Why am I objecting to Wirral Council’s draft statement of accounts for the 2015/16 financial year?

**Tom Sault (Acting Section 151 Officer) Wirral Council at the Audit and Risk Management Committee on the 13th June 2016**

Below is a copy of the public notice that Wirral Council has published on its website here about the period from 1st July 2016 to the 11st August 2016 when “interested persons” (which includes local government electors in the Wirral area, organisations that pay business rates in the Wirral area and those representing local government electors in the Wirral area) can inspect (amongst other things) invoices and contracts relating to the 2015/16 financial year.
Continue reading “Why am I objecting to Wirral Council’s draft statement of accounts for the 2015/16 financial year?”

EXCLUSIVE: 155 invoices paid by Wirral Council in 2013/14 for legal services, external audit, physiotherapy and psychological assessments

Below are 155 of the invoices I requested during the 2013/14 audit. They range from invoices to the Council’s external auditor Grant Thornton UK LLP, criminal work, a couple of judicial reviews, appealing an ICO decision notice to the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) as well as a lot of times Wirral Council have taken parents to court about their children. Some of these invoices I’ve previously written about on this blog, such as about the invoice about appealing the ICO decision notice. Turns out now I look at it more carefully there was a further invoice for £1,008 from February 2014 in that matter too.

Some of the others I’ve already on the blog as I received them in August 2014. However I didn’t publish them in August because I’ve had to go through a process of blacking out all the names (and partial names) of children and parents.

Added in green to many invoices are the representative (where known) from the list of payments in 2013/14 greater than £500. I’ve also added back in (on some) text which has been obscured by information blacked out on double-sided pages and bled through.

There is an index to all 155 invoices that can be downloaded here. I’ve tried to use the following file format when naming each file “Wirral Council invoice” followed by representative/organisation, amount, date, page number where there are multiple pages for the same invoice followed by invoice number.

Invoices 73 & 74 aren’t published here as they were cancelled and replaced by invoices 75 & 76. There is another batch of invoices I have yet to scan in, which is a mix of invoices for legal services and other general invoices. Below you should find all 155 invoices.

Wirral Council invoice Capita Health and Wellbeing Limited £520 Page 1 of 3 18th March 2013 1

Wirral Council invoice Capita Health and Wellbeing Limited £520 Page 2 of 3 18th March 2013 1

Wirral Council invoice Capita Health and Wellbeing Limited £520 Page 3 of 3 18th March 2013 1

Wirral Council invoice The Lucy Faithfull Foundation £699.31 28th March 2013 2

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings £10,344 page 1 of 2 15th March 2013 3

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings £1,320 18th March 2013 6

Wirral Council invoice Forepsych Limited psychological assessment report £688.35 3rd February 2013 11

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings £576 2nd April 2013 12

Wirral Council invoice Remy Zentar St Johns Buildings £1,800 27th March 2013 13

Wirral Council invoice Sharpe Pritchard £25,698 31st March 2013 Page 1 of 2 14

Wirral Council invoice Sharpe Pritchard £25,698 31st March 2013 Page 2 of 2 14

Wirral Council invoice Gail A Owen St Johns Buildings £2,928 9th April 2013 15

Wirral Council invoice Nicola Miles 7 Harrington St Chambers £2,130 9th April 2013 16

Wirral Council invoice Kate Burnell St Johns Buildings 9th April 2013 £792 17

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 11th April 2013 £864 18

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 16th April 2013 £720 19

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 16th April 2013 £1,032 20

Wirral Council invoice Dr Jennifer Ashcroft JJ Ashcroft Clinical Psychology Services Ltd 7th April 2013 £900.75 21

Wirral Council invoice Gail A Owen St Johns Buildings 26th April 2013 £591.36 22

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 20th April 2013 £600 23

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Bellamy St Johns Buildings 25th April 2013 £511.68 24

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 26th April 2013 £528 25

Wirral Council invoice Tim D N Kenward 7 Harrington St Chambers 19th April 2013 Page 1 of 2 £900 26

Wirral Council invoice Tim D N Kenward 7 Harrington St Chambers 19th April 2013 Page 2 of 2 £900 26

Wirral Council invoice Remy Zentar St Johns Buildings 23rd April 2013 £936 27

Wirral Council invoice Susan Edwards St Johns Buildings 2nd May 2013 £672 28

Wirral Council invoice DMM Psychology Ltd 8th March 2013 £1660.80 29

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 8th May 2013 £823.68 30

Wirral Council invoice Rebecca Smith St Johns Buildings 8th May 2013 £720 31

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 9th May 2013 £1200 32

Wirral Council invoice Rebecca Smith St Johns Buildings 9th May 2013 £720 33

Wirral Council invoice Benjamin Lawrence St Johns Buildings 13th May 2013 £787.50 34

Wirral Council invoice Advanced Childcare Assessments Limited 30th April 2013 £2,641.20 35

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 15th May 2013 Page 1 of 2 £528 36

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 15th May 2013 Page 2 of 2 £528 36

Wirral Council invoice Louis Browne Exchange Chambers 15th May 2013 £3445.74 37

Wirral Council invoice Claire Grundy St Johns Buildings 14th May 2013 £1800 38

Wirral Council invoice Sharpe Pritchard 17th May 2013 £640 39

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Building 17th May 2013 £1200 40

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Building 17th May 2013 £528 41

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Building 21st May 2013 £576 42

Wirral Council invoice Cerys Williams St Johns Building 22nd May 2013 £2454.72 43

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Building 24th May 2013 £768 44

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Building 28th May 2013 £811.29 Page 1 of 2 45

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Building 28th May 2013 £811.29 Page 2 of 2 45

Wirral Council invoice Simon Maddison St Johns Building 23rd May 2013 £1260 46

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 31st May 2013 £607.48 47

Wirral Council invoice Document Technology Limited 10th May 2013 £569.58 48

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 4th June 2013 £849.60 49

Wirral Council invoice Susan Edwards St Johns Buildings 10th June 2013 £993.60 50

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 11th June 2013 £799.68 51

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 13th June 2013 £2,208.96 52

Wirral Council invoice Grant Thornton UK LLP 14th June 2013 £63,504 53

Wirral Council invoice Catherine Rimmer St Johns Buildings 17th June 2013 £504 54

Wirral Council invoice Stephen J Bedford St Johns Buildings 17th June 2013 £1,584 55

Wirral Council invoice Stephen J Bedford St Johns Buildings 19th June 2013 £1,584 56

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 25th June 2013 £552 57

Wirral Council invoice The Association of Electoral Administration 14th May 2013 £3,556.25 58

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 1st July 2013 £960 59

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 1st July 2013 £4,910.40 Page 1 of 2 60

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 1st July 2013 £4,910.40 Page 2 of 2 60

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 1st July 2013 £523.20 61

Wirral Council invoice Tim D N Kenward 7 Harrington St Chambers 19th June 2013 Page 1 of 2 £3,660 62

Wirral Council invoice Tim D N Kenward 7 Harrington St Chambers 19th June 2013 Page 2 of 2 £3,660 62

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 3rd July 2013 £849.60 63

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 28th May 2013 £3,264 Page 1 of 2 64

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 28th May 2013 £3,264 Page 2 of 2 64

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 12th July 2013 65 £1,440 65

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 12th July 2013 £552 66

Wirral Council invoice Gaynor Lloyd St Johns Buildings 12th July 2013 £1822.08 67

Wirral Council invoice Sharpe Pritchard 18th July 2013 £10,080 68

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 25th July 2013 £696 69

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 25th July 2013 page 1 of 2 £7344 70

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 25th July 2013 page 2 of 2 £7344 70

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Manning Arden Chambers 26th July 2013 £1,800 71

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Manning Arden Chambers 26th July 2013 £1,800 72

Wirral Council invoice Helen Roberts Forensic Clinical Psychologist 1st August 2013 £821.10 75

Wirral Council invoice Helen Roberts Forensic Clinical Psychologist 1st August 2013 £590.50 76

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 7th August 2013 £1392 77

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 5th August 2013 £639.36 78

Wirral Council invoice Gaynor Lloyd St Johns Buildings 12th August 2013 £1822.08 79

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 12th August 2013 £2016 80

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 19th August 2013 £528 81

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 15th August 2013 £511.68 82

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 22nd August 2013 £864 83

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 21st August 2013 £703.68 84

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 4th September 2013 £576 85

Wirral Council invoice Grant Thornton UK LLP 12th September 2013 £63504 86

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 11th September 2013 £687.36 87

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 11th September 2013 £1992 88

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 16th September 2013 Page 1 of 2 £1296 89

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 16th September 2013 Page 2 of 2 £1296 89

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 16th September 2013 £1230.72 90

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 17th September 2013 £655.68 91

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 25th September 2013 £561.60 92

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 23rd September 2013 £930 93

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 30th September 2013 £720 94

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 2nd October 2013 £912 95

Wirral Council invoice Benjamin William Jones St Johns Buildings 1st October 2013 £900 96

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 7th October 2013 £511.68 97

Wirral Council invoice Kate Burnell St Johns Buildings 10th October 2013 £1248 98

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 14th October 2013 £720 99

Wirral Council invoice Cater Walsh Media Services Ltd 25th October 2013 £528 100

Wirral Council invoice Sara A Mann St Johns Buildings 21st October 2013 £831.36 101

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 21st October 2013 £576 102

Wirral Council invoice Ginette Fitzharris St Johns Buildings 21st October 2013 £753.60 103

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 30th October 2013 £3235.20 104

Wirral Council invoice Kate Burnell St Johns Buildings 30th October 2013 £1113.60 105

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 31st October 2013 £1128 106

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 30th October 2013 £528 107

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 1st November 2013 £864 108

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 11th November 2013 £993.60 109

Wirral Council invoice Susan Edwards St Johns Buildings 8th November 2013 £591.36 110

Wirral Council invoice David V Glasgow 30th October 2013 £740.37 111

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 13th November 2013 £576 112

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 18th November 2013 £753.60 113

Wirral Council invoice Christine Johnson Atlantic Chambers 22nd November 2013 £2940 114

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 22nd November 2013 Page 1 of 2 £4210 115

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 22nd November 2013 Page 2 of 2 £4210 115

Wirral Council invoice Susan Edwards St Johns Buildings 25th November 2013 £696 116

Wirral Council invoice Robin Hopkins kbw 12th November 2013 £1872 117

Wirral Council invoice Wilkin Chapman LLP 16th October 2013 £1598.40 118

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 21st November 2013 £576 119

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 26th November 2013 £1272 120

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 11th December 2013 Page 1 of 2 £3473.28 121

Wirral Council invoice Jonathan Taylor St Johns Buildings 11th December 2013 Page 2 of 2 £3473.28 121

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 3rd December 2013 £2399.04 122

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 4th December 2013 £672 123

Wirral Council invoice Susan Edwards St Johns Buildings 27th November 2013 £504 124

Wirral Council invoice Grant Thornton UK LLP 12th December 2013 £51120 125

Wirral Council invoice Ruth Stockley Kings Chambers 19th November 2013 £607.50 126

Wirral Council invoice Cerys Williams St Johns Buildings 7th January 2014 £528 127

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 8th January 2014 Page 1 of 3 £5096.64 128

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 8th January 2014 Page 2 of 3 £5096.64 128

Wirral Council invoice Jennifer Lesley Scully St Johns Buildings 8th January 2014 Page 3 of 3 £5096.64 128

Wirral Council invoice Nigel Lawrence 7 Harrington Street Chambers 11th December 2013 £27185.90 129

Wirral Council invoice Tim D N Kenward 7 Harrington Street Chambers 7th January 2014 £2220 130

Wirral Council invoice Grant Thornton UK LLP 11th December 2013 £63504 131

Wirral Council invoice Damien Sanders St Johns Buildings 15th January 2014 £600 132

Wirral Council invoice Leona Harrison St Johns Buildings 15th January 2014 £1536 133

Wirral Council invoice Michael J Kennedy St Johns Buildings 15th January 2014 £672 134

Wirral Council invoice Catherine Rimmer St Johns Buildings 20th January 2014 £720 135

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 21st January 2014 £912 136

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 17th January 2014 £951.36 137

Wirral Council invoice James Gatenby St Johns Buildings 20th January 2014 £607.68 138

Wirral Council invoice Helen Wilson St Johns Buildings 23rd January 2014 £816 139

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 23rd January 2014 £696 140

Wirral Council invoice Anthony Gill Kings Chambers 28th January 2014 £1860 141

Wirral Council invoice Sweet & Maxwell Ltd 2nd January 2014 £1041.60 142

Wirral Council invoice Andrew Haggis St Johns Buildings 14th February 2014 £720 143

Wirral Council invoice Kate Burnell St Johns Buildings 18th February 2014 £511.68 144

Wirral Council invoice Peta M L Harrison St Johns Buildings 18th February 2014 £888 145

Wirral Council invoice Weightmans LLP 25th February 2014 £1360.80 146

Wirral Council invoice Damien Sanders St Johns Buildings 26th February 2014 £528 147

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 19th February 2014 Page 1 of 3 £1120 148

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 19th February 2014 Page 2 of 3 £1120 148

Wirral Council invoice Paul Burns Exchange Chambers 19th February 2014 Page 3 of 3 £1120 148

Wirral Council invoice Robin Hopkins KBW 10th February 2014 £1008 149

Wirral Council invoice Joanne Jade Abraham St Johns Buildings 5th March 2014 £543.36 150

Wirral Council invoice Weightmans LLP 30th January 2014 £4982.40 151

Wirral Council invoice Lexis Nexis Butterworths 3rd March 2014 £1659 152

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 10th March 2014 £528 153

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 10th March 2014 £600 154

Wirral Council invoice Sharpe Pritchard 31st January 2014 £6468 155

Wirral Council invoice Cerys Williams St Johns Buildings 13th March 2014 £816 156

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 18th March 2014 Page 1 of 2 £1296 157

Wirral Council invoice Mark Senior St Johns Buildings 18th March 2014 Page 2 of 2 £1296 157

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EXCLUSIVE: Million pound contract between Wirral Council and Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd for ISUS scheme was never signed

A blog post about the unsigned contract between Wirral Council and Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd for the ISUS (Intensive Startup Support) Scheme

Million pound contract between Wirral Council and Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd for ISUS scheme was never signed

In my previous post on a Freedom of Information Act request I made to Wirral Council I stated that it would be one of a series of blog posts on interrelated topics, this is the second on audit rights.

Each year (this year it was from 15th July to the 9th August as you can read from this notice published on Wirral Council’s website), anybody can inspect the accounts for Wirral Council for the previous financial year and any books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts. This is a right the public have enshrined in legislation. If this person is also someone who can vote in the Wirral area they also have a right to make objections to the auditor (which in Wirral Council’s case is Grant Thornton UK LLP (previously it was the Audit Commission)).

One of the areas I was interested in is to do with Nigel Hobro’s question to Cllr Phil Davies at the last Council meeting and the Grant Thornton report into the Business Investment Grants program. The end of Cllr Phil Davies’ answer to Mr. Hobro was “Errm however if it turns out that err others have been affected similarly since the report came to us I’m happy to ensure they’re properly investigated and indeed if there are any further evidence of wrongdoing or the irregularities of accountancy methods brought to my attention, then errm I am errm willing and indeed I make a commitment to refer those to others.”

On the 17th July I requested the following (using the above audit rights) “I’d also be interested to see and have a copy of any contract Wirral Council has with Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd” and on Tuesday afternoon (20th August) I was invited along to receive it (I’ve since scanned in and links to all of it are at the start of this blog post). It is for the ISUS (Intensive Startup Scheme) side of the business grants program and covers “awareness and development workshops”, monitoring the businesses that receive grants for three years after they receive grants at at least ten points over that three years and for “provision of specialist post start and aftercare adviser support”. Basically all pretty important things for Wirral Council to prove value for money for the taxpayer for these grants.

The contract states just under a million pounds of taxpayer’s money is involved and as a lot of records would rest with Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd requires them to supply information to do with the project including invoices, certificates, vouchers, books and records if required as well as keeping copies of documentation (and make them available for inspection) for seven years after the grants are awarded.

Section seventeen of the contract allows Wirral Council to vary the amount of grant payable, suspend payment of grant, withhold payment of grant or require Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd to repay some or all of the grant if the terms and conditions are breached at any time before three years after Wirral Council has last paid them the grant. It also requires Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd to if required to pay back money to Wirral Council to do so within fourteen days, otherwise interest at 3% above the base lending rate of NATWEST Bank plc will be charged.

However the most interesting bit of the contract is page ten. It’s not signed by Wirral Council or Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd. However invoices from Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd were paid and according to this Freedom of Information Act request Wirral Council also used Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd to produce business plans for organisations wanting to take over Council assets as part of the Community Asset Transfer program (in the request’s case New Brighton Community Centre).

In that FOI request the Council admits “there was no contract with Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd” and the fact that the one drafted between Wirral Council and Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd for the ISUS project (which according to the copy I’ve been given wasn’t signed by either party) how can Wirral Council prove it got value for money both to the public (and its auditor)?

Isn’t actually getting a signed contract in place, before you make any payments the kind of basic good governance that Wirral residents should expect from Wirral Council?

Is Cllr Davies’ commitment if he knows of “further wrongdoing” or “irregularities of accountancy methods” to “refer these to others” going to help matters? Referring the whistleblower’s concerns to Grant Thornton and Merseyside Police allowed Wirral Council to draw a veil over the matter and claim exemptions to legitimate questions asked by the public through Freedom of Information Act requests. Councillor Phil Davies is the Cabinet Member for Finance, he’s the elected politician at Wirral Council with democratic accountability to the public for financial matters. I clearly remember Cllr Davies saying last year that when he became leader that there would be more openness and transparency, not less.

Unless politicians (of all political persuasions) are willing to persistently ask difficult questions of senior officers at Wirral Council and put them on the spot during public meetings, instead preferring to be seen to be doing something by requesting reports (there’s the recent example of the case of the Grant Thornton report into the BIG scheme which was never published in full) I fear that all the talk about improved corporate governance and glowing peer reviews at Wirral Council won’t be believed by the public.

Why am I objecting to Wirral Council’s draft statement of accounts for the 2015/16 financial year?

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EXCLUSIVE: 155 invoices paid by Wirral Council in 2013/14 for legal services, external audit, physiotherapy and psychological assessments

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Million pound contract between Wirral Council and Enterprise Solutions (NW) Ltd for ISUS scheme was never signed

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