6 NEWS
www.southwarknews.co.uk/news
Southwark News, Thursday March 26, 2015
MYSTERIOUS RESIGNATION OF LABOUR COUNCILLOR
DULWICH
ELEPHANT & CASTLE
Albie and his beloved Boi reunited
By Joey Millar joey@southwarknews.co.uk
A DEAF East Dulwich toddler is “over the moon” after his missing pet dog was found safe and sound following an appeal by the News. Two-year-old Albie Jarrold and his beloved pit-bull are once again “inseparable” after Boi was handed in at a kennel. He was missing for nine days. Albie’s mother Carly said that the response from News readers to last week’s appeal was “absolutely amazing.” She said: “So many people tried to help us after we were on the front page. One man even offered to put up £500 of his own money as a reward – we are all going to visit him soon to say thank you for such a kind gesture. “I got so many nice texts from people - some who thought they saw Boi, others who just wanted to say that they hoped we found him. It was an incredible reaction.” The dog was being walked in Jamaica Road on March 11 when it went missing. Carly and Albie were
distraught and plastered the area with posters. During his absence, Carly said that Albie did not stop calling Boi’s name and crying. Boi has been the family’s pet since Albie was born, and the dog has always been “his little friend.” Now that Boi is back, the pair could
not be happier. Carly said: “Albie is just so happy and they are back playing together all the time. Boi is also so happy to be home. Apparently he was howling all the time at the kennel, because he is used to being treated like a spoiled baby.”
EXCLUSIVE By Joey Millar joey@southwarknews.co.uk
£20,000 bounty on this man’s head
News Page 16
SOUTHWARK LABOUR has remained quiet over claims that a councillor was pushed out of her position after her husband wrote a scathing letter to the News about council housing officers. Claire Maugham announced her surprise resignation last week, less than a year after being elected with the most votes out of any Chaucer ward candidate. A political source told the News that Claire had faced unbearable pressure from the Labour hierarchy after her husband wrote a letter slamming officers involved in AA v Southwark, the High Court case that found the council had unlawfully evicted a resident. In his December 11 letter to the News, Jolyon Maugham said: “The whole appalling episode - misbehaviour by junior officers and mishandling of the incident by their management - gives the very clear impression to this reader of a council that is defiantly determined not to learn from its mistakes.” Cllr Maugham’s official resignation statement, in which she said the decision was “not an easy one”, failed to give an explicit reason for stepping down so abruptly. She said: “I have loved and learned so much from every moment of this last year. I am very proud of what I, Karl Eastham and Vijay Luthra have accomplished for residents in Chaucer ward, from action on night time disturbances on the Rockingham to preserving the peace of Trinity Church Square.” She also gave her backing to Cllr Neil
Husband’s scathing letter to the News is thought to have led to her being pushed out of office Coyle’s Parliamentary election bid and pledged to continue serving the community through Labour activism and as a school governor. Cllr Anood Al-Samerai, Leader of Southwark Lib Dems, found this statement unsatisfying. She said: “It’s outrageous that Labour are letting local people down without even giving a reason. The Leader of the Council must be honest. The people of Chaucer ward are owed an explanation as to why someone they turned out to vote for is standing down after less than a year.” Liberal Democrat Cllr Ben Johnson, who served alongside Cllr Maugham in the housing scrutiny committee, was saddened to lose someone who was “excellent at holding people accountable.” He said: “She was a very effective member of the housing scrutiny committee, particularly on the AA case. Her enquiring mind and effective scrutiny will be missed.” When contacted for a response, Southwark Labour referred the News to the statements already made by Cllr Maugham and Council Leader Peter John, neither of which offer a direct explanation. The by-election to find her replacement will be held on the same day as May’s general election.