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Fraud probe into district planning service
Wednesday 9am INVESTIGATORS are probing West Lindsey's planning department over suggestions of potential fraud and mismanagement.
In a statement, the council said that potential problems in the management of the planning service had been brought to its attention and an internal investigation was being carried out.
"We are working with the Audit Commission and further investigations are being carried out," a spokesman said.
The issue was considered and discussed by district councillors in private session at Monday's meeting of the full council, but not until one key member shed more light and possibly increased the heat in public session.
The council has confirmed that a manager in planning services had been suspended. It was a neutral act to allow a proper investigation to take place.
Simultaneously the council is looking at a review of its senior nanagement structure, which current leader Bernard Theobald said is 'an exercise in cutting the council's coat according to the cloth' it will have in the face of likely funding squeezes from central government. "This is simply a review of structure and it may be that we need to make no changes or only small tweaks," he said.
But previous leader, Liberal Democrat Reg Shore, was more suspicious of the motivations and linked the review to the current crisis.
"I believe there are other things going on that are not apparent at this time," said Coun Shore.
"This council is going through a crisis with serious charges of potential fraud and mismanagement brought to our door." He also refered to 'other issues that may involve major standards breaches ' directly focussed on members that could involve the police.
"I am not allowed to go into detail. That's for others as they go about their investigations and we await their outcomes," said Coun Shore who saw Coun Theobald's move as 'ultimately destroying the council rather than strengthening it'.
Coun Theobald was 'extremely concerned and disturbed' by Coun Shore's assertions as he did not believe there was any evidence of impropriety by members and challenged Chief Executive Duncan Sharkey if he was aware of any acts by members that could be construed as such.
Mr Sharkey said he had 'concerns about potential breaches in standards, but they are only concerns, not evidence'.
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Weather for Market Rasen
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
