Investigations clear Gloucester City Council of wrongdoing over staff and consultants' appointments
INVESTIGATIONS in to allegations of wrongdoing at Gloucester City Council have found no evidence to substantiate them, it says.
Today the council issued a statement, after internal and external investigators and the police were called in to look at allegations made in anonymous letters that managers appointed staff and consultants without going through proper processes.
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Gloucester City Council
Special audit and governance committee chairman Declan Wilson said it had considered the findings of "detailed" internal and external reports into "a series of wide-ranging and anonymous allegations."
"These allegations were made against councillors, staff and even affected members of their families," he said.
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"I am unable to go into details because of the council's data protection obligations and because many of the allegations are potentially libellous by nature.
"However, I am pleased to report that both our own internal investigation and the findings of the external investigation concur in that there is no evidence to substantiate the allegations made.
"This whole episode has been very time consuming. I hope now that we can put these matters behind us and concentrate on the essential task of running services."
It comes after the council announced on Friday that regeneration director Phillip Staddon is leaving after being suspended for around five months.
The council wouldn't say whether Mr Staddon had been cleared of alleged involvement in an investigation into nepotism but in a statement issued by the council on Friday, he said he had decided to leave, partly because the council needs to shed a directorship to save money.
It is understood he left with a severance payment of around £100,000, which angered some workers, who claimed Mr Staddon wanted to stay.
As a result of the original investigation in to nepotism one manager was sacked, another resigned and one more disciplined after a post was apparently filled unfairly.
It is understood two more sackings were made in the council's regeneration directorate over further allegations of nepotism.
6 Comments
by glosworker
Friday, March 08 2013, 11:58PM
“Ysedra - whats not been explained is that perhaps the " investigations into allegations of wrongdoing considered by the external investigation" were unrelated to separate allegations that have resulted in the recent departure of a Director - after all :"The council wouldn't say whether Mr Staddon had been cleared of alleged involvement in an investigation into nepotism"”
by Lecorche
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 5:01PM
“Maybe they've applied the usual snake oil to speed things up,supernova1.”
by supernova1
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 10:27AM
“So, no-one in a senior role has a relative or close friend working within the organisation then?
And if there is, they have all been cleared as to have been gone through the whole procedure correctly?
So, 'if' any people are now in such a position, have the powers checked that all the positions were advertised externally too?
Seems to have taken very little time to come to this conclusion, wheras 'plebgate' is still rumbling on, months after it occurred.”
by cityboy1981
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 1:14AM
“100k on staddon what a joke. That could go 2 our football team 2 get a ground!!.
council wasting my money again!.”
by Walker100
Monday, March 04 2013, 11:10PM
“Oh, Ysedra, you cynic, you!! You never know, we may find that a local investigative news reporter investigates!!”
by Ysedra
Monday, March 04 2013, 2:53PM
“So, no evidence has been found to substantiate the allegations of wrongdoing, but one manager has been sacked, one disciplined, and another 'disciplined after a post was apparently filled unfairly'.
How exactly does that work, then? Was there absolutely no cross-over between the anonymous allegations, and some investigation the council just *happened* to be conducting anyway? Because, in my experience, the council wouldn't have lifted a finger to investigate without allegations being made, and it's almost inconceivable that actual misconduct and baseless claims about misconduct were just ships passing in the night...”