Address of District Auditor for emails/letters

[attila]

Mods: can we make this a sticky please.

Thanks to Lord Bracknell for digging this out.
These are the contact details for the District Auditor:

d-wells@audit-commission.gov.uk

Darren Wells
District Auditor and Relationship Manager
Ground Floor Front
16 South Park
Sevenoaks Kent
TN 13 1AN

He is NOT part of Lewes Council: he is a totally independent figure. He is responsible for external scrutiny of local council spending and has the power to investigate councils who may be spending money irresponsibly.

He needs to be asked whether in his view Lewes Council are behaving responsibly in going for a judicial review, given the risk to their coffers (potentially at least a million pounds) if they don't win. He needs to be asked it as politely as possible, in as many different ways as possible and by as many people as possible - and, according to Dick and Martin, preferably by next Monday.

And obviously Lewes Council need to be asked the same thing!
ann.devecchi@lewes.gov.uk

Lewes District Council
32 High St
Lewes E Sussex BN7 2LX

Over to you!

 

[The Auditor]

Email to the District Auditor done...

 

[maffew]

is this for people who live in Lewes only?

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

e mail sent

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

is this for people who live in Lewes only?

i dont live in Lewes & ive sent an email

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I work with Darren as I support his PC - I might have a word next time I'm in Sevenoaks.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

BTW - Not too sure Darren can do anything as the primary remit is to audit the books. The Best Value team may be able to look into it but I wouldn't hold your breath as they can't really tell councils how to spend their money. It is a legitimate (legally speaking) course of action for a council to take, regardless of the cost or validity of the claims.

Shame this wasn't raise earlier or else I could have phoned him to try and find out if emails are worth while. I have PM'd Highfields Seagull who works for the Commission - hopefully as an auditor. Hopefully, he can suggest if this is worthwhile or not.

If you do email Darren - be nice - he's a good guy!

 

[Wardy]

email sent. Though I tend to agree with TGC. The job of the district auditor is to look at how they spent it, not to tell them how to spend it.

 

[The Large One]

email sent. Though I tend to agree with TGC. The job of the district auditor is to look at how they spent it, not to tell them how to spend it.

Think of the shit hitting the fan afterwards though.

 

[Gwylan]

Think of the shit hitting the fan afterwards though.

What! Anne de Vecchi is going to thump Attila?

 

[Wardy]

Think of the shit hitting the fan afterwards though.

Agree i am also looking forward to my reply to the following

Under the FOI Act can you please provide me with the following.

a) How much have Lewes Distric Council spent todate in relation to Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club's plans to build a new ground at Falmer. I would like a break down of legal fees, expenses man hours along with any other money that as been spent?

b) Following Thursday's decision to appeal against the decision of the ODPM, how much have the council budgeted for this?

c) Do the council plan to pay from this existing funds, or do you plan to raise the money from other means, and if so how?


I look forward to your answer within 20 days as promised on your website and in line with the rules of the FOI Act.

 

[attila]

This is for everyone, not just Lewes residents!
Please stick it at the top..

 

[Tory Boy]

I have sent an e-mail to both. But I also look forward to the next local election when they come knocking on my Peacehaven door.

TB

 

[Northstander]

Email gone, I live in Manchester but hey, if it helps!

 

[parks]

Done!!!!

 

[Alby]

e-mailed both

 

[Lord Bracknell]

My letter to the District Auditor:-

Dear Mr Wells

LEWES DISTRICT COUNCIL

I am writing to express my concern about the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee of Lewes District Council on Thursday 24 November to commit Council funds to an application for a Judicial Review of the First Secretary of State’s decision to grant planning permission for a new stadium in Brighton for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.

This decision seems to have been taken with little regard to the possible costs that may fall upon the Council in the event of the Council losing the case in the High Court. No public discussion has taken place within the Council of the financial implications of the Cabinet’s decision, nor have members of the Council been given the opportunity to consider whether the funds are available to cover the potential financial liability.

In your 2004 Annual Audit and Inspection Letter to Lewes District Council, you identified the following Areas for improvement:-

• The Council was not clear about what it wanted to achieve for residents and had not set clear areas of priority to support those achievements.

• The Council did not involve the users of council services in developing service improvements.

• The Council had not linked financial planning to priorities.

This recent decision appears to be a further example of financial recklessness by the Authority that must give great concern to local council tax payers. The likelihood of the Council losing the case is very high, given the considerable care that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has given to arriving at the final decision in relation to the planning application. Two public inquiries have informed the decision, alongside considerable care by the ODPM to ensure that all issues (including national planning policies) have been fully considered.

Moreover, there is strong evidence that opposition to the First Secretary of State’s planning decision is not something that is shared by most residents of the district.

In taking the decision they have, Lewes District Council’s Cabinet may not have been fully aware of the potential cost implications, which I understand could be very high if the case is lost and the Court awards costs against them (including the costs incurred by the First Secretary of State). The Cabinet may have authorised action that, ultimately, would be resisted by other councillors – if they are given the opportunity to raise concerns about the level of risk that is inherent in a case of this nature.

The officers’ report to the Cabinet was a confidential paper, considered in private, and it is, of course, not possible to know fully the nature of the advice that was put before members. After taking their decision, the Council issued a press statement, on behalf of the Cabinet, that gave few details of the discussion, but included the phrase “Because the matter will now be subject to a decision of the High Court, the District Council does not intend to issue any further statements at this stage, whether oral or written”.

This in itself is a matter of concern that calls into question whether the decision has been properly made and whether the potential expenditure commitment has been subject to the appropriate processes.

In other planning cases, for example a Solihull Council case last year, local authorities have concluded that it would be “irresponsible” to spend taxpayers’ money on a legal challenge that is virtually certain to fail. (See the Solihull Council website http://www.solihull.gov.uk/wwwce/asps/article.asp?id=477 ). Lewes does not even seem to have considered this to be a possibility.

Lewes District Council is under considerable financial pressure at the moment, not least because it fears a significant shortfall in government grant to support its new duty to provide free concessionary travel for senior citizens, as well as other budgetary pressures.

In the circumstances, I would be grateful if you could investigate whether or not the high financial risk inherent in this recent decision and the manner in which it was made are matters that warrant intervention by the District Audit Service. It certainly seems to me to be another example of an area of financial management where the Council is not addressing the three areas for improvement that you identified last December.

I look forward to hearing from you. I have sent a copy of this letter to the Chief Executive of Lewes District Council.

Yours sincerely

 

[Lord Bracknell]

email sent. Though I tend to agree with TGC. The job of the district auditor is to look at how they spent it, not to tell them how to spend it.

Not quite the case.

The District Auditor also monitors how local councils manage their finances generally. He has the power to recommend that the Audit Commission carry out a full Best Value Inspection (and it is seriously bad news for a council if he exercises this power).

Every year he issues an Annual Audit and Inspection Letter which the council is obliged to take account of.

The most recent letter to Lewes District Council was last December. It can be found on their website:-

http://www.lewes.gov.uk/Files/auditcttee_050131_AandILtr.pdf

 

[Yorkie]

Done

 

[mona]