injustice Tag

Bailiffs turns up at pensioner’s house despite parking ticket being quashed

A PENSIONER who was told her parking ticket had been quashed by council chiefs has been left shaken after a bailiff turned up on her doorstep to demand more than £200. Elizabeth Hughes, 69, from Anglesey, had already endured “months of hell” after a mix-up over a £30 parking ticket she received at Llandudno’s Venue [...]

Eastleigh council found guilty of maladministration

A HAMPSHIRE council has been found guilty of maladministration causing injustice after it withdrew travel tokens for the elderly and disabled. An ombudsman report states Eastleigh Borough Council axed the scheme without proper consultation or assessment and did not deal with complaints properly. Until the concession was cancelled travel tokens could be taken instead of [...]

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 [...]

Cut these greedy pen pushers and free the nation

THE recently departed Labour Government left an appalling legacy. Endemic waste and mismanagement have almost bankrupted the public finances. As the former Chief Secretary Liam Byrne breezily confess ed on his departure from the Treasury last month after his party’s long reign of profligacy: “There’s no money left.” A key part of this spendthrift culture [...]

Colchester Council is told: Hand over Vaf info – or else

COLCHESTER Council has been ordered – on pain of prosecution – to release secret papers about the building of the town’s controversial new arts facility. The Government’s official information watchdog has severely criticised the council for trying to keep private information about the unfinished and hugely over-budget Visual Arts Facility. An investigation by the Information [...]

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 [...]

Pensioner slams council for parking fine anguish

A PENSIONER claims she endured months of hell because of a mix-up over a parking fine. Conwy County Council chiefs threatened to send the bailiffs round to the home of widow Elizabeth Hughes, 69, from Anglesey, after she failed to pay a £30 parking ticket. Mrs Hughes wrote two letters appealing the ticket, which she [...]

Harlow Council Compensates Woman For Leak Fix Delay

An Essex council has paid £4,500 compensation after a report found its delay in fixing a leak in a bedroom had a “negative impact” on a family’s life. Harlow Council’s 18-month delay meant the complainant’s daughter had to share a bed with her, sleep on a sofa or stay with friends. A report by a [...]

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 [...]

Warwickshire County Council Rapped Over ‘Flawed’ School Admissions Appeal

EDUCATION officials have been found guilty of maladministration after conducting a “flawed” school admission appeal. A mum complained to the local government watchdog after a Warwickshire County Council appeal panel ruled a primary school was too full for her daughter. The Local Government Ombudsman found the hearing lasted just five minutes and that notes were [...]