Frank Field's election campaign spent £254.40 on balloon gas but what else was money spent on?

Frank Field’s election campaign spent £254.40 on balloon gas but what else was money spent on?

Frank Field’s election campaign spent £254.40 on balloon gas but what else was money spent on?

                                                  

Today I went to Wallasey Town Hall and inspected several candidates’ election returns for the 2015 elections. Below are the pages from Frank Field’s campaign.

Unlike the local election where there is just one period that expenditure and donations need to be declared for, in a General Election there are two periods called “campaigns”. The “long campaign” is from 19th December 2014 to the date the person became a candidate. The “short campaign” is from the date they became a candidate to polling day.

Frank Fields’ campaign spent £31 during the long campaign (£19 on a mobile phone and £12 with WordPress for a website). However during the long campaign he received a £1,000 donation from USDAW (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers).

During the short campaign £7,651.25 was spent (£1,200 on an advertising wraparound in the Wirral Globe, £4,794.35 on leaflets, £35.50 on taxis, £500 on the deposit, £254.40 on balloon gas, £437 on a market stall, £400 on office space in the Lauries Centre, £30 on topping up the mobile phone (presumably the one bought during the long campaign).

In the short campaign, the Birkenhead Constituency Labour Party donated £6,675.75, the Communication Worker’s Union £90 plus there were also two donations from individuals for £100 and £250. Updated 22nd June 2015: Wirral Council has been in touch and said that the names of the individual donors being blacked out was a mistake. £100 was donated by Ken Tasker and the £250 by Abhii Mantgani. These total £7,115.75.

The difference between expenditure and donations for this period was £535.50 was met by the candidate.

However I will point out that in the short campaign there was still £969 unspent from the donation from USDAW.

The documents submitted as his election expenses returns for the short and long period are below.

Birkenhead General Election 2015 election expenses return short campaign page 1
Birkenhead General Election 2015 election expenses return short campaign page 1
Birkenhead General Election 2015 election expenses return short campaign page 2
Birkenhead General Election 2015 election expenses return short campaign page 2
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Birkenhead General Election 2015 Declaration election expenses Frank Field
Birkenhead General Election 2015 Declaration election expenses Frank Field
Birkenhead General Election 2015 declaration election expenses George Davies
Birkenhead General Election 2015 declaration election expenses George Davies
Birkenhead General Election 2015 election expenses return long campaign page 39
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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

13 thoughts on “Frank Field's election campaign spent £254.40 on balloon gas but what else was money spent on?”

  1. Mr Brace, now an interesting picture of a Taxi Receipt and interesting Electoral Paperwork, would it have anything to do with Ian Fleming? Strange how that popped into my heady

    1. Maybe it’s because I took photos rather than paying whatever Wirral Council charge for photocopies of election returns (used to be 20p/page).

  2. Mr Brace, if you wish to do a proper Investigation you will have to go back years, before you started this Blog. I have since found that you need to do plenty of Research and start at the Bottom, but there are times when you can leave dealing with idiots first and go to the Top, look West my Friend, Look West!!!!!! and you will find ” M “

  3. G’day John

    Just glanced at the rubbish local propaganda sheet and a couple of Cowncilloresses are actually mentioned.

    Have all the purple faced chauvinist pigs all gone…..to golf.

    It’s about shopping and giving help so the pigs probably thought it was womens’ work. Not just helping themselves. Probably work involved.

    And yesterday John an article about too many clowncillors.

    That organisation could be run by ten people who actually want to do the right thing other than kissing the ex mayoresses fat purple headed fiance’s ginormous derriere and voting with him whether right or wrong.

    Ooroo

    James

    I am almost out of here John but will haunt the barstards for ever.

  4. James, Don’t you throw your hand in. Not now. You simply sit back, take a rest, summon up some more bile and phlegm, tip it upon ‘their’ heads, take to the keyboard and start all over again.
    Yes! That’s what you do. It’s what I’m doing right now. Resting up and preparing myself to go again.
    Oddly enough, after some time of reflection and referencing all that I’ve shovelled out before that often implied, ‘I hate the bastard Council a bloody lot’, I’ve now decided upon another course. Yes! A more radical route that’s sure to piss them all off more than they were irritated with me in past times.
    My tactic from hereon? I intend to lie, fabricate and transmit all sorts of untruths that’ll suggest that I, yes I, witnessed them carrying out some devilishly wicked deeds that breached at least several statutory pieces of legislation and a couple of the Commandments Jehovah gifted bloody Moses.
    Why? Because I can. That’s why James. I’m going to make up stories and bloody lie and see what the reaction will be. Why not? They do it whenever they choose so I’m going to do it and see where the winds blow me.
    Don’t throw your hand in lad. Keep going. Pace yourself like the mighty Cardin and relentlessly plough that furrow and hoe that earth.
    My warmest regards lad.

  5. Too late Bobby

    Thanks for your best wishes and thoughts you are legend.

    After the DCLG FOI response I am out of here next week.

    Department for Communities and Local
    Government
    1 NW Fry Building

    2 Marsham Street
    London
    SW1P 4DF
    Telephone: 030 3444 2222
    Mr Nigel Hobro
    [FOI #246655 email]
    Date: 19 June 2015

    Dear Mr Hobro

    Freedom of Information Act 2000: reference 768042

    I apologise for the time taken to respond to your request for information which was received on 5 January 2015.
    You requested:

    In Autumn 2013 your investigator was sent to Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd
    following an investigation by Grant Thornton that reported to Wirral Borough Council in March 2013 regarding abuses of the Intensive Start Up Scheme ISUS. Regardless of the fieldwork being complete by December 2013 the report-which is known to me to be written-has not been released. I request a copy of the report.

    Your request has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    I can confirm that the Department for Communities and Local Government holds the information you requested. However we are withholding that information since we consider all the information to be exempt under the exemptions to disclosure at section 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of the FOI Act as the disclosure would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation, or, alternatively, section 36(2)(c) as the disclosure would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. We also consider that some information falls within the
    exemptions at section 41 concerning confidential information provided by a third party and section 40(2) relating to personal information.
    We hold a draft copy of the report you have requested, but this has not been finalised and interested parties have yet to be given a “right of reply” to the report.

    Any issues raised from third parties given the opportunity to comment on the draft report will be considered by the Government Internal Audit Agency prior to finalisation of the report. Consequently, we consider there is still a need for an appropriate degree of private space within which officials can continue to consider the investigation’s findings, have full and robust exchanges freely and frankly, and to provide advice as needed in order to inform the final report and its conclusions.

    Failure to protect that necessary degree of private space by releasing the information at this time would, despite any caveats that it was not finalised, undermine the ability to have exchanges of views and to provide robust advice aimed at finalising the report without being hindered by external comment and/or media involvement.

    To the extent that disclosure of the report at this time may, however, not be considered to inhibit the process of the free and frank provision of advice and TEMPLATE FRAMEWORK – NOT TO BE USED FOR SUBMISSION OF DRAFT ANSWERS exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation, I consider in any event that it would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. Disclosure would be likely to hinder the ability of officials to consider any opinions expressed by third parties away
    from public scrutiny to allow them to conclude and finalise the report. More broadly, there is clearly a need for information and conclusions arising in audit investigations to be protected where there is a demonstrable need for that. Any routine disclosure of such information otherwise, particularly where an investigation, or related investigation, is not concluded, would prejudice the ability to undertake audit activities in the future if there was a concern that information that needed protecting
    at a given time might be made public.
    The exemptions under section 36 are qualified, which means that information falling within them must still be disclosed unless the public interest served by doing so is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption.

    The Department acknowledges that, in general, the public interest is served by releasing information, as this creates greater transparency and promotes accountability; it enables the public to be informed and better able to engage in any debate about the delivery of government policies or services, and thus increases public trust and confidence in good governance. In this case, there is a public interest served by disclosing information which would aid an understanding of any
    possible financial wrongdoing, especially as a public body and public funding was involved. There is, generally, a public interest served also by knowing that audit investigations are appropriate, thorough and objective and in knowing that findings are well-founded based on available evidence.

    However, in this case, we must also consider how disclosure of the information requested at this time would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation, or would otherwise prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. We think that the severity and extent of these effects would be reasonably significant in this case. If the information is released at this time it could impact on the on-going negotiations in relation to this investigation and prejudice the responses of those parties entitled to a “right of response” to the draft report. Thus would have a negative impact on the ability of the Department and the Government Internal Audit Agency to continue to have exchanges with those parties in view of the deterrent effect that would have resulted.

    On the basis of the above arguments I consider that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs that in disclosure. Accordingly, I am withholding the information that you have requested.

    Turning to the exemption at section 41 of the FOI Act, this applies where confidential information has been provided by a third party and where disclosure would constitute an actionable breach of confidence.

    It is a common part of audit investigations that some information will have been gathered from third parties with a clear expectation that it would be treated as confidential. That information is often sensitive, and is therefore unlikely to be readily otherwise known and available; knowledge and certainty of confidentiality can greatly assist in securing material information or advice from third parties during an investigation. Such is the case here, many of the third parties who provided

    TEMPLATE FRAMEWORK – NOT TO BE USED FOR SUBMISSION
    OF DRAFT ANSWERS

    information to investigators verbally sought and were given verbal assurance that the information they provided during interview would only be used for the purposes of the audit investigation and would not be publicly disclosed. Internal auditors have no specific investigative powers and, as such, rely on the co-operation of individuals and organisations when undertaking their work. If any suggested confidence is undermined and such third party evidence is disclosed, it is likely to impact detrimentally on the level of cooperation from third parties with any future investigations. Unless there is an overriding public interest that would render otherwise legitimate entitlement to confidentiality as unreasonable, which we do not consider to be the case here, then it is likely that a court would find that the information was confidential and that disclosure constituted a breach of confidence.

    We therefore take the view that the absolute exemption at section 41 of the FOI Act applies to such information in this case.

    Personal information relating to third parties involved in the investigation also falls within the absolute exemption from disclosure at section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act as its disclosure would breach one or more of the data protection principles in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The information is personal data, as defined by the DPA, of another individual. The first data protection principle in that
    Act states that personal data shall not be processed (including any disclosure) fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be unless at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 of the DPA is also met. As the affected individuals in this case reasonably could not have expected that their personal data would be disclosed, to do so would breach the first data protection principle.

    If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review which should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of this letter and should be addressed to:

    Department for Communities and Local Government
    Knowledge and Information Access Team
    1st Floor NW, Fry Building
    2 Marsham Street
    London, SW1P 4DF
    [DCLG request email]

    If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the internal review procedure provided by the Department.

    The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s
    Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
    Phone: 0303 123 1113
    Website: ico.org.uk

    Yours sincerely
    Anna Canning
    Knowledge and Information Access Team
    Department for Communities and Local Government

    Luv ya

    Bobby

    There is nothing a simple whisleblower like me can do so I’m offfffff.

    I like your idea to start lying because they are a pack of lying barstards.

  6. TEMPLATE FRAMEWORK – NOT TO BE USED FOR SUBMISSION
    OF DRAFT ANSWERS
    This appearing several times in the course of this FOI answer suggests it was not as deeply considered as its magisterial tone wishes to convey

  7. G’day John

    Dear Mr Hobro

    Department for Communities and Local
    Government

    Freedom of Information Act 2000: reference 768042

    I apologise for the time taken to respond to your request for information which was received on 5 January 2015.

    You requested:

    In Autumn 2013 your investigator was sent to Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd
    following an investigation by Grant Thornton that reported to Wirral Borough Council in March 2013 regarding abuses of the Intensive Start Up Scheme ISUS. Regardless of the fieldwork being complete by December 2013 the report-which is known to me to be written-has not been released. I request a copy of the report.

    Your request has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    I can confirm that the Department for Communities and Local Government holds the information you requested. However we are withholding that information since we consider all the information to be exempt under the exemptions to disclosure at section 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of the FOI Act as the disclosure would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the exchange of views…… BULLSHIT BULLSHIT BULLSHIT

    John me old China plate.

    What a load of effing tosh.

    This lot at DCLG have been investigating have been doing this since Autumn 2013.

    It is very much in the interest of the taxpaying public that Adderley Ball Basnett et etc can allow Wirral “Funny” Bizz to take about £2,000.000.00 fraudulently and let them continue for 18 months after the whistleblowing.

    Who are these people..who are these people.

    Then for Davies, Foulkes, Jones etc etc take reports and hide them from the public eye.

    Then 60 odd other councilors to ignore daylight robbery because their party say so.

    Then get shot of the one councillor that questioned this.

    You might want to live in a society like this John…… but I don’t.

    Ooroo

    James

    Does the taxpaying public really want these senior officers wasting more and more of their hard earned talking absolute shit about Stella and golf courses?

    Where is this years jaunt take them as summer arrives no doubt organised by the farcical Chamber Pot?

    1. Let me sum up a media/public relations strategy:

      1) If it’s a good news story get a quote from a councillor.

      2) If it’s a bad news story get a quote from a senior officer.

      3) If it’s a really, really bad news story make sure all FOI requests are refused and make sure the public & the press never find out the truth.

  8. G’day John

    How and why is Eric Robinson worth £200,000.00 a year.

    His first job…. has he done his first job yet?

    Should have been to get rid of the lying barstard senior officers.

    Proof, look at your video John of Gra Gra’s farce of a public meeting into Big, ISUS and Working Neighbourhoods 8 October 2014.

    Adderley “The Football Shit” and Ball “Humpty Dumpty” just stood there and told lies.

    Then supported by a raving lunatic that said worst scandal in forty years and then u turned, what a twat.

    Poor Stuart Kelly, the only one that stood up…. the gang couldn’t hide their ugly shiteful side and got rid.

    Thanks Stuart….you really are lucky to be out of that cesspool.

    I am truly sorry to you if you wanted to stay involved.

    Jones is a complete scumbag and arsehole who befriended “Highbrow” and then shit all over him.

    Robinson you are in charge of a vile group of specimens hiding behind a sham nonsense of politics.

    Absolutely of NO USE to YOUR taxpaying public.

    Ooroo

    James

    Ps I might John just stay on this case before I depart until 5 July 2015 the 4th anniversary of sitting with Adderley the liar and Basnett the…….

    Four years John four years.

  9. G’day John

    I can’t remember who it was, and I don’t care, that said I was being ridiculous with cryptic names.

    Almost four years ago to the day I saw Kevin Adderley and Paula Basnett to whistleblow on an about £2,000,000.00 fraud by Wirral “Funny” Bizz.

    Since then they have not prosecuted anybody and spent about £200,000.00 defending their lies and paying off the chief internal auditor.

    They have ignored reports by the original auditor Beverley Edwards, Grant Thornton and DCLG.

    Come on hero pipe up now and defend these “public servants”.

    And as for 65 elected good men of the council can any one of these scumbags defend these, as bad as the original criminals, officers?

    Look what happened to Stuart Kelly.

    This lot make the masons look like an open honest and transparent organisation.

    Come on speak up.

    Ooroo

    James

    aka brad davies plonker puller

  10. Still fuming John

    By the way you defenders of the evil scum officers at Wirral.

    I have been on the dole for the four years since seeing Adderley and Basnett and I have not asked for one penny from anybody apart from a loan from Hobro.

    When Basnett started to offer me a job I showed no interest and like Martin Morton I couldn’t work with this shite.

    Ooroo

    James

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