TPA Activist Mike Schofield has revealed to us some real dodgy goings on down in Hampshire. Over half the councillors who appointed Hampshire County Council’s new Chief Executive (on a salary of £199,000 taxpayer pounds a year) didn’t read the report recommending that he face disciplinary action.
A three month investigation by district auditor Stephen Taylor into HCC’s new Chief Executive Andrew Smith exposed “how council and EU rules were broken when £1.2m of council taxpayers' money was spent on IT consultants for the county council's planned Fareham call centre without contracts being put out to tender.”
If this wasn’t bad enough the council have defended their decision because Mr. Smith’s alleged misconduct was “at the lower end of the scale”. That says it all!
To the rest of the country, you break a rule you face the consequences. But to HCC there are variations of misconduct, some worthy of probing and disciplinary action, and others not. To us mere taxpayers it seems HCC will only act when it’s in their interest and when it's not they come out with all sorts of nonsense just to defend themselves.
Mike said of this incident, “I think it is very poor councillors voted to appoint Mr Smith without knowing the full facts. What other reports don’t they read?”
Too true, Mike, too true…which is exactly why we have to expose this. If councillors show such a lackadaisical attitude to an appointment that costs taxpayers at least £199,000 (not including operating costs of the Chief Executives Office or his gold-plated public sector pension) what else are they signing off on without giving due consideration for? So please write to the following and tell Hampshire’s taxpayers that their elected representatives aren’t taking their responsibilities seriously:
Letters Editor
The Hampshire Chronicle
Staple House,
Staple Gardens,
Winchester,
Hampshire,
SO23 8SR,
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]
Letters Editor
The Southern Daily Echo
Newspaper House
Test Lane
Redbridge
Southampton
Hampshire
SO16 9JX
Send letter via Website: http://devel.dailyecho.co.uk/contactus/letters/
Letters Editor
Basingstoke Gazette
Send letter via Website: http://devel.basingstokegazette.co.uk/contactus/sendletter/
Keep up the excellent work everyone. It’s up to us to hold these politicians to account!