Thursday 19 March 2009

Barnet's New CEO not worried about Council's Investments

If you were the CEO of a London Borough, new to the job, would you try and make a good impression with the people paying your wages (us)? If your council had just found out that over 90% of it's investments had been made without following the council's own rules and a senior member of staff had walked the plank for it, would you think it was sensitive issue? If the council leader had reported that your officials had repeatedly lied to him, would you be worried?

I was amazed to read this report in the Barnet Press. Nick Walkley says he was "not worried specifically" about any of the council's other investments. He also says that he's launching an "internal investigation". I can't believe he's not worried. He was previously the head of resources (the department that lost the money), so he should be. As to the "internal investigation", Council leader Freer said there would be an external investigation, so now we have two investigations.

I've read two reports from Mr Walkley now. Both ask more questions than they answer. Nothing so far has reassured me that he is taking this seriously.

Well Mr Walkley may not be worried, the rest of us most certainly are.

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