In accordance with Procedure Rule 34, Councillor Sam Corcoran has asked that the following item be included on this Agenda:
‘This Committee is aware of serious but anonymous allegations. Good governance requires that decisions are based on evidence not unsubstantiated allegations. If any person has any evidence of wrongdoing the Committee urges them to bring that evidence to the attention of the relevant authorities (including the Chairman and Members of this Committee).’
Note: Procedure Rule 34 (agenda items submitted by Members) allows a Member of the Council, by notice given to the Monitoring Officer no later than ten clear working of days before the appropriate meeting, to request that an item of business be included on the agenda of a Committee or Sub-Committee.
Minutes:
In accordance with Procedure Rule 34 (agenda items submitted by Members) Councillor Sam Corcoran asked that the following item be included on the agenda:
“This Committee is aware of serious but anonymous allegations. Good governance requires that decisions are based on evidence not unsubstantiated allegations. If any person has any evidence of wrongdoing the Committee urges them to bring that evidence to the attention of the relevant authorities, including the Chairman and Members of the Audit and Governance Committee.”
At the meeting Councillor Corcoran read out a statement to the effect that if any member of staff or the public had concerns about aspects of the Council’s work and preferred not to contact the officers named in the Whistleblowing Policy then they could, in confidence, contact the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman or any member of the Audit and Governance Committee, the unions, the police or the charity set up for just such cases - Public Concern at Work (tel: 0207 4046609).
RESOLVED
That the statement, as set out below, be noted, and approval be given to the inclusion of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman and Members of the Audit and Governance Committee on the list in the Whistleblowing Policy of those to whom concerns can be reported.
Councillor S Corcoran’s Statement
“It is amazing what people will tell you when they can trust your confidentiality. The importance of confidentiality has been mentioned in regards to whistleblowing.
Therefore I am not going to refer to the contents of any anonymous allegations. There is always a danger when you have something secret that people wonder what is going on and it gets magnified out of proportion, so I am pleased to be able to refer you to Private Eye if you don’t know what we’re talking about.
Serious but anonymous allegations cause huge problems for me and for others. I’ve already referred to the problems over confidentiality – I don’t want to publicise the allegations because they’re confidential, but I don’t want a rumour mill to get out of hand.
I want to protect the potential whistleblower, but I can’t because I don’t know who they are.
I want to ask some follow up questions. I want to let the person know of what action is already being taken, but I can’t because I don’t know who they are.
Therefore I appeal to people to come forward. If you really don’t want to use the whistleblowing procedure then you can contact the Chair of this committee, any member of this committee, the unions, or the charity set up for just such cases Public Concern at Work tel 02074046609.
There is another reason for putting this item on the agenda and that it to let potential whistleblowers know that we do take allegations seriously. Just because you don’t see anything happening publicly it does not mean that no action is being taken. There is a need for confidentiality in some cases. I will end where I started:
It is amazing what people will tell you when they can trust your confidentiality.”