Green Party
Councillor, Ian Driver, has accused Thanet District Council of behaving like “gangster
style law breakers and rule benders” in
order to cover up a secret deal with Transeuropa Ferries (TEF) which has cost
the council £3.3 million in unpaid bills which is unlikely to be recovered
following TEFs liquidation in April.
Said Driver “over
the past 8 weeks I have made 4 requests to see key documents about the secret
deal with TEF. On each occasion my request has been rejected. My latest request
under the Audit Commission Act 1998 to inspect the Council’s accounts
and documents related to the secret TEF
debt deal has turned into a farce”.
“I asked to inspect and copy a large number of documents
which will help me to establish the truth behind this secret £3.3million debt
deal. However Sarah Martin, the Council’s Financial Services Manager, has told
me that I will not be allowed to copy these documents”.
“Sarah Martin’s
decision is unlawful. Section 15.1 of the Audit Commission Act allows anyone inspecting the Council’s Accounts to take
copies of any or all of the documents inspected. Furthermore the Audit
Commission publication Council Accounts a Guide to your Rights (April 2012)
also makes it clear that I can copy the documents I have asked to
inspect”.
“Most amazing of
all advice published on Thanet Council’s website says I have right to copy the documents I
will inspecting yet Sarah Martin is now saying that even though the Council’s own
guidance says I can take copies of the documents she won’t let me. This is
unbelievable!”.
I can only assume
that this “gangster style” conspiracy
of lawbreaking and rule bending is deliberately
aimed at frustrating my efforts to get to the truth behind the secret £3.3.
million debt deal with TEF which will ultimately be paid for by Thanet Council
tax-payers”.
In August Driver will
be appealing to the Information Commissioner against the Council’s decision to
withhold key TEF debt deal documents from him. If the Commissioner rules in
Driver’s favour he has promised to publish the documents and “let the public of
Thanet decide whether top council officers and Labour and
Conservative political bosses did the right thing by secretly allowing TEF
to run up a debt of f £3.3 million which we will all have to pay for”.
Ends
For more
information contact Ian Driver on 07866588766
Sarah Martin’s
email to Ian Driver
Thank
you for your e-mail and your attached request to inspect a number of the
council's records relating to the Transeuropa debt.I am conscious that the
Account and Audit Regulations give you the right to inspect, but not the right
to make copies. I have therefore considered your request and have commented
below on the information I can let you see in accordance with the regulations,
but must stress that you will not be allowed to take copies of any of the
documents provided for your inspection.
Section 15 of the Audit Commission Act 1998
(1)At each audit
under this Act, other than an audit of accounts of a health service body, any
persons interested may— (a)inspect the accounts to be audited and all books,
deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them, and (b)make
copies of all or any part of the accounts and those other documents
The Audit Commission Council Accounts A Guide to Your
Rights
The
law says you may inspect the accounts to be audited and all ‘books, deeds,
contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts’ relating to them for that financial
year. It also allows you to make copies of all, or any part, of the accounts
and those other documents
Nobody
should try to stop you from inspecting and copying documents, but you must also
always act reasonably.
Thanet Council’s Guidance on copying
documents
From 15 July 2013
to 9 August 2013 between 9.00 am and 4.30 pm each weekday any person may
inspect the accounts of the Council for the year ended 31 March 2013 and
certain related documents (comprising books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers
and receipts) at the address given below. They may also make copies of
the accounts and documents.
Perhaps Driver's previous record proves he cannot be trusted with confidential documents.
ReplyDeleteWhose fault might that be..
I despair!
ReplyDeleteSimon despairs, what of, the crazy coalition led by Clive Hart including Bob Bayford himself and by default the muppets in both the Labour and Conservative party, without any back bone, who maintain the line that they have not been negligent or failing to show the appropriate diligence in protect the council from a multi million pound debt.
ReplyDeleteHad Thanet council been a commercial operation, I dare say that all those senior employees who allowed a debt to spiral out of control, as it clearly did, would have been sacked pronto.
Well done Ian Driver and those honest independent councillors, who still have a moral compass.
Why have McGonigal etc not been sacked already? It reflects badly on all the councillors now. A year or two ago most of them could have claimed ignorance but not now. Too many of them. Too irrelevant. Too many sheep. 3 small town councils would be better and fewer, cheaper, better civil servants.
ReplyDeleteIf Keegan owns SFP or is nominated for the company - and knows Painter form previous work in Portugal etc. Then who is the TDC council, contact to ensure the blueprint changes are made, the development isn't stopped etc?
ReplyDeleteSomebody who knows both Painter and Godden? Fairly senior to ensure the development continues through party changes?
On the FOI point - where are the QEQM NHS mortality rates and weekend/evening statistics now required of all hospitals and surgeons?
ReplyDeleteAnd with Wonga payday loans of 5,000% an issue of concern for the Archbishop of Canterbury surely East Kent should be the first Wonga-Free District? Apparently credit unions are the only(!) UK financial institution with a required rate cap of 26%. All the banks etc can charge what they like- yet Germany and Eire manage with a fixed 10% interest rate cap. The banks could easily take on a credit union role of say 0.5% monthly for loans under £1k.
Why are cigarette sales of so many brands and non-plain packaging still being allowed - smokers are now 20%, the lowest-ever figure. Or sales of strong booze to tramps?
The pensioners have been too busy on corruption deals rather than improving East Kent.
Who would be senior council figures close to Painter/Keegan and Godden? KCC rubber-stamped Manston but not Pleasurama.
ReplyDelete