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"Spin machine" more than doubles in five years

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The number of staff in Westminster City Council’s £3.2 million a year press and communications department has more than doubled in size, from 13 to 30, over the five year period from 2004 to 2009, according to information unearthed by Labour Councillors.

The year-by-year growth figures, which represent a 130% increase, are:

2004 - 13 staff
2005 - 20 staff
2006 - 23 staff
2007 - 23 staff
2008 - 26 staff
2009 - 30 staff

Labour Councillor Guthrie McKie said “There can be no justification for the bloated size of the Conservative ’spin’ operation when hundreds of staff are losing their jobs and charges for meals on wheels and home care visits for the elderly are rising at considerably more than inflation. The priority should be to protect front line services for children, the elderly and the vulnerable, not glossy leaflets and ’spin’.”

Source: Labour Matters

 

Council to launch inquiries into Councillors’ allowances

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Staff bonuses totalled £5.8 millionWestminster City Council’s Finance Scrutiny Committee is to launch an inquiry into Councillors’ allowances, Staff bonuses, and money spent on press and communications.

Last year Senior Staff bonuses totalled £5.8 million and the Council spent £3.2 million on press and communications. The inquiries will be held at the 22nd September meeting of the Committee.

The revelation that the Council spent £5.8 million on bonuses to senior staff (up from £5.1 million the previous year) had shocked many residents, as had the the news that the Council spends over £230,000 a year on private health insurance for senior staff. Labour councilors say that there also needs to be a searching look into the £3.2 million a year spent on press oficers, glossy magazines and public relations events at a time when the Council is in a financial crisis following the £17 million investment in now-failed Icelandic Banks and is sacking over 300 staff.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said: “We are delighted that the Finance Scrutiny Committee has agreed to these three inquiries. We hope that the Committee will seek evidence from as wide a field of interests as possible so that local residents and groups have the opportunity to have their say.”

   

New Council website crashes on first day

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Westminster City Council relaunched their public website today only to see it flounder within the first few hours.

Members of the public trying to pay things like their council tax and parking fines were met with the following message:

Too many connections...

 

 

 

 

 

The new website was supposed to make thing easier and quicker. When we tried the website today it was available again, however it was so slow as to be unusuable. It would be impossible to pay something like a parking fine as the site simply timed out.

Key staff at the site's launchThe new website has apparently been developed by staff from the ICT and Communication departments.

2.7 million people use the site every year so you would think that they would have done some demand testing first to ensure the site could cope with demand. Apparently the site also works with mobile phones - something we've sadly been unable to try.

Our picture (left) shows Merlin Sinclair, (Communications Manager), Cllr Colin Barrow (Leader of the Council), David Wilde (Chief Information Officer) and Angela Powers (Web Master) promotong the new site.

WCC said "Today is the launch of the new Westminster City Council website, which will allow  customers to find the information they need easily and quickly, making sure we provide better customer service first time."

We say that the new web master Angela Powers obviously has a lot of work to do yet.

   

Council leader due to stand trial

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Colin Barrow - Council LeaderThe leader of Westminster City Council is due to stand trial accused of making unauthorised alterations to his former £3million Suffolk mansion.

Colin Barrow carried out the alleged renovation work when he owned 330-year-old Darsham House, near Yoxford. The former Suffolk County Councillor, his ex-wife, Angelica Barrow, and the project manager, Elizabeth Wilson-Smith, face nine charges of affecting the architectural or historical interest of the Grade II* listed property.

The defendants are accused of affecting the building by installing radiators, removing decorative wall mouldings, carrying out work on a ceiling cornice to insert wiring and replacing floorboards with chipboard and plywood material. Switches, sockets and mounting boxes were installed in seven rooms and six rooms were re-plastered contrary to planning laws, it is also alleged.

Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court on June 5th , the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which relate to alleged offences between July 1, 2004 and January 30, 2006. The prosecution has been brought by Suffolk Coastal District Council, which claims the work was undertaken without planning permission. Colin Barrow stood down as leader of the Conservatives on Suffolk County Council in 2003 and moved to London, where he was elected to Westminster City Council.
Darsham HouseIn 2004, Barrow, 56, bought the 18-bedroom house - complete with servants' quarters, 60 acres of secluded parkland, a heated swimming pool and a tennis court - from former theatrical agent Sara Low. Built in 1679, the estate is recognised as one of Suffolk's most outstanding country homes.
Colin Barrow spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on a renovation project after obtaining listed building consent from Suffolk Coastal. He then sold the property in 2006 before the restoration work had been finished. 

Colin Barrow, of Exhibition Road, London, Angelica Barrow, 45, of Vincent Square, London and Wilson-Smith, 48, of Snipes Farm Road, Woodbridge, have been released on unconditional bail.

Their trial has been set for January 11 next year and is expected to last for three weeks.

Source: EADT24

   

WCC slammed for ignoring 'Icelandic' risk

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Icelandic investments slammedWestminster City Council which invested millions with Icelandic banks just before they collapsed has come under fire from MPs along with many other councils.

A report from the Commons' communities and local government select committee says there were several warning signs about the shaky state of the banks, which went under last autumn with nearly £1 billion of funds from scores of British authorities.

Complacency, lack of expertise and inaction contributed to putting taxpayers' money at risk, it is claimed.

The report says that some of the warning signs emerged as far back as 2006. Some councils acted on them and withdrew their money but others did not.

Kent County Council was left facing the biggest shortfall, with £50 million invested with three Icelandic institutions.

It expects to receive 90 per cent back. Havering had £40 million invested and Westminster City Council had £17 million.

The committee will report: "This inquiry has exposed a degree of misunderstanding, misinformation, and complacency on the part of some crucial players, both within local authorities and in the wider financial sector."

   

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