A Public Scandal

[pensionater]

I don't think Wilcox is the type to go down without taking the rest with her.That's what they are all worried about.Be interesting to see who's the first to jump ship.

[marky]

Pretty damning stuff. A whitewash by any definition.
http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

See that the Mail has also picked up on the WCNE audit.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/concern-over-care-service-1-5786191

[DRiddle]

I notice The Mail aren't allowing comments on their write up.

Coun Cranney said: "I have always known there has never been an issue regarding misappropriation of funds and the finances are always checked and double checked.

"This shows that there is nothing to hide, but there were issues around payslips which was sloppy and new and better systems are in place."

"Never an issue regarding misappropriation of funds"... Aside of course from the iniital awarding of a £680,000 untendered contract to a company started by two serving Labour Councillors, awarded by OTHER serving Labour Councillors.

Aside from that.... evrythings fine. 

Oh and the

"issues around payslips which was sloppy"

, the main 'issue' of course being that largely the payslips didn't exist.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Coun Cranney said: "I have always known there has never been an issue regarding misappropriation of funds and the finances are always checked and double checked.

Is Cranny an independent auditor or somebody that could have benefitted from misappropriation of funds ?

In my eyes he is not qualified to make that statement impartially.

Lack of impartiality, never heard that before ! 

[steveL]

How much weight should be given to the opinions of someone once labelled as 'incompetent' by a Newcastle judge, previously banned from being a Director of any company for five years and WHO has since defaulted on a £100,000+ loan from an organisation set up to provide funding to social enterprises.

Not a lot, I would suggest.

Incidentally, a service level agreement (SLA) covering Payroll is a contract between two organisations whereby one pays the another to provide a payroll service according to agreed criteria. In this case, Cranney claims Who Cares (NE) had a SLA with Manor Residents and presumably, before entering into the agreement, Who Cares(NE) would have checked that MR was capable of delivering such a service to its satisfaction.

We all know what the payroll function was like at MR, so who in their right minds would come to an agreement with MR?

No one. Unless, that is, there were other reasons for doing so, such as it producing a convenient means of transferring money from one to the other.

I think we have reached the point when these clowns are insulting the intelligence of the public and haven't, as yet, cottoned on to the fact that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IS BUYING IT.

". . . and the finances are always checked and double checked." 

Not by a human being; that's for sure - at least no human that hasn't already spent several hours enjoying the décor of a Police interview room.

[for fawkes sake]

I'm beginning to wonder if there is any real point to all of this. Almost daily, we hear of new episodes in this long-running saga. Nothing surprises anyone anymore; we have long since passed that stage.

Now that we have seen the result of Mr Riddle's complaint, is there really anything more to be said? We are observing and commenting on a local authority that is no longer fit for purpose - it really is that simple.

There is now no point is expending yet more energy only to highlight still more sorry instances of false accounting, employment law transgressions and cover-ups. Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt.

What we now need is to find out how to ask the Government to step in and put Hartlepool Borough Council under special measures.

[mk1]

Must seem like Christmas for the Labour Group. Millions in grants to dish out to fellow councillors or pet Radio Stations that  do your bidding and  you get your very own tame accountant to do the paperwork for all the bent firms!
The Mafia could learn a thing or two from our lot.
Wilcox is so stupid. Despite being guaranteed a substantial income for her and her family for life  and a nod to salt away  a nest egg for her retirement she still can not resist bumping the catalogues. With judgement like that it was bound to end in tears.