xRobot: Political Rant #48: DSS and Council Go Berserk Videos

Added: Apr 23, 2008

From: peterjohnglynn

Duration: 8:3

Keith McNiffe, 49, who last month stood aside as mayor of Pembroke, has admitted two charges of illegally obtaining benefit amounting to £9,233. This amounts to £22 per week in order that he could get his life back. It seems the DSS wanted him to lie down and die.Shaun Dyer, defending, told the court McNiffe had been receipt of benefits since 2002. He had had a thyroid gland removed after the discovery of a growth and this had led his weight to increase by 12 stones. He had an emergency operation to remove his stomach and following this, had been told by doctors to increase his weight loss regime. "He accepts he undertook work as a referee but it was part of the medical advice that he was given," said Mr Dyer. Adjourning sentence to 19 May, magistrates asked for a pre-sentence report and said they had not ruled out custody as an option. He is a seriously ill man who needed the support of the Benefits Agency. Instead he is vilified and has his good name besmirched by the unaccountable nobody busybodies who criminalise him for getting his health back. For the sake of £22 a week which no doubt he pays towards undertaking his medical exercises.An utter , utter disgrace.------------A clergyman is urging townsfolk to help pay the fine and £225 court bill of a Whitehaven man prosecuted for overfilling his wheelie bin.The Rev John Bannister, rector of Whitehaven, has accused Copeland Borough Council of bullying and making a scapegoat of young dad Gareth Corkhill, 26, of The Oval, Mirehouse.The prosecution, the first of its kind by Copeland council, has made national TV and newspaper headlines and, says Mr Bannister, reflects negatively on the high-handed and patronising manner in which the council, and in particular certain elected members and senior officers involved in the wider issue, have acted."Surely Copeland's first duty is to respond to Mr Corkhill's problems in managing the disposal of his household rubbish, within the restrictions of the council's own inadequate service, in other words, to look at their own deficiencies before condemning the good name of those they are paid and elected to serve.''Mr Corkhill had not been in court to hear JPs fine him £110 and impose a further £100 costs and a £15 government surcharge, when the case was 'proved in absence'.He had been charged with overfilling his wheelie bin; enforcement officers had taken photographs in January of the bin with its lid raised. Mr Corkhill, who had been warned on a previous occasion, was offered the chance to pay a fixed penalty of £110 rather than be taken to court. He agreed at the time but the penalty was not paid.Related:Council vows wheelie bin prosecution won't be its lastFined for putting too much rubbish in his binMr Corkhill said he had been shocked by the fine: "My bin lid was only open four inches. I couldn't believe they would do that. I don't leave the rubbish on the floor. Every fortnight you can guarantee other people's bins will be more open than mine. I have my rubbish collected every fortnight. There are five people in my family, three children, me and my wife. Plus I have my daughter over on weekends."We recycle everything we can, including plastics, cardboard, tins, glass and paper. We have got a black box that is always full."It's only an £80 fine for flytipping. I would have been better off doing that."Mr Bannister is sympathetic and "in order to show solidarity and compassion with the sad state Mr Corkhill has found himself in, I am seeking donations from the community to re-to imburse Mr Corkhill and his young family."Hopefully, the community of Whitehaven, which is not known for cowering to this sort of bullying, can demonstrate its feelings of disgust by this small but supportive action."Sadly, what we cannot do, as a community, is to right the injustice done to Mr Corkhill by Copeland Council, in making him a criminal by their actions."To deal with this borough-wide problem by scape-goating Mr Corkhill and damaging his life with a criminal record, is irresponsible on the part of Copeland Borough Council,"I would be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to make a donation to this cause."

Channel: News

Tags: correctness  council  dictatorship  nanny  news  political  state 

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