Last week, Craig Humphrey featured in the Private Eye ‘Rotten Boroughs’ section. The article featured allegations of conflict of interest. This stems from the fact that he works at Horts estate agents in Rugby as a sales consultant (he stresses that he doesn’t work ‘for’ Horts, but he clearly is working at the firm based on their website’s Sales Team page (Craig is at the foot of the page).
In the latest council budget passed in February, Humphrey and the Tories approved the £1M ‘Local Authority Mortgage Scheme’ which helps reduce rates for first time buyers. At that time, he did not declare any interest in the item, which would usually be expected given that encouraging mortgages encourages sales of houses, and his job is to… sell houses.
What’s more, when the scheme was publicised in March, the local paper featured quotes from a local estate agency… Horts.
Despite what looks like at the very least a case of mutual backslapping, if not a conflict of interest, Humphrey insists that he’s done ‘nothing wrong’.
This week, it emerged that he had been caught driving his car without valid insurance. Some kind of ‘administrative error’ or something. It’s a good job he doesn’t have a position of responsibility with that level of competence, eh?
Oh. He’s still leader of the council, and a couple of years ago took over some of the work usually undertaken by the Chief Executive.
What will he be up to for next week’s papers?
The middle of the line 
June 7, 2012 at 18:00
The bloke’s a charlatan. At what point will be understand the meaning of the word ‘untenable’.
How the hell is moving house meant to have a bearing upon direct debits? Clearly, his swollen ‘expense’ account is insufficient to fund the lifestyle he seeks to maintain
June 7, 2012 at 18:05
What’s disappointing is that there are not enough people challenging him. He’s becoming an embarassment to the town, but is getting away with it.
June 7, 2012 at 19:00
I agree. The Tories stood as many candidates in the council elections as the LibDems and Labour combined, and coupled with the largest marketing budget took the majority with a blunderbuss approach to local democracy. In some wards they stood unchallenged.
As such, and with toothless Town Hall officials refusing to reign his arrogance, who’s going to stop him?
At some point, might one of the toothless sycophants who support his every action, however lamentable, stage a mutiny and eject him from within?
June 13, 2012 at 17:50
To answer the learned gentleman’s question, I refer you to the latest copy of Private Eye, available from all good retail outlets from today onwards. It would appear that His Humphreyness has managed an unwelcome hat-trick of shame by being the subject of yet another exposee! Resign you shameful fool, resign!!
June 13, 2012 at 18:01
What is this one about? All I can see on the PI website is a reference to the driving w/o insurance thing.
June 13, 2012 at 18:53
They claim he lied whilst they were trying to get hold of him to discuss the insurance thing. He claims he was on holiday. When they chased Horts, they claimed he was sitting at home. To quite the last line from THE LATEST feature: ‘Its also possible he’s a liar’. Quite a statement for a national to make. Wouldn’t have thought that can go unnoticed locally
June 14, 2012 at 18:35
Ah well, not much new, but still keeps him on the spot. What I hear is that a lot of the rumours about Craig are coming from the Tories.
I note that David Wright was removed from the Cabinet. Perhaps a few noses are out of joint?
June 15, 2012 at 15:12
Yes, you are correct insomuch as the rumours are originating primarily within the Tory camp; or their near advocates. However, the Private Eye feature about his driving without insurance is a strange one. That information can only have come from His Humphreyness’ flapping lips; or he’s got enemies who are privy to the sort of personal data that you and I don’t readily access. Wonder which?
June 15, 2012 at 15:14
‘Britney’ Humphrey: ‘whoops,I’ve done it again’
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.php?section_link=rotten_boroughs&