Flashback: Olympic Village idea for Fairlop Plain, councillor accused of exceeding his powers, and a bag snatch court trial

Recorder archives. (Image: Archant)

1960

An attempt to snatch a bag containing £116 - around £2,500 in today's money - from a tea shop in Ilford was the subject of an on-going trial at Stratford Court.

A Chingford veneer presser had been charged with stealing the money from Lyons Tea Shop in Ley Street and remanded in custody.

The court heard from a police officer that he had been called to the cafe to find a man being detained by members of the public outside the shop front.

Recorder archives. (Image: Archant)

The manageress claimed the man had tried to snatch her wallet and run off before being stopped by passersby.

But the trial was put on hold while the accused made a passionate appeal for bail, claiming his wife was seriously ill and needed his help.

He told a judge that his wife had been in hospital for 10 weeks, and the judge agreed to halt proceedings temporarily to check whether or not that claim was true.

1980

A furious Conservative councillor stormed out of a committee meeting after accusing the chairman of deliberately exceeding his powers.

The trouble flared when Redbridge Council's further education committee chairman, Cllr Geoffrey Brewer, called in a decision by Redbridge Technical College governors to scrap evening classes on Mondays.

The college claimed that there was no demand for these classes, and so planned to halt them in a bid to save on fuel costs.

But Cllr Brewer, himself a college governor, asked to discuss the decision after admitting it had made him "uneasy".

But fellow councillor Leslie Bridgeman considered the item had been "improperly brought".

"We have given them the job to do, I do not feel we should interfere," Cllr Bert Hamilton agreed.

And following a heated debate Cllr Roy Brian declared that he took exception to the chairman's actions and stormed out of the meeting.

2000

London's mayor looked set to decide the fate of Fairlop Plain in the midst of a row over suggestions the site could house an Olympic Village for the 2012 games.

Redbridge Council deputy leader cllr Peter Goody wrote to every mayoral candidate following revelations that the Barkingside site had been identified by the London Planning Advisory Committee as a possible venue for a 14,000 capacity athletes' village.

Cllr Goody told each of the candidates that the entirety of Redbridge Council was against the plans, which, he argued, would lead to the loss of a substantial amount of the borough's green belt.

He wrote: "I seek two things from you - a summary of your views on the subject of the Olympic bid and the possible use of green belt land for the Olympic Village; and a specific undertaking that you will not advocate, support or endorse the use of Fairlop Plain for the Olympic Village.