corrupt Tag

Council theft may be inside job yet no suspects found

INVESTIGATIONS into the mysterious theft of nearly £1,500 from Harrow Civic Centre – which auditors said had an ‘indication of staff involvement’ – have failed to uncover a suspect. Harrow Council had fought to keep the report into the incident confidential, but the Information Commissioner’s Office backed the Observer’s Freedom of Information request and ordered [...]

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 [...]

Three jailed over £1.3m adult learning contracts scam

Three people have been jailed over an adult learning skills contracts scam in Shropshire. Paul Kent, 46, of Telford, admitted receiving about £300,000 in kickbacks from Learning Skills Council contracts worth £1.3m, which he granted to his co-defendants. He was jailed for four and a half years at Birmingham Crown Court. Silinder Singh Sidhu, of [...]

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 [...]

Government Steps In Over Failing Council

The Government will intervene in a local authority after a report identified a series of severe failings, Communities Secretary John Denham said today. The Audit Commission report on Doncaster Council, in South Yorkshire, was ordered after a series of crises at the local authority, including the shocking case of two brothers who were in the [...]

Bristol Parking Meter Repair Man Jailed Over Cash Theft

A parking meter repairer who pocketed £70,000 from machines he worked on has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Arthur Blay, of Blackwood, Caerphilly, operated the scam from 2002 to 2008 while employed by Bristol City Council. The 48-year-old was caught when investigators marked coins with a liquid which is only visible under ultra-violet light. His [...]

Corruption Probe Councillor Steps Down From Planning Role

A COUNCILLOR at the centre of a planning corruption probe by police has resigned from several positions he held at the local authority. Action to Save St John’s Hospital Councillor Gordon Beurskens, (47), and his business associate Peter McMahon, (60), were charged last week with alleged offences under the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act. Both [...]

4 Council employees cautioned for money theft

After a theft of £1400 from a council run scheme, police cautioned four Peterborough City Council employees. Three employees have since resigned. Following an internal investigation by the Council which discovered £1400 from the sale of scrap metal from the Council’s disabled work scheme located in premises in Royce Road, Eastfield, Peterborough had not been [...]

Council Officer stole taxpayers money

A Council Officer pleaded guilty at Magistrates Court to charges of theft of more that £13,000 of Council Taxpayers money. Abigail Clement, 31, from Middle St George near Darlington, processed 125 counterfeit transactions to obtain the money whilst working in Darlington Borough Council’s Public Protection Division. After the Council discovered irregular transactions, Clement resigned after [...]