F.O.I figures from Lancashire County Council forwarded to M.P. Nigel Evans raise questions of Authenticity.
Dear Nigel,
I enclose for your attention figures obtained relating to the financing
of speed awareness courses from Lancashire County Council under the
F.O.I. that cause me concern.
I expand:
The F.O.I. figures were reluctantly obtained in a piecemeal manner only
under the threat of The Information Commissioner being requested to
obtain them on my behalf.
I can now understand why the council resorted to threats forcing my
withdrawal, under duress, of a complaint about the internal auditor,
*******, failing in *** duty.
These figures were only supplied after I was forced to withdraw my
complaint.
Page 1 is the webstats relating to applications, to Lancashire County
Council, as a Speed awareness provider, for speed awareness courses from
the public after being offered such a course by Lancashire Constabulary.
These are not the total referrals but the actual take up numbers – just
to avoid confusion!!!
2001 1,666
2002 10,969
2003 14,981
2004 12,697
2005 22,710
2006 21,519
2007 20,202
Each application is accompanied by a cheque from individual members of
the public made payable to “ Lancashire County Council”. These payments
are non refundable “for whatever reason”! No indication is on the cheque
for what service this payment has been made by the member of the public.
Page 2 is a covering letter by email regarding the content of page 4.
Page 3 is the number of speed awareness courses for the same years as
page 1 obtained under the F.O.I. request.
2001 244
2002 7,455
2003 14,331
2004 9,548
2005 18,091
2006 21,886
2007 17,591
Page 4. Is a partial release from **** ******** (I am informed)
regarding income & expenditure.
The discrepancies between the figures of Page 1 & Page 3 are enormous.
The losses claimed in page 4 from a self funding system seem
unimaginable and appear to have been met by the ratepayers of
Lancashire. The claim that this is a high risk business was not reported
as such when it was rolled out and endorsed by Jack Straw and further
endorsed by ACPO as the role model for the rest of the country!
The only high risk I can see is that the police now getpaid more £2.26
refferals (The police changed the goal posts for speed limits from 35
only for speed awareness referral in 2004 to 36,37,38, in 2005 literally
doubling the referrals overnight that made faster driving non punishable
by points--- whatever happened to the little girl who died at 40 but
lived at 30 in the Government ads?)
You can drive at 38 in Lancashire in a 30 (where there are bound to be
more little girls wandering about) and still not get points on your
licence. This is not in the interest of Road Safety in my opinion but
became a nice little PROFIT EARNER in 2005/6 when, according to these
figures, they had been running at a loss for the previous two years!!!
Yes! It was Lancashire Constabulary who undertook an enquiry by Supt
Tattum and the Chief Constable decided that speed awareness should be
implemented at 36,37,38 and then it was recommended to ACPO whose greedy
eyes must have seen pound signs and took it up nationally!!!!!
Road Safety my ****! As you can see from the figures everybody is into
slicing the financial cake for “administration fees”!.Police, Council,
RSSS!!!
Disregarding the last partial year in the figures on page 1 and
comparing to the supplied figures on page 3, a total of 15,598 paid for
speed awareness courses appear to be unrecorded in the financial
statements.
At £80.00 each this totals £1,247,840 of money paid to Lancashire County
Council by individual members of the public for these courses that has
gone unaccounted for over a period of years.
However these accounts have been authenticated yearly by internal audit,
approved by The Finance Director, and certified by the audit commission.
I believe that the current figures shown on the website are correct as
these have been presented by the council & reported in the press over a
number of years and no doubt could be identified to individual people as
each course taken is well documented and should be easily checked by any
audit trail.
The link for these figures is:
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environmen ... tricts.aspI copy this to The Chairman of The Authority for his interest.
In view of the unexplained 130,000 missing “unpaid” FPNs recorded on the
Partnerships accounts over these same years, and now these supplied
figures from the speed awareness courses I believe it is time that
some sort of official investigation took place into the financial
relationship between Lancashire County Council & Lancashire Road Safety
Partnership and would be obliged if you could assist in this matter as
all attempts through the usual channels of democratic lines in
Lancashire County Council are simply met with a self protecting
interest, downright false information being issued, or simply the
closing of ranks by both members, Councillors and responsible auditors.
The similar request to Lancashire Constabulary to supply comparing
information for these figures has not been complied with as yet but I
am assured that they are striving to supply. No timescale has been given
for this.
Perhaps it is time for the intervention of the SFO to take a close look
at this information in order to at least ensure that the responsible
authority for the “ missing FPNs” worth to the Treasury in excess of
£15,000,000 is made to explain or ensure these payments are pursued, and
perhaps assist the Chancellor make further payments to rescue the
banking system during this difficult fiscal period.
Again these accounts have been “audited” and the FPNs missing have been
claimed to have gone to the courts for processing.
The no points on the licences as well is a concern
After all this is only ONE partnership under question; are there more
operating in the same manner?
Thanking You
Anybody wants the finance figures they are obtainable her:
http://rapidshare.com/files/151789568/Speed_Awaren...
Just a very small file but very interesting.
The figures for 2005/6 are:
Expenditure: £1,607,682
Income: £1.764.745
Surplus: £157,063
Payment to Police £126,966.80
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