Testing times at WECA:
With former Mayor Dan “The WECA Man” Norris arrested before the recent election, questions are being asked about who supported the mayor’s shenanigans at WECA and why?
Local journalist Andrew Lynch, asked questions before Norris’s arrest at a January scrutiny meeting. He queried why an item on an independent report into Norris’s unlawful efforts to get his image plastered over the region’s buses had disappeared from the agenda?
The question was intercepted by WECA CEO Stephen “Preening” Peacock. Feigning confusion, he bizarrely claimed not to recall which report Lynch could be referring to and would need to go away and think about it.
That was the last the public heard of the report with Lynch’s further questions to WECA knocked back by Monitoring Officer Bob Brown “Nose” as, er, ‘defamatory’. Lynch chased up with scrutiny committee chair Jerome “Unhinged” Thomas, Green councillor for Clifton. Back came the ludicrous claim that Peacock “legitimately needed to refresh his memory on the matter”.
A matter that should stand out like a sore thumb. It’s not everyday an independent report states your mayor has acted unlawfully.
Suspicions of a Peacock cover-up for Norris are strong.
HOW MUCH DID THE WECA MAN SPEND ON HIMSELF?
A July 2024 FoI request to WECA asked for, “full copies of all expenses claims by Mayor
Dan Norris for each year he has been in office”.
The response from WECA was,“no expenses were claimed by the Mayor for that period.”
However, in January Norris explained, “I have not claimed any expenses since being
elected in 2021. The authority organises train tickets etc.”
So he received expenses but he and WECA bosses unlawfully failed to publish them.
Another FoI on the matter in March remains outstanding
