Address of District Auditor for emails/letters

[Ccider]

Dear Mr Wells,

I work for a company in Lewes (xxxxxxxxxxxxx at the Cliffe Industrial Estate) that was flooded out of its factory in the floods a few years ago. Luckily we were able to quickly secure new premises but for 6 weeks the jobs and livelyhoods of 100 local people were at risk.

I see Lewes District Council has now spent £207,000 in objecting to the Falmer Football Stadium development and is now risking further substantial sums of tax payers' money in taking on the Government in a judicial review. A decision taken by a small sub-committee in secret behind closed doors.

How can such a group of councillors be allowed to fritter away tax payers' money when there are companies and busineses like the one I work for at risk because there has been inadequate expenditure on more important things like flood defence?

Is this a matter you can investigate?

Yours,

 

[Yorkie]

Dear Mr Wells,

I work for a company in Lewes (xxxxxxxxxxxxx at the Cliffe Industrial Estate) that was flooded out of its factory in the floods a few years ago. Luckily we were able to quickly secure new premises but for 6 weeks the jobs and livelyhoods of 100 local people were at risk.

I see Lewes District Council has now spent £207,000 in objecting to the Falmer Football Stadium development and is now risking further substantial sums of tax payers' money in taking on the Government in a judicial review. A decision taken by a small sub-committee in secret behind closed doors.

How can such a group of councillors be allowed to fritter away tax payers' money when there are companies and busineses like the one I work for at risk because there has been inadequate expenditure on more important things like flood defence?

Is this a matter you can investigate?

Yours,

That should be sent to a National paper as well.

 

[mona]

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

 

[Yorkie]

 

[The Great Cornholio]

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

You know more about my company than I do!

That's why I fix PC's.

 

[Bwian]

Dear Mr Wells,

I work for a company in Lewes (xxxxxxxxxxxxx at the Cliffe Industrial Estate) that was flooded out of its factory in the floods a few years ago. Luckily we were able to quickly secure new premises but for 6 weeks the jobs and livelyhoods of 100 local people were at risk.

I see Lewes District Council has now spent £207,000 in objecting to the Falmer Football Stadium development and is now risking further substantial sums of tax payers' money in taking on the Government in a judicial review. A decision taken by a small sub-committee in secret behind closed doors.

How can such a group of councillors be allowed to fritter away tax payers' money when there are companies and busineses like the one I work for at risk because there has been inadequate expenditure on more important things like flood defence?

Is this a matter you can investigate?

Yours,

I think we should stop referring to the Stadium as 'Falmer'. This plays right into their hands. Why not 'the Community Stadium development in Brighton and Hove'? Adds more weight to our argument that they are wasting money fighting something that has nothing to do with them (essentially).

 

[parks]

Did you know that the Government funded £23million into Lewes coffers........ That means we are paying for them to fight us. It is an issue that our MP's should be taking up and I urge you to write to them.

The funding for 2005/6 for Lewes DC is on the link....

Lewes DC has really pissed me off!!



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

 

[attila]

back up to the top..can someone 'nail it' a la cleese's parrot?

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Emailed x2

 

[parks]

to the top

 

[The Great Cornholio]

to the top

Err - it's sticky so why bounce it?

 

[Stoaty Ferret]

Just sent an email pleading with Mrs De Vecchi not to pursue with their plans against us. Probably won't do any good but I've tried.

 

[Bwian]

Talkng to somebody who is an Internal Auditor for a local government/council (NOT LDC).

He said councils hate the FOI Act and a way to really piss off LDC would be for each of us writing for information: even people outside LDC's jurisdiction can send in a request.

He said you can even make it very specific like expenditure on tyres, oil, etc., etc. It won't do us any good but would create huge amounts of work...it's not smart, it's not clever but it is REVENGE

 

[kalinski]

done to both

 

[B.W.]

Sent the 2 e-mails... showed extreme self-control in preparing Ms DeV's message... just thinking about this latest development makes me very, very...

 

[B.W.]

Please, please everyone... let's get these mesaages sent... let's try and nip this one in the bud... the more the better, IMHO... thank you...

And a big thank you to Attila and LB for bringing this up and providing more detailed ammunition respectively...

We've won once, let's win it again!...

 

[Jameson]

I've just sent the following under the FoI Act 2000. I wonder what I will get back but if anything of interest I will let you know. Should keep them busy for a while. All contact names taken from the official FoI bit of their website.

John Clark
Head of Business Services
Lewes District Council,
32 High Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 2LX

Distribution:

John Clark
Jack Strutt
Liz Lacon
Sally Harper
Colin Gordon
Owen Clifford
Steve Jump
Trevor Hayward



Dear Mr Clark

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI)

I understand I have a right of access to information held by Lewes District Council. I have read your Publication Scheme (February 2002) which sets out how Lewes District Council will make all information “freely available“.

I am concerned at the amount of funds being committed to fighting proposals for a new community stadium at Falmer. I am also concerned at the overall strategy of LDC in opposing this planned development as I believe it will significantly advantage the vast majority of local people and provide economic opportunities within the District.

For these reasons I would like information from LDC about your strategic position and decisions on this issue. Having read your Publication Scheme I am formally writing to request all information, in hard copy, relating to:

Formal discussion and decisions relating to the community stadium at Falmer, whether this be notes of committee, internal business meetings or external public meetings
Any reference to the Stadium proposals in formal plans
Any internal communications, such as e-mail or memorandum, which discuss the Stadium proposal, between officers and or councillors
Any press releases or statements relating to the Stadium proposal
Accounts that show the amount of funds allocated to opposing the Stadium plans
Any information that relates to consultation with LDC constituents on the Stadium proposals

I believe this may cover a number of your stated classes of information, detailed in your Publication Scheme, so I have written to you directly as the officer with overall responsibility for the Freedom of Information within LDC. Please can you co-ordinate the response from LDC. The classes I believe to be relevant are:

Agendas, Reports and Minutes
Business Planning
Council Surveys
Document List
Financial Accounting Information
Financial Management Information
General Community Information
General Environmental Information
General Leisure Information
Media Releases
Planning Guidance
Planning Public Registers
Revenues Information

I understand from your Publication Scheme that there is no charge for this service.

I also believe that there may be relevant information within the Local Plan. Please can you confirm whether this is relevant and what charge would apply to access this information.

I understand that you must provide this within 20 working days.

I look forward to hearing from you. Should you need to contact me please to clarify any aspects of this request please call me on ***** ******


Yours sincerely




name and address

 

[Highfields Seagull]

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

That about sums it up. Don't really have anything esle to add to what TGC and Lord B have said.

 

[Jameson]

.....and here's the initial response, identical to others noted elswhere I think.......

"Thank you for your request for information concerning the monies spent regarding the Brighton & Hove FC's plans for a new ground at Falmer.

Your request is being dealt with and the information will be sent to you within the 20 day deadline.

Please note however that any formal plans, and submitted with planning applications, and correspondence regarding these applications, are available under our Publications Scheme and therefore exempt from Freedom of Information requests. The planning application files are available to view at our offices in Southover House, Southover Road, Lewes between 9am and 5pm mon-Thur and 9am and 4:30pm Fri."