Council officials want to spend up to £2 million in single transactions without prior scrutiny

Posted By on 27th June 2018

27th June 2018 By Graham Smith Cornwall Council officials are on their way to gaining new powers which will allow them to spend up to £2 million in a single…

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This article has 10 comments

  1. If anyone was in any doubt over who runs the council the un-elected, unaccountable, civil servants, or the well meaning community spirited individuals who have stood for election. The answer is pretty clear. Include the LEP in that as well. Not private sector led. Not a partnership. Another officer controlled offshoot of the council, as they always wanted it to be.

  2. Still no money for policing,closing hospitals roads schools etc etc etc but money for trips abroad and anything for their benefit.Not even competent ,taking money under false pretences. Spending public money in a manner which is irresponsible and on items that do not comply with the needs of the taxpayer is a misuse of public funds

  3. Hot news – they have agreed to meet halfway, so the upper limit is now £1 million. So that’s alright then … double the cost, double the cock ups, double the cost of remedial action. And still no accountability.

  4. It’s just occurred to me … what on earth could possibly cost £2 million in one transaction?

    Contractual delivery, such as, say with Biffa, multi million pounds, there will be proper scrutiny through the contract preparation process which is fair enough, even where the contract itself stinks.

    This limit is presumably for a single non-contract purchase. Paperclips and tea bags are available for £1 a box in Poundland, so it can’t be that. I can’t imagine purchases of vintage wines, classic cars and Old Masters artworks would even be considered by the dunderheads at County Hall.

    That leaves, in the absence of other options, property. As a Council Tax payer I for one would want scrutiny over the Council paying up to £2 million for a house … I’d want a full breakdown of how value is anticipated, and I’d want to know the contingencies in case the purchase went belly up.

  6. Looks like the officers want to become property dealers as well as developers. I wonder who is behind this!!

  7. Don’t think they should be trusted. See they spent over £46,000 going to France. The C.C. Leader or the chief Executive have still not resigned. DISGRACEFUL!

  8. The proposed officers’ delegatory power of £2,000,000 in a single transaction is far too high; even the City of London General Officers’ Conditions of Delegation Limitations for Contracts has an upper threshold of £1,000,000. I also note that this report states “per transaction”. Is this limitless in number of transactions in a financial year or cumulative per annum?

  9. Four times the limit … four times the amount of costly cock ups … and four times the cost of firefighting and putting it back to how it was. But no-one accountable. A perfect and obvious move for Cornwall Council, surprised they didn’t dream it up earlier.

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