24.02.22 – Council fraud probe finds serious areas of concern copy
You may have noticed that Waverley & Guildford has a new head honcho, Pedro Wrobel, who has just flown in from Westminster City Council a tad earlier than expected… here he is arriving, so we can now sleep easily in our beds.
He flew in just in time to head up the alleged serious fraud investigation concerning housing contracts awarded by Guildford Borough Council, Guildford, not Waverley.
He tells residents of the boroughs:
“When it comes to public money, nothing is more important than propriety and values. All monies should be used to deliver the best possible services for our residents and businesses.
I will be working with ouncillors, officers external investigators, and auditors to get to the bottom of these issues and account for every penny. I will ensure the organisation (sic) no s does he mean just Guildford? has the right systems in place to safeguard the public;s money and wil take robust action where necessary.”
Another head honcho has been parachuted in to help Pedro’s probe. Surrey County Council corporate director Michael Coughlin has been seconded to provide additional support capacity and resilience for both councils.
However, Conservative Councillors at both Waverley & Guildford oppose the move, saying it will be “extremely expensive.” MP Jeremy Hunt also waded in to criticise Waverley for ever joining up with Guildford, who he says is mired in financial fraud allegations.
And, here were we here at the Waverley Web, believing it was – “an investigation”, and those involved are innocent until proven guilty!
Meanwhile.
We still have no reason for a High Court Order against Waverley Borough Council preventing the democratic process.
So much for professionalism openness and transparent fair dealing.
MeaninglessMud
Sounds like an internal cock-up and if so, “someone” is to blame, therein lies the problem.
It wasn’t my fault guv.
If Jeremy thinks it is an important matter and ‘expensive’ then maybe he can donate another £100,000 to sort it out. Surely that benefits his constituents more than his £100,000 donation to SWSurrey Conservatives ‘get me elected at all costs’ local election fund? Even if the ‘000’s of campaign leaflets are on EXTRA glossy paper I can’t imagine there is anything they’ll say to convince anyone to vote Conservative. When can you trust the local Tories?
It frequently helps to have a new broom untainted with past failures, when the crud hits the fan and its presence becomes transparent to the unsuspecting taxpayers. Local Authority money could often be put to better use by the public who are obliged to supply it, so it merits a little prudence.