Attendance at Council Offices of Disgraced Former Councillor Causes Concern

Published on: 20 Jul, 2015
Updated on: 23 Jul, 2015

A meeting involving disgraced former councillor Monika Juneja about a Gypsy and Traveller site led to a controversy at Guildford Borough Council (GBC) last week that has left some councillors and council officers unhappy.

Cllr Paul Spooner, lead councillor for planning and deputy leader of the Tory group.

Cllr Paul Spooner (Con, Ash South & Tongham) disagreed with the council leader, Stephen Mansbridge (Con, Ash South & Tongham), about the advisability of Ms Juneja’s presence at the meeting and made his feelings known. Cllr Spooner, the lead councillor for planning, has, to date, been a loyal lieutenant and Tongham stable mate of Cllr Mansbridge.

Ms Juneja, the former lead councillor for planning was at the Old Bailey for forgery, deception and pretending to be a barrister.

The purpose of the meeting on July 15 was to discuss progress on matters involving a Gypsy and Traveller community at Home Park Farm, Effingham. The ward councillor for Effingham, Liz Hogger (Lib Dem), was not present.

Monika Juneja

Ms Juneja was at the meeting representing two Gypsy and Traveller ambassadors, who were with her.

Council officers at the meeting were unhappy with the criticism directed at the council and with the involvement of Ms Juneja, who is still believed to be completing 200 hours of community service as part of her sentence.

Cllr Spooner told The Guildford Dragon: “Ms Juneja was critical of the pace [of progress] in relation to Home Farm and this was backed by the leader… [she raised] issues on behalf of the two ambassadors relating to a long period… for most of the period the leader was the portfolio holder.”

Cllr Stephen Mansbridge, council leader and leader of the Tory group.

Councillor Mansbridge took over the planning portfolio in August 2014 after he had asked Ms Juneja to step down as lead councillor for planning in the wake of criminal charges laid by Surrey Police. Cllr Spooner took over the portfolio two months ago, in May, after the borough council election, when a new Executive was appointed by Cllr Mansbridge.

Cllr Spooner continued: “After the meeting, several officers present expressed to me their concern regarding Ms Juneja’s presence and her criticism of the council. I confirmed to them, and subsequently to the leader and several Executive members that I was disappointed that a) I was not made aware that Ms Juneja would be present and b) that I thought it inappropriate and unhelpful to the two ambassadors.”

“Subsequently (on Saturday, July 18) I have had a one to one meeting with the leader. It was a positive and friendly meeting where I reiterated my concerns but the leader explained that it was the ambassadors’ choice to appoint Ms Juneja as their representative and this is beyond his control.”

The failure of Cllr Mansbridge to distance himself from Ms Juneja, who he described at her trial as a “close friend” and “strong supporter”, is known to have caused concern among members of the Tory group at GBC despite his unopposed re-election as group leader, following the borough council election in May.

Ms Juneja was told by the judge, when he suspended her 14-month prison sentence, that her public life was over but she has subsequently appeared on television, given press interviews and continued to organise a petition for a referendum on whether Guildford should have an elected mayor.

Ms Juneja said: “I was asked by the two Traveller ambassadors – both of whom I have a lot of time for – …to attend a meeting on a subject that they felt was not progressing.  I did fully understand this issue and I was the councillor who started that particular agenda at Home Farm, so I felt that I could help.

“One of the ‎ladies has to go the local sports centre to wash and has to wash her nine-year-old boy in a Flexi Tub; these points should be the news not me.

“The council has a duty to provide Traveller pitches and it is not doing so.

“I do wonder why my attendance seems to be such big news?  Surely, what should be asked is why these two ladies feel that they had to ask for my help?

“Everyone has the right to ask questions to their local council, even me.

“If the opposition did their job and scrutinised properly, maybe the ‎work would have been done by now.”

See also interview: Monika Juneja Says Why She Is Speaking Up for Travellers

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