conduct Tag

The Great Inertia Sector: A whistleblower’s account of council work where staff pull six-month sickies

In his emergency Budget this week, Chancellor George Osborne announced he was cutting public sector expenditure by 25 per cent. Unions have declared the cuts irresponsible. But are they? Here, one employee for a large inner London authority lifts the lid on the culture of inertia and incompetence at his workplace. The Mail knows the [...]

North Tyneside guilty of maladministration after barring resident from meetings

The Local Government Ombudsman has found North Tyneside Council guilty of maladministration after it barred a man from council meetings. The Ombudsman, Anne Seex, recommended that the local authority train staff on the public’s right to attend meetings and established public law principles in relation to administrative decision-making. Mr H’s relationship with various representatives of [...]

Is the Council using ‘Big Brother’ spies?

Councils stand accused of the use of covert surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) — designed to tackle terrorism – to tackle petty crimes such as noise nuisance and fly-tipping. But is Rochdale Borough Council doing so? Despite a Freedom of Information request by pressure group Big Brother Watch, Rochdale Borough [...]

Freedom Pass taken off woman with learning disabilities

A woman with learning disabilities has been stripped of her free travel pass after a west London council said that her IQ was too high for her to qualify. Yvonne Chappell, 39, has had a Freedom Pass for 10 years but Hounslow Council turned down her renewal application. The west London council said its ruling [...]

Councillors ‘Misled’ Over Bypass Decision

Burton and Dalby Parish Council used a Freedom of Information request for details used to inform borough councillors on whether to choose the north or south option for the first part of a bypass. Melton Council opted for the northern route which will be funded by 1,000 homes. But in a letter to Lynn Aisbett, [...]

Rossendales, Local Authority And LGO

I’ll try to keep this short. I’ve had to deal with North East Lincolnshire Council and their bailiffs Rosendales over council tax. It has been going on for well over a year due to the FARCE, which is the formal complaints procedure with both the council and later the Local Government Ombudsman. Calling in the [...]

Council Officers Launch Tory Candidate Complaints

Council bosses are investigating a string of sleaze and bad behaviour allegations against four top Tory councillors. KentOnline can reveal the four are facing separate accusations of bullying, kerb-crawling and disreputable behaviour in Medway. A parish councillor in Allhallows has also been accused of illegally witholding information from the public and being rude to one [...]

Council Chief’s Sex Assault Investigation

The chief executive of Conwy County Borough Council is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault, BBC Wales understands. Byron Davies was temporarily relieved of his duties on Friday, following a complaint to North Wales Police. No details of the alleged crime were given at the time. A special meeting of the council appointed an [...]

Complaints made about Councillor’s conduct

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Chief Executive, Mr Tony Curtis, accused the borough’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Philip Heath, of failing to treat his staff with respect following Councillor Heath’s criticism of the manner in which Council staff responded to the recent cold weather. The Council’s Monitoring Officer is in receipt of Mr Curtis’ complaint and [...]

Councillor may face Standards Board investigation

Following his decision to close an emergency meeting within 3 minutes of it starting and without considering the agenda, Councillor Nicholas Turner, Chairman of Tendring District Council, may face a Standards Board for England investigation into his actions. The meeting held on 17 September 2009 included a motion to remove him and the Conservative Group [...]