For Info:
Available now to view on line at http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk (http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk)
or you can download the report in Microsoft Word format:
http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/files/hartlepool peer review final report.doc (http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/files/hartlepool%20peer%20review%20final%20report.doc)
I've sat and read through the whole of this report and there is only one conclusion I could come to and that is that the whole council should now resign.
The Local Government Organisation is made up of insiders' and it's obvious that they have tried their best to wrap up their report with platitudes like pretty Christmas paper but inside the box there is what amounts to a very damning report. My impression is that the Peer Group has been thoroughly shocked at what they have found.
It will be interesting to see what The Mail makes of it.
TT, without reading it what did it indicate ?
I noticed a blatant disregard to declarations of assetts.
how about this one?
". . . lots of people spoke to us about what they see as the significant 'power' that lies within the overview and scrutiny function – when, legally, this function has no decision-making power. "
". . . lots of people spoke to us about what they see as the significant 'power' that lies within the overview and scrutiny function – when, legally, this function has no decision-making power.......
Yes marky, I spotted that too.
I wonder what the chief solicitor will do about that?
He is failing in his due diligence with regard to monitoring just where and how these vast sums of money end up (in excess of millions ££££££££s) and why they got the 'power' to award them. :o
The Peer Review comments give him the ammo to face up to what has been going on....or will he look the other way? :-X
The points raised here are all valid reasons for HTH members to pose those questions at a full council meeting.
But the 1 real opportunity fir us to get our points across are by way of the 2 supplementary questions...
Those need to thought out carefully beforehand....most of the time we get fobbed off with neaningless answers to the 1 st question...
They try to belittle members of the public & that does put people off bothering.
BUT......... this is a MAJOR opportunity for HTH members to contribute to a more open..transparent & accountable Hartlepool Council...
The question i ask myself us this.......... HOW MANY WILL BOTHER TO STAND UP & BE COUNTED.....
*Raises hand*
but the next meeting is not until Dec 6th, well after the referendum and the stock answer will be that 'we can't really answer that until the new way of running things has been decided'
This would not be a good time for Labour to get rid of the mayoral system. The local Labour group have always been a free spending group and will always do the ostrich thing when it comes to saving money. With a £20m deficit to deal with, I would expect them to duck reality big time. One of the first things they will do is to turn down the terms of the Government's 2% limit on council tax rises next year and serve us all with a massive increase - which won't help those on benefits set to soon find themselves with partial council tax payments to find for the first time.