Why did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service pay a consultant £2,500/day + expenses?

Why did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service pay a consultant £2,500/day + expenses?

Why did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service pay a consultant £2,500/day + expenses?

                                                               

Principea Consulting Ltd Training Expenses invoice £2901 06p Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Principea Consulting Ltd Training Expenses invoice £2901 06p Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

The above invoice was paid by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for a speaker from Principea Consulting Limited for a training event called Exercise Black Swan.

The first part £401.06 is for travel expenses that break down to these categories on the invoice.

  • £11.60 Single fare on hovercraft to Southsea
  • £80.00 taxi to/from Southampton Airport
  • £136.96 Air Fare return to Manchester
  • £166.50 Two nights in the Premier Inn in Liverpool
  • £6.00 Single return on fast catamaran

Total £401.06

The second part of the invoice is £2,500 for Speakers Fee for presentation on 3rd of May 2013 (although this might be a typo and possibly should read 2014) and detailed as for the development and leadership of Exercise Black Swan. The rest of the invoice deals with VAT.

So, if I’ve read this invoice correctly Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service paid for someone to speak at a one-day training event the sum of £2,500, plus their travel and accommodation expenses of £401.06? Does anyone reading know what Exercise Black Swan was?

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8 Members of the European Parliament to be elected

8 Members of the European Parliament to be elected

8 Members of the European Parliament to be elected

                          

Although I wrote a blog post about the notice of election for twenty-three Wirral Council councillors about a week ago I haven’t yet written about the notice of election for the eight Members of the European Parliament held on the same day.

Below is the notice of election for the European elections. The constituency for a MEP is the whole of the North West of England which is millions of people who could vote in the election. Also candidates wishing to stand in the European elections have to find a deposit of £5,000. I presume (as in General Elections) the deposit is refundable if those candidates get x% of the vote.

NORTH WEST ELECTORAL REGION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT:

1. An election is to be held for EIGHT members of the European Parliament for the NORTH WEST Electoral Region.

2. If the election is contested the poll will take place on THURSDAY 22 MAY 2014.

3. Nomination papers are to be delivered to the Regional Returning Officer for the North West, Room 134, Town Hall, Manchester, between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM from TUESDAY 15 APRIL 2014 to THURSDAY 17 APRIL 2014 and between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM from TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2014 to THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2014. Forms of nomination papers may also be obtained at that place, during those times.

4. The deposit for each registered political party or individual candidate, being the sum of £5000, can only be made by the deposit of legal tender or by means of a banker’s draft (banks operating in the United Kingdom or Gibraltar only), at the place and during the time for delivery of nomination papers. No other method of making a deposit will be available.

5. Applications to be included in the register of electors or for postal or proxy voting must be made to the relevant Electoral Registration Officer for the applicant’s area. Further information can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or www.northwestvotes.gov.uk.

6. Applications to be included in the register of electors must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by TUESDAY 6 MAY 2014, if they are to be effective for the election.

7. All applications and notices in respect of postal voting and those in respect of changes to existing proxy voting arrangements must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5:00 PM on WEDNESDAY 7 MAY 2014, if they are to be effective for the election.

8. All new applications to vote by proxy (except those applied for on relevant emergency grounds) must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5:00 PM on WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2014, if they are to be effective for the election.

9. All applications to vote by proxy on relevant emergency grounds (disability occurring after 5:00 PM on WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2014; grounds relating to applicant’s occupation, service or employment where the applicant became aware of those grounds after 5:00 PM on WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2014; or detention under civil powers as a mental health patient) must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5:00 PM on THURSDAY 22 MAY 2014, if they are to be effective for the election.

DATED: Monday 14 April 2014

Sir Howard Bernstein
Regional Returning Officer for the North West
Town Hall
Manchester
M60 2LA

Printed and Published by the REGIONAL RETURNING OFFICER, TOWN HALL, MANCHESTER, M60 2LA

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High Court of Justice report The Queen on the application of John Michael Brace v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

CO/7971/2012

In the High Court of Justice

Queen’s Bench Division

Administrative Court sitting in Manchester

In the matter of an application for Judicial Review

            The Queen on the application of

            JOHN MICHAEL BRACE

            versus

            WIRRAL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

            Application for permission to apply for Judicial Review

            NOTIFICATION of the Judge’s decision (CPR Part 54.11, 54.12)

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant

Order by his Honour Judge Waksman QC sitting as a High Court Judge

Permission is hereby refused.

Observations:

  1. The correct way for the Claimant to have proceeded on the basis of his complaint about other candidates’ non-compliance with s79 LGA 2000* was to have made an election petition within 21 days which he did not do and which, if he had, would have provided a safeguard in the form of provision for security of costs.

     

  2. Moreover this claim is out of time not only because just outside 3 months but because it was not made promptly given that the Claimant made the point before the challenged election took place. It is particularly important that if there is a JR claim at all in respect of such matters (see paragraph 1 above) that it is made very speedily so as to avoid any prejudice and costs incurred by the election having taken place. No extension is justified simply because the Claimant broke his arm.

     

  3. Accordingly, no arguable basis for JR.

     

Signed: D. ???????? Date: 23 August 2012

Where permission to apply has been granted, claimants and their legal advisers are reminded of their obligation to reconsider the merits of their application in the light of the defendant’s evidence.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Sent/Handed to the claimant, defendant and any interested party/ the claimant’s, defendant’s and any interested party’s solicitors on (date):

Solicitors:

Ref No.

Notes for the Claimant

(1)       Where the Judge has refused permission a claimant or his solicitor may request the decision to be reconsidered at a hearing by completing and returning form 86B within 7 days of the service upon him of this notice.

(2)       If permission has been granted the claimant or his solicitor must within 7 days of the service upon him of this notice, lodge a further fee of £180.00 or a Fees exemption certificate if appropriate, to continue the proceedings. Failure to pay the fee or lodge a certificate within the specified period may result in the claim being struck out.

Notes to Defendants and Interested Parties

(1)       Where permission has been granted, a defendant and any other person served with the claim form who wishes to contest the claim or support it on additional grounds must file and serve –

(a) detailed grounds for contesting the claim or supporting it on additional grounds; and

(b) any written evidence,

within 35 days after service of the order giving permission. 

*Note although the judgement reads s.79 LGA 2000, I have linked to s.79 LGA 1972 as it appears to be an error in this judgement.