Cabinet member breaches code of coduct
We can't deny it, we've been rather poor recently when it comes to posting. It is August though, so there's not been much going on and, frankly, we have lives outside of local politics watching. Sadly, there are some people however who don't, but we'll not name those former councillors else they'll just bombard us with email. This said, we've just noticed the rather interesting story in the News Shopper which points out that Cllr Maureen O'Mara broke the code of conduct by failing to declare an interest in the planning application for Borthwick Wharf and Paynes Wharf in Deptford.
The planning was granted but, as the article by the ever lovely Samantha Payne says, the Council has since decided to quash the permission. Besides this being an obvious admission of guilt, the Deputy leader of the Council, Peter "Kidbrooke Destroyer" Brooks said to the paper:
"Cllr O'Mara is a well- respected member of the council and was recognised as an excellent chairman of the planning board for a number of years. She has a sound reputation for adherence to good standards of governance. This situation is much regretted but the council is pursuing action to address the three points of challenge and re-process the planning application."
In other words, Cllr O'Mara keeps her job and it's business as usual. Perhaps our readers might like to report her to the Standards Board. You can get the Complaint form here.
posted by greenwich.watch at 12:44 pm
2 Comments:
Perhaps she forgot Greenwich Council is in charge of a bit of Deptford - judging by the crap they've allowed to be built around the rest of its side of SE8, at least.
Incidentally, why did Greenwich Council allow Convoys Wharf, which is now prime redevelopment land, to be transferred into Lewisham borough in the 90s? Was it just to make the map easier to read, or was there another reason? Always wondered that whenever I've been round that way.
The Council's web site (cost, nearly half a million, see Greenwich Watch entry for 20 July) appears to be offline.
Apparently the DTI web site
www.dti.gov.uk
cost £175,000 (source: this week's Private Eye).
If my memory serves me, the Council saved itself the cost and trouble of putting its web site work out to competitive tender (and advertising the European Journal) by breaking up the work into smaller-value bits, so that it could all be just given to the preferred supplier. Can't quote chapter and verse on this at the moment - my source was someone working inside, on the Council computer system, at the time - but watch and learn, children: this is a text book illustration of what can happen when one dispenses with proper tendering procedures in favour of deals done in the pub: one pays nearly £500,000 for work that should have cost about £150,000.
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