Friday 9 January 2015

More Cost Savings

Cornwall Council have started the year with another cost saving initiative by preventing "...offices from being opened, staffed, heated etc. on one day between the BH on 1st Jan and the weekend."

In order to save money all offices were closed and staff given an additional day's holiday on Friday 2nd January.  If they had to work that day then they will have until the end of the month to take another day off in lieu.

I have asked the Council how much money was saved.

Cllr Folkes: Leader's response


Following my letter to the Leader of the Council I met with him this week.

He has assured me that the review of the Cllr Folkes matter will be conducted independently and will shortly get under way.

I do not know why this has taken so much time but the administration now needs to get on with it.

The Leader has confirmed that if any new information is available about this matter then, if it is provided to the Council,  the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) can decide whether the cross service Committee (which includes the police) which made the original decision should be reconvened to consider it.

I am sure the LADO's decision on referral to the Committee should also be covered by the review.

Cllr Folkes has indicated that senior Liberal Democrat colleagues on Cornwall Council have seen evidence of his innocence and that he will be applying to rejoin the party at local and national level.   Any evidence that Cllr Folkes can produce to the Council which suggests that the Committee reached the wrong conclusion would be helpful.
  
It would be strange in the extreme if the Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council has access to evidence which leads him to a contrary conclusion to that of the Leader.  They must both be able to see the same information and they both can’t be right if they come to different conclusions.

I hope that when the outcome of the review is published the fog will clear.  

Monday 5 January 2015

Cllr Folkes: Letter to Lib Dem Cllrs says he can now prove he is innocent

Open letter to Cllr Pollard, Leader of the Council

Dear John,

I have read Alex Folkes' letter to Liberal Democrat councillors published in the latest edition of the Cornish Guardian.  I would be grateful if you would give me an update on the timing of the independent enquiry into this matter.

It would be very unfortunate if in the meantime Cllr Folkes were to commence defamation proceedings against the Council or its officers.  Contesting these proceedings would involve cost to Cllr Folkes and also to the Cornish taxpayer.  It would be a great pity for those costs to be a further pressure which needs to be funded by a reduction in public services.

I hope that Cllr Folkes will publish the evidence which he says proves his innocence and I understand has been seen by Jeremy Rowe.  It seems to me that this can only help resolve the matter more quickly and may avoid costly litigation for all parties.

Yours,

Fiona
cc Cllr Jeremy Rowe, Deputy Leader