Archive for November, 2009

Council Leader in no confidence vote about computer porn

After been caught with pornographic material on a laptop computer funded by Council Taxpayers, Councillor Stephen MacLoughlin, Leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, is expected to apologise at a meeting where he faces a vote of no confidence by other members. Independent group leader, Councillor Ann Ray, is extremely upset as to the manner in which [...]

Woman told by Council to destroy her trees to store bins

As part of Harlow Council’s new refuse policy, the Council have told a grandmother that she should remove plants and trees in her garden to accommodate her recycle bins. Mrs Sandra St. John complained to the Council and asked them where should she place her additional third bin.  Mrs St. John was shocked when a [...]

Businesses claim London Councils fail to pay on time

The Forum of Private Business lobby group has found that London is the worst performing area in the UK for town halls to pay Council suppliers for services and goods. The lobby group stated that it took an average of 20 days to pay Council suppliers in the London area when compared to the national [...]

City Council failed to assess tenders

The Local Government Ombudsman, Mrs Anne Seex, found Liverpool City Council had failed to be fair, open and transparent when awarding a contract contrary to the claims of the Council’s internal audit section. The case, which consisted of an original contract to supply and fit playground apparatus to the sum of £750,000 over 3 years [...]

Councils receive millions in parking fines

During the financial year 2008/09, a total sum of £328 million was collected by local authorities in parking fines in which Westminster Council collected more than £35 million. This information was collected by The Taxpayers’ Alliance through Freedom of Information requests to Councils throughout the UK.  Over 265 Councils employ civil parking enforcement and use [...]

Council Payout to Whistleblower

Ms Pauline Scanlon was awarded £442,466 in compensation for loss of earnings by a tribunal after she was harassed and dismissed for reporting an unadvertised appointment of Human Resources Manager at Redcar and Cleveland Council. Ms Scanlon, 45, was harassed by Council bosses for two years before been sacked after she complained that the job [...]