Name-n-Shame An excellent web site set up with the express purpose of tackling corruption and dishonesty in Local Authorities. People generally contact them once they have discovered that there really is no justice in the accepted channels.
Quote from their web site:
“Local authorities tend to pursue their own agenda. The only solution is to have honest elected councillors who are prepared to fight corruption … and they are as rare as rocking horse s***!
Judge blasts Council for ‘nonsense’ garden case… more
Rotten Borough is a web site dedicated to exposing Council corruption. The site owner, Ian Johnston, is a former Councillor so he is well placed to know what goes on within.
An extract from his website, reproduced below, certainly echoes my own experience of Dover District Council:
“As you may know, a council is run by a combination of councillors and officers. The councillors are volunteers who are elected by the local residents to serve for four years. They are paid expenses but, until recently, no salary. They are supposed to decide the policy of the council by democratic vote.
Council officers are paid employees. They are supposed to put the policy determined by the councillors into action. They also provide specialist advice to the councillors.
Unfortunately, most councillors seem to have little idea of what is really going on at the council, never mind in the locality they are supposed to represent. Instead of using their own judgement, they vote the way that their party political leaders tell them to. This usually involves “Rubber-stamping” the recommendations made by the officers.
Therefore it is the officers who are really deciding the policy of the council, for whatever reasons they see fit. As the councillors fail to make them accountable to the electorate, they are free to maximise their pay and perks, and minimise their workload.
Officers have little incentive to see that taxpayers’ money is well spent, or that staff or contractors do their jobs properly. Poor workmanship is rewarded by full pay.”
You can view the Rotten Borough website by clicking here
www.seered.co.uk/ An interesting web site written by a scientist who finally decided ‘enough was enough’ when faced with the incompetence and malevolence of local councils in England. SeeRed covers a wide range of topics including town planning and general local government incompetence.
Council Maladministration and Injustice. Abuse of Power and Misconduct.
Amy Hunter
Amy Hunter was a fragile 87 year old lady who over the last few years of her life had to suffer substantial injustice because of Council maladministration, which was further compounded by the local government ombudsman’s failure to do anything about it.
Councils committing acts of maladministration are one thing but when the Ombudsman stands idly by whilst they do it, then tries to help them bury the fact, means there is a total lack of justice for people like Amy.
This is just one example of how useless and uncaring the Local Government Ombudsman is. Their refusal to do anything about council maladministration had a serious impact on Amy Hunter’s quality of life.
Sadly Amy died on Saturday the 17th November but at least the Council will no longer be able to abuse her Human Rights. However, her family are still suffering from the Council’s abuse of power, whilst the Local Government Ombudsman conveniently looks the other way.
www.local-government-ombudsman-lgo.blogspot.com/
If anyone needs convincing whether or not the Local Government Ombudsman is dishonest, underhand and pro-Council biased, then check out this site.
The Local Government Ombudsman
The law that protects whistleblowers is for the public interest – so people are encouraged to speak out if they find malpractice in an organisation. They can do so knowing they’re protected from losing their job and/or being victimised. Blowing the whistle is more formally known as ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’.