Latest news with #IftakharAhmed
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Councillor who faced intimidation 'won't be cowed'
A councillor who faced aggressive and threatening behaviour from a colleague said she "won't be cowed by fear and intimidation". A Slough Borough Council investigation found Puja Bedi was made to feel "horrendous fear for her safety" by fellow Conservative councillor Iftakhar Ahmed in October 2023. She told colleagues at a meeting on Thursday that she had been driven to talk about what happened by the "wider story of women and girls in this borough and across our country who have suffered any form of abuse or intimidation". Ahmed defended his behaviour and accused the council's standards committee, which found against him, of trying "to suppress my democratic voice". Councillor Bedi also told councillors how she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer late last year – "a profoundly shocking and life-altering discovery". But she said she was now "beyond grateful to stand here cancer-free". She said: "Everything I have faced has only strengthened my resolve to focus on what truly matters." She was speaking during a discussion on a new "members' pledge" committing councillors to "respectful debate" in "safe and welcoming spaces". Liberal Democrat councillor Sabia Akram said she approached the council about introducing the pledge – an idea she said was "driven by personal experience". She said women in the council "have felt often like there isn't a safe place to speak or speak out" and "have experienced sexism and misogyny, discrimination". Ahmed was found to have made "aggressive and threatening gestures" towards Bedi at a meeting about traffic measures. The investigation found onlookers were "legitimately fearful of what [Ahmed] might do" and that two people had to "interpose themselves" between him and Bedi. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, and X. Censured councillor will not apologise Councillor censured after 'threatening' behaviour Slough Borough Council
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Slough councillor who faced intimidation 'won't be cowed'
A councillor who faced aggressive and threatening behaviour from a colleague said she "won't be cowed by fear and intimidation".A Slough Borough Council investigation found Puja Bedi was made to feel "horrendous fear for her safety" by fellow Conservative councillor Iftakhar Ahmed in October told colleagues at a meeting on Thursday that she had been driven to talk about what happened by the "wider story of women and girls in this borough and across our country who have suffered any form of abuse or intimidation". Ahmed defended his behaviour and accused the council's standards committee, which found against him, of trying "to suppress my democratic voice". Councillor Bedi also told councillors how she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer late last year – "a profoundly shocking and life-altering discovery".But she said she was now "beyond grateful to stand here cancer-free".She said: "Everything I have faced has only strengthened my resolve to focus on what truly matters."She was speaking during a discussion on a new "members' pledge" committing councillors to "respectful debate" in "safe and welcoming spaces". Liberal Democrat councillor Sabia Akram said she approached the council about introducing the pledge – an idea she said was "driven by personal experience".She said women in the council "have felt often like there isn't a safe place to speak or speak out" and "have experienced sexism and misogyny, discrimination".Ahmed was found to have made "aggressive and threatening gestures" towards Bedi at a meeting about traffic measures. The investigation found onlookers were "legitimately fearful of what [Ahmed] might do" and that two people had to "interpose themselves" between him and Bedi. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, and X.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Slough Borough Council and councillor dispute delays land sale
A property dispute between Slough Borough Council and one of its own councillors has disrupted the sale of council authority wants to sell a patch of grassland on Hatfield Road near the town it had to withdraw the land from auction after Iftakhar Ahmed claimed he had right of way over it into his back garden on Merton says he has had "exclusive access to the land" for several years but the council disputes that. The land, opposite Hatfield multi-storey car park, was listed for sale in an online auction in the council withdrew it from sale after Ahmed applied to the Land Registry for a prescriptive easement over the would establish that he had a legal right to cross the land because he had done so openly and continuously for several years without the owner's permission. In a statement submitted to the Land Registry, Ahmed said the land "had been used and enjoyed by myself and all other occupiers, guests and licensees of the above property" since submitted to the auctioneers also show that Ahmed tried to buy the land from Slough Borough Council in 2006, before he became a his request he said he had used the land while visiting a friend who owned the house on Merton Road in 1979 and had carried on using it after the buying the home himself. 'No agreement' Ahmed told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the land was "poorly maintained by the council" and that it had been "occasionally used by the homeless and drug dealers in the area".The council disputes the councillor's claim to have a right of said images captured on Google Street View between 2009 and 2024 show that "during most of this 15-year period there is no gate, either pedestrian or vehicular" to the back of Ahmed's house.A spokesperson for the council said: "Neither councillor Iftakhar Ahmed, nor any other party, has any rights of access over this council-owned land (as confirmed by documents held by HM Land Registry)."It said that it "did not engage in any meaningful discussions" on Ahmed's 2006 request to buy the land "nor was any agreement reached".The spokesperson said Ahmed has "again expressed an interest in buying the land" but that to do so he must take part in the auction. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- BBC News
Five men deny Walsall murder of Mohammed Khan
Five men have denied murdering a 22-year-old man who suffered fatal knife Khan died in hospital after being stabbed on Bloxwich Road, Walsall, on 17 Ahmed, 52, Asad Iftakhar, 27, and Hassan Iftakhar 33, all of Bloxwich Road, and Amaan Khan, 21, and Zain Raja, 22, from Bloxwich, near Walsall, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court, where they each pleaded not guilty to murder.A trial date is yet to be set. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
