Dear petitioner, You may be aware that the "full consultation" we demanded in the parking petition, has fallen dismally short of that promised. To start with, it has become evident that whole roads of affected homes and many businesses never received the consultation papers, despite the council leader's vow to consult "every home, every business". Those who did receive the papers found the questions were biased towards parking restrictions, without any "do nothing" options – even though the leader stated that all options would be on the table. And, incredibly, officers have admitted there was no evaluation criteria – they explained it was to be worked out after they received the responses from the consultation! Local councillors have said the outcome of the consultation will not be decided until after the June 8th General Election. If you think the whole process has been a sham you may want to think about complaining to the chief executive of Redbridge Council that maladministration has taken place. This could be the first essential step in escalating the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman. If the Chief Executive says he does not consider that maladministration has taken place, the complaint can then be referred to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will consider if the Council has followed legal processes and, if it has not, what injustice it has caused to the individual who has made the complaint – the Ombudsman can make a recommendation to the Council that it should rerun/review the consultation undertaken. If the introduction of the new parking measures are delayed, councillors are more likely to avoid riding roughshod over the wishes of local residents and local businesses, because Redbridge's local elections will be looming. Local councillors will have to stand for re-election on May 4th, 2018. Some detailed maladministration complaints have already been submitted. Should you wish to complain, you must initially write to the Chief Executive of Redbridge Council, setting out the complaint, stating why you think councillors have not followed the correct process, and stating what injustice you have suffered such as: • Not having a "do nothing" option in the questionnaire when this was promised. • Not receiving replies to emails/letters. • Not being provided with evidence about parking surveys. • Councillors not honouring the "gold standard" consultation promise. • Not being able to get large print/translated versions of the questionnaire. • Not receiving the consultation papers at all. A template complaint will not be effective. You need to complain in your own words – a firm and clear short note or longer letter, which needs to include the words that you are making a "formal complaint" to the chief executive of Redbridge Council, Mr Andy Donald. (Email address: andy.donald@redbridge.gov.uk). Regards We Want Say (#WeWantSay)