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Resignation call over charity blunder
Reporter: Richard Hooton
Date online: 20 November 2009
OLDHAM’S financial chief has dismissed a call for her to resign over a bungled decision to charge Dr Kershaw’s Hospice business rates.
Plans to charge the Royton hospice and its three charity shops £8,000 a year in rates were quickly reversed by Oldham Council.
But Oldham East and Saddleworth Labour Party chairman Joe Fitzpatrick says Lib-Dem councillor Lynne Thompson, the cabinet member for finance, should resign immediately over the matter.
He said he was astonished Councillor Thompson and her colleagues were unaware of the original decision to levy the charge.
Mr Fitzpatrick added: “This rate relief is extremely important to our local charities, particularly during a recession when most charities’ incomes are under extra pressure. For Councillor Thompson to issue an instruction that she wants to be aware of such decisions in future is frankly pathetic.
“The town can have no confidence in a councillor responsible for the council’s finances and council tax fixing when she has obviously lost control of the unaccountable decisions taken by her officers, who are able to withdraw thousands of pounds from charities without her knowledge.”
But Councillor Thompson responded: “To suggest I should resign is ridiculous. I think it’s 100 per cent political. Dr Kershaw’s should not be used as a political football.”
She explained the decision had been taken by an officer on purely financial rules who was unaware of a long-established policy to grant the rate relief.
As soon as she found out she wrote to Chief Executive Charlie Parker to ask for it to be written into the constitution that such decisions are taken by an officer and member together to ensure it doesn’t happen again, which he has agreed to do.
She added: “We are writing to others who have had such letters.”
The move would have put an extra burden on hospice fund-raisers, who face a constant battle to raise £1.3 million each year towards the £1.7 million running costs.
But Mr Parker said an administrative error had been made in relation to discretionary rate relief (DRR) for charitable organisations and it had been re-instated with immediate effect.
Comments
Well did'nt expect anyone to loose there job look at labour and all the corruption there... Lets face it once at the gravy bowl they never leave no matter what level on incomp...
So Liberal Democrat Cllr. Thompson does not know what her officers are doing. That shows that she is not in control of her own department. Whatever officers may do, she is responsible. She should do the honourable thing and resign. But Liberal Democrats do not do that: everything is somebody else's fault.
So Liberal Democrat Cllr. Thompson does not know what her officers are doing. That shows that she is not in control of her own department. Whatever officers may do, she is responsible. She should do the honourable thing and resign. But Liberal Democrats do not do that: everything is somebody else's fault.
This seems to have rumbled along in a totally incredulous manner. All this talk of admin errors and lack of consultation between organisational and political leadership is not the stuff that reassures us that the council is in safe managerial and political hands at all.Perhaps heads should roll Some will say this is harsh...but councils are not generous when we the public make council tax mistakes now are they?
I don't think it's ridiculous. We're governed by talentless amateurs. Errors, administrative & otherwise, abound. Charlie, our highly overpaid, 'best man for the job,' seems to have no idea what is happening in the town. Why is an officer unaware of LONG ESTABLISHED policy? Why is said officer appointed to this task? Who appointed said officer? How much is said, unaware officer costing us? What is this 'constitution'? Has the town become a Ruritanian republic as well as a laughing stock?
Have Your Say
If the policy was long-standing why was it that the officer did not know? Surely a procedure is needed to ensure that officers are aware of policy, and no not need their hand held by an elected member. Was there really a need for a photograph of Councillor Thompson?
By Get it right @ 20/11/2009 16:32:02