 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, a councillor is disqualified from voting on setting their authority’s budget if they are more than two months behind with their own council tax payment: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/14/section/112
This means local authorities have to check councillors’ own council tax accounts every March to make sure they are all eligible to vote.
Was that a response to ‘can’t pay won’t pay’ or was it always in statute?
Even Cllr’s have money problems sometimes? Shock, horror! This could easily happen to anyone, it happened to me when I moved house and in the stress of the move overlooked council tax. I am normally very organised but sometimes life can be overwhelming, mistakes happen. Leave the poor politician alone, they work hard for slaves wages. (Can’t believe I said that, I normally don’t side with politicians). Seriously though expecting perfection from politicians is a bit much, high standards is good enough for me.