Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald suspended
Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald (pictured above) has been suspended from his position as Chief Executive by Liverpool City Council.
He was arrested in May on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice and witness intimidation as part of Lancashire Constabulary’s Operation Sheridan. Operation Sheridan is a corporate corruption investigation.
Since his arrest, Ged Fitzgerald has been bailed and rebailed a number of times.
Operation Sheridan is a long running police investigation into the Lancashire County Council’s former One Connect Ltd partnership with British Telecom. Ged Fitzgerald is a former Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council.
A number of other individuals were also arrested earlier this year as part of the same investigation.
Liverpool City Council councillors were informed of the suspension yesterday evening by email from Mayor Joe Anderson which included this statement,
After deliberating carefully, the Panel took the decision to suspend him.
We must stress this is a neutral act to allow an independent investigation into issues, including potential reputational impacts on the City Council at the current time, to proceed.
It is important for the City Council, the Panel and the Chief Executive that the investigator is able to make an objective assessment and therefore we are not able to make any further comment at this stage.”
A public meeting of all Liverpool City Council’s councillors meets tomorrow evening starting at 5 pm at Liverpool Town Hall.
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The phrase, “Dragged, kicking and screaming” comes to mind.
I note in the statement the phrase “reputational impacts” has been used.
I also thought that the legal requirement for councils to appoint an independent investigator when a senior manager was suspended was scrapped a while ago?
At least that’s what my reading of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 was.
Here’s an article that explains the changes better than the regulations do.
When is the net going to close on Wirral?
Somehow, Wirral seem to be the cat with infinite lives.
“We must stress this is a neutral act to allow an independent investigation into issues, including potential reputational impacts on the City Council at the current time, to proceed.”
Isn’t this why we employ a Police force, why do they need to pay someone out of Tax payers money to investgate,
It’s Lancashire Police investigating this matter (also called Lancashire Constabulary).
G’day John
Talking of all things criminal has “Sir Git” left the building?
Ooroo
James
Did he take his Town Hall Clock with him?
Yes, Mr Tour has left Wirral Council and works for Sandwell Council.
Thanks John
I presume he is a consultant they wouldn’t want someone with his previous employment at wirral.
Would they?
Ooroo
James
Local government surely isn’t that rotten?
He has been an employee of Sandwell Council before.
G’day John
Sandwell’s loss is wirral’s gain.
After having dealings with “*** ***” “The Shyster” and him saying he they wouldn’t give me a job despite their very own whistleblowing policy I will never trust a solicitor.
Ooroo
James
Him sitting there on 8 October 2016 listening to Burgess and Adderley lying publicly and not commenting as the monitoring officer, or, whatever the bullshit title is, shows he is not only a disgrace to his profession but also to the human race.
Grant (Chocolate Teapot) Thornton sat there staying schtum also.
Rats in a sack.
No, he’s not a consultant, he was offered the job of Monitoring Officer at Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (which is an employee not a consultant).