What is in 13 Merseytravel/Liverpool City Region Combined Authority contracts and hundreds of pages of invoices relating to the 15/16 financial year?
What is in 13 Merseytravel/Liverpool City Region Combined Authority contracts and hundreds of pages of invoices relating to the 15/16 financial year?
Councillor Steve Foulkes (Labour) (right) speaking at a recent meeting of the Birkenhead Constituency Committee (28th July 2016) | Councillor Pat Cleary (Green) (left) listens. Cllr Steve Foulkes is Merseytravel’s Lead Councillor for Finance and Strategy.
Merseytravel and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority were the last public body to respond to my request to inspect and receive copies during the 30 working day period which was originally supposed to run starting on the 1st July 2016.
This was interesting as the 30 working day period isn’t allowed to start until the public notice is published!
However the FOI request went to an internal review and Julie Watling of Merseytravel responded on the 11th August stating that, “However I had been mistakenly informed that the information was not on the website, when in fact it was available at the following links:-”
But then, is it reasonable to expect an organisation to know what’s published on its own website and to answer Freedom of Information Act requests accurately or am I asking too much?
Which is the correct answer?
However the information (or to be more accurate part of the information) I requested arrived in the post yesterday (postage around £6.20 as it was special delivery guaranteed by 1pm) with a covering letter from a trainee solicitor and DVD.
Below is what was on the DVD. I did get a further email yesterday with a contract that had been mistakenly left off the DVD too.
Although the internal review clears up the issue about the public notice on Merseytravel’s website, for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority it should’ve been published on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s website, not Merseytravel’s.
So part of my objection I sent to the auditors yesterday still stands.
The invoices are split by the thirteen accounting periods that Merseytravel used during the 2015 2016 financial year, although why spoil the surprise when you can read for yourself below?
There are some interesting matters to be gleaned from the invoices and contracts, however I don’t have the time at present to blog about them in detail.
Invoices 2015 to 2016 financial year (Merseytravel and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority).
What are 10 invoices paid by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority totalling £4,758,470.23 for?
What are 10 invoices paid by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority totalling £4,758,470.23 for?
Below are ten A4 images of invoices I requested during the 2015-16 audit of Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (that goes by the name of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority).
They are in order from Mersey Waste Holdings Ltd, Veolia ES Merseyside & Halton Limited, FCC Recycling (UK) Limited, Wirral Council, JLT Speciality Limited and Liverpool City Council.
Some are for payments made to do with contracts, the one with Wirral Council is to do with a loan (MRDF stands for Merseyside Residual Debt Fund which MWDA’s share of the former Merseyside County Council’s debts), insurance and business rates to Liverpool City Council for the Gilmoss Waste Transfer Station in Stonebridge Lane.
Amounts for these invoices are for £2,136,797.83, £1,253,141.93, £650,990.21, £472,906.96, £182,600, £37,741.30 and £24,892 (total £4,758,470.23).
I will point however that the costs of dealing with waste on these invoices is at the county level of Merseyside (possibly with Halton added too). Wirral Council’s share will be a fraction of what the total costs are).
Matters involving the current consultation by Wirral Council on food waste and changes to the green bin collection were recently the subject of a call in public meeting (26th July 2016) when opposition councillors requested that the Cabinet decision be reviewed. You can watch footage from that meeting below which discusses the proposed changes to the green bin collections and proposed new food waste collection.
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Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 26th July 2016 Call in of Cabinet decision on consultation on green bins and food waste
0 Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority Mersey Waste Holdings Ltd £2136797.83 Landfill Services Contract Page 1 of 1 February 20151 Veolia ES Merseyside and Halton Limited £1253141 93 Waste Management and Recycling Contract Page 1 of 2 March 20152 Veolia ES Merseyside and Halton Limited £1253141.93 Waste Management and Recycling Contract Page 2 of 2 March 20153 Veolia ES Merseyside and Halton Limited £6509901.21 Waste Management and Recycling Contract Page 1 of 2 February 2015 min4 Veolia ES Merseyside and Halton Limited £6509901.21 Waste Management and Recycling Contract Page 2 of 2 February 20155 FCC Recycling (UK) Limited £472906.96 Interim Waste Services Management Agreement Page 1 of 1 February 20156 Wirral Council £182600 MRDF 2nd instalment 14 15 Page 1 of 17 JLT Speciality Limited £37741.30 Comined Liability Insurance Page 1 of 18 Liverpool City Council £248965 non domestic rates Gilmoss Waste Transfer Station Page 1 of 29 Liverpool City Council £248965 non domestic rates Gilmoss Waste Transfer Station Page 2 of 2
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Should Cllr Denise Roberts pay back £3.80 claimed in postage to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority?
Should Cllr Denise Roberts pay back £3.80 claimed in postage to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority?
Councillor Denise Roberts (Chair, Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee at Wirral Council) 6th July 2016
Below is a £3.80 claim made by Cllr Denise Roberts when she was on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority for postage.
Apparently some papers for a Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting were sent to her with the incorrect postage on so she put in an expense claim (on the travel and subsistence form) for £3.80.
The receipt from Royal Mail is included.
Let’s hope Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service know to put the right postage on mail in the future!
Councillor Denise Roberts £3.80 postage 29th June 2015 Page 1 of 2 resizedCouncillor Denise Roberts £3.80 postage 29th June 2015 Page 2 of 2 resized
She got somebody else working in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services called Nicholas Pitcher to sign the form on her behalf.
Her basic allowance of an extra £8,070 for being on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority is supposed to cover such incidental expenses such as this £3.80 postage but Cllr Denise Roberts chose to claim it back.
At the time of this claim Cllr Denise Roberts was Chair of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s Audit Sub-Committee (which is also the Committee at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority that dealt with complaints about councillors).
Should Cllr Roberts pay the £3.80 back? Please leave a comment giving your view.
Cllr Denise Roberts stopped being on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority in May 2016 when Wirral Council chose a different councillor to represent the Labour Group from Wirral.
Cllr Denise Roberts is now Chair of Wirral Council’s Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee which has oversight of complaints made about councillors.
What’s in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s planning application for a new fire station in Saughall Massie?
What’s in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s planning application for a new fire station in Saughall Massie?
Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station
The planning application for a new fire station in Saughall Massie has been made to Wirral Council by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
The application number is APP/16/00985 and the description is, "A single storey two bay community fire station incorporating operational and welfare accommodation, offices and meeting space, external drill and training facilities and associated car-parking." at "land adjacent to SAUGHALL MASSIE ROAD, SAUGHALL MASSIE" .
The planning application form for this is 9 A4 pages long so I will summarise the details below. Further details are expected to be published on Wirral Council’s website in the near future.
You can make a comment supporting or objecting to this planning application on Wirral Council’s website which also contains the documents that are part of the planning application.
It is expected after a period of consultation with the public for the planning application to be decided by Wirral Council’s Planning Committee in October 2016.
1. Applicant Name, Address and Contact Details
Mr Colin Schofield
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
Merseyside FRS HQ
Bridle Road
Bootle
L30 4YD
2. Agent Name, Address and Contact Details
Mrs Dawn Coward
Ryder Architecture
Innovation Centre
131 Mount Pleasant
Liverpool
United Kingdom
L3 5TF
A single storey two bay community fire station incorporating operational and welfare accommodation, offices and meeting space, external drill and training facilities and associated car-parking.
Has the building, work or change of use already started? No.
4. Site Address Details
Land of Saughall Massie Road
Saughall Massie
Upton
Wirral
Easting 325469
Northing 388515
5. Pre-application advice
Has assistance or prior advice been sought from the local authority about this application? Yes
Officer name:
Mrs Sheila Day
Department of Regeneration and Planning
04/11/2015
Details of the pre-application advice received:
Following request for pre-application advice and meetings with planning case officer and colleagues, a detailed response was received and covered the following:
– Advice on scale, massing and positioning of the building.
– Advice on landscaping
– Advice on highway interfaces and parking
– Review of ground investigation.
– Request for further particulars that justified the location of the fire station and evidence of community consultation
– Request for details of training procedures and frequency
6. Pedestrian and Vehicle Access, Roads and Rights of Way
Is a new or altered vehicle access proposed to or from the public highway? Yes
Is a new or altered pedestrian access proposed to or from the public highway? Yes
Are there any new public roads to be provided within the site? No
Are there any new public rights of way to be provided within or adjacent to the site? No
Do the proposals require any diversions/extinguishments and/or creation of rights of way? No
If you answered Yes to any of the above questions, please show details on your plan/drawings and state the reference of the plan(s)/drawings(s)
Short description of Other Fire appliances (note: within appliance bay)
11. Foul Sewage
Please state how foul sewage is to be disposed of:
Mains sewer
Are you proposing to connect to the existing drainage system? Yes
If Yes, please include the details of the existing system on the application drawings and state references for the plan(s)/drawing(s):
28042 Drainage Assessment and Strategy REV 01.pdf
12. Assessment of Flood Risk
Is the site within an area at risk of flooding? No
Is your proposal within 20 metres of a watercourse (e.g. river, stream or beck)? No
Will the proposal increase the flood risk elsewhere? No.
How will surface water be disposed of? Sustainable drainage system Main sewer
13. Biodiversity and Geological Conservation
Is there a reasonable likelihood of the following being affected adversely or conserved and enhanced within the application site, OR on land to or near the application site:
a) Protected and priority species
No
b) Designated sites, important habitats or other biodiversity features
No
c) Features of geological conservation importance
Yes, on land adjacent to or near the proposed development
14. Existing Use
Please describe the current use of the site:
Vacant land
Is the site current vacant? Yes
If Yes, please describe the last use of the site: Vacant grass land
Does the proposal involve any of the following? If yes , you will need to submit an appropriate contamination assessment with your application.
Land which is known to be contaminated? No
Land where contamination is suspected for all or part of the site? No
A proposed use that would be particularly vulnerable to the presence of contamination? No
15. Trees and Hedges
Are there any trees or hedges on the proposed development site? Yes
And/or: Are there trees or hedges on land adjacent to the proposed development site that could influence the development or might be important as part of the local landscape character? Yes
If Yes to either or both of the above, you may need to provide a full Tree Survey, at the discretion of your local planning authority. If a Tree Survey is required, this and the accompanying plan should be submitted alongside your application. Your local planning authority should make clear on its website what the survey should contain, in accordance with the current ‘BS5837: Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations’.
16. Trade Effluent
Does the proposal involve the need to dispose of trade effluents or waste? No
17. Residential Units
Does your proposal include the gain or loss of residential units? No
18. All Types of Development: Non-residential Floorspace
Does your proposal involve the loss, gain or change of use of non-residential floorspace? Yes
Total gross new internal floorspace proposed (including changes of use) (square metres) 737
Use Class/type of use: Other
19. Employment
If known, please complete the following information regarding employees:
Proposed employees 10 (full-time)
20. Hours of Opening
No Hours of Opening details were submitted for this application
21. Site Area
What is the site area? 4,950.00 sq. metres
22. Industrial or Commercial Processes and Machinery
Please describe the activities and processes which would be carried out on the site and the end products including paint, ventilation or air conditioning. Please include the type of machinery which may be installed on site:
Compressors for refilling and testing of breathing apparatus.
Hydraulic cutting devices for car cutting during road traffic collision simulation.
Is the proposal for a waste management development? No
23. Hazardous Substances
Is any hazardous waste involved in the proposal? No
24. Site Visit
Can the site be seen from a public road, public footpath, bridleway or other public land? Yes
If the planning authority needs to make an appointment to carry out a site visit, whom should they contact? (Please select only one)
The agent
25. Certificates (Certificate B)
Certificate of Ownership – Certificate B
Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 Certificate under Article 14
I certify/ The applicant certifies that I have/the applicant has given the requisite notice to everyone else (as listed below) who, on the day 21 days before the date of this application, was the owner (owner is a person with a freehold interest or leasehold interest with at least 7 years left to run) and/or agricultural tenant (“agricultural tenant” has the meaning given in section 65(8) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) of any part of the land or building to which this application relates.
Owner/Agricultural Tenant
Wirral Metropolitan Council
Brighton Street
Wallasey
CH44 8ED
15/7/2016
Mrs Dawn Coward
AGENT
15/7/2016
26. Declaration
I/we hereby apply for planning permission/consent as described in this form and the accompanying plans/drawings and additional information. I/we confirm that, to the best of my/our knowledge, any facts stated are true and accurate and any opinions given are the genuine opinions of the person(s) giving them.
15/7/2016
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Why is Wirral Council’s draft 2015/16 statement of accounts to be amended following concerns by myself and their external auditor?
Why is Wirral Council’s draft 2015/16 statement of accounts to be amended following concerns by myself and their external auditor?
Tom Sault (Acting Section 151 Officer) Wirral Council at the Audit and Risk Management Committee on the 13th June 2016
I’d perhaps better start by declaring the interest that I’m the person the letter below is to, in response to a letter I wrote to Robin Baker.
In an update to Why am I objecting to Wirral Council’s draft statement of accounts for the 2015/16 financial year? published on the 11th July 2016, I have today received a further reply (that you can read below) from Wirral Council’s auditors Grant Thornton dated 19th July 2016 which I quote from below. I’ve linked to the legislation referred to and the page of the statement of accounts that’s the issue. It seems they agree with me (although curiously don’t address the issue of bonuses too in their letter). I’ve left out some of the bits of their headed notepaper which I summarise in brackets ().
Please note the below letter I quote from was written by Robin Baker of Grant Thornton UK LLP (not myself).
I note from your letter that you wish to raise an objection to the accounts of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. You identify that the draft accounts included on the Council”s website does not comply with the requirements contained within the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015. Specifically for Category 1 authorities there is a requirements under Regulation 2(1)(a) that for employees who salary is more than £150,000 per year, that the name of the employee is included within the Senior employee remuneration table. You highlight the Council’s Chief Executive is on a salary in excess of £150,000 yet he is not named in the table at note 32 of the draft accounts. You ask us to let you know whether we will consider this objection.
As part of our audit process I have reviewed the draft financial statements prepared by the Council. My review also highlighted the omission of the name of the Chief Executive from note 32 to the draft financial statements and I asked my team to raise the matter with the Council. The Council has acknowledged that the failure to name the Chief Executive in the draft financial statements is an oversight that will be corrected in the revised financial statements that will be published before 30 September 2016.
Thank you for raising this matter with me. Given the Council acknowledges the failure to name the Chief Executive is an oversight and will be corrected, we do not consider there is a need to treat this matter as a formal objection to the accounts. The failure to comply with the regulations will be corrected and there will be no continuing breach that would require us to consider whether the accounts are contrary to law.
If you do not agree with this view, please let me know as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
(signature)
Robin Baker
Director
For Grant Thornton UK LLP
(bit at the bottom about how they’re Chartered Accounts, a LLP registered in England and Wales, registered office details, list of members available, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, member firm of Grant Thornton International (GTIL) etc)
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