 The Leader of the New Forest District Council Liberal Democrats, Councillor David Harrison, has called upon the Tory controlled authority to agree to an independent inquiry into the circumstances that led to the authority, losing a High Court Case against a flooring company it had engaged to re-surface sports hall floors.
The Council is thought to have lost over £300,000, equivalent to £5 for every taxpayer in the district.
No Councillor has admitted responsibility for making the key decisions and no member of staff has been disciplined.
At the full council meeting on 26th October, Cllr. Harrison put the following question to Cllr Mrs Di Brooks:
From: Cllr D Harrison
To: Cllr Mrs Brooks (Leisure, Culture and Youth Matters Portfolio Holder)
“Great damage has been done to the reputation of this Council by what has become widely known as the ‘Slippery Floor Fiasco’.
The District Auditor did not establish who was responsible for making the key decisions which resulted in the loss of over £300,000 of taxpayers’ money.
Most Council members were completely unaware of what was happening behind the scenes and recognise that there are still questions that remain unanswered.
Would it not be in the best interests of this Council and the public it serves, to agree to a proper independent inquiry?
Cllr. Harrison says “The Conservative party have closed ranks over this matter, thinking it more important to protect one another than to learn lessons that will stop this happening again.
The public should know who exactly who decided to run this hopeless case all the way to the High Court at vast public expense.
The District Auditor has not been able to determine this and only an independent inquiry will bring out the full facts”.
The request was denied by Councillor Mrs Brooks, a member of the Tory cabinet.
She said she was satisfied that an internal review and an investigation from the District Auditor was enough to have brought out the full facts.
However, in responding, Councillor Harrison said “That was one of the most complacent statements ever made in the Chamber.
We still don’t know who was responsible for making the key political decisions that led to this disastrous High Court case.
All we have had is an internal review, with our own officers looking at the actions of fellow officers.
Even the District Auditor has said that the matter of an independent inquiry is a matter for the full council to decide.
The public that we serve deserve to know exactly what went on.
We owe them that”.
Liberal Democrats will continue to press for a full independent inquiry.
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