Rotherham Politics learned of developments at the Unity Centre!
Jahangir Akhtar in a surprise move, has resigned from the Chairmanship of the Unity Centre Board, with effect from Wednesday, citing ‘political’ reasons!
The Unity Centre was to be Rothpols next port of call, as the full investigation again cranks up in to Jahangir Akhtar and his family businesses.
Readers might like to acquaint themselves with the principal allegations contained in these two previous postings:
More signs of community anger and concern
Another interesting document? view/download as .pdf, click on image below:
Rotherham Politics 
Well, if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen! The tide seems to be turning. more and more people are starting to question these so called representatives. Being a councillor used to be an honourable selfless act in order to serve your community. As the allowances and salaries swelled, the worst kind of self serving, careerists decided to jump on the gravy train. Let’s face it most of these Labour councillors would be Tories if they thought that it would keep them claiming from the public purse. Darren Hughes is a prime example in reverse. Akhtar’s decision makes me even more curious about how the Unity centre is run, financed and its purpose! Keep up the good work Rothpol…the truth is coming out!
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Unity Centre has somehow got lost from the RMBC website:
http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/200151/council_buildings/1323/unity_centre
… but not from the Charity Commission:
go to http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/find-charities/ and then enter 1090559 in the search box.
Anon, you say:
“Being a councillor used to be an honourable selfless act in order to serve your community”.
It still is in some places, but it never was in more of them.
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Don’t be taken in by this attempted subterfuge! Why has the Unity Centre and it’s associated charities and businesses, been able to provide so well for Akhtar and his family? We should be told the full story and before the elections in May at the latest. RMBC might like to refer this cesspit of corruption to the police for investigation?
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I doubt if RMBC is in a position to refer it anywhere, and unfortunately the Charity Commission – its regulator – is pretty spineless.
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For him to have resigned there has to be something Serious behind it. Everyone knows that Akhtar and his family are as bent and brazen as they come, and If criminal activity is taking place any one can refer it to the police, but it’s pointless unless there is hard evidence, without that it’s just speculation..
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@rr.
“I doubt if RMBC is in a position to refer it anywhere”
Martin Kimber could- if he grew a pair-refer Akhtar to the Monitoring Officer for investigation into Misconduct in Public Office.
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/misconduct_in_public_office/
This presupposes Ms.Collins has the political will to launch an investigation involving a Labour councillor. Don’t hold your breath. This is a case that cannot be resolved by ‘informal resolution’, a phrase often used by Jacqui Collins to hide wrongdoings by Labour councillors. Akhtar could also be guilty of a Conflict of Interest concerning his involvement with the Unity Centre.
Don’t expect Sarah Champion to grubby her hands by getting involved in this either, she’s far too busy organising photo shoots and covering her backside.
I’m surprised Akhtar has not jumped on the “You’re all racists” bandwagon, isn’t this part of his modus operandi? Or is a swift punch to the body his normal reaction to criticism?
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all very strange , could it be something to do with the asian landlords which took to the unity centre on tuesday to strongly object to the landlord scheme , i belive rmbc got snowed under with questions form the landlords all very angry with the consultation. bbc 1 also turned up with a film crew .
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Asbo Akhtar and his ‘Army’ are suffering reverses it would seem. Those who do not observe the law are apt to be held to account by the law! His habit of using the Unity Centre to provide an undeserved income for relatives must end!
The Unity Centre does not belong to Jahangir Akhtar! The money it receives is not his either, it is public money and therefore ours! Yet you would hardly believe it, if the past is anything to go by? The board is full of Akhtars placemen, they must be weeded out too. His undeclared conflicts of interests alone, might suggest misconduct in a public office, would just seem to be the starting point for investigations into Akhtar and the board.
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The Unity Centre is not “ours”, it is a charity answerable only to the Charity Commission; a charity that simply leases its accommodation from RMBC.
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Leasing property like this from the Council, nevertheless imposes upon a tenant to act within both the terms of the lease and to follow best practice when recruiting staff for example? Certainly not like Azizum or Tanweer Akhtar for example!
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We have heard of Arab Spring, Bradford spring.
Today I declare “The Unity Spring”.
Jahngir Akhtar is gone and not long before he loses his seat in Labour elections in May.
Thanks to Rothpol We the asain community would rather vote for UKIP than Labour.
A public enquiry needs to be held when Jahngir been chairman for the Unity centre under his leadership Laptops have been stolen, money stolen into millions from unity centre.
Why Cllr Shabana Ahmed not paid £22.000 which she had stolen from the unity centre,
How come Both of Akhtars sons each got £10.000 pay rise.
Your times up ASBO?
bye bye bye.
The above comment from Anonymous, should be understood to be subject to the caveat, ‘allegedly’! Rothpol.
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On wednesday when Jangir resigned he appointed his right hand man Mark as chairman.
As per constituation the current vice chairman should have been appointed temporary chairman until an election is held.
Goes to show Asbo is still pulling the strings.
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Ever the puppet master? Mark who?
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Akhtar believes himself untouchable? Not any more he isn’t, the genie is well and truly out of the bottle!
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Reading this post seems a bit like the blind leading the blind. My understanding after speaking to one of the board members is that it was the Centre’s AGM when all the officer positions were up for election as is the norm.
It was under these circumstances that Jahangir decided not to seek re election. Subsequently an election took place which saw the new chair person being elected. Simple straight forward.
TROLL ALERT:Someone who skulks around under false names, trying to deflect our attention perhaps? Your second comment, which I will not publish as it is disgusting, is a clincher. Is that you Jahangir? Rothpol.
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Amir dear boy.
The AGM was held few months ago?
Asbo his worried because he cannot afford to lose his seat as his got to feed ALI BABA AND 40 THIEVES
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AKTAR BABA 40 THIEVES.
ASBO BABA 40 THIEVES.
AM SURE THE 40 THIEVES COULD EASLY BE NAMED?
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Is the Mark being referred to Mark Cummins the Cohesion Officer at the Millers Community Sports Trust. http://www.themillers.co.uk/news/article/schools-sign-up-445133.aspx
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Yes “MARK ASBO CUMMINS” and his puppet Steve Rodgers.
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Be grateful for more info on these two? Rothpol.
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Forgive my ignorance but what the hell is a ‘Cohesion Officer’?
Sounds very much like another “none job” created to placate someone somewhere.
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The job of community cohesion officer is to ensure that everyone is glued together and working together and thinking together and doing it together. Cohesion Officers are all over the place. Diane Abbott has said,”your business or organisation cannot be said to be truly PC without one!” I believe RMBC has one,though i haven’t been able to find out
who it is yet. Perhaps Gerald Smith would know?
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mal,
I would assume it comes within the scope of Zafar Saleem, Community Engagement Manager, and his team.
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This list of present and past Board Members is interesting?
Shakoor Adalat
30 Sep 2009 ⇒ Present day (4 Years ) Director
Mohammed Afzal
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 30 Sep 2009 (7 Years ) Director
Jahangir Akhtar
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ Present day (12 Years ) Director
Showkat Ali
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 13 Nov 2013 (12 Years ) Director
Colleen Allen
9 May 2005 ⇒ 29 Sep 2008 (3 Years ) Company Secretary
Mohammed Bashir
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ Present day (12 Years ) Director
Dominic Beck
23 May 2012 ⇒ 13 Nov 2013 (1 Year ) Director
John Carter
23 May 2012 ⇒ Present day (1 Year ) Director
Andrew Chambers
23 May 2012 ⇒ Present day (1 Year ) Director
Mark Cummins
23 May 2012 ⇒ Present day (1 Year ) Director
Haji Elahi
19 Jan 2005 ⇒ 30 Sep 2009 (4 Years ) Director
Michael Holmes
2 Aug 2004 ⇒ 9 May 2005 (9 Months ) Company Secretary
Abdul Khayum
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 19 Dec 2003 (2 Years ) Company Secretary
Khalida Luqman
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 30 Sep 2009 (7 Years ) Director
Abdulla Mohamed
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 6 Jun 2006 (4 Years ) Director
Mohamed Monir
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ Present day (12 Years ) Director
Ghulam Nabi
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ Present day (12 Years ) Director
Mahmoona Quyam
22 Nov 2001 ⇒ 20 May 2006 (4 Years ) Director
Mahroof Rashid
22 Nov 2001 ⇒ Present day (12 Years ) Director
Zanib Rasool
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 28 Oct 2002 (11 Months ) Director
Stephen Rogers
30 Mar 2005 ⇒ 13 Nov 2013 (8 Years ) Director
Shahin Shah
30 Sep 2009 ⇒ Present day (4 Years ) Director
Mohammed Suleman
29 Oct 2001 ⇒ 30 Sep 2009 (7 Years ) Director
Peter White
28 Oct 2009 ⇒ 7 Oct 2011 (1 Year ) Company Secretary
Ghulam Yasseen
1 Nov 2009 ⇒ 13 Nov 2013 (4 Years ) Director
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Thank you Anonymous for this information. I am sure blog readers will be interested too.
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Any idea where that data comes from?
I understood from http://www.duedil.com that Cllr Beck retired as a director on 13 November 2013, after 1 year, 5 months, 21 days in the role.
I’m not going to bother checking any of the others, without knowing the source of the data.
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Found at http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/directors/unity-centre-rotherham
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Thanks Anon, for the source linky
… but that site dis-agrees with what you wrote. Go and check it, particularly the Cllr Beck entry – which now says:
” Dominic Beck 23 May 2012 ⇒ 13 Nov 2013 (1 Year ) Director” .
and :
20 Nov 2013 TM01 – Termination of appointment of director
APPOINTMENT TERMINATED, DIRECTOR DOMINIC BECK.
I guess you must have copied off your data some time before 20/11/2013.
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Collected it yesterday! Looks like someone is clearing up trying to alter the record?
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Anon,
Conspiracy? Doubt if that could change a 3rd party’s records. Magic is just as likely.
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“The job of community cohesion officer is to ensure that everyone is glued together and working together and thinking together and doing it together”
In the real world that is the job and function of a manager.
10 ‘Directors’? No wonder the pigs gather round the trough of plenty. Instead of closing Children’s Centres RMBC should look at staffing costs and rather than blame the coalition RMBC should reconsider and audit the number of non jobs, freebies and freeloaders we are paying for.
I seriously doubt Akhtar declared a conflict of Interest while he was running the Unity Centre as a power base and strongarming his colleagues to adhere to The (Akhtar) Plan.
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He did include it in his Register of Interests – and has now removed it from them.
_________________
Unity Centre is a charity and quite independent of RMBC, it’s (currently 11) Directors/ Trustees do their work for no remuneration; as would be obvious to you if you had bothered to read it’s accounts as published on the Charity Commission website.
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Whoops! should have been “its” not “It’s”.
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@rr
I did an internet search on the Unity Centre. The fact the Directors do not get paid is beside the point, they have access to political power. Former director Beck is a paid councillor and he is not known for his charitable works. Election to a directorship of the Unity Centre is not open to Joe and Josephine Public, it is supposed to represent a broad spectrum of the local population. Allegedly.
Certain allegations have been made against Akhtar and his family’s involvement with the Unity Centre, (as rothpol rightly pointed out these comments should have been prefaced ‘allegedly’) but for these comments to have even been posted about a paid councillor speaks volumes for the behaviour of a former director of the UC and rather validates my earlier post.
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Community cohesion was a factor for not going after the criminals involved in child sexual exploitation; Rotherham is awash with this rubbish.
The police stand back and allow Wellgate to become a no-go area because of this PC attitude.
What next an overpaid officer with responsibilities for hard to reach communities?
And this is going off while services are being cut.
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The Unity Centre has more than a whiff of the ‘Anti-Poverty Scandal’ type of operation about it?
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Sure we all take that point. Be grateful if we don’t get blown off course, however.
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Not from what I can see, but if you have any evidence for what you are saying – please share it.
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Could it be as simple as he intends to spend more time with his family.
Anyone know who the UKIP candidate for Rotherham West is?
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Lets hope it’s a good one!
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I am sure the identity of the UKIP candidate and all of the others standing will be revealed as and when they are ready to tell us.
I am equally sure that everyone knows this will be the one electoral battle, Rotherham West, that everyone will be watching rather closely.
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I wonder which family his going to spend time with his arranged marriage or his full bit inside.
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I think with the West ward their is the possibility of a split votes with Respect and UKIP. Sadly that may be Akthar’s saving grace. Hope it isn’t. Some cohesion is a must between the candidates. Same applies for the Eastwood ward.
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Whatever we may think the outcome may be at this point, the voters of Rotherham, right across the Borough, will have the wisest choice among a record number of candidates, from all political persuasions!
There will be some incredibly close results this May, Rotherham West being just one!
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South Yorkshire Community Foundation grants 2011 looks interesting? £10,000 of interesting!
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Interesting read? I am sure other groups were in more need than Unity centre.
This was the £10.000 which was given to Tanweer Akhtar as pay rise, when he left this money was given to Azeezam Akhtar as pay rise.
Talk about keeping it in the family.
Now i believe CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.
🙂
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I had thought that Azizzum Akhtar was Chief Exec. of REMA, not Unity Centre – he can hardly hold down 2 full-time senior roles – or did he move from one to the other?
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Ever since Watergate I have advised those wishing to understand what is really going on, should ‘follow the money’!
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Good advice perhaps? Welcome.
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So true!
When you find both where it comes from and where it goes to, bingo! 🙂
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First asbo made sure his seat was secure by having his yes sir no sir members on unity board. He then invited REMA into Unity centre by saving on rent.
The money which was saved was pumped back into REMA to set up Azeezam karate club.
The £10.000 was given to unity board to employ 2 partime adminisrators. These members of staff were employed on temp contracts.
Akhtar decided in the meeting the way forward would be by getting rid of the 2 partimers and that £10.000 should go as top up of salary to Tanweer Akhtar who will cover admin duty. Remember he is in fulltime post at REMA PLUS HIS COVERING 2 partime posts. Not bad getting paid for two jobs for 35hours post.
When Tanweer finally left to become a police officer Akhtar called a meeting and said my son Azazeem Akhtar will recive Tanweers salary.
2 jobs salary for 1 post.
TALK ABOUT KILLING 2 BIRDS WITH 1 STONE (excuse the pun)
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We need more mr vines every where in Rotherham. A man not in it for his own gain but for those he represents!
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Last thursday 30 january 2014 a fight broke out between two family members on the taxi rank, where one driver had suffered from bruising and 4 broken teeth, the katari family got involved to call the truce.
The pertpetrator was held over night in police custody and charged with GBHs he was also reported to licensing.
Mansha Hussain Jangir Aktar right hand man contacted Asbo and Jangir spoke to these 2 drivers and became the mediator where these individual were invited to Jangir house on Monday night.
A cash payment was made to Jangir who has assured the perpetrator that no action will be taken by police or licencing.
He reminded the drivers he has done them a huge favour and one day they will need to pay him back.
He also informed them that his election is due and they must do leaflet drop for them and sell his tickets for a charity event.
Talk about control.
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