Forum Topic

Rotten boroughs again - Mazhar Hayat Raja

The fairly regular sequence of appearances by Hounslow in Private Eye's Rotten Boroughs continues this edition with speculation that the Labour group are seeking to parachute in Mazhar Hayat Raja into a safe seat currently held by the consistently absent Balraj Sarai.Although there are undoubtedly some dubious political machinations in the borough, they seem very small beer compared to the going ons in other local authorities. The source quoted here is the Brentford TV Facebook page which is a brilliant source of gossip on Hounslow but it doesn't seem to me credible that Labour would appoint somebody who has served time as a tax cheat. This smells like a rumour spread by one of the rival factions in the party. It would be quite fun if they did though.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 612d6 Comments

🟧 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥. Councillor for environment and transport priorities Jane Byrne said, "Fenham was the first area of the city to pilot a neighbourhood low traffic zone trial and we haven't seen enough evidence to keep it in place, particularly with the displacement of traffic on to what should be quiet residential streets, rather than rerouting onto the main roads.As we have said many times, these schemes are trials which are really important as they allow us to try the changes Ex Tory leader, Sir Ian Duncan Smith, has come out in support of the 'Bladerunners' saying he is "happy for residents of his east London constituency to destroy cameras because they have been lied to."Hypocrite Lib-Dem leader Sir Ed Dave, has asked if two parts of his borough can be exempt from the ULEZ extension, that his party supported, because it is causing hardship to his constituentsYou really couldn’t make it up.  I would have loved to be a fly on the wall, when Sadiq Khan and Will Norman were informed about this decision.I bet they're not happy bunnies today. But, hats off to councillor Jane Byrne who has been brave enough to scrap this unfit policy. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 How long till Sadiq Khan declares TfL bankrupt ?But we all know, it won’t be his fault….it 🫢Glasgow’s strict Ulez-style scheme under fire after air pollution  mean business

Maggie Dodge ● 608d

'There does seem to be a worrying tendency for local government in certain boroughs to be viewed as a nice little earner, with the goodies dispensed among friends and especially relations and passed on as a sort of inheritance when the time is right.'Unfortunately that seems to be all too accurate picture of L.B. Hounslow, to be an elected representative is a privilege, but that outdated idea seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs, more's the pity. There seems to be a tendency for some councillors to palm people off to officers or do the 'not me Guv' excuse when asked some questions that seem uncomfortable or they'd simply rather not bother with a specific issue. Even when presented with the information from an FoI submission on a local issue that states they clearly had knowledge of it, they simply refuse to get involved. As for the Labour Party, years ago the regional organiser would have been getting involved to find out what the hell was going on and try and sort things out. So many of us -lifelong Labour supporters and in some cases stalwart members, are appalled and fear this does not bode well for the General Election if they can't or won't sort out the local difficulties.

Vanessa Smith ● 610d

Sounds like a perfect fit in Starmer's New Model Labour Party!

Basil Finnis ● 611d

If it is, and I stress "if" then surely this should disbar this individual from seeking public office of any sort?There does seem to be a worrying tendency for local government in certain boroughs to be viewed as a nice little earner, with the goodies dispensed among friends and especially relations and passed on as a sort of inheritance when the time is right. Let's be honest (Ha!) how many of us actually look closely at the candidates come election time? Far too many seats are shoo-ins.

Bruce Hammal ● 611d

Is this the man??  Or not??  Read on.Fraudster ordered to repay stolen £1.7mHounslow businessman ordered to repay stolen £1.7m16th April 2009https://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/4296999.fraudster-ordered-repay-stolen-1-7m/By Paul TeedJailed: Mazhar Hayat Raja was ordered to pay back £1.7mA Hounslow businessman, who was jailed for six years after carrying out a massive tax fraud to fund his luxurious lifestyle, has been ordered to pay back £1.7m to the authorities.Mazhar Hayat Raja, formerly a respected community leader, ran an empire of companies supplying hundreds of workers to industries around Heathrow and Gatwick.But instead of handing over £3m worth of tax and national insurance collected from workers’ pay, he collapsed the firms and pocketed the money himself.His 10-year scam led to him being jailed at Southwark Crown Court in April last year.On April 7, Raja, formerly of Hounslow Road, Hanworth, was ordered to re-pay £1.7m to the public purse before October 5.If he did not, he faced a further six years behind bars.Robert Alder, assistant director of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: “Tackling fraud is one of our top priorities.“We have a duty to stop money being diverted and stolen from the nation in what are often large-scale and ruthless attacks on the tax system.“This case is a result of an in-depth investigation by dedicated officers who work tirelessly and diligently against those intent on stealing from the public purse.“We are committed to bringing the criminals responsible for this form of crime to justice.“We deny them from being able to retain and enjoy the proceeds of their crimes.“ HMRC has frozen the fraudster’s assets, including bank accounts, investments and properties in London, Scotland and Pakistan.Raja had formed several firms supplying labour since the early 1990s.However, only three of these were on record with the tax authorities.He concealed the truth by telling a string of lies to Inland Revenue investigators and filling out false statements of his personal assets.He also set up a number of bank accounts in the names of his wife and other relatives to hide the fortune that he had extracted from the companies he had set up.

Rae Lewis ● 611d

Watch this space.Ed.

Bruce Hammal ● 611d