OPPOSITION Tories on Warrington Borough Council have accused the controlling Labour group of missing a golden opportunity to address serious financial issues after last week’s meeting of Full Council.
Labour and Liberal Democrat members voted to block a Conservative motion that would have seen the Council voluntarily request that government inspectors undertake a “Best Value Inspection” of the activities of the Council, with particular emphasis on its Value for Money and Governance Arrangements.
The motion followed:
• The external auditor reaching an adverse Value for Money conclusion in relation to its 2017/2018 accounts in June of this year.
• The government identifying the Council as one with a “significantly risky position”.
• The failure of Together Energy earlier in the year.
• The external auditor raising serious questions about the revision to the original investment agreement in Redwood Bank.
The Conservative Group’s own experience of the operation of the Council and its committees culminated in Appleton Councillors Ken Critchley and Mark Jervis proposing an alternative conclusion to the Council’s annual Governance Statement.
This alternative conclusion read: “Having due regard to the significant governance issues that have been outlined in this statement and the lack of effective member scrutiny, the lack of openness and ongoing concerns regarding value for money being achieved by the Council our review finds the Council has inadequate systems of internal controls to support the achievement of its policies, aims and objectives and that those control issues have to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
During the debate Cllr Critchley concluded with the following statement: “This Council urgently needs an independent value for money inspection to shake it out of the complacency of its leadership echo chamber and provide much needed external direction into how the operation of the Council can be improved to address its serious Value for Money and Corporate Governance shortcomings.”
In his reply to the debate Cllr Critchley, used the variation to the Redwood Bank agreement highlighted by the External Auditor as a case study in the Council’s failure to achieve Value for Money and its poor corporate governance.
Following the meeting Cllr Critchley commented, “The Labour leadership of WBC were presented with a golden opportunity to allow an examination of the ways of working by independent government inspectors. Instead of welcoming this opportunity for improvement they, along with the Liberal Democrats, blocked a motion that would have delivered a review that could have addressed the challenges the Council faces in delivering Value for Money and good corporate governance.
“Whilst disappointed with the result we will continue to challenge the way this council operates, the partisan way in which its key committees work, the poor investment returns, the excessive borrowing, the failed investments, the Leadership echo chamber and the spin that the Labour leadership continues to use to disguise the reality of its investments.”
In response to Cllr Critchley’s comments at Full Council Lib Dem leader Cllr Bob Barr said: “Cllr Critchley has managed to outdo himself in yet another outrageous motion that attacks the Council, its officers and the people of Warrington by making a string of allegations that are half true at best and designed to mislead.
“As usual there is not a single positive idea in this motion. Not a word about how to fund the Council’s services. Not a word about the self-examination the Council has already carried out in the LGA peer review and the Price Waterhouse exercise.
“The much-rehearsed arguments about Redwood Bank and Together Energy, neither of which has reached a conclusion are thrown about with gay abandon.
“If Warrington’s financial management was so risky, the government could have stopped the risk-taking by changing the regulations. It did not do so. However, this motion asks us to judge Warrington by rules made up by the government after the event.
Why didn’t the government act? It was because Conservative Councils were taking risks that make Warrington look like a model of prudent investment.
“Councillor Critchley has not cited one example of better management by Conservatives that could guide Warrington’s actions.
“This motion is no more than a continuation of Cllr Critchley’s utterly shameless vendetta against the Labour leadership of the Council.
“I have my own criticisms of that leadership, most of all that it has been unnecessarily secretive about its actions and has not striven to take the whole of the Council with it when decisions that could well outlast this administration are being taken.
“However, while I may not agree with some of the higher risks that the administration has allowed, and encouraged, officers to take, I believe most of the portfolio to be relatively low risk, which explains the low returns that Cllr Critchley complains about.
“It is predominantly a prudent portfolio that is now making a very significant contribution to funding essential services in Warrington. It is managed by dedicated officers who are doing their best to keep the Council solvent.”
The Labour group were given an opportunity to respond to Cllr Critchley’s comments.
