Why are we waiting?

[Less]

Originally Posted by jaysay

He's a bit like Charles Atlas is our Peter carrying Hyndbirn and Ken on his shoulders

With his feet firmly placed on shaky ground?

I wonder if this is the image he has franked onto his medal?

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Less

With his feet firmly placed on shaky ground?

I wonder if this is the image he has franked onto his medal?

With a body like that don't be silly

[Neil]

I hope Boris does not mind you using his picture

[Neil]

You might be interested to read this HBC page

Expenditure over £500 - Expenditure over £500 reports - Overview

And these accounts

Expenditure over £500


Looking at the meta data on those pages it was created on the 7/2/2011 which was the day before this thread was started

[gynn]

Going back to the original thread, which was about Hyndburn not publishing details of expenditure over £500, it's interesting what you come across if you plough through the interminable minutes of meetings on the web site.

For example, the following item appears in the minutes of the Audit Committee meeting on 24th January:-

Councillor Mason raised the issue of the Government requirement for Councils to publish details of any expenditure over £500 and the consequences of non-compliance.

The Head of Accountancy Services updated the Committee on progress with implementing this requirement. He had submitted a report to Corporate Management Team and following on from amended guidance received and the ironing out of some problems, they were now in a position to publish expenditure.

There was a consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Managing Director regarding the date of implementation.

So officers were ready to publish, were waiting for the Leader and Managing Director, and the next thing we hear is criticism from the government that they hadn't been published. And now suddenly its published.

Hmmm.

[Ken Moss]

Quite a few individuals doing rather well out of the council there on a monthly basis.

Interesting to note that despite the collossal percentage of tax revenue that LCC get we also give them extra bungs throughout the year plus an awful lot of consultancy and auditing fees.

Are they all absolutely necessary? Perhaps it isn't quite as cut-and-dried as it first appears on glancing at those figures but I simply cannot believe that every single one of those cheques was either a necessity or benefitted the borough enough to warrant the cost.

It's certainly something to look into.

[Ken Moss]

This is gripping stuff. Apart from swathes of smudgy costs, Aldo Zilli's cost just keeps going up and up:

£5,500 for the man himself
£2,580 for the kitchen hire
£513 for the advertising
£675.63 for The Corporate Group

I also had an FOI response stating categorically that it wasn't costing anything to switch on the Accrington Christmas lights and yet there in black and white is a figure of £6,800.

Time to put my scrutineer's hat back on.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

Looking at the meta data on those pages it was created on the 7/2/2011 which was the day before this thread was started

Yes, the seventh. The same day it was reported on the BBC news site.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

I also had an FOI response stating categorically that it wasn't costing anything to switch on the Accrington Christmas lights and yet there in black and white is a figure of £6,800.

For a tribute band, for an American programme on E4?



I bet they were indeed gleeful, as they pocketed the cash, and raced away from Accy.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by gynn

Going back to the original thread, which was about Hyndburn not publishing details of expenditure over £500, it's interesting what you come across if you plough through the interminable minutes of meetings on the web site.

For example, the following item appears in the minutes of the Audit Committee meeting on 24th January:-

Councillor Mason raised the issue of the Government requirement for Councils to publish details of any expenditure over £500 and the consequences of non-compliance.

The Head of Accountancy Services updated the Committee on progress with implementing this requirement. He had submitted a report to Corporate Management Team and following on from amended guidance received and the ironing out of some problems, they were now in a position to publish expenditure.

There was a consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Managing Director regarding the date of implementation.

So officers were ready to publish, were waiting for the Leader and Managing Director, and the next thing we hear is criticism from the government that they hadn't been published. And now suddenly its published.

Hmmm.

On Sunday, I was looking on the Local Government Association website, for some other information and followed their link to the DCLG website to find out if HBC had published their spending. On finding that it appeared they had not I emailed HBC to ask where the spending over £500 had been published (if indeed it had been published). I have now downloaded all the spreadsheets and it will make very interesting bedtime reading.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by claytonender

On Sunday, I was looking on the Local Government Association website, for some other information and followed their link to the DCLG website to find out if HBC had published their spending. On finding that it appeared they had not I emailed HBC to ask where the spending over £500 had been published (if indeed it had been published). I have now downloaded all the spreadsheets and it will make very interesting bedtime reading.

Does "interesting bedtime reading" mean that it is a cure for insomnia

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by claytonender

On Sunday, I was looking on the Local Government Association website, for some other information and followed their link to the DCLG website to find out if HBC had published their spending. On finding that it appeared they had not I emailed HBC to ask where the spending over £500 had been published (if indeed it had been published). I have now downloaded all the spreadsheets and it will make very interesting bedtime reading.

I hope you don't keep Ray awake Joan

[garinda]

Originally Posted by claytonender

On Sunday, I was looking on the Local Government Association website, for some other information and followed their link to the DCLG website to find out if HBC had published their spending. On finding that it appeared they had not I emailed HBC to ask where the spending over £500 had been published (if indeed it had been published). I have now downloaded all the spreadsheets and it will make very interesting bedtime reading.

As Nick Ross used to say at the end of Crimewatch...

Don't have nightmares.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by garinda

As Nick Ross used to say at the end of Crimewatch...

Don't have nightmares.

I'll try not too.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

You might be interested to read this HBC page

Expenditure over £500 - Expenditure over £500 reports - Overview

And these accounts

Expenditure over £500


Looking at the meta data on those pages it was created on the 7/2/2011 which was the day before this thread was started

I've tried to resist peeking up until now, not wanting to end up hyperventilating, but decided to risk having a shufty at HBC's over £500.00 newly published expenses.

I was quite shocked.

Unless I knew Hyndburn was a collection of small mill towns, reading through the figures, I'd have presumed it was a collection of city states in Renaissance Italy. With a thriving arts industry, under the patronage of an obscenely rich church, and fabulously wealthy ruling noble families.

Art consultants in the borough, and the artists they fund, really must think the streets of Hyndburn are paved with gold, rather than potholed tarmac, covering up old cobbles.

Enough here to read, and digest, for months.

Unless banging your head against a wall renders you illiterate.

I'll take another risk.