WirralPC

Haha. Welcome back. You know what it's like to be a council whistleblower now !

All too often, whistleblowers take their complaints to the prescribed person, who either ignores the complaint or forces the whistleblower to abandon it. Failure to hear a complaint from a whistleblower under the code below would be a breach of the constitution and would implicate anyone involved, no matter how senior, in suppressing the original complaint: "Any serious concerns that employees have about any aspect of service provision or the conduct of Officers or Members of the Council or others acting on behalf of the Council can be reported under this Policy. This may be about something that: a makes Officers feel uncomfortable in terms of known standards, their experience or the standards they believe the Council subscribe to; or b is against the Council’s Constitution and policies; or c falls below established standards of practice; or d amounts to improper conduct." http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50012920/Confidential%20Reporting%20Code.pdf

The Nolan principles have been around for 20 years now. They are the "Seven Principles of Public Life" and apply to central government and elected members. They form part of the councillors' code of conduct in Hereford and elsewhere. See 7. here: http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50012918/Councillor%20Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf They are part of The Localism Act 2011 so may be statutory but I'm not sure. Could be worth investigating though.

Thanks Flam and Dippy. A very senior councillor was spotted in the wild some time ago here on Wirral. This chance meeting produced a recorded conversation that started a chain of events which became known as... WIRRALGATE Fast forward to a Wirral estate and a wizened Councillor who conspiratorially whispers about suspended Directors and the missing millions and click goes the record button….. ...the implications of this on Wirral are huge.

In fact, given the gravity of these issues: the bullying of disabled employees the cleansing, false vindication and paying off of the bullies the seniority of the persons involved in what seems to be a case of "reputation management shall sweep all before it" the stifling of public oversight ...I'd be pressing my local MP to seek a wide-ranging Public Inquiry to get to the bottom of it all.

I have it on very good authority that the bullying of disabled persons / £360,000+ pay offs to abusers / whistleblowing case at the council may be coming to a head. My reason for posting tonight is to pass on the news that steps may have been taken by our hero to go 'wired for sound' during all of the interviews with the council's TOP movers and shakers, both elected and non-elected (some of whom may be reading this). Covert recording using tiny concealed devices is gaining an overdue foothold in this brave new connected world of ours, and is making positive inroads where it is needed most i.e. in council directors' / leaders' offices; union HQs; but most importantly of all, professionally prepared transcripts can be produced as compelling evidence of the malpractice that these public servants love indulging themselves in. Here's just one link showing how an employee made several recordings - but they weren't admissible in court because transcripts weren't provided. http://www.mils.co.uk/key-cases/20-key-cases/605-the-admissibility-of-covert-recordings-in-the-employment-tribunal But I don't think that mistake would be made again.

Sometimes I get the impression that the NAO, the Public Accounts Committee and others pick up these issues when they're "flavour of the month". If you wanted to be London Mayor say, it does you no harm whatsoever being seen to get active on an issue where there is genuine grassroots support. It can also serve to quell any misgivings people may have been having about say, your failure to acknowledge child abuse on your patch when you were leader of say, Islington council.

Common Purpose bilge. Stock phrases, cut and pasted by swivel-eyed, tongue lolling, intellectual pygmies. Stirring stuff - but the wrong kind of 'stirring'. Makes you want to projectile vomit.

Flam. Thanks for the email. For 'far-reaching implications for many...' read 'foreseeable, avoidable misery and suffering for the vulnerable persons we otherwise DO have a statutory obligation to protect... but luckily, with legal aid gone we can now get away with it, act with impunity, and invest the cash saved in attracting more of 'the best people' with the offer of an obscene salary in return for operating at the limits of UK law'.

The US poured $650 billion - yes... you did read that correctly... $650 billion into "defense" last year. So wherever a "threat" to Uncle Sam rears its head, anywhere on the planet, they'll be defending against this "clear and present danger" by landing either special forces covertly, the CIA covertly, "advisors" overtly or boots on the ground - the latter day euphemism for what used to be labelled 'an invading force' in the pre-9/11 days before singlespeak morphed into doublespeak. What's mainly driving it is the bullying global policeman's crazed desire to make and flog ever more complex weapons that slaughter people in large numbers and keep income streams flowing in and out with vested interests satisfied. They have to set up those contracts, and make those sales, and manage that media message... after creating the perfect conditions that call for their introduction. Which is why they once supported Bin Laden; they once supported Suharto; they once supported potato face or whatever his name was... Noriega in Central America... until even these friends apparently turned into a threat - one which urgently required a solution - weapons pouring in to eliminate them - delivered by fresh-faced youths who genuinely believe they are acting charitably because a. Their anger and aggression has been harnessed and channelled b. They've seen it all panning out in Hollywood films and this is their chance to be a hero c. They're thick as pigshit A sick, sick game of death is what it is... and we, the United Kingdom are up to our eyes in it because it makes money and allows filthy, murderous politicians like Tony Blair and his hangers on to look important, get rich, throw their weight around and be rewarded with respect and honours.

Ha. I blame this stupid laptop I've got. It did nothing, so I hit the button again. In the days of three channels, I'm one of the crowd who used to clobber the telly to fix the vertical hold.

Yes, that's what happened on Wirral. It also happened in neighbouring #QuackCWaC. It's also happening right across the length and breadth of the land and will continue to. It's hard to derive any positives from these situations. Although one does strike me right now. I'm about to take my two girls swimming on a Tuesday afternoon and it's going to be brilliant. If I hadn't been targetted for removal by director David Green at Wirral, and later by a collection of non-too clever directors at #QuackCWaC, I wouldn't be visiting the Guinea Gap bathing pool (where I actually learned to swim myself). I'd be in front of a screen, doing my job, placing lighting columns in the optimum position to achieve the correct average illuminance on new building sites, etc. etc. And keeping my head down; watching my boss and his mistress advancing their own prospects to the detriment of everybody else; watching others bend to his will (including senior managers); doing what I was told; drawing my salary and not rocking the boat.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2956225/Council-boss-refused-quit-grooming-scandal-gets-600-000-payoff.html The compensation element of the pay off matches the figure that Bill Norman was grateful to pocket when he left Wirral Council i.e. £151,000. The public can be reassured that a clean bill of health will be issued to enable this valuable public servant to pick up a suitable role elsewhere. I'm sure Mr Norman would agree, middle age should be no bar to personal ambition, particularly when one has much value to offer to a sadistic, callous, bullying organisation like Herefordshire County Council. Admittedly, a £450,000 pension for this lady will not be enough to scrape by on, or to satisfy the lifestyle demands typically enjoyed by the cream of the crop - those go-getters who are rightfully prized, courted and feted as 'the best' public servants. Oh and failure to act on child abuse is neither here nor there; merely a footnote. These things tend to happen when you're trying to harmonise a busy work / life schedule.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2956225/Council-boss-refused-quit-grooming-scandal-gets-600-000-payoff.html The compensation element of the pay off matches the figure that Bill Norman was grateful to pocket when he left Wirral Council i.e. £151,000. The public can be reassured that a clean bill of health will be issued to enable this valuable public servant to pick up a suitable role elsewhere. I'm sure Mr Norman would agree, middle age should be no bar to personal ambition, particularly when one has much value to offer to a sadistic, callous, bullying organisation like Herefordshire County Council. Admittedly, a £450,000 pension for this lady will not be enough to scrape by on, or to satisfy the lifestyle demands typically enjoyed by the cream of the crop - those go-getters who are rightfully prized, courted and feted as 'the best' public servants. Oh and failure to act on child abuse is neither here nor there; merely a footnote. These things tend to happen when you're trying to harmonise a busy work / life schedule.

Hey, good luck though.

Just a couple of questions: What happens with the (often) £9,000 that is borrowed from the 1%, handed to universities to fund the 99%'s education, then paid back with interest? Who saw to it that that £9,000 wouldn't quite cut it, and wasn't enough to cover projects like this? I may well be asking awkward questions / coming across as some sort of 'skinflint', but I hanker for the days when our young people didn't have to go cap in hand to the general public to better themselves. Back then the government was far-sighted enough to make sure our taxes were invested wisely. In countries like Germany, where they see the value of educating the masses, learning is still free, not the preserve of the super-rich, AND you can even emigrate there / visit and be educated without being forced to plead for people's financial support.

Thanks Flam. Robert Francis scored a personal victory in his own personal "journey". There could be an elevation to the House of Lords courtesy of a grateful David Cameron someday soon. As for the general public, patients, their families and taxpayers, he failed badly, and deliberately. But all is not lost. Edna's Law can replace the useless Public Interest Disclosure Act and we can begin to protect brave whistleblowers everywhere. More here: https://www.change.org/p/sir-robert-francis-call-for-edna-s-law-and-a-public-inquiry-into-whistleblowing?tk=DYw7NXXBVvZCD0mquobRcs-S4npUmGyvDelmOm8f2qU&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&utm_term=

Whistleblower whitewash: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949934/Whistleblower-whitewash-Health-staff-dare-speak-not-protected-says-report.html

The politicians are not serious - at least not the ones controlling this process, and their puppetmasters in the establishment. Our hopes will be dashed. Sir Robert Francis was selected by the establishment, and is an establishment 'shill' I'm afraid. i.e. somebody who makes a pretense at investigating / seeking redress against an organisation, but is covertly connected. It's an extremely clever wheeze. Whistleblowers hold the key to unlocking the whole damn corrupt kit and caboodle that keeps us the 99% ground beneath the jackboot of the 1%. And that stands for all global corporations and governments; not just the UK. And sure as eggs is eggs, they know that and will not relinquish their dominance and their capacity to hold and abuse power for one second. We will continue to be attacked when we 'step out of line' because the message needs to be transmitted directly to ALL AND SUNDRY... from CEO right down to lollipop lady... "Read and watch our media outlets. This is what will happen to you if you act on your conscience and dare to expose our crookedness." And I'll be long dead before any whistleblower gets a chance at any form of redress, much less justice. We've been had.

When we went through a "job evaluation" process known as Single Status at Cheshire County Council around 2007, senior managers were rewarded proportionately for the number of saps they could "facilitate" through the process when they made "independent" assessments and earmarked them for a "change" in salary. key: job evaluation = witch hunt facilitate = railroad (verb) independent = biased and stinks to high heaven change = swingeing cut ...anyway, several of these senior managers were members of Unison and because Unison had cosied up with management in an attempt to drive the thing through, these Unison card-holding managers were perfectly positioned to receive a nod and a wink for bumper cash payments according to how many of their junior colleagues (often fellow members of Unison) that they could target. I was one of those unwitting fools who was evaluated, then recommended for a £4,000 cut in my salary, but was not going to lie down, roll over and let them walk all over me. To make this bitter pill even harder to swallow, I'd missed the safety threshold by one single point. There was a happy ending though, because a group of us on similar pay scales came together, got our brains into gear and put forward a successful appeal. Not everybody was so fortunate however. Some people had to endure pay cuts of between £4,000 to £6,000 per annum. The really sick aspect to this was the fact that several of the Unison managers coined in many thousands of pounds, later applied for the first round of voluntary redundancy and were granted it. And to rub it in just a little further, quite a few came up trumps with new jobs in adjacent councils often ones which were closer to home. One man's suffering is another man's joy. Good old Unison !

I noticed that ex-SAS author Andy McNab joined Hereford Voice recently. I have an idea which might create some valuable publicity. Can we threaten to send Bobby47 round to duff him up if he doesn't put a dedication to The Voice in his next blockbuster?

I think Hereford is much better than Wirral, although I've never, ever been there. Yeah. Am I in?

Hi Dippy. I'd advise you not to take everything you read in the papers about Frank Field on face value. As an MP since 1979, he knows how to seduce weak people in the pisspoor media. If you knew the truth about his involvement in this case, you'd be doing backward somersaults for a good while in order to catch up with the point at which your perceptions all went horribly wrong. The true story behind his "support" of the Wirral Highways Department whistleblowers is absolutely staggering.

Sadly, due to circumstances beyond my control, this Hereford Council bullying issue couldn't be taken to tribunal, but here's a pretty much identical FOI request, made to Wirral Council in 2013: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/payouts_to_officers_of_wirral_co Unlike Herefordshire, this was apparently a 'one on one' bullying situation involving either two senior officers or a councillor and one senior officer. And here's a date for your diaries: Thursday 16th April 2015. (Venue uncertain) This is the date of a First Tier Information Tribunal regarding the matter of £48,000 in public money paid across to a senior officer at Wirral Council around October 2013. There was no investigation, no councillor scrutiny; no apparent assessment of detriment suffered; the person bullied is still there; the person doing the bullying remains in situ. So the payment appears to be some form of 'damages'. The CEO at the time, Graham Burgess, sent a global email to all 66 councillors which appeared to suggest no councillor was involved and that the matter was all above board. The Council Leader refused to address questions that were put to him in the chamber, instead referring the questioner to the CEO's email. I'm the appellant, versus the ICO, 1st respondent, backed by Wirral Council, 2nd respondent. Representing the council will be top information rights barrister Robin Hopkins of KBW solicitors in that London. It seems money is no option when it comes to swaying a Tribunal into believing that it was right to: put personal privacy ahead of the public interest; not allow public oversight to get a look in; pay £48,000 to an anonymous female senior officer; deter councillors from scrutinising what was going on; omit all reference to the payment in the declared annual accounts not release any media statement to the local press Here's the Wirral Leaks report on this from October 2013: https://wirralleaks.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/bullying-is-an-ugg-ly-business/

Nailed it again Bobby. They also play golf together and exchange notes on 'problem people' at the 19th hole. This was my demise from 2003, starring Unison, 5 months of my suspension, 5 months of inaction from one party, 5 months of collusion from another, a boss who was later suspended along with Bill Norman, and a dossier with the pages stuck together........................................... https://wirralinittogether.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/how-wirral-council-disposed-of-me-in-2003/