Residents rally to defend former Hughenden chairman in bullying row

3:32pm Friday 1st March 2013 in News By Rebecca Cain

Tony Konieczny Tony Konieczny

RESIDENTS have rallied to defend the former chairman of Hughenden Parish Council, Tony Konieczny who was found to have bullied shamed parish clerk, Lynne Turner.

Turner was sentenced to nine months in prison two weeks ago after being found guilty of defrauding HPC of £28,200 by transferring money from the parish accounts into her own bank account between August 2010 and May 2011.

Mr Konieczny resigned from HPC on February 12 after being found by a Wycombe District Council standards panel in January of bullying Turner, in the months before she resigned in June 2011.

But last week ex-councillors, David Jarman, John Rogers and David Davies , who were on the former council before the election in May 2011, wrote saying the cases weren’t linked.

They said: "We consider it is quite wrong for these two cases to be linked in the way they have been by Mr Konieczny."

This sparked a backlash from several residents who wrote to the BFP to back Mr Konieczny and called for him to be reinstated as chairman.

Hughenden Valley resident Roger Hewitt said the former councillors should be "thoroughly ashamed of their letter in which they once more try to vilify former Cllr Konieczny."

Mr Hewitt said they should not be blaming Mr Konieczny but looking at how the council ran at the time when Turner was carrying out her fraud.

Jayne and Huw Richards from Hatches Lane, Great Kingshill called for Mr Konieczny to reconsider his resignation as under his chairmanship "an open, inclusive and transparent parish council" has evolved.

They added: "The previous council's handling of matters that were of immense interest to our community, our parish and its 8,500 residents, and in some instances detrimental to them, required someone to be on the side of the residents. That someone was Mr Konieczny."

Current councillor Brian Swain also gave his support to Mr Konieczny and asked why the former councillors did not pass on details of the discrepancy in the accounts to the new council in May 2011.

Mr Konieczny emphasised he wanted the standards board hearing [regarding the bullying] to be held in public, but this was not allowed.

He said the bullying claim was used in Turner's trial in their defence which to him suggests a link.

Mr Konieczny added: "Readers will also have noticed that the three ex-councillors have expressed no regrets for staunchly standing by this felonious former clerk, who deceived them."

WDC spokesman, Catherine Spalton, said it is normal for standards hearings to be held in private session at Wycombe District Council.

Meanwhile Cllr John Moorby wrote and said he worked as a warden at HPC for 22 years and left in 2007.

He said "the illusion that she [Turner] was a victim is a joke" and Mr Konieczny was simply serving his community.

He added: "In fact Mrs Turner, then my line manager, bullishly defended herself with curt response in any situation that arose even if her reply was inaccurate."

His partner, Jenni Martin said she was an employee at the council from January 2001 to March 2008.

She said: "For all that time my line manager was the clerk, Lynne Turner, and those seven years can only be described as turbulent.

"She was an extremely unpleasant and difficult person to work with."

Comments (4)

9:52am Sat 2 Mar 13

Minority Report says...

These ex-councillors appear to be clinging on to a regime that has past, the residents changed this parish council democratically for ever, they now need to get over it and stop trying to defend its actions and short comings its to late.. Understandably these councillors with friends in high places, grew to think the parish was their oyster, that they were all powerful and that they knew best! That facts seems to suggest that their 'best before date' had expired and it was time to put right some things that needed improvement. Gone are the days of getting rid of the loyal as presumably hard working warden because he had the audacity to make a grievance complaint against their thoroughly dishonest clerk, what were they thinking, handing the contract to their chairmans son? No longer can people's life's and livelihoods be destroyed by these councillors claiming to represent residents. WDC also need to wake up and smell the coffee. what are they doing at Handy Cross, why oh why do they now need to waste tax payers money defending WDC decisions in court from the very residents it represents.
These ex-councillors appear to be clinging on to a regime that has past, the residents changed this parish council democratically for ever, they now need to get over it and stop trying to defend its actions and short comings its to late.. Understandably these councillors with friends in high places, grew to think the parish was their oyster, that they were all powerful and that they knew best! That facts seems to suggest that their 'best before date' had expired and it was time to put right some things that needed improvement. Gone are the days of getting rid of the loyal as presumably hard working warden because he had the audacity to make a grievance complaint against their thoroughly dishonest clerk, what were they thinking, handing the contract to their chairmans son? No longer can people's life's and livelihoods be destroyed by these councillors claiming to represent residents. WDC also need to wake up and smell the coffee. what are they doing at Handy Cross, why oh why do they now need to waste tax payers money defending WDC decisions in court from the very residents it represents. Minority Report

5:04pm Sat 2 Mar 13

N17YIDDOS says...

Why has WDC Standards Committee not looked into the fact that the old HPC had no internal controls or segregation of duites when being accountable for ratepayers money? Why???? How many complaints against the old HPC were never upheld by the WDC Standards Committee - Rebecca Cain - good journalism - freedom of information - find out - it was very very many. Why???
Why has WDC Standards Committee not looked into the fact that the old HPC had no internal controls or segregation of duites when being accountable for ratepayers money? Why???? How many complaints against the old HPC were never upheld by the WDC Standards Committee - Rebecca Cain - good journalism - freedom of information - find out - it was very very many. Why??? N17YIDDOS

5:05pm Sat 2 Mar 13

N17YIDDOS says...

Why has WDC Standards Committee not looked into the fact that the old HPC had no internal controls or segregation of duites when being accountable for ratepayers money? Why???? How many complaints against the old HPC were never upheld by the WDC Standards Committee - Rebecca Cain - good journalism - freedom of information - find out - it was very very many. Why???
Why has WDC Standards Committee not looked into the fact that the old HPC had no internal controls or segregation of duites when being accountable for ratepayers money? Why???? How many complaints against the old HPC were never upheld by the WDC Standards Committee - Rebecca Cain - good journalism - freedom of information - find out - it was very very many. Why??? N17YIDDOS

3:04pm Wed 6 Mar 13

DeposeHPC says...

This whole saga needs to run and run, until everything is uncovered about the behaviour of the previous Parish Council. Their behaviour over many years is at best described as sleazy and dictatorial and full of nepotism.Residents will never accept the Standards Committe ruling against Tony Koneiczny whilst the old Pariah Council (and some of their relatives) threatened members of the public with violence at Council meetings.
There is something wrong in our system of Local Government if Parish Councils can get away with so many misdeeds and only when a crime is committed is anyone brought to justice. Who will answer (or even ask) the question as to why the "auditors" approved the accounts and why the former Chairman signed them off? Surely these ppeople must also be brought to book to explain their actions.
It is worth remembering that the letter in the BFP was from "former" Parish Councillors and everyone should stop and remind themselves as to why they are former and not current.
This whole saga needs to run and run, until everything is uncovered about the behaviour of the previous Parish Council. Their behaviour over many years is at best described as sleazy and dictatorial and full of nepotism.Residents will never accept the Standards Committe ruling against Tony Koneiczny whilst the old Pariah Council (and some of their relatives) threatened members of the public with violence at Council meetings. There is something wrong in our system of Local Government if Parish Councils can get away with so many misdeeds and only when a crime is committed is anyone brought to justice. Who will answer (or even ask) the question as to why the "auditors" approved the accounts and why the former Chairman signed them off? Surely these ppeople must also be brought to book to explain their actions. It is worth remembering that the letter in the BFP was from "former" Parish Councillors and everyone should stop and remind themselves as to why they are former and not current. DeposeHPC

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