Dear Grant and copied to Laurelin (both auditors)
Thank you so much for your most helpful and detailed response of the 22 April when I was away in Scotland hill walking and cycling. I returned last night.
You wrote, "if the issue of concern could be dealt with in a more proportionate way, such as by direct communication with the authority, although from our brief conversation you do appear to have already proceeded down this route."
AND,
"Our concerns will be with the adequacy of the authority’s general arrangements for securing value for money."
Indeed, wonderful Laura Shoaf has had the decency to see me twice over the last ten years. The first was in 2014 and the second was on the 8 February, for another hour, this year. However, I came away with the impression that like Mayor Andy, she doesn't get it, is one of only many others in the senior leadership team at 16 Summer Lane and that all my concerns were none of her responsibility. On both occasions, too! Both lovely Andy (whom my wife and I will vote for, for the third time, tomorrow) and lovely Laura seem powerless to intervene. Both are very nice, powerless figureheads!
This is the third decade of the still unresolved Post Office Scandal and the fifth decade (since 1981) of the Metro Tramway scandal taking over two mainline railways and, very nearly, a third AND it is still underused to worsen traffic congestion and air quality in Brum!
I would urge both of you to read this email that I wrote to a friend but, I think, is a nice mixture of personal, political and makes the following point. That we are all part of the wealthy establishment that run things, unconsciously, for our (unintended) advantage but for the best of all possible reasons - always. But the multiple crises worsen and the poor have even more difficulty in paying housing, energy and food bills!
and this for accurate cost comparisons:
Below is truly shocking expense at a time of (and causes) accelerating climate emergency for all and poverty for some:
Do please read and comment on my stuff. And see what you can both do to stop the scandal and right the wrongs.
By the way, we have countless checks and challenges to stop all this bizarre spending of public funds but absolutely nothing ever works to stop the idiocy, incompetence and negligence!:-
Elected councillors - but many change every year before they can get to grips with their brief;
Birmingham Improvement Panel;
Commissioners ("£1,100 per day for the other commissioners".) and Political Advisors, led by Max Caller (who is totally uninterested and passes the buck to Laura. He receives "£1,200 per day for the Lead Commissioner");
Internal audit
External audit
Another scandal, Grant and Laurelin! How can they possibly spend so much money every day?!
Best wishes
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