Special meeting of full council called over whistle-blower investigations (From Wirral Globe)
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Special meeting of full council called over whistle-blower investigations
10:20am Monday 9th January 2012 in News By Leigh Marles
THE FULL extent of allegations made by whistle-blowers of alleged malpractice by Wirral Council is to be revealed.
The authority has taken the unusual step of convening a special meeting of the full council to consider the implications of two major inquiries.
Council leader Steve Foulkes has called for all 66 members of the authority to be summoned to the town hall after February's cabinet meeting when the results of the two investigations will be made public for the first time.
The first concerns a report from independent consultant Anna Klonowski into claims made by former employee Martin Morton about adult social services.
Mr Morton first raised his concerns about a so-called “special charging policy” of vulnerable adults to the Wirral Globe in 2008.
A preliminary "Corporate Governance" review by Klonowski was revealed late last year and rocked the council.
The £250,000, six-month investigation found a "corrosive and insular" culture had all-but overwhelmed the authority, saying it puts its own bureaucratic machinations before the needs and rights of Wirral people.
The second is the Audit Commission report into the authority’s highways maintenance contract.
In October of last year, the Globe exclusively revealed that Birkenhead MP Frank Field had called on the Serious Fraud Office to investigate the handling of the contract.
The UK investigation agency was asked to step in following allegations made to Mr Field by a group of council whistle-blowers.
Local government watchdog the District Auditor has now produced a report into the £8m highways contract.
Councillor Foulkes said: “I believe it is very important for the council to be as open and transparent as possible.
"It is vitally important that the council recognises any past or present failings and takes action to prevent them happening again.
“These reports will look at claims made by whistle-blowers and make recommendations to the council.
"I believe it is essential that the reports are published in full, and that they are debated in full by the whole council.
“If they are critical, then we should view those criticisms constructively and use them to move forward and change things for the better”
Comments(28)
ArdalMcFardle
says...
10:33am Mon 9 Jan 12
PaulCa
says...
10:58am Mon 9 Jan 12
The same rogues are still in situ, and we, the Wirral public and taxpayers won't be happy until we see proper accountability ie. abusers parted from their lucrative jobs or their positions as members on scrutiny committees.
This nightmayor has to END.
WirralAl
says...
12:00pm Mon 9 Jan 12
They should publish the report on the web so that we can all see it.
How can the leader who let it happen be allowed to chair a meeting when he allowed it all to happen!
It is some progress but smells really badly of "bureaucratic machinations" and "corrosive and insular" culture being allowed to judge themselves. Bad smell ! Bull ****ters who we elected!
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
1:07pm Mon 9 Jan 12
It will be chaired by the Mayor - Cllr Moria McLaughlin.
Spiffy
says...
1:17pm Mon 9 Jan 12
...
Unusual, you say ? Arrogant, I say. It should be for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide.
Leigh Marles
says...
1:38pm Mon 9 Jan 12
A communication from Labour said the date of the special council is to be set for "the Monday following the cabinet meeting which makes recommendations on action to be taken in response to these reports."
But I have since learned this refers not to this month's cabinet meeting, but the one scheduled for February.
Sorry for the confusion.
Leigh Marles.
Spiffy
says...
1:49pm Mon 9 Jan 12
Leigh Marles wrote:A typically convoluted and ridiculously aversionary statement from labour...they couldn't just look at the calendar and specify the date then, Leigh...no wonder you're confused (and forgiven) !
Apologies - I've got the wrong date for this special meeting.
A communication from Labour said the date of the special council is to be set for "the Monday following the cabinet meeting which makes recommendations on action to be taken in response to these reports."
But I have since learned this refers not to this month's cabinet meeting, but the one scheduled for February.
Sorry for the confusion.
Leigh Marles.
PaulCa
says...
1:57pm Mon 9 Jan 12
Can such a situation be PERMITTED?
The financial element to this abuse amounted to £500,000 - a figure that has been refuted by the council, which has since imposed an unlawful retrospective charging policy. This amounted to a so-called "reimbursement" of only half the amount. This caused the DWP to treat any money paid back as 'windfalls' - clobbering surviving tenants' benefits, which in turn has added to the distress and compounded the abuse.
Abusers CAN'T investigate themselves or fellow abusers. Heads now need to roll. We expect nothing less.
johnbrace
says...
2:09pm Mon 9 Jan 12
"They should publish the report on the web so that we can all see it. "
If it's part of the Cabinet meeting, it should get published on Wirral Council's website a week before the meeting, which would be the 26th January...
Cheesy Peas
says...
2:17pm Mon 9 Jan 12
It's listed for January 25/26 and involves SIL claiming its owed £3m by WBC.
SIL was looking after vulnerable adults on behalf of WBC - vulnerable people being, of course, in the charge of the Department for Adult Social Services.
Strange that we've heard nothing of this so far. Surely it can't be that the Wirral Council doesn't want us to know?
Not in this new world where they want to keep everything honest and open?
Oh, and you can't influence a High Court judge, so there is precisely nothing prejudicial in this comment.
ArdalMcFardle
says...
3:00pm Mon 9 Jan 12
This is the same Moria McLaughlin who happily chirped on twitter 08/12/11 "I'm off to the Adult Social Services staff awards this afternoon "
http://is.gd/cEz6Qq
Excuse me if this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence
johnbrace
says...
3:07pm Mon 9 Jan 12
Spiffy wrote:Sadly it's only up to the police and Crown Prosecution Service for criminal matters.
"The authority has taken the unusual step of convening a special meeting of the full council to consider the implications of two major inquiries. "
...
Unusual, you say ? Arrogant, I say. It should be for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide.
Disability discrimination is a civil matter generally for the County Courts. With most government agencies being able to afford thousands for barristers to get them off the hook, the scales of justice aren't exactly fairly balanced between the two sides as legal aid isn't usually offered for cases that although they may have merit in deciding matters in the public interest are hard to win.
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
3:29pm Mon 9 Jan 12
I have a gut feeling we might have a new Mayor (as a result of resignation) before this comes up to full Council, in which case there will be no conflict of interest.
JADEE1
says...
3:37pm Mon 9 Jan 12
unbeleivable
says...
3:38pm Mon 9 Jan 12
JADEE1
says...
4:01pm Mon 9 Jan 12
Spiffy
says...
9:42pm Mon 9 Jan 12
johnbrace wrote:I take your point and thank you for the information but Fraud is a Criminal Offence and applies to both matter under inquiry.
Spiffy wrote:Sadly it's only up to the police and Crown Prosecution Service for criminal matters.
"The authority has taken the unusual step of convening a special meeting of the full council to consider the implications of two major inquiries. "
...
Unusual, you say ? Arrogant, I say. It should be for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide.
Disability discrimination is a civil matter generally for the County Courts. With most government agencies being able to afford thousands for barristers to get them off the hook, the scales of justice aren't exactly fairly balanced between the two sides as legal aid isn't usually offered for cases that although they may have merit in deciding matters in the public interest are hard to win.
...
What is Frank Field waiting for ??
Spiffy
says...
9:48pm Mon 9 Jan 12
...
To overcharge them....even if only on that basis alone and never mind anything else...is Extortion and Theft.
...
I'm pretty sure Police and CPS could find a fair few criminal charges in there to conjure with ....given the chance. :/
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
6:58am Tue 10 Jan 12
I haven't because I don't know the detail, but it is obvious from the sophistication of some messages that others are in a position to do so, but don't?
Why wait for Frank?
Spiffy
says...
10:52am Tue 10 Jan 12
Ben Beaconsfield wrote:A fair point but...without getting too technical about it and just one consideration must be...it doesn't make any financial sense for taxpayers to pay twice over at this point for separate inquiries and investigations.
How many posters have actually complained to the police over this matter, as is their right as council tax payers?
I haven't because I don't know the detail, but it is obvious from the sophistication of some messages that others are in a position to do so, but don't?
Why wait for Frank?
hugo2008
says...
10:57am Tue 10 Jan 12
It is we who have paid, not only for the reports to be carried out, but the costs and expenses of all the Councillors and Council officers, involved in the whole disgraceful mess.
Plus paying off a few expensive past employees who were also deeply involved, and that includes the original whistle blower himself, he at least is the only individual to emerge with clean hands, from this terrible disgraceful and tragic misuse of power and privilege.
It is the whole of the Wirral Borough Council and Councillors Plus our so called local Members of Parliament, who have brought the name of Wirral and Social Services into such deep abiding disgrace and distaste on a National Basis.
PaulCa
says...
11:42am Tue 10 Jan 12
Only ONE of the 66, Simon Mountney, has been instrumental in getting the public interest to where it stands today, in the teeth of some pretty foul, disgraceful and bordering on criminal conduct.
As for going to the police. They don't want to know. It's a kind of 'democratic deficit' that exists nationally. They see the local council as 'unassailable' - plus a lot more trouble than it's worth - hence the freedom for local politicians to do what the hell they like, which in the case of Wirral, involved 7 years and more of disabled abuse, theft from people's bank accounts and disability discrimination.
And it doesn't end there... there is a LOT more.
red devil
says...
2:28pm Tue 10 Jan 12
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
3:34pm Tue 10 Jan 12
How do you know the police don't want to know? Are you speaking from personal experience or just second-guessing them?
You say "It doesn't end there - there is a LOT more".
OK. I take what you say at face value. But don't you feel you have a moral obligation to tell the police what you know, rather than just paint a broad-brush picture to readers of this forum?
hugo2008
says...
3:38pm Tue 10 Jan 12
This is council business, dirty as it is with underhand deceitful council handling, cover up, and downright disregard for the wishes of the electorate.
Otherwise the report would have been out in the open where it rightfully belongs.
it is to detriment and sheer diabolical shame that only one elected Councillor had the guts and determination to try and be an honest fair citizen, with some respect and regard for his fellow disadvantaged and disabled mankind.
Please remember this at election time and do not under any circumstances re-elect any of the waste of space parasites who stood by and allowed this utterly disgraceful situation to happen and develop into a National Scandal
LocaLGovwatcher
says...
10:33am Wed 11 Jan 12
Roll on the meeting!
hugo2008
says...
9:32pm Thu 12 Jan 12
9:22pm Thu 12 Jan 12
Hey fellow posters,
I call on you all to express your appreciation and respect for the Editor, and Staff at Wirral Globe, for sticking with this disgraceful issue through thick and thin, like Martin Morton they have been completely vindicated.
Thanks Leigh for standing firm for truth and honesty, together with fair play you have done Journalism proud.
Ben Beaconsfield says...
9:42am Mon 9 Jan 12
Commendable, Cllr Foulkes. Now without wishing to pour cold water on your efforts in this respect, can we have a cast-iron guarantee that at no time during this session of the Council will members of the public be asked to leave the meeting?