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Governor entertained Brent leader on India trip
Tim Ross and Amar Singh02.07.09
Copland school's former chairman of governors entertained the leader of Brent council on a trip to India, and later threw a party for her.
Ann John went sightseeing to the Taj Mahal and Gandhi Memorial after Dr IP Patel organised flights and visas for her and others to attend the opening of the Swaminarayan Temple in Delhi.
Dr Patel bought her dinner at Delhi's Le Meridien Hotel and paid for her driver during her six-day stay in November 2005.
In a "Leader's Delhi Diary" on the council website, she describes the "impressive" temple: "Every evening at 6.30, beautifully-coloured musical fountains tell a story in celebration of the cycles of life. Equally remarkable were the surrounding formal gardens, which also cover a huge area.
"I couldn't go to India and not see the Taj Mahal, which was everything I thought it would be and more."
The hospitality shows how Dr Patel worked hard to foster close links with influential figures in the community.
He and the other trustees of the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden also threw a party for Ms John to celebrate her OBE.
She said she paid for all her flights and accommodation, and the trip had been "private". She added: "I wasn't attending as a council leader."
Ms John, who is no longer leader, said she had properly declared Dr Patel's hospitality. Asked why she went on the trip, she said: "I thought it would be rather nice and a great opportunity. I had never been to India before.
"I P was pleased I was there, particularly because I was a local councillor. I have absolutely no regrets about supporting events organised by any of our schools, and that includes Copland."
Ms John declared the value of the meal at Le Meridien to be £25 and the taxi driver for trips to the temple at £25.
She said she was "absolutely gutted" by the furore over Copland. "It is very upsetting and I just hope that the investigation is quick and that the kids get a proper education," she said.
Reader views (18)
I notice that nothing has been done about this Councillor, while her best supporter Terry Osborn is leaving for pastures new, I notice that all Brent's problem people go to Waltham Forest. well after her affair with the former deputy leader of the council it is about time she left, there are a lot of bodies buried by this lawyer and she needs to get out of Dodge.
- S Martin, Kensal Green
We can all stop whining about this woman she has been around for decades and will be for decades more, because the people in Stonebridge vote for her.
Did you know she only had 1000 votes to get her elected in stonebridge,someone on Stonebridge please spread the word about this woman and stop voting her in.
We need positive responsible representation not parasites
- Susan Smart, Harlesden
When oh when are Brent Councils ethics committee going to look into this horrendous woman.
It cannot be that they are all deaf and blind to her rubbish and the way in which she has too much power either in or out of power.
She now has an OBE. I am ashamed to live in Brent, whilst such people are elected councillors. Can somebody please stand against her and get her out of Brent for good.
- Angie, Kensal Green
I am disgusted by this Councillors actions, int the Standard this week is the story of Bertha Josph, who declared donations late, yet this seems to me to be the story that should be looked into, a Councillor taking gifts and such other remunerations linked to consents is a real scandal, yet nothing is being said or done about it.
Maybe she needs referring to the ethics committee too.
But looking at what people are saying on here it seems that she gets away with it regularly.
That in Brent speak means nothing will be done about it.
- Paul Ball, Stonebridge Brent
Brent has been raped and robbed by those elected councillors who have been taking advantage of their power for years. Ann John has been the top of this tree for years.
- Belinda, London England
With this woman all is obfuscation, she lives by this scandalous behaviour and yet she appears quite a normal civic figure.
A little like the Mayor of Sefton who was arested for benefit fraud.
It requires more investigation to get clarity and satify ourselves that she has been dealt with properly.
However her conduct is quite widely known
- Anna, London
Nothing will ever get done about Ms John, she is too powerful and she hangs in there in Stonebridge, with no one who lives there really knowing who she is, save for the usual suspects, token everyones.
She is to entrencheched in the Town hall for you few to get her out.
Good luck though for anyone who tries, you will need it
- L.Elliot, brent, England
As a brent employee, I can say with fear of writing this that Ann John is too powerful in Brent. She weilds power against Officers and Members like a tyrant. She has her own policy and it is her way or the high way.
Even though I have written this about her, I am still happy to work for Brent, if only people like her were not so powerful and tyranical.
The new Leader is very weak and part time as he has another job, therefore he relies on what officers tell him to the detriment of Brent, especially where services are concerned.
- Anon, Brent
How many of are so naive to think that anything is going to be done about it, Ann John got an award for Pete's sake, that tells all of us, screw you, she don't care and she aint listening to your issues with her.
The only thing to do is vote her out of power at the next election, if she hasn't manged to kull the people capable of standing up to her by then.
We need Brent wide action and muster those people capable of toppling her from power like any dictator.
- Alison Morgan, London England
Okay, so it's out there now, what are we going to do about it, we have all long since known that there are council staff and councilors who run brent like their own private thiefdom, and we the ordinary person has been paying for their abuses for years.
Ann John, is at the top of a very corrupt tree and we need to chop the tree down roots and all and breathe fresh life into our borough instead of feeding the greed and abuse of power that exists in Brent at present.
One may ask what is councilor Blackman doing in opposition against this woman if he cannot root out her corruption, which is widely known then who can, certainly not the current Leader of the council, who sees only the bottom line of our issues and how much they cost, whilst these councilors under his nose are robbing us blind.
- Angela, Brent
It has been wel known for long,that this councillor has her own agenda and that she has been up to no good. But we know in Brent what she is like and we have put up with her on Stonebrige so that is our fault, we should boot her out she does nothing for us and only takes. She is the most self serving woman I have ever encountered.
- B. Nibb, London
This isssue is now in the public domain, yet they do nothing about it at Brent.
Hank Roberts report really blew the lid off the money paid to Governors at Copeland school and the back handers Ms John has been receiving for years are widely known, yet she keeps her firm grasp on power and rages against all who step against her.
The biggest hero's in my book are councillor Joseph, who has been persecuted by Ms John since she left the Labour party.
I shudder to think of the 100's of thousands of pounds maybe even millions, that this woman has lost to us because of property deals back handers and the persecution of other councillors and residents in Brent whom she has taken against, including people of long standing in our communities, whose names will be familiar to all of us who live locally and see the abuse of power thrown against these individuals.
Investigate her now and do what is right for the people of Brent.
- Andy Okoyea, Brent UK
This issue, has just scatched the surface of Ms Johns reign of abuse of our communities, where our centres have been closed down and our chilldren's services underfunded for years.
I am ashamed of brent council for not stepping up and cleaning house, we the ordinary tax payers in brent are subject to the abuse and neglect of our society whilst our community buildings are closed down demolished and sold to developers.
We only need to look at what has been torn down in our neigbourhoods, and see what it has been replaced with.
Whilst this councillor helps to take one more of our only places of joy in brent, the caff at roundwood park, there is a sence of greed and ignorance to the issues on the ground and we are sick of it.
We need a real investigation into this woman and we need it now!
- Ms Aiwa Gilikate, Brent UK
Cllr John has been at the centre of many allegations reagrding bribes for planning and sales of council owned propertiesunder market value.
She and Cllr Ammerlaan were involved with officers who have since left the council, M Perry. These properties have been sold under value to speculators and developers throughout Brent.
There is much more to be uncovered about this woman and she should be stripped of her title imediately, it is a shame that the people of Brent should have such leaders in the town hall and we are ashamed of her.
Meanwhile she sits in a safe labour seat of stonebridge, with few residents even knowing who she is.
We need to really take a good look at brent council and ask why the committee responsible for ethics has not taken a look into these scandals and thrown her out.
- Mr S K Shah, Brent UK
This Councillor, has ridden rough shod over Brents Ethnic Minorities for 15 years she has a string of suspicious allegations against her and yet she is always teflon coated, whilst she throws mud on everyone else.
She is typical of the kind of out dated dinosaur politician we need to get rid of.
Under her watch, our Communities have been erroded and our Youths ignored and ghettoised.
She has presided over a decline so intence in our borough, that it's effects will be felt for generations.
Meanwhile allegations aginst her and illegal property sales in Rucklege Ave, Harlesden, go un investigated and the new Labour Councillors live in fear of her reprisals.
This is not the only trip this woman has accepted, ask Cllr Leena Ahmed's husband about the one he paid for.
We need to really see who this woman is and strip her of this OBE, which she truly does not desrve.
She is an evil spider in a nasty web at Brent town hall involving her and many Officers of the Council in some pact against our Communities and individuals who she attacks with her vicious bullying and scandalising, including other Councillors who she does not like.
- Sarah Cowan, London England
I think Dr Patel should be stripped of his MBE for bringing the whole school governorship into disrepute.
- Riaz, uk
will Dr IP Patel and the ex Head of Copland and the Ex Deputy be stripped of the MBE, OBE, and magistrates titles?
- Rina, uk
One questions why the governors are entertaining the leader of the council and why the leader accepted to go? Could it be anything to do with a planning application that was needed? Something not quite right here.
- Maggie, London UK
