Rabbi Attacks Lazy Labour Councillor

Cllr Jon Hartley

Further humiliation has been heaped on the tottering Labour minority administration of Reading Borough Council with the news that one of their key Cabinet members has been kicked off a council advisory body. As reported on this blog last month, Labour’s Education Lead Councillor, John Hartley failed to attend three successive meetings of the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) without having the good manners to at least send his apologies.

What is notable is the response of the acting Chairman of SACRE, Rabbi Zvi Solomons, who said “It is very disappointing that someone who is responsible for enhancing the cohesion and mutual understanding in schools can’t be bothered to turn up. Some councillors have the attitude towards religion and religious education that they don’t take it as seriously as they should.”

Cllr Hartley attracted controversy earlier this year when he misled Councillors about the Council’s participation in gay rights group Stonewall’s “Education Champions Programme” when discussing the problem of homophobic bullying. He has since contacted Conservative Councillor Tim Harris to offer an unreserved apology for his reply and the associated attack on Cllr Harris’s motives and research.