8 April - All aboard the gravy train
Bexley Council has joined up with Havering and Newham Councils supposedly to
save money. They operate a business known as One Source and it employs eight
Directors. As a result, Bexley now has two Directors of Finance, Alison Griffin in Watling Street and Julie
Alderson somewhere else.
Julie
Alderson appears to be one of those female bureacrats who have made a career
out of milking the public purse. South Tyneside Council, Boston, South Holland,
Scarborough, Kirklees, Harrow, Maldon, North Somerset, Wirral - all in the past
14 years, often for less than a year each. She seems to bear more than a passing resemblance to
Bexley’s new Chief Executive, Gill Steward. Ms. Steward acquired
a reputation whilst in Cornwall for making merry with travelling expenses. Ms. Alderson is
reported in the Daily Express as follows
When she was hired by Kirklees as its interim director of resources, Mrs. Alderson, who lives in Tyneside, was offered a salary
equivalent to £120,000 a year and moved into a rented flat at a luxury apartment complex that boasted a swimming pool, gym and Jacuzzi.
She was then allowed to claim expenses towards her rent, council tax, utility bills, parking fees, meals out and groceries. One claim
included £11.52 for light bulbs. During her time with the council Mrs. Alderson came up with plans to slash 1,700 jobs and cut
the authority’s budget by £80 million.
These council bosses are all from the same mould aren’t they and Bexley
really doesn’t need eight more.