'Too little too late'

7:20am Sunday 24th August 2008

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LEADER of Hillingdon Council, Ray Puddifoot, has reported Councillor Ian Oakley to the council’s standards committee over his involvement in a hate campaign.

But the move has been branded “too little too late”.

Repeated calls from fellow members to get Oakley off the council immediately were dismissed by Councillor Puddifoot last week.

But this week he reported Oakley to the council’s Standards Committee for admitting he waged a campaign against political rivals in Watford.

Cllr Puddifoot told the Hillingdon Times this week: “We have given Cllr Oakley ten working days to resign and he has chosen not to do so.

“While there is absolutely no doubt that disqualification following a prison sentence of three months or more (suspended or not) on September 16 remains the quickest course of action, we have commenced formal proceedings now just in case this does not happen.”

He added: “This is about getting the job done, not putting on a show.”

Cllr Puddifoot’s actions last week were slammed by Councillor Mike Cox, leader of the Lib Dems, who has also condemned the announcement on Tuesday.

Cllr Cox told the Hillingdon Times: “This is simply too little too late.

“If Cllr Puddifoot wants us to believe that this is not just “putting on a show” he would have done it weeks ago.

He added: “He would also have thrown him off his well paid job as chair of an overview committee where Hillingdon tax payers are paying him an extra £20,000 a year.”