NEWS & CCR-DIRECTORY CCR-PS
LGO: COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE REVIEW
DURHAM County Council has been asked by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) to review the way it deals with staff misconduct complaints after a man claimed he was ‘gazumped’ by a building control officer following an official site visit. The man was in the process of buying
a plot of land and contacted the building control officer to ask for advice about regulations in relation to a soakaway on the plot. Some months later the officer made an official visit and was asked by the owner if he wanted to buy the land. During an interview with the LGO the
officer said he was told the original buyer had offered over the asking price. His higher offer was accepted by the owners. The officer did not tell his manager
that he was continuing to act as building control officer for the land in which he now had financial and personal interest. The original buyer complained to the
council that the officer had ‘gazumped’ him and his complaint was passed on to a senior manager. But the man was not contacted to check he had sent in all the information he wanted to be considered.
The officer gave a statement which
included an unfounded allegation and inappropriate comments about the original buyer, but the man was not sent a copy of this statement and had no opportunity to rebut the officer’s allegations. The manager ended his investigation
with a 30 minute meeting with the officer, but there are no notes or any record of the meeting. However, based on this meeting the manager decided that there was no breach of the council’s code of conduct, despite the officer admitting he had acted as building control officer for eight weeks after his offer was accepted, in direct breach of the council’s own code of conduct for employees. Dr Jane Martin, local government
ombudsman, said: “People’s trust in public services is damaged when agreed codes of conduct are not followed. This trust is further eroded if allegations are not investigated in an open, transparent and effective manner.” The LGO advised the council to review
the process by which it investigates complaints of serious misconduct against its officers to ensure it responds properly.
CCR-DIRECTORY ENFORCEMENT
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8
www.CCR-PublicSector.com June 2015
‘MISLEADING’ REPORT CLAIMS
THE Local Government Association (LGA) has hit back at a report from the TaxPayers’ Alliance into council assets, claiming that the criticism is “misleading”. An LGA spokesman said: “This is yet
another misleading report from the Taxpayers’ Alliance. Councils are banned from spending the money they make from selling their assets to pay for day-to-day services. Assets fund regeneration, housing and jobs for communities, improve the quality of life for residents and help keep down Council Tax. “Many assets were built as part of
housing developments and are integral to providing the essential shops and amenities communities rely on. In many cases, councils will own the land facilities are built on, not the facilities themselves. “Councils are constantly reviewing
their estates to ensure they are getting value for money for local tax payers.” Between 2009-2010 and 2014-2015,
local authority spending has been cut by 23.4% per person in real terms. With growing populations, reductions in central government grants in many areas, and a cap on Council Tax increases, many councils are reducing services. However, a number retain significant property assets.
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