Council leader reported to Standards Commission

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 11 Nov 2009 09:59 6 Comments

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INDEPENDENT councillor Craig Holden will report the leader of Clackmannanshire Council, Janet Cadenhead, to the Standards Commission for Scotland over her involvement in the Alloa Leisure Bowl tendering process.

Mr Holden believes that Mrs Cadenhead broke the councillors' code of conduct by failing to inform her fellow councillors that Clackmannanshire had broken the law by failing to put the Leisure Bowl out to tender.

He put forward a motion to Thursday's full council meeting calling on the council to refer Mrs Cadenhead to the Standards Commission but an amendment by councillor Sam Ovens meant his motion could not be voted on.

However, Mrs Cadenhead says she welcomes Mr Holden's decision to report her to the commission as she is certain that she has done nothing wrong.

As previously reported in the Advertiser Mr Holden discovered that it was known by some within the council at least four years ago that the decision to appoint Apex, who previously ran the Leisure Bowl, was in breach of the European Procurement Directive.

He claims that the Labour group leader, Mrs Cadenhead, was one of those who were aware of the breach for several months but did not make it known to other councillors.

In Thursday's motion Mr Holden claimed Mrs Cadenhead had failed to comply with the key principles of openness and leadership.

He stated, "Councillor Cadenhead breached the principle of openness by failing to notify fellow councillors of a breach of law committed by the council and entering into an agreement with the former chief executive which concealed her decisions and actions and restricted information contrary to the wider public interest.

"She breached the principle of leadership by failing to maintain and strengthen the public's trust and confidence in the integrity of the council and its councillors in conducting public business by withholding information regarding a breach of law and failing to bring the matter to the attention of councillors and the wider public."

In response Mrs Cadenhead said, "There are many times I go home and worry about what I have said or whether I made the right decision but I am absolutely, totally and completely convinced that I did the right thing.

"I took legal advice and took advice from senior officers when I was informed about the breach and was advised on the best way forward, which was to put it right, which we did.

"I feel quite secure in what I did and I also asked whether I could self refer to the standards commission to clear my name and bring back my personal dignity and not have question marks over my name and integrity and openness.

"I am grateful to my group for their support but I know I don't have a case to answer."

Mrs Cadenhead's fellow Labour councillors criticised Mr Holden for bringing the motion to the council when he could have made a complaint to the Standards Commission on an individual basis - which he is now doing.

But Mr Holden accused the Labour councillors of having a short memory. In 2004 they brought forward a motion calling on the council to refer Mr Holden to the Standards Commission for publicly discussing information which should have been kept private.

The SNP group supported Mr Holden's motion.

Councillor Mark English said, "Given Janet's dual role as convener of Apex and leader of the council, and her relationship with then chief executive Dave Jones, we feel she had a duty in that capacity to bring any information of potential law breaking back to council. Unfortunately she chose not to do so."

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Jimmy Neebur
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Nov 12, 14:06
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"her relationship with then chief executive Dave Jones". It's like i'm reading one of yon gossip mags.

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******
Nov 14, 09:49
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Jimmy Neebur
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Nov 14, 12:51
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The cooncil seem tae think that Eurocrat procurement laws don't apply in the Wee County. Best value just isn't being achieved fur the neeburs. It's all done on a nod and a wink these days.

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James A Mackie
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Nov 14, 16:03
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Everything to do with Apex leisure has been a disaster since Clackmannanshire Councils first got involved. Both SNP and Labour administrations have ignored the problems with Apex Leisure. Clackmannanshire Council own all but 4 of the 200000 shares in Apex Leisure. Two Councillors and two officials hold the others as directors. Who remembers when Travers Leisure's majority shareholder was Apex Leisure? Who decided to turn that shareholding over to the other directors of Traverse Leisure, two of who were and/or are employees of Apex Leisure.

The public, over the years, have elected Councillors who may have good intentions but do not have the intelligence or bottle to fight and get rid of poor quality officials who in turn run circles round the elected members. It is long overdue that party politics was banned from Local Government and local businessmen were allowed to run the Council

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Willy Braid
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Nov 15, 19:38
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You aren't a "local businessman" by any chance are you Mr Mackie? Why stop there, why not have businessmen run the country, perhaps we could ask the ones who were responsible for the present mess in the banking world to run things!!!

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Jimmy Neebur
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Nov 16, 13:09
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"It is long overdue that party politics was banned from Local Government and local businessmen were allowed to run the Council".

Local business people are indeed allowed tae run the cooncil. There is a little-known mechanism known as an 'election' where people pit themselves forward and go through a 'voting' process tae get themselves into office. Ah understand that they might use this system elsewhere ootside our Wee Coonty bubble, in faraway land.

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James A Mackie
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Nov 17, 21:28
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Yes. I WAS a local businessman until I saw the light of day and escaped from Clackmannanshire. Yes I did stand for the Cooncil as an independent. No businessman in his right man would stand for election to Clackmannanshire Council. Every businessman in the Wee County has first hand experience of the total incompetence in there. Current investigations stop me from giving examples. On the question of people standing as independents, the big three parties have arranged the Representation of the People Regulations in such a way that it discourages people from standing as independents. Firstly you need a team of lawyers to keep you on the right legal path, then they increased the size of electral wards to make the cost of fighting an election too expensive.

As for the *ankers who caused the banking crises, look at House Number 10 and 11 Downing Street. They knew what was going on, allowed it to continue as they were protecting their cronies who were paying a fortune in taxes to the Government, money that was wasted long before the rainy day. Looking at their current policies they still have not learnt the trick that the more you borrow, the longer it takes to clear your debt and you have to work twice as hard to do it.

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Jan 13, 23:40
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