“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Cranleigh anymore …”
Famous movie quotes are often misquoted; what Dorothy actually said was: “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore …”
And misquoted is what Councillor Brian Ellis is claiming regarding his now infamous ‘pecuniary interest’ in the Knowle Park Initiative (KPI) scheme to build 265 homes in Cranleigh. It wasn’t a ‘pecuniary’ interest, the bombastic Councillor has declared but a ‘prejudicial’ interest!
Oh well, that’s all right then … isn’t it..?
Councillor Ellis must think Cranleigh residents came up with the last lettuce crop and, clearly, the fertilizer he’s been shovelling on his lunch time salad has been working overtime during the past week ensuring that his febrile – or do we mean fertile – brain is in full bloom.
What Waverley Web readers want to know – one of whom this week claimed to have spotted what appeared to be a lettuce spouting out of Councillor Ellis’s *rse! – is why, if the clerk to the Joint Planning Committee got it wrong – he says, “Unfortunately, the committee clerk mistakenly stated that my declared interest was pecuniary,” – didn’t Councillor Ellis correct her at the time? After all, he was in the Council Chamber when the announcement was made and had ample opportunity to correct the clerk if she had made a “mistake”.
Instead, it has taken a week – during which local people have been openly speculating about, and demanding an explanation of, Councillor Ellis’s ‘pecuniary interest’ – for the Councillor to come forward and offer an explanation to the Surrey Advertiser:
“On behalf of Cranleigh Parish Council I negotiated and agreed the exchange of land between the KPI applicant and the council which ultimately provided Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust with land for the new village hospital and the council with the Bruce McKenzie Memorial Field, and I have touched base with the applicant from time to time since the land exchange to see how the hospital was progressing.”
Progressing? That land, according to our research,was exchanged almost 20 years ago!
So that’s what all those cosy tête à têtes with the Lettuce King were about … Oh well, that’s all right then too … isn’t it …?
No! It isn’t! If that’s the case, why did Councillor Ellis see fit to Chair a meeting in September last year with developers which included representatives from KPI? And several others subsequently, given his admission of a ‘prejudicial interest’, Councillor Ellis was not only attending he was chairing these meetings?
There has, for quite a while now, been a very strong stench of manure hanging like a pervasive cloud over Cranleigh and it has little to do with the at-capacity sewage works which has led to 24/7 pumping of liquid waste into tankers that have sprung up around the village over the past week, or muck spreading by local farmers.
Many think the stench would be alleviated if Councillor Ellis could be persuaded to do the right thing and resign … After all, whilst we’re in the mood to misquote:
“Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the most tarnished reign must come to an end someday.” (Francis Urquhart)
As we started with a quote we thought we might as well finish with one however, we couldn’t make up our minds between:
“You dirty rat!” Which, faithfully translated, was: “Mmm, that dirty, double-crossin’ rat!”
or
“Cranleigh, we have a problem.” What Tom Hanks actually said was: “Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem”
But we guess that’s just semantics when Cranleigh – which has the bulldozers and concrete mixers parked on its green spaces preparing to launch a wave of house building that will change the face of the village forever – is imploding! In the meantime WBC is about to put him in charge of The Eastern Area Planning Committee – WW asks – WHY? And of course, the councillor who describes himself as the Cranleigh Digger Driver – is a mate of the Lettuce King, and they work together – WW bets they will work together again – sooner than you think!
Not, we hasten to add that Waverley Web is comparing Councillor Ellis to a Dirty Rat or suggesting that he is at the root of so many of Cranleigh’s problems … our readers may think that but, in the words of Francis Urquhart, “we couldn’t possibly comment!”
Read Surrey Ad here: cranleigh1
As a very experienced councillor I cannot believe that Cllr Brian Ellis would have been confused when submitting his declaration in writing to the Committee Clerk. If he said, “pecuniary” when submitting his declaration he clearly meant, “pecuniary”. Perhaps someone should ask to see a copy of the email or other instruction Cllr Ellis submitted under a “freedom of Information” request.
WW agrees that a Freedom of Information should be sought immediately, Sadly we have to leave that to the public, but hopefully this will be made soon, and hopefully this will not be another cover-up. Why should an equally experienced council officer take the blame?