Confirmation that Cllr Debi Jones is to be investigated by the Standards Board of England, plus details about the nature of the allegations against her, has now been received.
It goes without saying that the proper process should be allowed to take its course.
Although the news that Cllr Jones had been reported to the Board broke last month, a spokeswoman for it told me there is an original ‘referral’ process. A decision whether or not to investigate follows this exploration of the nature of the complaint, including what aspects of the code of conduct have been allegedly breached.
Cllr Debi Jones, Conservative PPC for Sefton Central
Revelations that the Standards Board’s inquiry concerns a meeting between Cllr Jones and Sefton Council’s deputy chief exec, Alan Moore, over how to bid for council contracts, sets out the link with another ongoing investigation.
Mr Moore is currently suspended from his post while allegations against him of misconduct are probed by independent investigators, albeit under the auspices of the council itself.
Speculation has been fevered as to how the Moore/Jones allegations could relate to ongoing disputes at the top of Sefton Council – not only between the parties, but according to numerous sources, among the officer class also.
Before Mr Moore’s suspension, Southport’s MP John Pugh told the Visiter exclusively that the relationship between Sefton’s chief exec, Graham Haywood, and his deputy was one of rivalry, with feuding at the top reminiscent of the infamous Bourgias dynasty.
Subsequent to the suspension shock, the council’s leader, Cllr Tony Robertson, has spoken of a series of coinciding but essentially unrelated controversies besetting Sefton.
Yet in politics, perception is everything. Cllr Jones has spoken of feeling she is being used as a “political pawn�. Whatever the outcome of these investigations, it seems inevitable there will be wider fallout for Sefton politics, beyond just the implications for the careers of the two individuals concerned.
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »