this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2024
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Lawyers raise alarm at struggle to tackle UK local government corruption (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Many other councils are being scrutinised for potential financial mismanagement leading to huge losses in councils funds. One of those is Thurrock council, found to have recklessly put hundreds of millions of pounds into commercial investments, where an accountant is being investigated by the Financial Reporting Council.

They should come to Bristol and see how it's done. We're able to lose millions, devalue public services, close libraries, shut down public swimming pools, get bungs from building contractor companies in exchange for contracts, refuse a record number of freedom of information requests from the public, ban journalists from council meetings, and still get reelected!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Thurrock council, found to have recklessly put hundreds of millions of pounds into commercial investments

And the other recently bankrupt councils, Croydon being one I know of and also possibly Lewisham(?).

But here's the thing, afaik, those councils were encouraged to make those investments by central government. They may even have been heavily pressured to do so.

Whether there was pressure for any particular investments, I can't easily tell. But I'm fairly certain that if you suggest to local authority administrators who have as much knowledge as anyone else about it, ie fuck all, that to increase your budget you should invest it, they will make terrible investments and it will end in tears.

I always start with the default that it's government corruption first. If others know more I'm happy to hear it, but .gov are guilty until proven innocent.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

@ianovic69 @mannycalavera

Really not surprising at all tbh.

I am currently reading 'How Westminster Works' & it's nothing short of eye opening of the ineptness of all the politicians and the current system.

I highly recommend it.

https://amzn.eu/d/hoG0M0F

#reading #books #politics #westminster #govuk

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Thanks, I'll put it on my list.

Incidentally, I'd like to highlight the interaction here between Lemmy and Mastodon.

Long live the Fediverse!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Nice 👍 I'll give them a read.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

But here's the thing, afaik, those councils were encouraged to make those investments by central government. They may even have been heavily pressured to do so.

Whether there was pressure for any particular investments, I can't easily tell. But I'm fairly certain that if you suggest to local authority administrators who have as much knowledge as anyone else about it, ie fuck all, that to increase your budget you should invest it, they will make terrible investments and it will end in tears.

And this makes everything even more depressing. Why are people who don't understand investments investing so recklessly with our money? I just want decent boring bog standard council services to run well and efficiently.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Why are....

As you mentioned the d word, I'll check whether that question is rhetorical?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

As you mentioned the d word

Decent?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Sorry, depressing. Because my answer isn't going to alleviate that feeling. As a victim of depression myself, I wouldn't want to increase that in someone else.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Yes, this is the thing Manny fails to understand. While local government behaves a certain way, often it is dictated by policy from the government in Westminster, such that if they didn't behave that way they wouldn't get the meager funding they do have.

I'm sure Bristol council are corrupt, but not much more so than others. Meanwhile, the biggest corruption comes from Westminster.

But hey, Bristol aren't Tory, so Manny will criticise them first.

Sack the fucking lot of them, I say.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

oh no we need to stop it at this level before it works its way to the top

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Lawyers have raised alarm at the lack of oversight in local government, as a Guardian analysis found almost one in 10 councils in the UK have been subject to a corruption investigation in the past decade.

Across the UK, 36 local authorities have had councillors and staff accused of economic crimes including fraud and the misuse of public funds, with dozens arrested and convicted.

A recent report on the role of monitoring officers – the person responsible for legal governance in each council – found they are often powerless “even when dealing with proven cases of rule breaking … including serious, harmful and criminal actions by councillors or sta­ff”.

Under current sanctions, councillors can be barred from cabinet, committees or representative roles and be removed from their political party for wrongdoing, with criminal matters referred to the police.

A government-commissioned report found as much as £100m of public money could have been squandered by the “dysfunctional” council and that senior councillors flouted the code of conduct by not declaring gifts or hospitality on a register of interests.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We are committed to ensuring accountability and scrutiny across local government and that monitoring officers are equipped with powers to robustly tackle breaches of conduct, including barring councillors from cabinet, committees or representative roles.

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