Cllr Abdirazak Abdi has been told that his complaint against Cllr Butt does not come under the members' Code of Contract. Debra Norman, Brent Council's Chief Legal officer said:
The decision by the Labour Group to nominate another member of your group to the Planning Committee was entirely a political group matter. The handling of complaints relating to political group activities, especially the alleged failure to comply with the Labour Group’s standing orders or the rules of natural justice, is a political group disciplinary matter. It is not a council matter and the obligations set out in the code do not apply.
Cllr Abdi replied:
Thank you for your response about my members’ code of conduct complaint against Cllr M Butt.
I would like to make an explicit allegation of political interference in Brent’s planning system by Cllr M Butt.Cllr M Butt concealed the real reason for his decision on 09 July 2018 by providing an explanation which seemed plausible without scrutiny but which he later changed on 27 July 2018, to provide an alternative basis.On 27 July 2018, Cllr M Butt conceded that the reason for his decision on 09 July was due to my voting record, ‘In taking unsubstantiated positions on numerous applications’ excerpt from Cllr M Butt’s e-mail on 27 July 2018.I assert that Cllr M Butt interfered with Brent’s Planning system and then tried to make false accusations in regards to my competence, preparedness and conduct in the planning committee. These accusations were not put to me at the time and I wasn’t given an opportunity to challenge.Again please get in touch, if you decide to investigate this complaint, so I can provide the relevant information I hold. Please use the information I provided in my earlier correspondence as basis to assess the merits of this complaint.If you decide, to not investigate this complaint under members’ code of conduct. I’d like to make a formal complaint against the council for not taking my allegations seriously.