Real Northumberland Murky: Northumberland Conservatives. How broken are we?

Friday 29 September 2023

Northumberland Conservatives. How broken are we?

Unbelievably, following an appeal from the Leader of Northumberland Conservatives on the County Council, Councillor Glen Sanderson, that matters which may have been deemed unlawful by the Council's legal advisors, should be left under the carpet and accepted as “lessons that need to be learned” have been torn wide open by a former Tory Council Leader and the assistant of a local MP.

Councillor Peter Jackson has deemed the payments to outgoing officers “illegal” at this week's Audit Committee of the County Council.

Even after a warning from the Council’s legal advisors about the use of the word ‘illegal’ when referring to payments made to outgoing statutory officers he was backed up by Councillor Nick Oliver who works for Ian Levy MP according to his declarations of interest report.

Councillor Oliver demanded that the Police be called to investigate. He said: "This is about accountability. We have learnt something, but not everything, about where processes failed - but we have no accountability.

"We know there was more than £1 million in unlawful payments. There are laws about the misuse of public funds. If somebody has broken those laws, they're illegal.

"Surely that could go to the police?

Referring matters to the Police appears to be a regular and common statement given by Councillor Oliver who were sure didn’t want the Police called when he and another submitted their own reports to a previous audit committee to have possible false statements legitimised by committee or when he failed to pay his dues to his own Council for his own family business which owed £31,000 in business rates, when he sat as the Councillor lead on finance.

But we believe the Council’s Audit Committee was being used to destroy the reputation of its current Leader by the factional Conservative group and its ragged political bias on so many matters which has split the County Councils attention from delivering services to people to self satisfying Schadenfreude,the joy over some harm or misfortune suffered by another.

The retorts made by Councillors Jackson, Oliver and Cessford, reported by the Chronicle sit directly in opposition to the attitude and public face being delivered by Councillor Glen Sanderson and his Deputy, Councillor Richard Wearmouth and is tantamount to rebellion against the current leadership although the past history of two of the protagonists may lead to their lack of ability to mount a coup, so sniping from the sidelines aiming to destroy the reputation of their Leader and his Deputy may have to remain their only success.

Very level headed Labour Councillor Lynne Grimshaw made an appeal for calm amongst this storm and the Councils legal advisor condemned the use of the word illegal for activity and payments made to remove statutory officers between 2017 and today.

The whole scenario appears very murky indeed and when the dark side of the Conservative Group emerges to attack the ‘Secret Council’ for getting this wrong then it shows that the functionality of decision making by Northumberland Conservatives has collapsed and failed the public who really need answers as to why services are not being delivered not reports about infighting among a collapsed administration.