A very active Facebook page, ‘The Blyth Debating Group’ have been
monitoring information slipped out from the ‘Secret Council’ at County Hall in
Morpeth, unearthing information that is rattling the recently exposed by
Government inspector Mr Max Caller Council whose report is a damning indictment
of the dark happenings and nefarious decision making that has brought this once
admired local authority to its knees.
The accusations revealed by the debating group centres on the Conservative Councils development company ADVANCE Northumberland whom it appears have been acting outside the Councils financial regulations even though the single share which controls all happenings at the company is held by the Councils Chief Executive in conjunction with the Leader of Council and the Chairperson of the Company.
The allegations against what must be the Leader of Council and the Chairperson of Advance responsibility, as the Council forced its Chief Executive Officer out of office, appears to be centred on a matter kept secret and one party or the other has paid the former CEO of Advance Northumberland a fee of £140,000 from the public purse without following the Councils financial regulations to bring any payments over £100,000 to full Council complete with a report stating why the payment was necessary.
This debacle is a follow on from the well reported alleged incompetence on behalf of ADVANCE Northumberland and the inability of the company to follow a clear instruction from the former Councils Chief Executive which led to the international company Farrens Construction filing a civil law suit for £8.4 million. The conclusion (if it is concluded) of this lawsuit has not been made available to the Counties council taxpayers.
Other allegations surround inappropriate and potentially unlawful use of Advance Northumberland credit cards.
That Advance Northumberland was alleged to be in breach of HMRC rules as the debating group indicated they have recorded ghost employees on their books.
The debating group exposed the allegation that the company may have made incorrect and inappropriate redundancy payments to employees.
Invoices and invoicing may be questionable; the external auditor does not appear to have reported on this material matter yet as no information has been released on either organisations website.
The debating group are also asking the obvious questions: ‘of why has the Council cabinet or/and its shoulder length company ADVANCE Northumberland’s directors paid £140,000 of Northumberland residents public funds to a CEO who hasn’t appeared to answer the questions now exposed in the public domain’? They also wish to know if the leaked report is correct, why a payment has been made and gross misconduct investigations haven’t been commenced or if they have reported upon as per the adopted policy of the Council?.
Notes
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