Little did I think when Regular Reader noticed interesting alterations in Shaukat Ali’s declaration of interests, it would set off a doughty investigator of inquiring mind, to ask the simple question why?
The emails are reproduced in sequence from the start:
Sent: 18 February 2015 17:46
To: Collins, Jacqueline
Subject: Cllr Shaukat Ali
Dear Monitoring Officer,
I have a copy of a completed Register of Members’ Interests form dated by Cllr Ali on the 15/4/14 detailing Land at 44/46 Selbourne St (see attached) and I also have a Land Registry document (,see attached) showing that as at 31 July 2014 the Registered Owners of the two properties to be COPPEN (ESTATES) LIMITED and had done so from 29.03.2012.
Could you please ask Cll. Ali to clarify this matter
From: Collins, Jacqueline <Jacqueline.Collins@rotherham.gov.uk>
Date: Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 2:50 PM
Subject: RE: Cllr Shaukat Ali
Cc: “Leverton, Lindsey” <Lindsey.Leverton@rotherham.gov.uk>
Cllr Ali’s details at Section 4 of his Register of Interests were removed with my consent, and in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, as they constituted a sensitive interest.
I will consult Cllr Ali and determine whether it is appropriate for those interests to be made public.
Jacqueline Collins
Director
Legal and Democratic Services
Date: Sat, Feb 21, 2015 at 9:45 AM
Subject: Cllr.Shaukat Ali – “sensitive interests”
To: “Collins, Jacqueline” <jacqueline.collins@rotherham.gov.uk>
Dear Monitoring Officer,
Further to your email to me 2.50pm yesterday,
What do you mean by “a sensitive interest”?
Please kindly let me have a copy of the Code of Conduct and refer me to the appropriate section.
From: Collins, Jacqueline <Jacqueline.Collins@rotherham.gov.uk>
Date: Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 3:57 PM
Subject: Cllr.Shaukat Ali – “sensitive interests”
I would refer you to paragraph 11.3 of the Code of Conduct, which is attached.
Cllr Ali has reviewed the position and I now consider that it is appropriate for his property interests to be disclosed. Cllr Ali’s Register will be updated in the next couple of days.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Jacqueline Collins
Director
Legal and Democratic Services
Quite a result then!!
The attached Code of conduct can be read/downloaded here as a .pdf.
Originally posted as: Shaukat Ali – Spot the difference?
and those original changes that provoked the questions:
Rotherham Politics 
Well done, good effort.
Has Ms Collins finally realised that she can no longer cover up for this bunch of miscreants?
Section 11.3 looks like a big cop out clause, I wonder how many other interests have not been declared as they are of a sensitive nature?
Are we really expected to believe that to declare which houses he owns might lead to violence or intimidation? Presumably that threat has now subsided (if it ever existed) as he has changed his mind.
The B.
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Yes well done to all involved, surprising what a little diligence & digging will expose, and further proof, not that it was needed, what a useful commodity this board and it’s members are.
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I’m a little confused as to how declaring properties Cllr Ali owns but doesn’t live in could leave him at risk of “violence or intimidation” but the home he does live in is declared.
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Well done rr.
What a complete load of twaddle clause 11.3 is. As Badger says, a cop out.
It brings to mind many “job descriptions” where at the end of a list of duties is written ” Any other duties as required by the employer at their discretion”.
I am inspired to ask the Director of Legal and Democratic Services if Cllrs Rushforth, Beaumont and Godfrey have any “sensitive interests” that are being kept hidden from us. Have a feeling there might well be a few.
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I didn’t make it clear, RR was the original spotter, another who does not want the publicity was the questioner who pursued the answers. Hope that clarifies attribution.
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MB
Whatever you feel inspired to do, stop for a moment and think hard about it.
1. Any such FoI request should be directed at “All current councillors” not just the ones you wish to target.
2. Whilst I recognise your real ability as an author; producing effective FoI requests is a specialist skill. Why not produce an initial draft and send it to Rothpol, for closed circulation to those of us who have some real experience in the field.
In other words – lets keep it as a collective effort!
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Some things of interest may possibly be found by a google search on “coppen (estates) limited” .
I know nothing about the Company’s activities, but I do know a little about the world they appear to be operating in.
They are here :http://www.endole.co.uk/company/01340526/coppen-estates-limited
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Many Thanks and a “You Are A Star!” virtual badge to “the doughty investigator of inquiring mind”, who took up the challenge!
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There was a previous post on Rothpol which includes the Companies House details of another of Cllr Ali’s seemingly ex-properties (70 Milton Road) in the topic/introductory section.
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whoopsies
replace “Companies House” with “Land Registry” in the above.
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Well done to the questioner too, then.
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Makes you wonder how many more skeletons are in the closet of Rotherham Council?
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Looks like Coppen (Estates) Ltd own lots of freeholds on long leasehold properties. Ali must own the leasehold but Coppen will appear as the freeholder.
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You have to access the Land Registry entry to know what the situation is. .Pure conjecture doesn’t add anything.
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I’ll add my congratulations to our worthy investigator. Well done and a virtual e-pint has been sent.
Jacqui Collins’ about turn is the complete opposite to the responses I’ve had from her and her sidekick Neil Concannon regarding Dalton’s failure to register her ‘Gangs and Grooming’ business which Collins initially said was ‘not a conflict of interests’. After I sent Concannon further evidence of Dalton’s duplicity (because I have no faith in Collins or her abilities) this matter is now ‘under investigation’. Allegedly.
Collins and her department have two choices when considering FoI and other requests about councillors; Either comply or wait until a Commissioner takes over and studies the case files and then shows her the exit door. Collins is a political appointee with some knowledge of who and what was involved in CSE in Rotherham.
Skeletons in the cupboard at RMBC? There are so many it’s bursting at the seams!
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most of the house’s cllr ali owns in eastwood have been subject to ongoing issues , asb , noise issues , flytipping etc.
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How has he got away with it
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Say for the sake of argument the grooming gangs got £200 a week out of each girl as a forced prostitute and on average they got the use of a girl for four years before they were old enough to break away on their own without any outside help that’s forty grand a girl. Now those numbers are a pure guess but if they’re in the right ball park then 1,400 girls (low estimate) would have brought in 56 million pound.
If there were twenty Rotherhams in total around the country then you’re looking at a billion, forty Rotherhams in total would have brought in two billion pounds.
A lot of people possibly made a lot of money off the betrayal of those girls.
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This is pure conjecture and is not fact based. We try to deal with the truth, rather than this kind of wild speculation.
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