Council
Councils told to think before selling off property
24 Mar 10 14:08 Filed in: Business | Business-walsall
Councils told to think before selling off property
Business Desk 23 Mar 10
Local authorities struggling to balance their books need to think carefully about their estate strategies as they look to control costs, property consultant GVA Grimley has said. Grimleys said many councils might be tempted to sell-off land in an attempt to stop services from being cut. However, it said that as land prices had fallen so severely during recession, the policy might not be the best in terms of delivering value to council tax payers.
GVA Grimley Home
Blog comment: Do you want any cash back? by @ThePlasticHippo
24 Mar 10 01:25 Filed in: Comment | Comment-Walsall
Do you want any cash back?
The Plastic Hippo 24 Mar 10
The hippo must offer a humble apology to the unfortunate people held up in the checkout queue at Morrisons today. It is hard enough to manoeuvre a disability scooter or shopping trolley occupied by a wailing child through the groves of “value” lager and oven chips and the last thing consumers need is a two tonne semi-aquatic quadruped lumbering down the cake and pastries aisle and then holding up the checkout queue...
Adam Lumley The YamYam 22 Mar 10 ‘Major deficiencies’ in the council costs Walsall £2.5million
Express & Star 22 Mar 10 Fury at £2.5m cash blunder
Express & Star 20 Mar 10 Bumper pay boost for Walsall Council boss
Business Desk 15 Mar 10 Councils warned of new accounting practices
The YamYam 10 Mar 10 Walsall Council accounting cock-up
Walsall Council Cabinet report 18 Nov Walsall Council Governance Audit Report PDF
Express & Star 29 Oct 09 Highways manager blames departure on Walsall Council
YamYam 17 Nov Council discrimination decision due in weeks
YamYam 15 Nov Audit: Walsall Council could do better
Express & Star 7July 09 (am) Whistleblower in row over EU cash crisis
BrownhillsBob 7 Jul That's alright then, it was that other bloke's fault
BrownhillsBob 30 Jun Lost property - can you help?
Express & Star 29 Jun Council must pay back up to £4m
Advertiser 25 Jun 09 Misspending legacy lingers on
Advertiser 18 Jun 09 Council cleared over £42m spending
E&S 13 Jun Council get all clear in police & CPS probe
B'ham Post 14 May 08 Council surveyor life threatened over bungs (Kemp: on-going)
TheyWorkforYou 7 Mar 08 Walsall Council Hansard debate (Francis, Parish, Kemp, McDonald)
Blog Bob Piper 17 Sep 07 What Walsall did to him (Francis)
Audit Commission 11 Sep 07 Range of failings led to payout (Francis)
Blog Bob Piper 6 Sep 07 Walsall cover-up
Blog Bob Piper 6 Sep 07 Report to blast Tory Council
Personnel Today 26 Jan 07 Out-of-court settlement for worker sacked by fax (McDonald)
Express & Star 23 Jan 07 Fax sacking woman wins cash (McDonald)
B'ham Post 6 Dec 06 Whistleblower's £650k payout (Francis)
Walsall Council 5 Dec 06 Council agrees settlement (Francis)
B'ham Post 25 May 06 Walsall pays out after sacking (Francis)
Blog Peter Francis What Walsall did to me (Francis)
Walsall Council Audit Committee Grant Thornton Report
Grant Thornton Home
Walsall Sunday parking fees top £12,000
22 Mar 10 18:13 Filed in: News | News-Walsall
Walsall Sunday parking fees top £12,000
Express & Star 22 Mar 10
Sunday parking charges in Walsall town centre have raised about £12,000 in six months. Walsall Council said introducing fees on a Sunday would go towards car park maintenance...
Express & Star 1 Mar 10 £500,000 is raised from Walsall driver fines
The YamYam 31 Jan 10 Walsall disabled parking move blunder
The YamYam 23 Jan 10 Parking by phone in Walsall plans ditched
Express & Star 4 Jan 10 Willenhall councillor calls for parking crackdown
Advertiser 17 Dec 09 Councillors see red in bid to cut Walsall road congestion
Walsall Council 15 Dec Parking clampdown on schools planned
Walsall Advertiser 15 Dec Palfrey & Caldmore target illegal parking
Express & Star 7 Dec Walsall parking fees rise to bring in £170k
YamYam 25 Nov Walsall drivers pay £95k in parking fines
Tax Payers Alliance 24 Nov TPA exposes £328 million parkiing fines council cash cow
Express & Star 24 Nov Parking fines pull in £6.5 million
Express & Star 21 Nov Driveway parking ban will see drivers fined
Express & Star 16 Nov On-street Walsall parking fees may be imposed
YamYam 6 Oct Council raises £720,000 from parking tickets
The YamYam 2 Oct Alumwell parking misery continues after crackdown
Advertiser 21 Sep Walsall parking crackdown hailed as big success
Advertiser 27 Aug Crackdown on illegal Walsall parking
B'ham Mail 24 Aug Safetynet launched to catch illegal Walsall parkers
BBC News 22 Aug Police target illegal car parking in Walsall
Express & Star 15 Aug Walsall's Sunday parking charges revealed
Express & Star 8 Aug Walsall Sunday car park charges to be unveiled
Express & Star 8 Aug Council 'need' more parking wardens
B'ham Mail 4 Aug Walsall parking restrictions scare off Great Barr shoppers
Express & Star 27 Jul Walsall parking wardens attacked for fines
Express & Star 6 Jul Sunday parking fees soon
Blog Walsallparking Have your say here
Walsall Advertiser 26 May Plan to target 'school run' parking
Walsall Advertiser 14 May Council 'positive' as 78 a day fined for parking
Walsall Advertiser 6 May Walsall car parking charges set to soar
The Guardian 5 May Milking the motorist: it's parking fines, not speeding
Express & Star 28 Apr Parking fees to increase by third
The Guardian 21 Apr Councils cash in on parking
Blog Walsallparking 27 Apr Empty long stay car parks
Blog Walsallparking 27 Apr Thank you Walsall
Blog Walsallparking 25 Apr Freer Street parking
Walsall Council 25 Apr Charges 'fair & reasonable'
Walsallparking Blog 25 Apr Blog calls for views
Walsall Advertiser 9 Apr Parking fines hit Walsall shops
Express & Star 1 Apr 09 Traders fear worst over parking blitz
Walsall Council PR 19 Mar No Foolsday for parkers
‘Major deficiencies’ in the council costs Walsall £2.5million
22 Mar 10 02:15 Filed in: News | News-Walsall
‘Major deficiencies’ in the council costs Walsall £2.5million
Adam Lumley The YamYam 22 Mar 10
An independent inquiry has blasted Walsall Council as lacking the “capacity and competence” to manage European funding intended to regenerate communities in Walsall. The mismanagement of European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund grants has resulted in council tax payers in the borough footing a £2.5million bill.
A report by independent auditors Grant Thornton highlights the fact that under normal circumstances, the council should have acted as an intermediary between third sector organisations providing community projects and the Government Office of the West Midlands and would not normally be exposed to financial risk. However, a lack of adequate accounting, audit trails and risk management has led to the cash-strapped council paying back £2.5million out of a total of £3.2million in European Union funding.
The report, due to go before the council Audit Committee on Wednesday describes “major deficiencies” in the way that Walsall Council administered the funding scheme between 2003 and 2009 and quotes the Government Office of the West Midlands who, following an inspection last August, found that the council management and control systems were “inadequate” and that the overall position was “wholly unsatisfactory”.
A lack of transparency, ineffectual communication and a reluctance to undergo meaningful scrutiny resulted in the Government Office of the West Midlands threatening to fine the council in addition to claiming back the full £3.2million grant. In light of its findings, the report recommends that the council should now “undertake a review of all other major grant funding streams”.
The inquiry team from Grant Thornton interviewed a number of councillors and current and former council employees involved in the debacle, including current Chief Executive Paul Sheehan, Council Leader Mike Bird and former head of programme management Peter Francis. Annie Shepherd, the Chief Executive of Walsall Council at the time of the scandal, did not appear before the inquiry.
Peter Francis alerted council bosses of his concerns regarding the management of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund action plan within two weeks of being appointed. He was subsequently suspended and then sacked by the council. He later successfully claimed against unfair dismissal and was awarded £650,000 in compensation. In July last year, Council Leader Mike Bird implied that it was Mr Francis who was responsible for the funding crisis over a number of years even though the officer was only in post for nine months before his removal. The Thornton inquiry glosses over the affair, stating: “This report does not address these historical issues as the matter is outside of our scope.”
Annie Shepherd left Walsall Council in 2006 as an investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service and the City of London Police into financial irregularities was beginning. The investigation resulted in the finding that there was no evidence of criminal activity within the council. Ms Shepherd is now Chief Executive of Southwark Council.
Current Chief executive Paul Sheehan said: "We have just received what is a very comprehensive report into a number of important issues going back to 2000. "We will now consider the full implications of the report before taking appropriate action. It is essential that we respond to any weaknesses in the Council’s processes in order to avoid any repetition in the future."
The Audit Committee, which meets on Wednesday, will have to consider the findings of the inquiry and pass on its recommendations to full council. However, as the Grant Thornton report points out, the Audit Committee “has the overall responsibility for ensuring the Council risk management arrangements are sound and effective” and so, as the overseer and vital watchdog of financial dealings with both Westminster and European funding, the committee has failed and, in reality, be in a position to judge itself.
No disciplinary action against officers who remain in service with the Local Authority has been announced and, as yet, no councillors responsible for the mess have offered their resignations.
Express & Star 22 Mar 10 Fury at £2.5m cash blunder
Express & Star 20 Mar 10 Bumper pay boost for Walsall Council boss
Business Desk 15 Mar 10 Councils warned of new accounting practices
The YamYam 10 Mar 10 Walsall Council accounting cock-up
Walsall Council Cabinet report 18 Nov Walsall Council Governance Audit Report PDF
Express & Star 29 Oct 09 Highways manager blames departure on Walsall Council
YamYam 17 Nov Council discrimination decision due in weeks
YamYam 15 Nov Audit: Walsall Council could do better
Express & Star 7July 09 (am) Whistleblower in row over EU cash crisis
BrownhillsBob 7 Jul That's alright then, it was that other bloke's fault
BrownhillsBob 30 Jun Lost property - can you help?
Express & Star 29 Jun Council must pay back up to £4m
Advertiser 25 Jun 09 Misspending legacy lingers on
Advertiser 18 Jun 09 Council cleared over £42m spending
E&S 13 Jun Council get all clear in police & CPS probe
B'ham Post 14 May 08 Council surveyor life threatened over bungs (Kemp: on-going)
TheyWorkforYou 7 Mar 08 Walsall Council Hansard debate (Francis, Parish, Kemp, McDonald)
Blog Bob Piper 17 Sep 07 What Walsall did to him (Francis)
Audit Commission 11 Sep 07 Range of failings led to payout (Francis)
Blog Bob Piper 6 Sep 07 Walsall cover-up
Blog Bob Piper 6 Sep 07 Report to blast Tory Council
Personnel Today 26 Jan 07 Out-of-court settlement for worker sacked by fax (McDonald)
Express & Star 23 Jan 07 Fax sacking woman wins cash (McDonald)
B'ham Post 6 Dec 06 Whistleblower's £650k payout (Francis)
Walsall Council 5 Dec 06 Council agrees settlement (Francis)
B'ham Post 25 May 06 Walsall pays out after sacking (Francis)
Blog Peter Francis What Walsall did to me (Francis)
Walsall Council Audit Committee Grant Thornton Report
Grant Thornton Home
Bumper pay boost for Walsall Council boss
20 Mar 10 14:25 Filed in: News | News-Walsall
Bumper pay boost for Walsall Council boss
Express & Star 20 Mar 10
Topping the Black Country salary league is Walsall’s chief executive Paul Sheehan whose wages have risen by 16 per cent to £189,533 since 2008. Walsall Council leader Mike Bird insisted the role of its chief executive required a unique range of skills and experience that commanded a high wage. Lichfield District Council boss Nina Dawes is paid £96,906 and she took a wage freeze last year...
The YamYam 27 Feb 10 Walsall council tax rise approved
Express & Star 9 Sep 09 Cash crisis at Walsall Council
YamYam 29 Aug Walsall Council care budget slashed
Express & Star 17 Aug Walsall Council's £2.25m consultant bill attacked
Express & Star 13 Aug Council to cut £10m agency bill
BrownhillsBob 4 Jul Blogger apologises to Walsall Council boss
Express & Star 3 Jul 300 council staff earn over £50k
Express & Star 25 Jun Walsall Council jobs toll at 470
Express & Star 24 Jun Council pension deficit of £268m
Tax Payers Alliance Town Hall Rich list 2008 (pdf)
Walsall Council internal magazine Team Spirit
Twitter Paul Sheehan