Disgraced Milton Keynes councillor kept criminal convictions secret from fellow Conservatives

“We didn’t know a thing,” is the Conservative response to the Scot Balazs Floristgate scandal this week.

The Citizen exclusively exposed last week how the Newport Pagnell councillor had been convicted in May of driving without a proper licence, driving without due care and attention and driving with no insurance.

The charges resulted from a collision in February, which wrote off a van belonging to the town’s Bluebell florist. Sadly, due to Mr Balazs’ lack of insurance, the florist has never received compensation for the van and has been forced to close the shop for financial reasons.

Within an hour of the Citizen approaching the Tory party about the problem last Thursday, Cllr Balazs resigned on the spot.

But opposing Labour and Lib Dem councillors accused the Tories of a cover-up, and demanded to know why his convictions had remained secret for so many weeks.

Unusually, Mr Balazs’s case was held at High Wycombe Court instead of Milton Keynes and this meant it had not been picked up by local press.

Today (Monday) the chairman of the Milton Keynes Conservative Federation, George Bowyer, issued an official statement saying nobody in the party had known about it and nobody could have had any influence over where the court case was heard.

He also claimed the councillor had lied about not having any convictions, he said.

He said: “I can confirm that I am not aware of any member, officer or elected representative belonging to the Milton Keynes Conservative Federation having been informed by former Councillor Scot Balazs of any of the offences, convictions or allegations that have been made against him since he has been serving as an elected councillor until we were informed of the details of a complaint made to the Standards Committee on 1st August 2023.

“For the avoidance of doubt, whilst we were aware that Mr Balazs had had a car accident in February, until 1st August we were not aware of the severity of the issue, the police investigation, the charge, the appearance in court or the guilty plea.”

Mr Bower added: “Indeed, Mr Balazs recently submitted a form to the Federation with regards to his potential reselection as a candidate for the 2024 local government elections. One of the questions on that form was: ‘Have you been convicted, cautioned or received a fixed penalty or are there any proceedings pending for any criminal matter (other than a minor motoring offence)? If yes, please give details.’ Mr Balazs’s response was ‘None’.

“In addition, I was completely unaware of the unfortunate consequences that Mr Balazs’ motor accident had on the ability of Bluebell Flowers to carry out their business operations. I deeply regret the increased distress that our inadvertent inaction will have undoubtedly caused to the business owners and employees. As soon as I became aware of these events, I visited Bluebell Flowers on 4th August to express these regrets in person.”

Mr Bower confirmed that MP Ben Everitt, who published a photo of himself on his social media having fun with Mr Balazs last month, was also unaware of the councillor’s disgrace.

He said the councillor had asked not to be placed on any committees owing to concerns that he had for his mental well-being at the time.

Mr Bower added: “Mr Balazs chose to conceal all knowledge of his convictions from his colleagues... Political parties are not routinely informed by the police or the courts about criminal proceedings against councillors on non-political matters.”

Mr Bower said the Party was even unaware of a litter fine, again exposed by the Citizen, which was issued to Mr Balazs by its own litter enforcement officer last year. This fine prompted more court proceedings last August.

Following the Citizen story, the Tories were asked by the city’s Labour group: “Are the MK Conservatives aware if there are any other current investigations ongoing into Mr Balazs, given the further revelation he avoided paying a fine issued by MK City Council?”

Mr Bower’s reply was: “Milton Keynes Conservatives have been contacted since 1st August by a resident about their concerns on an additional matter and have advised that resident to contact the police should they wish to take the matter further.”

Labour and Lib Dem councillors are still seething about the matter, calling it a “particularly serious case”.

Council leader Peter Marland said after our exposé: “The MK public need answers...It again shows why good local journalism is needed to hold those in the public eye to account.”

Mr Balazs issued a resignation statement saying: “I apologise for any upset and concern my actions may have caused. I feel that the issue is of sufficient severity and has placed enormous stress upon myself and my family that the only honourable option for me is to resign with immediate effect from my role as a Milton Keynes City Councillor.

“I also do not wish to inflict any reputational damage upon the local Conservative Party for which I have worked tirelessly over many years and for the residents of the Newport Pagnell South ward for which I have always endeavoured to offer commitment and service of the highest order."

Meanwhile the community is rallying round to help Bluebell Flowers owner Brenda Gregory, who is now running her business from home with the same website and contact number.

The shop has been a mainstay of local weddings, funerals and celebrations for the past 15 years.

Expressions of sympathy have poured in from member of the public and a fundraising page has been set up to try to raise the money to buy her a new van.