London's property market crashed by an average of 15 per cent in the last 12 months - with a drop of 2.5 per cent last month alone
More...
BNP aide admits doing party work during City Hall hours
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard20.11.08
A BNP AIDE today admitted he does work for the far-Right party while being paid a City Hall salary.
Simon Darby, the personal assistant to British National Party London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook, made the admission a day after threatening whoever had leaked a list of party members on the internet.
After the leak Mr Darby said that those responsible should not be "sleeping very well tonight" as "it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life".
Mr Darby, who earns nearly £16,000 for a 22-hour working week, said he would often carry out BNP business at his London Assembly office but said that he would then "make up the time later". He said: "I do work part-time for the GLA and I have to put in 22.5 hours a week. I am not circumscribed by political restrictions."
However he denied using City Hall computers, paper or phone lines, saying he used his own laptop and internet connection.
"I don't need an office," he said.
"I can do [BNP] work on the train, I can work in my car. What do you expect?
"When a BNP member is elected, they're not going to have a Communist or Liberal Democrat working for them."
Mr Darby was interviewed by a panel of members of the authority before he was given the job as personal assistant to Mr Barnbrook.
One of the criteria was that he should be able to "promote equality of opportunity" at the assembly. Staff earning less than about £35,000 are not subject to restrictions which make it illegal for them to express political views, but work unrelated to their job should be carried out in their "personal time".
Today other assembly members were in cross-party talks over whether to make a formal complaint calling for his suspension.
If a complaint is made by the members or a member of the public it will first be referred to the standards sub-committee and will ultimately be a decision for the new chief executive of the Greater London Authority, Leo Boland.
One member of staff at City Hall said: "What concerns a lot of people is that he is here being paid for by the public purse. I think we're on quite dangerous ground."
So far a radio DJ has already lost his job after his name appeared upon the leaked BNP membership list. Police forces have also been told to check the list as officers are banned from being BNP members.
A member of the assembly said: "We are having talks and will decide whether to take further action."
Yesterday Mr Barnbrook allegedly strode out of a lunchtime meeting with other assembly members after one referred to him as a "Nazi".
Link to:
Reader views (23)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
This man is effectively a secretary and £16,000 is not an exorbitant amount for a 22 hour week in central London. I don't even know how anyone could live on that without an additional income. I am not a member of the BNP but I agree with the sentiment shown by other writers on this page: at least you know what their BNP's real motives are!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
This witch hunt of the BNP a legitimate political party, has made me realise I need to vote BNP in future, you may feel a wasted vote, but I feel my vote would be totally wasted on Nu Labour, Tories or Lib Dems they are all a bunch of self serving morons. They change their policies like the wind, and take no notice of what the general public want. Perhaps a right wing government would actually give us what we want, all the Nazi claims about the BNP will not dissuade me, as our freedoms have disappeared under Nu Labour they are the real Gestapo eliminating our freedoms.
- Ros, London UK
Who ever leaked that list must be gutted as to how spectacularly it has backfired.
GOOD !!!
- Chris, London
