Isle of Wight council leader, Cllr David Pugh, and the background to the proposed River Medina Bio-Mass plant is the focus of one of the three longest columns in the Rotten Boroughs section of the latest Private Eye this month (No.1280).
It sets-up the article by mentioning the now-well-known Pugh Tube video and Rachael Bushby, the lady in the video.
The main focus is Real Ventures Ltd, the company that the Eye claims is behind the Bio-Mass plant proposed to be put on the River Medina.
Eye questions if Pugh’s involvement is “appropriate”
It says that the chairman of the company, Mike Hammond, asked the Isle of Wight council if it could get the then-Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change to attend.
It then claims that, in emails seen by the Eye, David Pugh said it, “would be good,” promising to “follow it up.”
The reason why Rachael Bushby is referenced is then brought to light – the Eye claims that David Pugh added, “One of the other ministers, Greg Barker, is a relative of Rachael’s – so we could possibly get him involved too.”
The Eye article points out, “Some might consider it inappropriate for a council leader to actively promote such a controversial project before it had been through the planning process.”
