Attachment
Letter to Mr Arthur Price-Jones, Town
Clerk and Deputy Chief Executive, Leicester City Council, from
Councillor Peter Soulsby
As you know Cllr Merlyn Vaz is a member of the
Property Services Committee which amongst other things deals with
the sale of City Council land. She is also a member of both the
Planning Committee and its Development Control Sub-committee which
deal with planning applications in the City.
You are, of course, also aware that there are
three religious groups seeking to purchase land at a discount
price from the Council and that, if they succeed, they will subsequently
seek planning permission. These proposals are of course very controversial
and were the subject of the recent by-election campaign.
On Wednesday a colleague alleged that during
that campaign and subsequently, Cllr Merlyn Vaz and Keith Vaz
MP repeatedly and insistently solicited payment of £500 from
each of the three groups and that offers of payment of less than
that have been, it was alleged, rejected on the ground that if
they could afford to buy the land they could certainly afford
to pay £500.
This morning I telephoned Mr Jaffar Kapasi of
the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat who confirmed that he had been asked
repeatedly for a "campaign contribution".
I would welcome your advice on how to proceed.
22 April 1994
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