Category: Cabinet

Cabinet (Wirral Council) 15th March 2012 Report on meeting Part 1

Well as promised in a previous post here’s a writeup of part of last Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, well at least some highlights. Item 8 (Chief Executives Office) along with its its appendix have been deferred to a future meeting. Cllr Jeff Green wanted to waive call-in on item 27 regarding St. Anselms College but was … Continue reading “Cabinet (Wirral Council) 15th March 2012 Report on meeting Part 1”

Well as promised in a previous post here’s a writeup of part of last Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, well at least some highlights.

Item 8 (Chief Executives Office) along with its its appendix have been deferred to a future meeting.

Cllr Jeff Green wanted to waive call-in on item 27 regarding St. Anselms College but was given legal advice by Surjit Tour that he couldn’t because the officers who have to agree to it to waive call-in weren’t present.

The nomination for Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2012/2013 were as follows:-

Mayor: Cllr Gerry Ellis

Deputy Mayor: Cllr Dave Mitchell

Bill Norman (Director of Law, HR and Asset Management), Ian Coleman (Director of Finance) and Jim Wilkie (Chief Executive) were all absent from the Cabinet meeting.

Err, let’s see, Craig Manning has written about item 16 for the Wirral Globe which can be read online. Certainly Cllr Jeff Green wasn’t happy with the news, but Social Services has a reputation for overspending by £millions each year.

Cabinet Wirral Council 15/3/2012 Parts 1 to 7 (15th March 2012)

The Cabinet meeting of Wirral Council of the 15th March 2012 in Committee Room 1, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Seacombe, Wirral in audio form (7 parts). Also links to agenda, reports, supplementary agenda and meeting information.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7DC84616353B7551

Video of Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting from 15th March 2012, here is a playlist with all seven parts, apart from the odd few seconds in between. Can anyone tell me how to embed a playlist into a WordPress post? Thankfully the battery lasted, so did the tape. Will do write-up and more subtitles later when I’ve had more sleep.

Mainly audio only as there’s no way to film video and write subtitles without a tripod (I only have a pair of hands!), so apologies for the “scribbling noise”! I might get a tripod in the next few weeks soon, if more people start watching this videos, or leave nice comments. One retweet of part 4 already, which is pleasing.

Any tips on Youtube please feel free to leave advice in the comments (whether on Youtube or here).

Here are links you might need to understand it:-

Agenda

Agenda reports

Supplementary Agenda reports (item 27)

Meeting page on Wirral Council’s website

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Cabinet (Wirral Council) 12th January 2012 Any Other Business – Urgent Business Approved by the Chair (Part 1) – Independent Review of Claims Made by Martin Morton (and others) Part 4

Jim Wilkie, Chief Executive said he would make some very brief comments and did about the Anna Klonowski report and the other summaries attached.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said it was a “damning report”. He hoped the members of the public could understand why there had been an elongation of the Right to Reply to allow the process to take place. He believed the way matters had been dealt with had clearly not been appropriate. He thanked the former Leader, Cllr Jeff Green.

Cllr Foulkes said it was fully costed and they would continue to engage [AKA Ltd] for the foreseeable period. He saw it continuing going forward to the next available Cabinet meeting. He felt it need to be discussed in full and with other whistleblowing issues.

The Highways and Engineering Services Procurement Exercise report was discussed by Cllr Foulkes in detail. He said the main accusations were people being overcharged and compensation as well as other forms of abuse. Cllr Foulkes said they had been investigated and reported to the police.

Cllr Foulkes mentioned detailed work on the Action Plan and how to “move forward”. He said the view to the outside world was one of reputational damage to Wirral Council. They were engaging an external body to help and advise which would hopefully counter the insular culture.

He referred to a Corporate Governance Committee briefing and the “Improvement Board” which would include North West Employers to hold them [Wirral Council] to account. The Chief Executive and Bill Norman would keep an overview on how they dealt with the Action Plan. He mentioned hope and prayer and picking up comments by employees.

There was outrage and outrage by individuals and harm to individuals. He gave a public apology to Martin Morton which was a “genuine case” that Wirral Council had “not dealt with appropriately”. The Audit and Risk Management Committee had had a time of reflection, but should now move forward with a final resolution.

Graham Hodkinson was now Director of Adult Social Services and he welcomed him to his new post. He then read out the following resolution verbatim that was also handed out to those present. He said an apology to Martin Morton had been added. He wanted discussions to continue with Martin Morton to ensure an “amicable outcome” and a job with the authority. However they had to tie the loose ends up and it was not for Cllr Foulkes or the Cabinet to speak on behalf of Martin Morton.

He said it was the final outcome and that it helps the audience. He said it was a “difficult report to read”. He had tried to give encouragement to people working in the Department for Adult Social Services, but that it can’t go without thorough investigation.

Cllr Phil Davies formally seconded the resolution. It was agreed by the Cabinet. The resolution is below.

On a Motion moved by Councillor S Foulkes and seconded by Councillor P Davies it was

RESOLVED (unanimously): That

(1)       the Exempt Appendices 2 and 4 be brought into the public domain;

(2)       the previous Council Leader, Councillor J Green be thanked for engaging AKA to investigate the claims of Mr Martin Morton (and others);

(3)       the Council apologises to Mr Martin Morton and discussions will continue with him in the hope that an amicable outcome is reached; and

(4)       this Cabinet recognises the serious failings contained within this report and the harm done to vulnerable adults as a consequence of those failings.

It accepts unreservedly the recommendations made in the report and asks the Chief Executive to draw up an Action Plan demonstrating how those recommendations will be implemented, which should be reported back to the next Cabinet, and referred from there to a Special Council for full debate.

Cabinet welcomes the fact that the Chief Executive has already asked:

§ The Director of Adult Social Services, supported by the Head of Safeguarding, to urgently review the Final report for any further safeguarding issues that need to be addressed

§ The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management, supported by the Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development, to urgently review the Final Report to ensure all appropriate action is taken,

§ The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management, in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Services and the Head of Safeguarding, to urgently review the Final Report to consider whether any historic safeguarding failures should be referred to the Police, (or any relevant regulatory body) for investigation.

It further notes the actions already under way listed in paragraphs 3.8 to 3.10 which include:

§ A series of measures to strengthen the Council’s  safeguarding of vulnerable adults

§ An ongoing review into the Council’s whistle blowing and harassment and bullying policies and

§ A wider review of the Council’s Corporate Governance (including a review of all fees and charges)

And notes that these measures are designed to ensure that the situations contained within the report could not be repeated in the Department of Adult Social Services or elsewhere across the Council.

Cabinet is also conscious of the fact that one of the criticisms in the report is that in Wirral Council the “abnormal has become normal”.

Cabinet therefore endorses the decision of the Leader of the Council to set up an Improvement Board, under the umbrella of the LGA, with external representatives from the LGA and elsewhere, including the author of this report, Ms Anna Klonowski, to ensure that any future decisions are taken on the basis of best practice rather than accepted Wirral practice.

Cabinet further endorses the decision to refer the Action Plan to be drawn up by the Chief Executive to this Improvement board for their Scrutiny and comment.

Cabinet also refers the Final Report to the Health and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their Scrutiny and Comments.

Cabinet believes that this Final Report should be seen in tandem with the Martin Smith report into allegations of bullying and harassment and therefore believes it would be in the public interest to publish this report,  and refer it to the Special Council called to discuss the Final Anna Klonowski’s report, along with a separate report on HESPE which also arose from the actions of Whistleblowers and the Council’s response to those Whistleblowers.

Cabinet thanks Ms Klonowski for the detailed work that has gone into this Final Report and expresses its hope and belief that these findings can be used as a catalyst for major improvement and change.

It further hopes that this will allow the Council to move forward from this point to the provision of radically improved services and a much more open and transparent culture which welcomes and learns from criticism and responds rapidly to complaints or concerns at the earliest possible stage, preventing a situation like this from ever arising again.

Cabinet 12th January 2012 Declarations of Interest, Minutes (8/12/11) & objections (12/12/11), AOB – Urgent Business Approved by the Chair (Part 1) – Independent Review of Claims Made by Martin Morton (and others) Part 3

Bearing in mind the previous interests I have mentioned in this matter I will try to write this up in as fair a way as possible!

Present:
All Cabinet Members

Cllr Steve Foulkes started the meeting by saying “What a day!” He wished people present a good evening and said he was changing the agenda because of a serious issue to do with the AK report, which was supplementary agenda one, item 24. First however the Committee had to deal with declarations of interests.

Cllr George Davies declared a personal interest in item 7 due to his wife’s employment as a primary school teacher.
Cllr George Davies declared a prejudicial interest in item 7 due to his wife’s employment as a primary school teacher.
Cllr Chris Meaden declared an interest in item 13 due to being a Non Executive Director of Lairdside Communities Together.
Cllr Phil Davies declared a personal interest in item 13 due to being a Non Executive Director of Lairdside Communities Together.

Cllr Steve Foulkes asked if they could move on and agree the minutes of the meeting held on the 8th December 2011. The minutes were agreed and the four successful objections to the minutes on the 12th December 2011 were noted.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said he had quite a rewarding day at Hulme Hall. Five people including himself as Leader as well as the Deputy Leader & Chief Executive had been present for matters involving corporate governance, public health and child poverty. He said they had dealt with two thousand employees. He wanted to “get every employee up to speed” but his “voice may go”.

With regards to Agenda Item 24, the independent review, they had been requested and thought it also sensible to bring the Martin Smith report about bullying. An Executive Summary was already in the public domain but he had asked Bill Norman to make it available and to the future full Council meeting.

Bill Norman said the report had been received to a previous Cabinet meeting in April 2011. The report had been exempt because Wirral Council had to consider disciplinary issues. This reason for the exemption no longer continues. There was an exempt appendix three involving North West Employers which for some reasons they’d prefer not to disclose they needed to ensure the version circulated is redacted and anonymised. It was in his opinion in the public interest to disclose.

Cllr Steve Foulkes used the words “anxious”, “complicated” and “accusations”. He expressed the view that they had held onto it longer than they need to. He said councillors had seen the original version and it was part of the same issue. He wanted it in the public arena sooner rather than later. The Martin Smith report would be considered in the public domain. He referred to the full Council meeting.

Bill Norman said with regards to exempt appendix 4, the letters from the Standards for England to four Wirral councillors, he had spoken to the four councillors. All four councillors had said they would prefer the decision notices to be made public and agreed to it being in the public domain.

Related articles

Cabinet 12th January 2012 AOB – Urgent Business Approved by the Chair (Part 1) – Independent Review of Claims Made by Martin Morton (and others) Part 2

Cabinet 12th January 2012 AOB – Urgent Business Approved by the Chair (Part 1) – Independent Review of Claims Made by Martin Morton (and others) Part 2

Before I write this up, I need to (to be ethical) state a raft of conflicts of interest as I have been overcharged by Wirral Council’s Social Services in the past in the time period around 2004-2005. However the money has since been refunded to me.

There are further many conflicts of interest I now have and to be ethical have to declare (what I can) about two of the four councillors named in the decision notices.

1) I have previously been a member of the Birkenhead Liberal Democrats (Cllrs Ann Bridson and Cllrs Pat Williams are both members).
4) I have previously been a member of the North West Liberal Democrats (Cllrs Ann Bridson and Cllrs Pat Williams are both members).
6) I have previously been a member of the Liberal Democrats (Cllrs Ann Bridson and Cllrs Pat Williams are both members).
7) I have previously been a member of the Wirral West Liberal Democrats and so has Cllr Ann Bridson.
8) Although, not at the time of writing, I have in the past been elected as a political party office holder for both the Birkenhead Local Party and Wirral West Liberal Democrats at the same time as Cllr Ann Bridson with respect to Birkenhead and Wirral West and Cllr Pat Williams with respect to Birkenhead. These positions were:-

a) past office holder of the Birkenhead Liberal Democrat Constituency Executive at the same time as Cllrs Bridson and Cllrs Williams
b) past office holder as Federal Conference representative (Birkenhead Local Party) at the same time as Cllrs Bridson and Cllrs Williams
c) past office holder as North West regional conference representative (Birkenhead Local Party) at the same time as Cllr Bridson
d) past office holder as North West regional conference representative (Wirral West Local Party) at the same time as Cllr Bridson

I am also have two further undisclosed interests of Cllr Bridson and one of Cllr Williams. I’m not willing at this point to declare what these are, just to state they exist. I have delayed writing this report of the Cabinet due to the need to read the report and appendices which total 529 pages. The following documents were published on Wirral Council’s website for this agenda item.

Report of Chief Executive (14 A4 pages)

Appendix 1 AKA Final Report (249 A4 pages)

Appendix 2 Martin Smith report by North West Employers into claims made by Martin Morton (276 pages)

Appendix 4A (Standards for England Decision Notice) Cllr Pat Williams (1 A4 page)

Appendix 4B (Standards for England Decision Notice) Cllr Moira McLaughlin (1 A4 page)

Appendix 4C (Standards for England Decision Notice) Cllr Denise Roberts (1 A4 page)

Appendix 4D (Standards for England Decision Notice) Cllr Ann Bridson (1 A4 page)

There are also the draft minutes are on Wirral Council’s website. There is also more information that has been known to us for some time in this matter which involves some of the Appendices to the AKA Final Report.

I have previously written about Appendix 9 here.