Snowed-under council turned down grit offer

COUNCIL bosses in one of the areas of Surrey worst affected by the recent snow turned down the chance to have 20 tonnes of salt and gritting equipment, it has been revealed.

The offer was made in?a?leaked?e-mail seen by Get Surrey, which was written by Councillor Ian Lake, the county council's cabinet member for transport, to every local?authority leader.

It was sent nine months after gritting stocks almost ran out?at the start of the year, and Cllr Lake asked: "Please can you let me know if you are able to commit to gritting in severe weather?"

However, Tandridge District Council was one of only two not to take up the offer as it was felt the authority?did not have sufficient staff to?take advantage of it while also trying to maintain core services.

A Surrey County Council spokesman said: "Over the past few months we have been in negotiation with the boroughs and districts about how best we can work in partnership to the greatest benefit of our residents in tackling severe weather.

“As part of this we wrote to the leaders and chief executives of all eleven boroughs and districts on 4 October 2010 offering each of them 20 tonnes of salt, together with three mechanical spreaders each to enable effective distribution.

"Unfortunately Tandridge District Council did not respond to our communications and therefore did not take up this offer.”

The spokesman added that between November 31 and December 7, 16,000 miles of road had been?treated across the county, with the average gritting run costing ￡44,000.

Meanwhile, refuse and recycling collections in Tandridge?are still?limited more than a week after heavy snow fell.

Lorries are only collecting from cleared roads, although a normal service was expected to resume?- "weather permitting" - from next Tuesday (December 14).

Pushing car

A district council spokesman said: “It has been a very challenging time for us, but we have worked hard to maintain our essential services.

“Unfortunately we have had to cancel some services like refuse, recycling and garden waste.

“The trucks cannot access the roads as they and the pavements are too icy for the vehicles, and also for the refuse crews to safely pick up the materials which are often heavy.

"We have managed to keep services to our most vulnerable residents running.

“Surrey County Council did offer us 20 tonnes of salt, which we could not accept, as all our available staff were already committed to providing services to our most vulnerable residents and maintaining our essential services.”

The spokesman added that workers had been clearing snow?from day centres,?car parks and entrances to sheltered housing schemes.?

"While it is the responsibility of Surrey County Council?to grit the roads and pavements, we have been and are talking to them about how we can work better together?to prevent situations like this," he said, adding that the district council had also aided snow clearance efforts at the entrance to Oxted's fire station and health centre, in Station Road East to help free trapped HGVs, and in some roads in Caterham and Hurst Green.

Residents in Oxted – where many roads and pavements were still covered by compacted snow and ice this week - have shown a mixed reaction to the conditions

Jonathan Jensen, who lives in nearby Limpsfield, said: “I am still having to push the car out and back onto the drive.

“But I would be more concerned if they were gritting a small road because I’d want to know where the money was coming from.”

An Oxted resident, who did not want to be named, added: “I don’t think the conditions are that unreasonable but it depends how concerned you are about walking on ice I suppose.

“If Surrey County Council had made the effort to clear all this up I would have been amazed.

“I think it should be the responsibility of shopkeepers to make sure the area outside their shop is clear, if they all did that there’d be much less of a problem.”

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured site: So, Why is Wikileaks a Good Thing Again?.

View the original article here

Council to monitor Freedom of Information requests

A NEW central record of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act?is to be introduced by Woking Borough Council, in order?to keep tabs on people who "abuse the system".

Following a?question from a concerned councillor at a meeting last month, the centralised recording of FOI?requests is to be introduced next year.

Council bosses hope the change will make responses more consistent and promote "pro-active dissemination".

Cllr Bryan Cross, Liberal Democrat?member?for Goldsworth East, raised the issue at a full council meeting on October 21 with a Freedom of Information-style question of his own.

In his five-part?submission to council officers, Cllr Cross asked for details on how much money had been spent by?the borough council?preparing answers to requests over the past two years, and how many had been received in total.

Cllr Cross tried unsuccessfully to find out the highest number of requests made by one individual, and also asked what proportion came from media organisations.

Cllr John Kingsbury, leader of the council, told Cllr Cross he was unable to divulge specifics as the information was not "centrally or separately monitored".

He said: “The council recognises that with the increase in use of FOI requests, particularly from a small number of individuals and companies, a more formal recording protocol may be required to ensure that requests are not missed and abuse of the system by malicious complainants is more easily identified.”

Now the matter is due to be discussed at a meeting of the executive committee on Thursday (November 25).

In the official notice of motion, Cllr Cross asked the council to update its policies so that each request must go before a director or head of the council’s legal service before it could be released.

He said: “This council recognises the importance of openness and transparency with its stakeholders.

“One way of achieving this is that all replies to FOI requests received by this council should in future be approved by the director or the head of legal services before they are released to the enquirer to ensure that replies given are comprehensive and complete.”

In a statement responding to Cllr Cross’s request, the council confirmed a central record of FOI requests would be kept from next April, which it hoped?would serve three main purposes.

The statement read: “First, it will identify areas of information that might benefit from pro-active dissemination.

“Second, it will help to ensure that FOI requests are properly and consistently dealt with.

“Third, it will make it easier to identify persons who abuse the system by submitting repeated requests for information.”

But the council confirmed it would retain?its current system for allocating responsibility?for requests, rather than referring all automatically to a senior level.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Doctor convicted of sex offence tells Medical Council ‘I was framed’

-failed to disclose registration had been revoked

Guyanese physician Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, who is battling to remain in practice here following revelations about his conviction in the US for a sexual offence, had told the Guyana Medical Council that he was framed by his wife and a young female relative.
Persaud had proclaimed his innocence in a statement he sent to the Council last September while giving his explanation as to why the Department of Health was refusing to give him a Certificate of Good Standing so he could work in Guyana.
But Dr. Persaud failed to reveal that his registration had been revoked, and reportedly submitted an expired registration to the Guyana Medical Council.
Dr. Persaud was reportedly given institutional registration, which meant that he could only practise at the GPHC.
In his statement to the Medical Council, a copy of which was obtained by Kaieteur News, Dr. Persaud said that he and his wife were having marital problems revolving around infidelity.
“We are almost divorced at this time,” the statement said.
The physician stated that in 2008, he slapped his five-year-old son after the child “repeatedly hit me on my shin, and subsequently he slapped me.”
He said that this led to the teacher questioning his son about his face the following day. He said that the matter was reported to Social Services, who questioned his wife and my step kids as well.
He explained that his wife has a 17-year-old daughter from a prior marriage.
“Due to the fact that my wife was angry at me over our marital issues, she and her daughter unknowing to me framed me, making allegations that I had on a few occasions touched (a female relative of his wife’s) inappropriately,” the statement said.
“During that time Child Services and detectives didn’t have a reason to arrest me, so they wire-tapped my phone and for a week tried to get a confession from me over the phone.
“They also confiscated my computer from my home and did forensic searches for anything incriminating.
“They found nothing. So the next step my wife did was she called me on phone (mind you she had left with her kids including ours, my five-year-old) and my wife said to me that if I want our marriage to work and to see my kid again that I should speak the truth.
So she asked me a series of questions to see if I was having sex with any minors, which I wasn’t so I replied no to all questions.
“Finally she just blurted out, ‘did you ever touch … on her butt or vaginal area, yes or no?’”. So I said “Yes, that’s a ridiculous question because I play with our kids ( I have a 16-year-old boy as well) and I have piggy backed them many times, wrestled, and played numerous times and I have inadvertently touched all of our kids like that.” “That was reason enough for my arrest. I was released after 20 hours and subsequently charged with attempted course of sexual misconduct against a minor. My lawyer advised me to take plea bargain so we could try to save my medical licence.
“Unfortunately, my case was tried in Long Island, a white kangaroo court that is very prejudiced. I was given a class E felony, the lowest class.”Dr. Persaud stated that he then went to the Department of Health, which stated that “while I was an excellent doctor and had no malpractice case against me that they just needed to make sure that I was not a threat to my patients.”
“I voluntarily went to a forensic psychologist who clearly said I was no danger to society but they did not care. Also I went to individual and group therapy for two years, and I am eligible to reapply for my license in December 2011.
“However, I have left the USA to come work here in Guyana. I have contacted Department of Health to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing.
They said they cannot give me one saying that I am in good standing. All it would say is my name, when I got my license and that I was charged with attempted course of sexual conduct.”
“I am very confident that if I am given an opportunity to work under the supervision of Dr. Doobay and Dr. Rambarran at Public Hospital you will see that I would be a great asset to the hospital and Guyana as well,” the statement concluded.
Health officials and members of the disbanded and new Medical Council have given conflicting reports as to whether they knew from the inception that Dr. Persaud was a convicted sex felon.
Director of Medical Services Dr. Madan Rambarran had told Kaieteur News on Thursday that the Council and GPHC officials knew “up-front” that Dr. Persaud was a convicted sex felon and that his licence had been revoked.
He said that the Council used its “discretion and judgment” and licensed him, while the GPHC also “exercised its judgment” and registered him.
But members of both the disbanded and recently sworn in Medical Council say that they were unaware of the physician’s conviction in the US. “He submitted an expired registration. He did not say that his registration had been revoked,” a member of the Council said yesterday.
“He gave us an expired registration which he claimed was valid. He should have returned it. He misled the Council.
“According to our law, you must be registered in the country from which you came.”
Dr. Rambarran had told Kaieteur News that Dr. Persaud will remain on the job pending the outcome of an investigation by the Medical Council.
Dr. Rambarran said that the investigation stemmed from recent circulating emails which insinuated that there is new information about the convicted physician.
Meanwhile, the GPHC official said he believes that the physician, Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, “does not pose a risk to the population.”
According to Dr. Rambarran, “the evidence is that the incident for which he was convicted relates to one child. It is not as if there is a pattern of molestation of children… at least that is the information that we have.”
Documents obtained by Kaieteur News show that Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, formerly of Lot 308 A East 15th Street, New York, was authorised to practise medicine in New York on August 14, 1997, by issuance
of licence number 207867.
On April 18, 2008, in the County Court of the state of New York, the physician pleaded guilty to an attempted course of sexual misconduct against a child of the second degree, in violation of New York penal law Section 110 and 130(1) (b); a class E felony.
The incident is said to have occurred in 2003 and ended in 2007.
On June 11, 2008, Dr. Persaud was sentenced to an eight-year order of protection (a term most commonly used in reference to domestic violence, harassment, stalking or sexual assault.)
He was also sentenced to ten years probation, a US$2,500 fine and various fees and surcharges.
During a hearing on November 19, 2008 before the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct, Dr. Persaud admitted that he had committed a crime, but argued that he should not lose his licence because of the exceptional quality of his? medical practice and because therapy had transformed him into a person that would not commit a similar act.
The three-member Committee dismissed these arguments. After the hearing, the State of New York Department of Health ordered the Guyanese physician to hand over his licence and registration certificate to the Board of Professional Medical Conduct.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Doctor lied to Medical Council

Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud

To remain on job pending probe – Dr. Rambarran

Director of Medical Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Madan Rambarran, says that the US-trained physician who is a convicted sex offender will remain on the job at the GPHC pending the outcome of an investigation by the Medical Council.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rambarran is of the belief that the physician, Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, “does not pose a risk to the population.”
In an interview last night with Kaieteur News, Rambarran stated that the Medical Council and officials at the GPHC knew “up front” that Dr. Persaud had been convicted in a New York court for a sexual offence against a minor.
“Dr. Persaud applied for a licence and the Medical Council exercised its judgment and issued him a licence, and the hospital exercised its judgment and gave him a job,” Rambarran said. “Up front when he sought employment we knew (of the sexual conviction).”
“The licensing body (Medical Council) was aware that he had legal problems in New York, which resulted in his licence being revoked.
They used their discretion and judgment and licensed him, and the hospital has registered him. To date, on the job itself, we have no evidence that he has done anything wrong medically or otherwise.”
Kaieteur News understands that Dr. Persaud has been working at the GPHC for about two months.
Dr. Rambarran said that the Medical Council was now investigating Dr. Persaud because of recent circulating emails which insinuated that there is new information about the convicted physician.
“The Medical Council will look at it to see if there is really new information…but immediately there is no evidence that there is need to abrogate his licence or suspend his employment.”
But when contacted last night, some sources within the Medical Council angrily denied knowing from the inception that Dr. Persaud was a convicted sex offender.
Kaieteur News was told that Dr. Persaud had submitted a registration certificate that expired in September 2010 to the Medical Council.
According to the source, in his written explanation to the Medical Council, the US-trained physician had claimed he was suspended because of a problem with his divorce.
“He deceived the Medical Council,” one of the sources said.
“The council is sticking to the law which says he should be registered in the country where he graduated to be eligible for registration here.”
After receiving information about his conviction in the US, the Council reportedly wrote to Dr Persaud on Monday and asked him to respond within seven days.
Kaieteur News was told that while many persons in the present Council want Dr. Persaud’s registration revoked, another faction wants him to remain licensed.
One source said that a senior official at the GPHC has asked the Council to wait until the Council’s lawyer returns from overseas in two weeks’ time.
According to Dr. Rambarran, Dr. Persaud’s clinical expertise is not being questioned.
“The issues (of his sexual abuse conviction) were there but it is our discretion that he does not pose any huge risk to the population and that he actually brings a certain competence (to the GPHC).”
“In my best opinion…I don’t believe that he poses a risk. The evidence is that the incident for which he was convicted relates to one child. It is not as if there is a pattern of molestation of children… at least that is the information that we have.”
Asked if he would be comfortable with Dr. Persaud treating a daughter of his, Dr. Rambarran said: “Yes, based on what I know now.”
He agreed that the local medical fraternity should hold itself to the same high standards as those in the US, where Dr. Persaud was trained. But he asserted that “we don’t have to rubber-stamp that judgment (against Dr. Persaud) because that judgment may not entirely apply to us.”
Documents obtained by Kaieteur News show that Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, formerly of Lot 308 A East 15th Street, New York, was authorised to practise medicine in New York on August 14, 1997, by issuance of licence number 207867.
On April 18, 2008, in the County Court of the state of New York, the physician pleaded guilty to an attempted course of sexual misconduct against a child of the second degree, in violation of New York penal law Section 110 and 130(1) (b); a class E felony.
The incident is said to have occurred in 2003 and ended in 2007.
On June 11, 2008, Dr. Persaud was sentenced to an eight-year order of protection (a term most commonly used in reference to domestic violence, harassment, stalking or sexual assault.)
He was also sentenced to ten years probation, a US$2,500 fine and various fees and surcharges.
During a hearing on November 19, 2008 before the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct, Dr. Persaud admitted that he had committed a crime, but argued that he should not lose his licence because of the exceptional quality of his medical practice and because therapy had transformed him into a person that would not commit a similar act.
Arguing further to show why he would not be a threat to his patients, Dr. Persaud had told the Committee that the victim was a child and that his patients were adults.
He also noted that the sexual abuse had not occurred at work.
In addition, the Guyanese physician told the Committee that when the court sentenced him, he was labeled a level one sex offender, which is the lowest level of sex offender, and one who is deemed least likely to commit the offence again.
The three-member Committee dismissed these arguments. It also dismissed testimony of a therapist who was treating the Guyanese physician and who stated that Dr. Persaud was responding to therapy.
The Committee members concluded that “no matter how skilled physician he is, his sexual crime makes him an unacceptable risk to the people of NY York State. His licence must be revoked.”
After the hearing, the State of New York Department of Health ordered the Guyanese physician to hand over his licence and registration certificate to the Board of Professional Medical Conduct.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Council leader defends Milton Keynes energy plan

THE head of the Woking Borough Council struck in criticism of the plan for the authority to build power plants in Milton Keynes.

Meeting last Thursday (October 21), Councillor John Kingsbury admits that it would be "to jump on the opportunity" to dispose of the initiative, which already has the Council more than 17 m ￡ by its subsidiaries.

Mr. Peter Ankers, the only independent member of the authority, has challenged the leader at the level of the Council of the loan and questioned how it would be before that taxpayers have seen a return on investment.

He said: "the interest of the Woking bank pays the Bank of England is about the same as what we pay in tax Council."

"In 2008, said Council Thameswey Milton Keynes profits would be perceived by 2015, and which became 2020"

Thameswey Central Milton Keynes Limited (TCMK) was established by the Council in 2005 as an investment in the long term for the supply of energy for homes and businesses in part in development of the town of Buckinghamshire.

The first power plant was operational in 2007 and the Commission has already spent ￡ 17.8 m on the costs of construction.

TCMK withdrew a loan of 5 million pounds of Lombard North Central development and also borrowed money from its parent company, Woking Borough Council.

M. Kingsbury said the Council has a duty to adhere to its commitments but excluded from all other stations of energy after the first was fully operational.

He said: "it is true that the performance we expected from Milton Keynes is less than we had hoped, but we crossed a recession and we know the problems of Milton Keynes.".

"We know if there is an opportunity to elimination of investment, one would jump at the chance to do so."

"We are where we are with Milton Keynes and it is needless to say the same thing, when we are committed to something."

Of the week last meeting, advisors has given the green light for TCMK withdraw the remaining ￡ 750,000 ease 3 million loan amount of ￡ certificated in 2009.

An additional withdrawal 1 m ￡ has also approved a second facility loan of ￡ 4.5 m.

According to M. Kingsbury, break ties with station effect energy regime immediately would be a "disaster" for the Council.

He added: "try and dispose of Milton Keynes is now simply not and the cost to the Board would be huge.

There are many here who wish it had never occurred, but we started it, and we must complete.

To try to force a closure would be a disaster and we have to see through.

"We have a series of investment deficit and at this stage, we will do our best to get rid of Milton Keynes at our earliest opportunity, but we'll see."

This entry transmitted via the service for full-text RSS - if this is your content and you read on someone to another site, please read our FAQ page fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Article five filters features: After Hiroshima - non-rapport Cancer Catastrophe of Fallujah.

View the original article here

Pay more than £ 1 County Council. 1 m to pothole damage

MOTORISTS whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes have requested more than 1.1 million from ￡ Surrey County Council.

Figures published by the freedom of information Act show that, during the past three years, the Commission received 6,630 claims following damage caused by holes in the route.Des these 930, about one in seven, leads to the compensation paid.

This means for the past three years, ￡ 1,171,640 taxpayers money spent on motorists to damage compensation and pay court costs.

Claims more concerned all boroughs of Surrey Road Tandridge, damage to 1 384.Elmbridge Waverley and Guildford strongly marked with 821, claims 882 707 respectively.

Most compensation, however, related to roads in Reigate and Banstead, with 207 claims costs ￡ 236,334 authority.

The figures were released in the same week in which cabinet agreed to take ￡ 700,000 budget this year repairs to adjust the number of spiral of insurance claims.

It is sufficient to pay for road covering ten miles of road surface wrapping, the equivalent of Cobham in Guildford road repairs.

Passage through the Council of Ministers of the Surrey County Council has been described by a member of the Association and the Independent Group Hall County residents as the ultimate "robbing Pierre to pay Paul" political decision.

Instead of repairs, the money will be ploughed in a budget to pay automobile insurance claims.This year the Council should pay ￡ 1.3 million successful applications from motorists resulting pothole ravaged by roads in Surrey.

Association Advisor Eber citizens Kington said: "it is ridiculous to robbing Peter to pay Paul policy where are taxpayers and Surrey, motorists who are current salary stolen and penalized the mismanagement of the roads by curators from the recent County Council."

"Silver drainage repairs budget to pay insurance claims is short seeing that it is practically incroyable.Le makes these incessant claims seems to have surprised the Conservative Government, but the rate of requests increased by eight times in just four years."

"With a multi-million dollar new roads because before to be signed contract the new year, it fills me filled with thinking about what the future might hold when we see such decision-making."

Surrey County Council spokesman stated that insurance claims increased due to a severe winter last year, which has caused much damage to the roads.

"We've been working hard to find funding for our additional winter maintenance and has recently announced an additional $ million books to finance a doubling of salt, stocks of extra salting tracks and more than 20 miles added to the network of salt," said spokesman.

"After years of underfunding of the Government, it will take hundreds of millions of pounds road to zero, but we do all our best to achieve this objectif.Nous are confident that our new contract Road starting next March will be a greater value for money for investment, we are now able to do."

This entry transmitted via the service for full-text RSS - if this is your content and you read on someone to another site, please read our FAQ page fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Article five filters features: After Hiroshima - non-rapport Cancer Catastrophe of Fallujah.

View the original article here