An important letter, dated 8 October, showing how the Chief Executive has been forced to draw back from the approach adopted by the County Solicitor. Here it is admitted that I may indeed have a point or two in my favour. What probably happened is that between the Gash letter and this one, someone in DCC actually got round to reading my letter of 22 August in detail.

Also, it is notable that despite the whole matter of my being 'banned from all libraries' having been once taken out of the hands of the library service and handed to the lawyers, it is here being passed back again, perhaps because the Chief Executive wanted to distance himself from what he could see might be the unedifying consequences in terms of publicity and legal action. In effect he is saying to Mrs Osborne - on your head be it!

Dear Dr Wozniak

EXETER LIBRARY AND OTHER MATTERS

Thank you for your letter of 4 October.

I have drawn your comments regarding the alleged incident of 17 September 2002 to the attention of the Head of Library and Information Services so that she can consider them before deciding whether to exercise her power to exclude you from library premises throughout Devon.

I am prepared to believe that what might be viewed as a campaign on your part against the inadequacies of the Library Service is motivated by concern for the public interest. The Council would have no difficulty with this. However, what is clear is that your behaviour is not perceived in that light. It has been experienced as offensive, arrogant and rude. Your correspondence continues to be overweaning (sic) and littered with unreasonable demands. Your behaviour in Devon libraries goes beyond what it is reasonable to expect staff to put up with. Whilst that continues to be the case I fear your relationship with the Council will remain mutually unsatisfactory. That is not a situation with which I am happy but I struggle to see how it can be improved (short of course of acceding to your every demand and acknowledging your superior expertise in all matters concerned with running the Library Service).

Yours sincerely


P Jenkinson


CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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