Anoraks who follow the expenses habits of Pooter and Parsons will be interested to see that Cllr Parsons- beaten by Pooter to the LGA chair- has been cleared of expenses impropriety.
At least he was investigated....Pooter's expenses involving First Class air travel; 5* hotels and $500 dinners for two with guests whom he cannot remember were never the subject of any independent investigation.
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| Pooter Cockell's Upper Class Cabin |
They bloody well should have been: an outrageous waste of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money.
Leicestershire's Parsons survives leadership meeting
The leader of Leicestershire County Council, Cllr David Parsons, appears to have survived a crucial meeting over his stewardship of the authority - held in the wake of allegations about his expenses. Cllr Parsons, one of the most senior members of the Conservative Party in local government, attended a party group meeting this afternoon following revelations – published by themj.co.uk and LocalGov.co.uk – about an internal investigation conducted by his authority’s chief executive, John Sinnott.It emerged earlier this week that Cllr Parsons faces a local scrutiny committee investigation into expenses relating to his trips to the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Cllr Parsons told The MJ this week that he had nothing to hide over his expenses and that he would co-operate fully with the scrutiny committee investigation.
I always wondered why Cllr Parsons did not exploit Cllr Cockell's expense abuse (which was widely reported in the press) during the LGA election campaign.
ReplyDeleteNow we know. People in glass houses should not throw stones!
Birds of a feather.....
New information has come to light which shows that when Cllr Cockell attended Mayor Bloomberg's jolly in New York, and stayed on for a weekend of rest and recreation, all at the tax payers expense, the "official" party from London Councils included the Chairman (Cllr Cockell) and the Director of Social Policy and Grants (Hilary Collum).
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth was a Director of Social Policy for local Government doing at a New York jolly?
Ms Collum stayed for an extra night for shopping, but paid her own hotel bill for the extra night.
Curious. It was not rest, he worked very hard sightseeing. Essential for a borough leader which is why K&C paid for it. In fact he worked so hard, that he lost the receipt for the dinner with the friend whose name he could not remember when he put his expenses in. Fortunately he was able to relax in the comfort of first class air travel for his return trip. Very hard work when you are a local politician. The people of K&C are very grateful.
ReplyDeleteYou are right 17.44. This was the same New York trip when Cllr Cockells's dinner for two at the Four Seasons Restaurant (favourite of Bill and Hilary Clinton) on a Saturday night was charged up to K&C tax payers. Guest unknown.
ReplyDeleteVery curious
Those were the days!
ReplyDeleteThe good times before the Dame started making FOI enquiries and injecting a little bit of rigour into Derek Myers expenses scrutiny.
It is not so many months since Cllr Cockell was travelling to and from Heathrow in the Bentley, taking stretch limos from JFK to his hotel in Manhattan, and living it up on the tax payer.
Cockell's expenses are now published on the council website (thanks to the Dame) and surprise surprise.....
Overseas jollies are a thing of the past
I hope that the LGA is watching Cllr Cockell's expenses closely. They need a laser beam with this guy.
ReplyDeleteMr Myers authorised the use of the Bentley to take Cllr Cockell to and from Heathrow "in order to save taxi fares". Magnanamous gesture. He could have authorised the Jag instead which does twice the mileage - but not nearly so swish. And after all, Pooter was reciprocating with sky high salaries for the Town Clerk.
ReplyDeleteCllr Cockell, of course, could have taken the tube to Heathrow like the rest of us do. Direct line from Earls Court Station (around the corner from Pooter's house). But then he might have run into the odious member for Earls Court, pervert Phelps.
Derek Myers never explained the justification for Cllr Cockell using stretch limos in New York (at $140 a time) to waft him to and from the airport to his hotel. He could have taken a Yellow Cab for the $35 fixed rate instead.
But then it is very important to keep up appearances in Manhattan
Mayor Bloomberg speaks well of Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteMayor Bloomberg is a Kensington resident and they have exchanged warm words on a number of occasions.
Cllr Cockell is proud to be associated with the Mayor of New York
You are quite in your observation 18.45.
ReplyDeleteAs a frrequent visitor to New York I know that it all starts with the doorman of swish hotels. Arrive in a Yellow Cab and you are dead in the water. Arrive in a stretch limo and the VIP treatment is on offer
UP YOURS
ReplyDeleteI had dinner with Michael at his flat in Cadogan Square. The subject of your hero came up and the Mayor of New York said he had met him just once and could not recall much about him.
I suspect there is just a little wishful thinking on the part of Cllr Cockell. I think perhaps he is just a little detached from reality in thinking that he would figure much in the memory of Mayor Bloomberg!
Mayor Bloomberg pays his own way rather than leeching off his residents.
ReplyDeleteUp Yours...every time you write something in support of Pooter you just encourage everybody here to sneer at him( and you). Maybe you should just keep quiet
It is proving very difficult to get Ms Collum to discuss her visit to New York at the same time as Cllr Cockell.
ReplyDeleteA little doorstepping (as we call it in the trade) is now in order
Freelance Reporter there is no need for "doorstepping". This is the oldest story in the book.
ReplyDeleteBoy and girl take holiday together. And what could be better than the Big Apple on the tax payer?
Ms Collum has "gone to ground" Is it possible that Cllr Cockell has been on the phone?
ReplyDeleteThis is not a task for Inspector Palmer
Please get your facts right Freelance Reporter.
ReplyDeleteIt is Ms McCollum that you are talking about, not Ms Collum
Hilary McCollum
Well if you google Ms McCollum you will see that she is an expert on child poverty.
ReplyDeleteThat's what she was doing at a five-star hotel, enjoying limos, fine dinners etc at the taxpayer's expense.
She was researching child poverty.
OK? That's settled then..
Woah there, this is she, is this really Pooter's type? If so we should be told!
ReplyDelete'Hilary McCollum is a feminist activist who has worked for twenty years within the public and voluntary sectors on issues related to equality and social justice, with a particular focus on responses to targeted violence. Although her primary interest has been violence against women and girls, she has also been involved in combating homophobic and race hate crime and, more recently, violence and hostility against disabled people.'
Well, well, well......
ReplyDeleteAs Gibert and Sullivan would say "This is the very model of a modern Pooter Veneral"
Apologies to Holland Park Opera