3 October (Part 3) - Lessons learned? Probably not
The
site Contact form is quite well used, mostly by senders reluctant to identify
themselves, who often provide links to websites that they think I should know about. If there is
a good excuse I mention them here.
One such messenger is more than a little concerned about the appointment of the
Finance Director to the Chief Executive’s job and the likely appointment of his
Deputy to his vacated post. He (an assumption on my part because the Contact
Form is genuinely anonymous) has supplied an advert by a Recruitment Agency
which also appears to be advertising the Bexley Finance Director’s job.
He comments as follows…
£7 million missing in Newham accounts. Members say chief accountant Hussain Alanezi and oneSource Director of Finance Paul Thorogood
evade straight answers. Both were ex-Barnet employees. Newham Councillors therefore got an external view of the financial position here in
www.newham.gov.uk/news/newham-council-publish-cipfa-report.
Neither Hussain nor Paul stayed at Newham or oneSource for much longer.
Bexley made one smart move… leaving oneSource.
And Bexley’s 2021/22 accounts are still not signed off while the Chief
Accountant has departed and Paul eyes the crown.
Mr. Anonymous recommends you read the following four year old web page. Somewhat incestuous I know!
10 December 2019 - Newham’s financial woes. Bexley next?
Funny
things go on in my second home across the river, Newham is a bit of a dump and I try not to be there after dark. The current Mayor
Rokhsana Fiaz was elected in 2018 to clean the place up after Sir Robin Wales’ 16 years in office.
Newham Council is the major partner in oneSource, the three borough consortium that is
supposed to save Bexley money. In the year before Rokhsana’s election a lot of money, reported to be £7·5 million, went unaccounted for at oneSource.
Whatever it was, the auditors spotted the discrepancy and
Newham’s
new broom Mayor asked The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) to look into its accounts. The CIPFA
report is here. (PDF)
Paul Thorogood was associated with Newham Council from January 2013 until
December 2018 being Director of Finance for the final two years - the period
covered by the CIPFA report. It was Paul Thorogood who oversaw Newham and
oneSource’s financial affairs during that critical period, the same Paul
Thorogood who has been in charge of Bexley’s finances since this time last year.
CIPFA said that during 2017 and 2018 there was “a lack of clear vision” and “a
lack of transparency on financial matters between members and officers. Savings
targets were insufficiently planned”. There was “a lack of accurate profiling of
Capital expenditure and a lack of delivery”.
CIPFA was not exactly complimentary about Newham’s high interest Lender Option Borrower Option loans either.
Just as in Barnet there were multi-million pound frauds, allegations of fraud and staff dismissals.
Nearly £9 million of it in Newham. Councillors
reported the matter to the police. More poor financial management?
It’s a pity that it took a new Mayor elected on a promise to drain Newham’s
swamp to get on top of the money problems and not their Finance Director.
Bexley appears to have imported an architect of failure. One must hope
that ‘Lessons have been Learned’.