Thankfully Cranleigh and Ewhurst County councillor has come riding to the rescue of the beleaguered county council forced to make savings of £250m over the next three years if it is to stay afloat. We could almost hear his whip cracking against the Tory leader’s back.
He tried to dislodge Hodge the Bodge earlier this year, but failed… miserably… though he argued it was NOT unanimous!
Whilst back-stabbing is a popular sport at county towers, there is no-one more adept at the practice than a Povey! A man who we hear never bears a grudge!!!
Suffice to say, Surrey County Council’s female finance director picked up her Radley and walked – along with her plump final salary local government pension giving just 24 hours notice! Temper, temper!
But in trots our little Povey eager to ride on the back of misfortune to point yet another blunt stick into Hodge’s eyeballs, accusing him of “not running sustainable budgets and there being a while elephant in the room!” More like a rat in the run?
But here’s the piece de resistance from the former council leader who lined his own company’s pockets with county council elderly care contracts, and was found wanting by the Local Government Ombudsman. Ever heard the one about the no confidence vote in the Leader of Surrey County Council? Hell hath no fury like a Povey scorned!
He says” “I am concerned, I have been in business for 30 years and one thing in business you learn over everything else is that you follow the money.”
You hit the nail on the head there Councillor Povey, because if anyone followed the money you did!! Ask Guildford MP Anne Milton?
He continues: ‘You take it to bed with you, (what the money, or the budget?) you take the medium term strategy to bed with you to read again and again. Those that don’t, end up like Carillion or Northamptonshire County Council.”
He then waxed lyrical about the finance director’s departure flashing up lots of red lights, and issued a stern warning to his colleagues!
“A finance director leaving at short notice is another warning you need to take account of.”
Do we see another attempt by the Povey Pony riding to the rescue, to unseat Hodge the Bodge?
Needless to say a SCC spokesperson said that finance director Sheila Little “has decided this is a good time to pursue other opportunities, and we wish her well.” An interim director has been apointed and a new director will be in place in the Autumn.
Would you have said “male finance director” if the post holder had been a man? I think the reference to “her Radley” was pointer enough to gender and was witty; however, IMHO the over emphasis of gender implies sexism.
Apologies – no wish to infer thet we were being sexist. `Unfortunately we mere mortal males her at the Waverley web were unsure whether everyone would get the Bradley bit! Silly us. Thanks.