🛑 Silenced Before Election Day! What Does the Council’s Vague Warning Actually Ban?
On 2 April 2025, North Lincolnshire Council sent a letter to a local resident warning that future contact could be restricted under its “persistent and unreasonable complainants” policy. However, the letter fails to explain:
What specific behaviour was “excessive”?
Which individuals or departments are covered?
Or even what kind of contact is now considered unacceptable.
There is no named officer — just a generic signature in a script-style font: "Customer Complaints Team". No direct contact, no author, and no accountability.
It’s also worth noting that this letter was sent as a .DOCX (Word document) attachment — not a secured PDF, which is standard practice for formal communications. In combination with the lack of a named sender or procedural references, this raises further questions about whether the letter was properly issued through official channels.
This kind of anonymous, ambiguous letter is highly concerning — and its wording bears a suspicious resemblance to previous replies the resident received from Cllr Julie Reed, including the repeated line:
“Severn Trent Water are not contracted by the Council.”
It raises the question: Who exactly is issuing this warning — and why now?
❓ What Exactly Is the Resident Now Banned From?
Without clear boundaries, the letter appears to create a blanket warning — leaving the resident unsure whether they are now prohibited from:
Voting at elections
Making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
Applying to, or updating their information on, the Electoral Roll
Contacting councillors
Attending public meetings or surgeries
Speaking to election candidates
Using the public library or leisure centre
Submitting planning applications
Visiting Citizens Advice Bureau (which is located inside Scunthorpe Library)
Accessing social services or community hubs
Paying council tax in person
And while some may argue that many of these services are available online or by post, this misses the critical point:
🗳️ Denying choice is still denying access!
⚠️ “You Can Still Do It Online” Isn’t Good Enough
This resident is:
A member of the Labour Party
A member of UNITE the union
Living with documented mental health conditions, supported by medical evidence already shared with the Council
A regular council tax payer who has never defaulted on payment
And recently raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving local infrastructure works.
To now receive a vague, unsigned letter threatening them with communication restrictions — after raising uncomfortable questions — is deeply troubling.
The Council may not be explicitly saying this person can’t vote, attend meetings, or use services. But they’re not saying they can, either. That’s the point. This ambiguity is not accidental — it’s tactical.
And: if a council can do this to one resident without accountability, it sets a dangerous precedent for how dissent is handled more widely.
🗳️ A Convenient Silence?
The timing of this letter is also raising eyebrows. It arrived just weeks before the 1 May 2025 mayoral elections — a time when scrutiny of local government actions should be at its highest, not suppressed.
The project at the heart of this dispute — involving ongoing infrastructure works that have disrupted residents’ lives — was featured in the Council’s February 2025 newsletter, where Council Leader Cllr Rob Waltham is pictured and appears prominently associated with the scheme.
Is it a coincidence that a resident asking difficult questions about that very project has now been warned to stay quiet?
Or is this a case of silencing a local voice to avoid inconvenient headlines during election season?
🗣️ If You Believe in Transparency…
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👉 If you feel strongly about the issues raised in this article, then consider sending an e-mail to Crowle Town Council (clerk@crowleandealandcouncil.org) or North Lincolnshire Council (customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk) or even Councillor Julie Reed, (Cllr.juliereed@northlincs.gov.uk), and ask them why are residents being silenced?
📢 Please share this petition and ask others to sign. Help amplify the message:
Let’s make sure the silence stays on their side.