Footage of Residents barred from Town Hall

Breaking news: we are now able to show you some footage of elderly residents at the Town Hall being denied access to the infamous full council meeting by security employees, and a police officer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3CsC7wrNg

I cannot tell you which company the security employees work for, as I cannot see any easily visible identification.

You will not that the police officer first states his 'guvnor' has made the decision to bar residents, then quickly corrects himself to say 'the management'.

Since the film was first shown it has been claimed that one of the excluded men is actually a former Barnet councillor, and I think I also recognise the 84 year old chair of a local pensioners' rights organisation: fairly obviously not a pair of dangerous anarchists, intent on violent affray and subverting the democratic process.

Mrs Angry spoke yesterday to a very helpful gentleman at the SIA, the Home Office body which regulates the use of private security companies. He gave her some very interesting information, and it was made very clear that all private security employees must be licensed by the SIA, and must display their licence/ID at all times.

These residents, elderly, impeccably well behaved oh, and deeply 'respectable', even by the stringent standards of propriety defined by Tory leader Lynne Hillan, were being denied their lawful right to attend this meeting - and on a totally false premise. There was no public disorder, and there was space in the public gallery.

You should note that this clip gives no idea of the seething discontent going on upstairs.

Mrs Angry has written to senior council officers about this issue, and has received no reply.

It is time now for a full and open enquiry into the the council's use of private security companies, and an immediate assurance from the Leader and the Chief Executive of Barnet that they have confirmed that any such employees are all registered with the SIA, compliant with all regulations, and correctly displaying the appropriate identification at all times.