From the Echo website today:
JAILED peer Lord Hanningfield has had his Essex County Council allowances suspended.
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Last month the former county council leader was jailed for nine months after being found guilty of falsely claiming ?14,000 from the House of Lords.
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But he is allowed to remain county councillor serving West Hanningfield, because he is appealing the verdict.
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At a full meeting of Essex County Council today, councillors voted to suspend his ?11,500 a year allowance following an emergency motion to change its constitution.
Full article here.
-Just one question, how is he able to represent his constituents from a jail cell? (or are there speciaal arrangements for this?)
I am disgusted that Peter White has been released after barely 9 weeks of his 9 month sentence. What sort of message does this send to other criminals and does not help restore faith in broken legal and political systems.
I sincerely hope that they throw the book at him again for frauds committed in his role as Leader of ECC. Hopefully the parole authorities will nit be so lenient with him next time.
Why on earth are we still referring to him as Lord Hanningfield, plain Paul White is his name and is the name he is convicted under.
I think it is ridiculous to let someone out so early (unless possibly for medical reasons).
I believe peers remain peers for life. So he officially keeps his title…..
I don’t believe in this day and age that a peer can not have ‘its’ title taken away when he has a criminal record!
Maybe the fiddling politicians that got a spell inside are ideally placed for when prisoners get the vote, they can meet with their constituents quite easily.
Pity more of them weren’t put away.