council officer 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Bungling Council Orders 20 Dead People To Court For Not Paying Council Tax

A local council has been forced to apologise after sending council tax bills and court orders to 20 people who have passed away. The families of the deceased were distraught to receive court summonses addressed to their loved ones – some of whom died 10 years ago. Croydon Council in South London admitted the mistake, [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

How Does Maladministration Warrant A 10% Pay Increase?

I am a grandfather of a disabled child living in West Sussex, a qualified nurse and a qualified health and social care manager. I have for many years been astonished by the quality of social services for children. Two stories from The Argus, when read together, give the people of West Sussex plenty to worry [...]

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 [...]

Barnet Council Loses USB Storage Device Containing Sensitive Data

The Barnet Council has reported that it has lost records of almost 9,000 school children residing in the Borough, following a burglary at the home of a council employee, who had downloaded the sensitive data on an unencrypted USB stick without the knowledge of the superiors. According to a statement released by the council, the [...]