Oxfordshire local government officers should resign

Petition to: Yvonne Rees (Chief Executive Oxfordshire County Council) and all Oxfordshire’s County Leadership Team; County Council Cabinet Members; District Councillors; Parish and Town Councillors; and District Chairmen and Town Mayors.

Requesting local government officers dismiss with immediate effect the Pandemic Incident Management Team (“PIMT”), Local Authorities (“LAs”) and their local system partners. And, that all council officers and councillors either resign or provide legitimate reasons for taking part in enforcing lockdown and restrictions in the area where they have committed to serve the public.

As of 19 March 2020, COVID-19 (“COVID”) was no longer considered a high consequence infectious disease (“HCID”) in the UK. The Coronavirus Act 2020, which was introduced and passed the House of Commons without a vote on 23 March 2020, has been and is legally VOID. The lockdown declared on 23 March 2020 and all future “covid law” and lockdown extensions have been enforced unlawfully.

- Residents’ request: Dismissal of PIMT, LAs and their local system partners, and the council officers and councillors; and that all local COVID restrictions and all discriminatory regulations established under the covid “law” and under a misinterpreted “political correctness” end immediately.

- Residents’ request: A full list of PIMT members, LAs and their local system partners, council officers, councillors, and other public servants, who are responsible for making decisions to enforce COVID rules (government guidance) and lockdown regulations in the area they committed to serve the public.

- Residents’ request: A full list of PIMT members, LAs and their local system partners, council officers, councillors, and other public servants; directly enforcing COVID rules and regulations on residents and local businesses.

- Resident’s request: A detailed audit of income and expenditure for the years 2020 / 2021, covering the entire period of the ‘pandemic’, up to and including the current date

Regarding the COVID ‘pandemic’ the conduct by local government officials in administrating their area has been poor. During the ‘pandemic’ LAs were given additional grants by Government. Decisions on how to spend the money they received was handed over to LAs and their local system partners, including PIMT. The same LAs and their local system partners made decisions about imposing restrictions and enforcing new local services without consulting residents about the changes. The council has spent substantial amounts on lockdown related services not included in the original council tax contract between the council and the residents.

LAs receive funding from a range of sources: Government grants, council tax and fees, and charges. Together, council tax and business rates collected from residents and businesses make up LAs’ largest source of income. In return, councils are responsible for a variety of services to the benefit of their residents. Many of these public services, largely funded by residents, have been limited or denied due to the enforcement of “lockdown” measures and restrictions. Residents have been charged for fully operating services which have not been provided as originally promised and contracted.

In accordance with the parliamentary Code of Conduct and the Seven Principles of Public Life: any proposals about significant changes in the local regulations should be discussed with residents before a final decision is established. This consultation with the public has not occurred.

From early on, since the first of the lockdowns in 2020, until now several residents across the UK have been following official COVID statistics and, using the Freedom of Information Act, requested all available data regarding COVID deaths and COVID infection rates for their area. Based on NHS data (obtained under the Freedom of Information Act) there is no evidence to suggest there ever was a pandemic or health emergency in the UK. And so, there never was a legitimate reason for local governments to enforce Government lockdown guidance in any of the UK regions.

Despite the lack of evidence to support the local lockdown, as well as many other facts raising questions as to the legality of lockdowns generally, councils decided to enforce the COVID rules in their area where they have committed to serve the public. This highly irresponsible decision ruined a significant portion of the local and national economy and devastated countless UK residents’ lives. The impact of unnecessary lockdowns has caused numerous UK residents not only to struggle financially but have also caused irreversible damage to peoples’ mental health and general wellbeing.

There will be some good work done by some councillors, but the current local councils and the system they use to ADMINISTRATE their local area is not based on democratic values and does not follow the original contract agreed with local residents. This includes discriminatory regulations enforced on residents over recent years.

I believe that Oxfordshire’s councils have not been operating in the best interests of their residents and in the best interest of the area where they committed to serve the public. There is a disruptive element amongst the current councillors and council officers. The only way to solve this is for residents to choose officers who represent their interests by ALL council officers and councillors resigning and new officers elected in their place.

Are you prepared to allow these devastating lockdown (COVID rules) actions to continue? Are you happy with how your tax money is being spent? Do you want to make a difference and voice an opinion? If so, please sign this petition.

By signing this petition, you will be agreeing that Oxfordshire’s councils need a fresh start and to enable this ALL council officers and councillors must resign from the council to allow new council officials to be elected by the local residents.

Please note: if the council refuse to cooperate, then under the Codes of Conduct and the Seven Principles of Public Life, their action can no longer be considered as appropriate responses by public servants and therefore they can not be considered as people in authority. In such a circumstance, a public vote will take place to establish a deadline and the necessary steps to satisfy the public request for the Council to resign.

Additional reading:
1. Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England. “As of 19 March 2020, COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the UK.”
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid

2. Coronavirus Act 2020. “The act was introduced to Parliament on 19 March 2020, and passed the House of Commons without a vote on 23 March, and the House of Lords on 25 March. The act subsequently received royal assent on 25 March 2020.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus_Act_2020

3. The Coronavirus Act 2020 is Null and Void! “We have now established that The Coronavirus Act 2020 is null and void. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that S1(1) of the Act defines 'coronavirus' as being 'covid-19' or it's other name 'SARS Cov-2'. However, by virtue of the fact that it is not legally, medically or scientifically recognised as a disease or virus it cannot be legislated against, and this makes the whole Act null and void.”
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/the-coronavirus-act-2020/

4. How Oxfordshire County Council consults with the public. “We believe it is very important that people have a say on how our services are planned and run and how their council tax is spent. Consultation helps us to stay in touch with what our customers need and want. This is especially important when we need to make difficult decisions that affect the people of Oxfordshire.”
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/about-your-council/have-your-say-about-council-services/consultation/our-approach-consultation

5. The continuing misuse of guidance in response to the pandemic. “The Government has blurred the distinction between law and guidance in the coronavirus regulations, creating confusion among the public and police.”
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/covid19/2021/01/25/the-continuing-misuse-of-guidance-in-response-to-the-pandemic/

6. COVID-19 contain framework: a guide for local decision-makers.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/containing-and-managing-local-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreaks/covid-19-contain-framework-a-guide-for-local-decision-makers

Clare Fryer    Contact the author of the petition