And today – am over at Rog T’s place, joint-posting on the coalition government and sexism, of which there is PLENTY.

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I wrote here about the appalling problems bloggers had getting access to council meetings when councils were voting through service cuts last month.

High on the list of obstructive councils was Barnet. Not only did the council stop people from entering the public gallery at last month’s council meeting – it employed a security firm (MetPro) to remove cameras and recording equipment from bloggers (they took mine) and also, apparently, to film members of the public.

Another point worth making is that on several occasions during that 1 March meeting, security personnel overruled police. For example: the police were prepared to let people into the council chambers when seats became available in the public gallery there (a lot of us weren’t allowed in the public gallery at the start of the meeting. We were ushered into an “overflow” room.

As the night wore on, people left the public gallery in the council chambers, which meant that seats became available). Security overruled the police decision to allow people into the public gallery, though, and said that people in the overflow room had to stay put. I can attest to that, because I saw it with my very own eyes. In fact, it was even more intimate than that. I was one of the people who was told by police that I could go to the council chambers, only to be shooed from the chamber doors by security guards.

At tomorrow night’s council meeting in Barnet, bloggers and residents will present council leader Lynne Hillan with a letter which calls for an inquiry into MetPro’s relationship with the council. I’d like to see all the footage they shot of me, too. Rog T is reporting that Barnet council claims it destroyed the footage, but we’ll take it as given that that is bullshit. Apart from anything else – you can’t destroy footage these days even if you want to. There’ll be copies of that stuff in all sorts of hands.

Here’s a copy of the letter:

11 April 2011

To: Lynne Hillan, leader, Barnet Council and Nick Walkley, Chief Executive, Barnet Council

Cc: Eric Pickles, Secretary of State; Matthew Offord MP; Mike Freer MP; Theresa Villiers MP

Call for a public inquiry into the relationship between MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response and Barnet Council

Barnet council has been engaging private security firms MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response to control residents’ access to council meetings – in particular, the council meeting on 1 March 2011.

One of the company directors claims the company has also monitored blogs by Barnet residents and filmed Barnet residents at council meetings.

Despite holding contracts worth several hundred thousand pounds with Barnet council, MetPro Rapid Response collapsed recently owing around £400,000, including £245,000 to HM Revenue & Customs. The firm is now in the hands of liquidators; however, MetPro Emergency Response, a company recently set up by the same company directors associated with MetPro Rapid Response, continued for a while to be employed by Barnet after the collapse of MetPro Rapid Response.

As well as providing security for council meetings, these firms provided security at several council locations, including some housing vulnerable people.

At the meeting on 1 March, it appears that MetPro security staff did not wear visible identification, breaching Security Industry Authority (SIA) regulations, whilst working for Barnet.

Statements made by directors of the company regarding the scope of their work for Barnet have been contradicted by executive officers of Barnet council. Continue reading →