Oldham Council Leader slams ‘dog-whistle racists’ and ‘false accusers’.

In a hard-hitting post on his Facebook page yesterday, Sean Fielding delivered a robust blow to critics in the town who have subjected him, his partner and his family to months of persistent, unacceptable harassment and abuse, writes Neil Wilby.

This includes the most grotesque allegations of covering up child-sex abuse in the town, and said to be in concert with many other fellow Labour Party members, councillors, the police and their other partner agencies. As this highly forensic article sets out, elsewhere on this website, there is no factual, or evidential, basis to such claims (read here).

This is the full text of Cllr Fielding’s post:

” The election period has started this week and so my page has been renamed ‘Sean Fielding, Labour & Co-operative’ as I am a candidate.

“Prior to campaigning beginning in earnest, I am setting out that my campaign will focus on local issues.

“This election is about who has the best vision for Failsworth and Oldham. It is about who can get things done for people.

“In the last two years alone I have successfully secured the protection of local green belt, saved the Failsworth to Ashton bus from being cut, donated money to the refurbishment of the War Memorial, obtained investment in local roads, had money spent on refurbishing a local park, got the Council to transfer land at Moston Brook in to a Trust set up in memory of WWI veterans, joined a local Primary School Governing Body, volunteered at the vaccination centre, distributed emergency food from the food bank and reinstated the youth service at Failsworth School.

“All this alongside, as Council Leader, working to bring our buses under public control, supporting local businesses by fighting local lockdown last autumn and negotiating a low price to purchase the Spindles Shopping Centre, which will provide the springboard for our Borough’s recovery.

“I posted recently about the smears, disinformation and bullying tactics that have unfortunately become a feature of local politics in recent months. I had hoped that my post would be taken as a stake in the ground for decency, but no such luck, as the smears, abuse and disinformation has continued with my partner even attacked online for planning to run the London Marathon for a cancer charity.

“Many reading this will be familiar with the smears and will have seen the abuse. You will have seen the unsubstantiated allegations of corruption, the crying of ‘mismanagement’ without giving any credible examples, and the dog whistle racism of suggesting there are shadowy Asian ‘cartels’ that secretly control the Council. You will have seen the comments calling for me to be hung and the encouragement of, and support expressed for, people to assemble and protest outside my house.

“If you hear from people campaigning for one side why the other side is no good, ask them to tell you why and back it up with evidence.

“If you hear them say that they don’t agree with what I, or the Council, have done as a Councillor or Leader ask them what they would do instead.

“And if they make allegations of corruption, or worse, ask them why they are telling you or posting it on Facebook rather than reporting it to the authorities.

“If you are genuinely worried about something you’ve seen or read and want to speak about any local issues I can be contacted any time by clicking ‘send e-mail’ at the top of this page.

“I am a member of the Labour Party, and proud to be so. I work with my Labour colleagues from all over Oldham and beyond to get the best deal for both Failsworth and the Borough as a whole.

“We have a comprehensive manifesto covering all areas of Council work. If you don’t like what is in it when you get to see it, by all means vote for somebody else, that’s democracy. All I ask is that you do so based on the issues, facts and credible evidence”.

In addition to the allegations regarding a grooming ‘cover-up’, and a whole range of other perceived financial misdemeanours, Cllr Fielding has been the subject of a large number of complaints to such as the Council, the Labour Party, the Information Commissioner and the same local police force with whom it is said, by his small group of accusers, to be in concert with him over concealing sex abuse. Not a single complaint has been upheld (read more here).

One of his persistent accusers is Mark Wilkinson, whom opposes Cllr Fielding in the Failsworth West ward as ‘an elected candidate’ for the Failsworth Independent Party (FIP), run by his wife, Kathleen. As will be noted by those who clicked on the ‘Barking up the wrong tree‘ link, Mark is a retired police sergeant, whom, nevertheless, misled his employers in the course of one of those complaint processes. Hardly a matter that will inspire trust amongst the locals.

Cllr Fielding, a local lad born and bred, won the Failsworth seat in 2012, at his first attempt, and was elected Council Leader in 2018. The FIPs, for their part, appear to have no other recognisable policy other than their personal distaste for their near neighbour. They have one sitting councillor, Brian Hobin, who frequently embarrasses himself with the same child sex abuse ‘cover-up’, and more general anti-Sean Fielding/Labour, narrative. To an extent, viewed through this lens at least, that transcends conventional political rivalry.

Another child sex ‘cover-up’ proponent is also standing against Cllr Fielding: Warren Bates, who previously served on the Council as a United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) representative with very little distinction, other than a bullying finding against him by the Standards Committee – and the embarrassment of being caught parking in a disabled bay outside the Civic Hall. He describes on social media a cabal of ‘Capitalist cover-up journalists’ in Oldham and the wider region of Greater Manchester – and adds, with emphasis, ‘You know nothing’.

Having written and published over 40,000 words on the various societal and political issues afflicting Oldham, reviewed hundreds of documents, interviewed dozens of people, one might fairly conclude that Neil Wilby does know at least something?

For my part, in what has never been anything else but a dogged search for the truth (read more here), I am variously accused by the same group of malcontents that harass Cllr Fielding, of accepting bribes; being on the Oldham Council payroll (or in the pay of the Labour Party, depending upon which day it is); in the pocket of Jim McMahon MP; Cllr Fielding’s (or Cllr Arooj Shah‘s) puppet; bent; septic; a criminal with convictions; a divi; a nonce; a psychopath; despised by everyone. All without a scrap of evidence to support them. Reported by the same group to the police on at least four occasions (none of which resulted in even a voluntary interview, which I would have been willing to attend, if so invited).

But in the face of those grotesque ad hominem attacks, and wasting of police time, no-one has said either publicly, or to me in private communication: That fact is wrong, that piece of evidence is flawed or doctored, you have no proper journalistic basis for the articles you have written. Given right of reply, those exposed as liars, frauds or malcontents (or all three) spurn the invitation.

As Cllr Fielding notes, if you see such allegations, ask those making them about their motive. Why is it that they fear the truth so much? Where is the evidence behind their shocking accusations. Simply repeating them in a small, but noisy, Facebook forum, or via dozens of anonymous Twitter trolling accounts set up for that sole purpose, does not pass muster.

As for my professional relationship with Cllr Fielding, it is this: He is the Leader of a Council in an area in which I have been active as a journalist for almost a year. Contact with such officials is routine when following my vocation. For example, I rank Sean Fielding alongside Cllr Carl Les, long-term leader of North Yorkshire County Council and a staunch Conservative. Both men, decades apart in age and experience, poles apart in terms of political allegiance, are personable, approachable, courteous, respectful, as helpful as possible within the strict parameters of their roles; open and transparent, more generally.

In passing, the same could also be said of Cllr Howard Sykes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Oldham, based on my limited dealings with him.

In this life, respect is earned. Those politicians, blue, red and yellow, have mine – and it is hoped that such professional regard is reciprocated. But, as all three would doubtless confirm, it goes no further than that. They would not countenance anything improper, for sure; and for what little it matters, in the wider scheme of things, neither would I.

Who wins out in Failsworth West on Thursday 6th May, 2021 is a matter for registered voters in the ward. Most will get to talk to all of the candidates on their own doorstep and ask questions, or raise concerns, about what is most important to them. Time-honoured foundation stones of election campaigning. Freedom of speech and free choice at the ballot box.

Some may ask, of course, about the allegations of wrongdoing. That is a matter entirely between constituents and their ward candidates. A point to factor in before the casting of votes.

To be clear: There is no dog for this journalist in that fight, other than democracy being a hill worth dying on. Abuse, harassment and intimidation cannot be allowed to sustain in any election.

Warren Bates and Mark Wilkinson were both offered right of reply. The latter did not respond, Mr Bates says:

“Mr Wilby, if you actually wanted to do something useful, instead of covering up for the incompetence of so called present day lazy journalists, bits of kids desperately trying to catch faceless editors’ eyes, give at least one update on the [Oldham Strand of the Assurance] Review how many interviews have taken place?”

There was a further inference (and not for the first time from Mr Bates) that ‘rewards’ (or bribes) are involved for publishing work concerning child sex abuse in Oldham, that he casually characterises as a ‘cover-up’.

The question Mr Bates asks regarding ‘interviews’ was comprehensively and very publicly addressed in November, 2020. Read the full Oldham Council statement here. It was, in fact, his friend and ‘cover-up’ co-conspirator, Cllr Hobin, whom moved the motion, in full council, at which that same statement was debated.

Less than a week later, Greater Manchester Police issued an update on three investigations flowing from the Assurance Reviews, either completed or in progress (read more here). Operation Hexagon specifically focuses on Oldham was instigated in November, 2019 to look into the allegations of a ‘CSE cover-up’ by the Council (and the same police force). Operation Green Jacket and Operation Exmoor are focusing on historic child sex abuse offences South Manchester and Rochdale.

Page last updated: Thursday 1st April, 2021 at 1125 hours

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Picture credit: Bolton News

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