So we emerge, blinking, into the sunlit uplands of the Parliamentary recess. That lovely time when MPs are not - repeat not - on holiday, but 'busy in their constituencies' making all of our lives better, whilst their staff suddenly find that the scope for more efficient and productive work increases in direct proportion to the opportunity for an uninterrupted lunch and civilized working hours.

Anyway, that aside, I should report on the latest twists in the Greenwich/ Casino/Prescott saga. Firstly, I would recommend reading Boris Johnson's inimitable take on the whole thing - here, which I naturally couldn't possibly endorse, but which I think is a fair view and probably representative of the frustration most Britons feel about the whole Dome pantomime.

Back in Greenwich, I have an answer (of sorts) from the Leader of the Council, Chris Roberts, on the subject of the PWC report into the Dome (see previous posts). The full version of my written question to the Council meeting and his reply, are:

"Cllr Fletcher: Does the Leader have any objection in principle to the release of the main part of the PWC report into the potential effects of a regional casino on the Borough, subject to the removal of the limited [confidential] information contained within in?

"Reply: This is not a matter for me. The Head of Legal services wrote to Councillor Fletcher on 11 July explaining that, as information in the report relates to third parties, it is necessary to consult with them so as to determine whether an exemption applies to disclosing that information under the Freedom of Information Act. Further, as PWC state that information in the report is their property and confidential to them, it is necessary to seek their consent to disclosure."

Hmmm. A very legalistic answer, which I'm guessing shows the influence of over-cautious officers on Cllr Roberts' pen, but useful to see anyway. So the wait goes on...

Later in the Council meeting on Wednesday we debated (and passed) a Labour motion in support of the Casino bid. I didn't speak - perhaps I should have done, but my colleagues had made most of the points I would have made, and given it was the last item on the agenda on a very hot evening, I didn't want to add to the hot air unnecessarily.

So, I await the response on the PWC report with interest. If disclosure is refused, whose call will it be? Greenwich's, PWC's or Mr Anschutz's ?

As the Committee on Standards releases it's report into John Prescott's breach of Common rules, it's still all quiet on the Prescott/Dome Casino front as far as Greenwich is concerned. I have not even had the courtesy of a reply from the Leader of the Council to my letter of two weeks ago, no disclosure of what meetings the Council had with the Deputy PM, and still no word yet on whether the Council have made a decision on my request for the partial release of the PWC report.

With a full Council meeting next week, I may have no choice but to raise the matter there. So, Cllr Roberts and Council officers - you have five days to get in touch or I'll see you in the Chamber...

Predictably, after the leaking of the 'private' conversation between President Bush and Tony Blair at the G8 summit, the Prime Minister has just been greeted by a chorus of "yo!" from the Opposition benches as he rose to make his statement on the summit. You can always count on the Commons to deliver a healthy dash of schoolboy humour. I'm guessing David Cameron's response when he rises will be more statesmanlike - but who knows? He might find a way of teasing the PM about it anyway. It is nearly the end of term, after all...

A memorable evening last night at the Town Hall as I and other colleagues attended the annual "One Greenwich" memorial event held to commemorate the lives of three teenagers, Rolan Adams, Rohit Duggal and Stephen Lawrence, who were all murdered in racist attacks in the Borough. The event celebrates Greenwich's diverse communities and is a public show of commitment to the continuing fight against racism in our communities.

We were treated to excellent performances from a gospel choir, singers from Greenwich schools, and a youth street dance performance. The Keynote speaker was Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti, who gave an excellent speech reflecting on her optimism for community cohesion despite the tensions from anti-terror operations and the aftermath of 7/7. As Civic occasions go, this was undoubtedly the most enjoyable, interesting and moving I can remember attending in my time on the Council. It even ran to time! Planners of next year's Mayoral Inauguration take note...

So, Lord Levy has been arrested. That will take the pressure off Prescott as the major sleaze story returns with a vengeance. Interesting times ahead - could it be that Guido, Iain Dale and other bloggers will in future be remembered as the Woodward and Bernstein of the UK? We shall see...

The local paper today has quite a big story on my criticism of John Prescott, with a picture of me looking suitably concerned outside the Dome. Interesting to see that Nick Raynsford dismisses it as "tittle-tattle"and asserts that "John Prescott has not had any responsibilities about the decisions on super casinos". I thought even Prescott had given up that defence, given it is now pretty obvious that he did oversee relevant Cabinet committees.

(PS I'm grateful to the Blogger-in-Chief, Iain Dale, for mentioning my Dome FOI request on his unrivalled blog)

UPDATE: The other local paper also has a story on this, with a quote from a Council spokesman saying: "Cllr Fletcher has access to information other residents don't have. However, we will answer his questions as soon as possible but we have a policy of not discussing correspondence with councillors in the press".

It is reported on GreenwichWatch that Greenwich Council have confirmed they are looking into a number of Freedom of Information requests about the Dome Casino bid and the PWC report. I had my own reply to my request earlier today, saying they are having to consult with 'third parties' before making a decision on releasing it. This means they have contacted not only PWC, but Phillip Anshutz's company AEG and prospective casino operator Kertzner. All of whom are, I'm sure, deluged with such requests at present.

Interesting to hear that there are more requests than just mine - clearly the press and aggrieved members of the public are taking an active interest in the issue. I don't expect an answer until next week at the earliest, by which time perhaps Mr Prescott will have done the decent thing and quit. Or more likely not.

So I have now finally read the infamous PWC report into the plan for a casino on the Dome site in Greenwich. On Friday afternoon I was ushered to a desk in the Council's strategic planning department, given a cup of tea and let loose on the 'commercially sensitive' document.

And my reaction? The main thing I can say at this point is that I remain convinced it should be published, at least in some form. From what I can see (and as the report itself indicates), the commercially confidential information is in the annexes, not the main report. I will therefore be putting in a Freedom of Information request for a partial disclosure of the main report only, without the annexes.

I hope this is successful, as I strongly believe it would be in the Council's interests to publish. The report provides the basis for the assertions made in the Borough's publicly-available application to the Casino Advisory Panel about the huge benefits for the area which will result from a successful bid. It also confirms that without a casino, much of the development of the site envisaged by AEG will not go ahead - something which was also mentioned in the Borough's application, and which AEG have now publicly stated in press coverage of the Prescott saga.

Ah yes, Prescott. The weekend's press investigations have uncovered yet more embarrassing details of his links with Philip Anschutz, which can only serve to taint Greenwich's bid even further. An awful lot of jobs and investment hang on the outcome of this bidding process, and I earnestly hope our Deputy Prime Minister has not wrecked our chances by his foolish behaviour.

PS: After reading the report, I checked my email and found this slightly sinister message from a senior council officer:

"Cllr Fletcher, I was pleased to provide you with access to the Price Waterhouse Cooper report this afternoon. I am sure that you are aware that the information has been provided to you in confidence and I am obliged to remind you that under the Code of Conduct information given to you in confidence must not be disclosed."

Open Government - don't you just love it?

Some interest from the local press in the Prescott story, which I hope will result in a recognition of the real importance for us locally in the what has been up til now a media/Westminster obsession. Tomorrow I am due at last to read the "hidden" PWC report about the impact of the Dome, and will judge for myself if the Labour Council have been right to refuse to publish it. If we want to get the casino, we need to be totally above-board. So without scaring my lawyers (er, I don't have any), I will be making a fuss if I feel there are issues that the public should know, and ensuring we are open about them.

With the latest revelations about Prescott in the last 24 hours, we now know he did try to press the case for Greenwich to host the Supercasino at the Dome. As I said yesterday, I am far from happy that this has tainted the Greenwich bid with allegations of improper influence, and may actually have damaged our chances of getting the licence.

I have now written to the Leader of Greenwich Council, Chris Roberts, expressing my anger at the behaviour of his Party's Deputy Leader. My letter is as follows:

'Dear Chris,

The recent media focus on John Prescott and his role in the bid for the 'Supercasino' to be sited in Greenwich has caused me some concern.

Many people - myself included - believe a casino at the Dome will be a huge boost to the regeneration of the peninsula, and bring great benefits to Greenwich. But I am sure you agree it is vitally important that the Casino bidding process is seen as fair and above-board.

John Prescott's clumsy and ill-advised interventions have tainted Greenwich's bid, and my great fear is that they could actually damage our chances of winning the licence. If we do win, we want to win on the merits of the arguments, not be said to have benefited from private influence the Deputy Prime Minister may have had.

I would be interested to know what contacts or discussions you or Council officers have had with Mr Prescott or his officials on the specific subject of the Anschutz bid. I note that you feature in TV coverage of his visit to the Dome site last year, and I am sure the media will be seeking this sort of information themselves. I would hope the Council could show itself to be more forthcoming than Mr Prescott has been in volunteering such information willingly.

I look forward to hearing from you. I will be informing the press later today that I have written to you on this matter.

Regards,
Nigel Fletcher'

I gather from his out-of-office email reply that Cllr. Roberts is away at present, but I await his reply on his return with interest.

How much longer will it be before our useless excuse for a Deputy Prime Minister is finally made to resign? He's now moved from an embarrassment to a joke to a seriously sleazy disgrace. And as for the latest row over the Dome in Greenwich - I for one will not be at all happy if his alleged improper dealings scupper our bid for to host the SuperCasino and cost the Borough a great deal in jobs and investment. I shall be pursuing this point - watch this space...