Archive for December, 2009

Council failed to consult resident over hedgerow removal

A Huddersfield homeowner returned from work to find a hedgerow adjacent to his home had been removed without his knowledge. All that remains of the mixed species hedge next to Mr Gary Smith’s home in Liversedge are stumps. Mr Smith claims the hedge had provided privacy for his home and was source of security against [...]

Council awards employees whilst cutting services

During the past 3 years, Wolverhampton City Council has spent over £125K of Council Taxpayers money on award ceremonies for Council employees. The huge sum of money was used to hire ceremony venues, catering staff and the purchase of trophy prizes and gift vouchers at a time when the Council is drastically reducing services to [...]

Council Taxpayers face fixed penalties for excess Christmas rubbish

Council Taxpayers in Northampton are incensed with their Council’s warning that any resident who leaves out too much refuse over the Christmas holidays may be fined for fly tipping. Householders, some of whom who will not have their refuse collected for several weeks, may face fines of £100 if surplus rubbish is left outside of [...]

Councillors breach conduct code over planning application

A tribunal established that a Councillor’s actions could be regarded as likely to compromise the impartiality of Council Officers. Deputy Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Patrick Joyce, was found guilty of breaching the Council’s Members Code of Conduct when making deliberation on a planning application sought by Ms Anne Bishop, who is also [...]

Council threatened mum over charity bags

Durham County Council officials warned a mother of two that charity bags left in her garden could have faced prosecution after they claimed the bags were refuse and an eyesore. Two community wardens arrived at Ms Michelle Devine’s home in Peterlee and told her that 4 charity bags for ‘We Save The Children’ left on [...]

Council dealt with complaints in secrecy

During the past five years Bournemouth Council have dealt with, in secrecy, 28 complaints of misconduct against Councillors, which included allegations of bullying, improper comments to female employees and appearing to be intoxicated. However, other Councillors have become infuriated with the Council’s Chief Executive’s action to consider and determine complaints in private including that of [...]

Council guilty of planning application maladministration

The Local Government Ombudsman found Chorley Council guilty of maladministration following breaches of planning rules whilst determining an application for planning permission in Lever Park, near Rissington. Following complaints by the Friends of Lever Park Group, the Ombudsman discovered the application for the Go Ape activity centre was the subject of six individual instances of [...]

Council Officer stole disabled parking permit for free parking

A blue badge parking permit was stolen by a Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Officer who then fraudulently used the badge to obtain free car parking. The badge was originally returned to the Council after the user, a disabled person, died.  However, Choudhury Mohammed Shahran abused his position at the Council’s customer services department by stealing [...]

Council bailiffs wrongly threaten action against elderly gentleman

Local Councillors and family members stepped in to prevent South Oxfordshire District Council bailiffs from threatening to take debt recovery action against 80-year-old Mr Dennis Reeves. Mr Reeves was pursued for Council Tax arrears of £435 by the Council’s bailiffs, Capita, but it was later discovered, after the intervention of Councillors and his family, that [...]

Council was aware about Icelandic bank risk

Caerphilly Council was warned by its financial advisers that £15million of Council Taxpayers money invested in an Icelandic bank was at risk months before the collapse of the bank. In May 2008, Sector, who were treasury management experts for the Council advised them that Landsbanki could lose its ‘A’ credit rating and therefore possibly downgrade [...]