Cornwall Council accused over car perks for bosses
A war of words has broken out at Cornwall Council with opposition members accusing the authority of breaking its own rules and wasting money.
Liberal Democrats say the council has provided senior officers who only do low business mileage with handsome perks in terms of the car purchased for them.
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Cornwall Council
However, the council has hit back with a robust denial and says the cars it buys are good value for tax payers.
Alex Folkes, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the authority, said figures they had obtained showed that only one of the six top officers provided with personal council cars uses it for more than the 20,000 business miles per year guideline that applies to more junior officers.
He said that in addition, two senior officers in the fire and rescue service have been provided with executive luxury cars costing around £30,000 each.
"We are concerned that Cornwall Council is wasting money providing perks to senior officers at a time when more junior staff are being made redundant," said Coun Folkes.
"These figures show that Cornwall Council appears to be breaching its own guidelines on who should be provided with a car.
"There are many staff who drive tens of thousands of miles per year providing services to the public.
"In an area like Cornwall, it is impossible to provide decent services without racking up the miles. Much of this work is done using pool cars and some officers who do more than 20,000 miles per year on council business are given their own take-home council vehicle.
"But this 20,000 guideline doesn't seem to apply when it comes to some of the top officers.
"Of the six staff members at head of service level or above who have council cars, only one exceeded the 20,000 mile limit last year."
Coun Folkes added: "At a time when local residents are seeing well-used front line services disappear in Cornwall Council cuts, it is plain wrong."
A spokeswoman for the authority issued a strong denial of the accusations.
"Cornwall Council has not broken its own guidelines in providing cars for its staff.
"None of its schemes are based on staff travelling more than 20,000 a year on council business."
She added that the two Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service vehicles were bought using a special scheme available to emergency services which gave them discounts of up to 28 per cent on the normal showroom price.
"These vehicles also have a higher residual value than other makes of car when they are sold at the end of the contract period."
9 Comments
by homerjay
Monday, September 05 2011, 7:44PM
“cweatherhill
...It also invests in Serco...there must be a huge conflict of interest as Kevin Lavery was the ex boss of Serco, and Serco's tentacles attempt to cover every aspect of public service industry.
Can we define''ex''? Perhaps a better perception of CC is a business facilitator and PR dept”
by Taxman100
Monday, September 05 2011, 2:42PM
“HoberMallow. Thank you! Case explained most eloquently.
weatherhill. You raise the most important question of all - what exactly is 'ethical' as far as local government is concerned. I am quite sure everyone could find almost any company or local authority unethical if they chose to do so - it just depends upon an individuals moral philosophy, and moral philosophy will always remain, individual.”
by HoberMallow
Monday, September 05 2011, 2:12PM
“@ Taxman100
I can't speak for anyone else of course, but whilst I have no objection to Freemasonry per se, I think that it is entirely inappropriate that the 'leader' of a public body, who is paid by the tax payers, should be a member of a furtive, sexist secret society whose primary aim is promoting their members' mutual self interest. (Charity and 'good works' are useful bits of PR - not the primary purpose).
What passes for 'democracy' at Cornwall Council consists of a furtive 'cabinet', chaired by a Freemason, which makes its decisions in secret and announces them as so many faits accompli, Soviet style. Decisions are frequently made without even consulting rank and file Councillors, let alone taking into account the wishes of the tax payers. Can we say the same of the opinions and vested interests of the leader's Masonic colleagues? We have no way of knowing
The decision over the St Dennis incinerator is only one of the more outrageous pieces of anti-democracy perpetrated by Cornwall Council. Robertson claimed publicly that he supported the protesters whilst secretly lobbying to have their democratically expressed wishes overturned by central government diktat. To put it bluntly: he lied.
In my opinion decision making in a tax payer funded body should be open, transparent, and accountable; all things that Robertson has boasted about in public but has, in practice, ignored.
Cornwall Council needs many changes to make it democratic and accountable and removing the baleful influence of a furtive 'secret society' - complete with secret handshakes, passwords and mutual back scratching - is one of them.”
by cweatherhill
Monday, September 05 2011, 2:09PM
“It has also emerged that the Council's Pension Fund has allegedly invested £1,655,265 in the arms industry. It also invests in Serco (surprise!), Tesco and Morrisons. The last two beg a serious question - how can the council determine planning applications from those when it has a pecuniary interest in them?”
by Taxman100
Monday, September 05 2011, 1:14PM
“Nothing to do with this article, but I'm a little puzzled. Almost daily I read in this paper anti-Freemason comments, such as, 'the fat controller Freemason etc. As far as I am aware the Freemasons do a considerable amount of charitable work; even in these times of financial difficulty. So, what is the problem?
Am I a Freemason? No. I was invited once by a very nice chap; but after an extremely short deliberation I decided not too to proceed further, as I thought there may be too many 'black balls', and in consequence the organisation could be accused of ethnic cleansing!”
by Taxman100
Monday, September 05 2011, 12:52PM
“'Onen hag all' with their noses in the taxpayers trough of plenty. I seem to recall, before the days of the Unitary Authority, the LibDems, when in control of the various councils, did exactly the same - no, did more! I never believe anything a politician says; and I believe an opportunist LidDem even less.”
by J4ssification
Monday, September 05 2011, 11:26AM
“I drive from Cornwall to Devon each day because Cornwall jobs don't pay enough money to survive... will the Council give me a car?”
by HoberMallow
Monday, September 05 2011, 10:19AM
“The Liberals can complain as much as they like.
Remind me again which party foisted the institutionally corrupt, dysfunctional, anti-democratic 'Unitary Authority' on us.
Seems to me that the Liberals are envious that the Fat Tory Freemason and his buddies are benefiting from the protection racket that they (the Liberals) devised for their own benefit. Certainly the well being of the tax paying mugs is very low on the list of priorities for all our purported 'representatives'.
And what of the 'independent' members? Without their self serving acquiescence the failed pub landlord and his rabble wouldn't be in office.”
by homerjay
Monday, September 05 2011, 10:06AM
“...."None of its schemes are based on staff travelling more than 20,000 a year on council business."... must get my radio fixed as that was exactly what I heard from CC on radio Cornwall!
...and if that is not the criteria and that's CC logic, why haven't most of them got CC cars?
As junior staff disappear and those left take on their work, snr execs pose in their Audi A5 coupes still sticking up 2 fingers to the taxpayer”