Wirral councillor says sorry for e-mail rant at protester

Jan 14 2009 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

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In that email, which had been forwarded to the Daily Post, and sent at 2am on Tuesday January 13, he said: “Jim Im fad up with all your childish crap please keep it too yourself and don’t send me any more I’m fed up deleting your trash.”

Yesterday, Cllr Crabtree told the Daily Post: “I am just saying I don’t want any more emails off him.

“As I see it, I think the cabinet will have its meeting. We have had the consultations.”

He added: “If I have offended anyone by it then I am truly sorry. It was not sent to upset Jim or anyone else.”

But other councillors responded, criticising Cllr Crabtree. Conservative Cllr Sue Taylor wrote back: “Regardless of your views on the Strategic Asset Review, I don’t think Mr O’Neil deserved such a response from a councillor.

“We have all been in receipt of Mr O’Neil’s emails and they demonstrate his commitment to saving local amenities and his efforts should be applauded. Anyone would think he’d touched a raw nerve.”

And Tory Cllr Chris Blakeley added: “The council leader, (your group leader) was very explicit at the area forum conferences last week, and he made it clear that while he accepted that passions were high, then regardless of people’s views on this subject we should all behave respectfully to each other.

“I do hope that your dismissive, and disrespectful response of Mr O'Neills concerns are not indicative of your group’s position on the strategic asset review.”