Danny in the news

It's nice to know I am never far away from the local papers ... even though I am actually 10,000 miles away. The lovely people at the Mercury can't resist me. Thank you council PR department for sticking up for me, even though you shouldn't really have been so gushing!

http://www.mercury-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=17561

Cllr serves locals... from Australia
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
By Mandy Little

OUTRAGE has been expressed at a Labour councillor’s year-long backpacking trip in Australia.

Tories at Greenwich council argue that although Danny Thorpe is not pocketing his councillor’s allowance he is neglecting the people in the Shooters Hill ward he is supposed to be representing.

Their concern was heightened last week as the 26-year-old returned, just in the nick of time, to sign in at his first council meeting since March 27.

The rules governing councillors insist they must not miss more than six months of meetings.

Councillor Spencer Drury, leader of the opposition, is doubly alarmed as he believes the full council meeting was only called to allow Mr Thorpe to attend. It was not originally scheduled and there appeared to be no urgent business on it.

However a council spokeswoman vigorously defended the councillor who is now planning to go back to Australia to resume his travels.

She said: “This was a planned trip. Mr Thorpe gave up his job, his flat and his role as chairman of the children and young persons’ committee.

“He made arrangements for the other two councillors in his ward to share his workload and wrote to the finance department to cancel his allowance.”

She said Mr Thorpe had been dedicated to Greenwich council since he was 14 when he first became a member of the Greenwich Young Persons’ Council.

She said the former Thomas Tallis pupil had opted to go to Goldsmiths College in New Cross rather than away to university to continue his involvement but had now come to a time when he wanted to make a trip away.

She said: “He is still very passionate about being a councillor.”

Mr Thorpe is due back at Christmas.

She denied the full council meeting was held just to enable Mr Thorpe to sign in and pointed out a scrutiny meeting was being held anyway in the week which would have served the purpose.

Cllr Drury said: “I genuinely think that the Labour party is showing real contempt for the residents of Shooters Hill.

“They should have three councillors to represent them."