Waheed Saleem a former Walsall Councillor who has previously been banned from holding public office has been put forward by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to be his Deputy at a crunch meeting this Wednesday. Mr Saleem was barred from public office after he breached the councillors' code of conduct by revealing confidential information about a bid in a tender process for a council property in Walsall.
Mr Saleem undermined the tender process and manipulated the rules by using his position as a Councillor to confer an advantage on the Abu Bakr Trust. The group was then able to submit a late bid higher than the previous winners.
And it doesn't stop there. Waheed was the Chair of Governors of Park View School, one of the main schools at the centre of the Trojan Horse inquiry. Waheed Saleem approved the reinstatement of teachers banned from teaching over the Trojan Horse affair, before resigning when journalists found out about it. The teachers were subject to ‘interim prohibition orders’ banning them from teaching, but Saleem appointed them to teach children regardless.
Gary Sambrook MP Said "Waheed Saleem is categorically unfit to hold public office. Especially one which required top standards, ethics, and sensitivity. Something in my opinion Mr Saleem lacks greatly."
"His years of scandal and insensitive tweets such as mocking someone who had committed suicide, suggesting Samantha Cameron’s pregnancy was a ‘cynical ploy, and attacking Jewish politician for being a ‘friend of Israel’"
Serious questions need to be asked about David Jamieson the Police and Crime Commissioner on appointing Waheed Saleem as his deputy and I urge him to do the right things and think again before Wednesday when the confirmation is due to happen – this decision demonstrates a serious lack of judgment. Mr Saleem found it difficult to keep sensitive information secret, and the PCC now wants to trust him with confidential information on how we keep our streets safe, serious crime and public protection – it would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious."
