South Yorkshire chief constable’s resignation-call ‘unlawful’
A police commissioner’s decision to suspend the chief constable of South Yorkshire and then ask him to resign was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.
Dr Alan Billings suspended David Crompton in April 2016 after he appeared to justify police questioning of fans’ behaviour after the Hillsborough disaster.
Dr Billings said he was “seeking permission to appeal the outcome”.
Mr Crompton said the court’s decision “speaks for itself”.
Read on… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-40219092
Hillsborough ex-Chief Constable wins High Court challenge
A former chief constable has won a High Court challenge over the decision requiring him to resign.
Lawyers for David Crompton claimed there was no “fair or reasonable basis” for taking the step of forcing him out of office in South Yorkshire.
Mr Crompton attacked a decision taken by Dr Alan Billings, the region’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), in the wake of April 2016 inquest findings into the deaths resulting from the Hillsborough stadium disaster 27 years before.
Former Yorkshire chief constable wins High Court challenge over decision requiring him to quit
South Yorkshire’s former chief constable has won a High Court challenge over the decision requiring him to resign.
Judges sitting in London today quashed the decision to suspend David Crompton and effectively force him from his £162,000-a-year role over a controversial statement he made after the verdicts in the new Hillsborough inquests.
See also: Neil Wilby – A cuckoo in the nest?
Rotherham Politics 
The “funny handshake” brigade always stick together !
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Summary of judgement: PCC Billings has no clue how to do his job. The dismissal was politically motivated by a number of Labour MPs who actively promoted an unlawful course of action by PCC Billings. The members of the PCP who were part of the hearing in September did as they were told by PCC Billings rather than actually scrutinising his decision.
Surely we need another PCC by-election.
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Who do we trust? It not easy these days.
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Yes but just how much has his unlawfull
Actions cost the tax payer ?
And how much will it cost if he sues
They had to pay Cliff Richard a very substantial amount plus
His legal cost no doubt
But like all Labour it dosant matter it’s not
My money
He should resign but then Labour PPC don’t
Do that do they
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Can we be told how much taxpayers’ money has been wasted on this? All because Rev. Billings failed to follow due process when he removed the former Chief Constable from office. Will Rev. Billings now consider his position?
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He is proving very expensive to us taxpayers, I do hope he is not going to raise the Police Precept Tax to pay for his cock up. Is there a process to have him “impeached” ?.
TIME TO GO.
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Sorry Stuart
The only way you can get rid of a PPC
Is if they get a jail sentence
Remember Wright
To find out how much the PPC has authorised
To pay for this legal expense
FOI may get results
Ask a member of the police and crime panel
Cllr Brian Cutts is on it
Or go to police and crime panel
Meeting and ask the question of the panel
But don’t hold your breath
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The Daily mail puts the cost of Billings court
Cost of Sacking Crompton of
£250,000 inc crompton legal costs
That could have been a big step to
Keeping Dinnington station open
He should resign as being unfit for the post
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South Yorkshire will certainly be paying for the 2 silks and solicitors of the claimant and defendant as well as the solicitor for the PCP. The judgement mentions substantial supporting documents so expect billing for many hours spent reviewing them. The repeated references to common ground between the parties also suggests substantial time spent in conference. Crompton presumably also wants money for the time dismissed and compensation for violation or article 8.
It’s odd that the PCP had a solicitor here, but no reference to legal advice in making their recommendation to Billings back in September.
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Alex it’s interesting what you say about the PCP having a solicitor “here” because RMBC records quite clearly show that the only solicitor connected to the PCP for the Crompton case was Dermot Pearson the councils Assistant Director of Legal Services.
Are you saying that RMBC took on an “outside” solicitor for the Crompton case that to date has been kept under the hat?
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In this case the SYPCP is listed as the second interested party represented by Mr Adrian Phillips (solicitor) who appears to be senior partner at Moorcrofts LLP which is based in Buckinghamshire and who specialises in corporate/share schemes. I do wonder how the PCC will justify the choice of firm and the hourly rate.
Didn’t Pearson help put together the supporting evidence for Billings and therefore surely doesn’t count as impartial legal advice? In fact, given how Billings tried to expand the reasons for dismissal from the 2nd statement to long-term issues including Rotherham CSE I would have thought that a council employee was certainly unsuitable to provide legal advice.
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There are at least two “Adrian Phillips (solicitor)”
This is another one, employed by RMBC:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-phillips-2222895a/?ppe=1
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I’m incorect but elegedly Wasn’t Dr Billings
Deputy Leader of Sheffield Council and was it not Sheffield Council who insisted the
Liverpool game at Hilsborough should go ahead
Is their any truth in this alleged allegation
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X should read am I incorect
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I don’t think he was leader or deputy at the time, but had been when the ground was being unsafely modified and signed off on its use. His then wife or current wife and brother-in-law were also on the council. The decision of the council to simply certify the ground despite the unsafe arrangement was I think one of the things criticised and presumably one of the other contributing factors Crompton was referring to in his second statement.
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How many times does it have to be said:
Billings is another Labour stooge. Read the judgement and interpret the interference of Betts and Burnham.
Para.123 of the judgement.: ‘Furthermore, it seems to us implicit in the PCC’s statement that he regarded “holding the Chief Constable to account” as synonymous with suspending him. We regard that interpretation of the statutory duty as a wholly unreasonable one’.
Billings is not a lawyer nor a judge and acted ultra vires IMV.
This jumped up politico has cost local taxpayers a quarter of a million pounds.
The wrong man resigned.
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Alex your clear response is still awaited – ” did the PCP receive any legal advice other than from Dermot Pearson”.?
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Yes. From Adrian Phillips who represented the PCP in court.
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Wot? Silence from Janet Green when she made much of defending Billings’ decision here on Rothpol.
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Alex – why did Adrian Phillips represent the PCP in court – what did the PCP have to answer to?
After the PCP vote re the sacking of Crompton that was it as far as the PCP was concerned.
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Alex – It appears that Adrian Phillips,Team Leader of RMBC Litigation Team attended the Tribunal “to assist the Court should it require any information about the operation of the Panel”,Any idea what that means?
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I couldn’t presume to interpret what is meant by that phrase. It usually means that somebody has stunningly mucked up and done something no rational person would be able to justify or explain and so you get sent to try and minimise damage by explaining how the complex internal processes work. Or maybe the PCP wanted to be helpful.
I suspect the members who attended the PCP hearing in September felt obliged to show solidarity with Billings and so did not actually scrutinise the issue effectively and Phillips was sent to defend the lack of appropriate action by the PCP and provide an additional front of support for Billings.
It has been suggested that cllr Cutts had a number of written issues he wanted to raise, but felt compelled to leave the panel before commencement of the hearing.
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Caven – The PCC and RMBC have been asked the cost factor/budget for the sacking of David Crompton.
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Have they given a figure yet
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Caven – only asked today.
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The PCC Statement of Accounts for 2015/2016 shows Cromptons Total Remuneration as being £177.671.00 – what will his compensation be?
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Caven – had a response from the PCC re legal expenses.
£72K for Section 38 process.
£85K for legal fees.
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Thanks for that
Do they say if that include Cromptons Costs
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Caven,
I have asked and also whether Crompton is still on his payroll or if he was paid off when he was sacked.
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Caven
Re Cromptons costs – he as asked his office to respond to me.
Crompton no longer on payroll since he resigned,
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I think maybe questions should be asked
About the legal advice he received
If from RMBC legal team as RMBC have the
Responsibility for providing support to PCC
If so they are still not fit for purpose
And also the Police and Crime panel
Representatives who should be questioning
Billings on his actions after all they are
Voted to represent the tax payers
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Caven,
Put together some questions.
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Ok will do
Give me an few days
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