Former Bexley cabinet member for children, Katie Perrior stood down as a councillor in May after saying she couldn’t leave until her department was in good order. It wasn’t as OFSTED made clear but Ms. Perrior went anyway, as did her Director Mark Charters.
Further
evidence of the disorganised mess that is Bexley’s Children’s Services was presented to a judge in the High Court today.
Bexley council was “contumelious” he said (insolently abusive and humiliating, to
save you looking it up) and compared theirs to a similar case labelled “slapdash
and lackadaisical”. Bexley’s failures were he said “stark’. Nothing relieved
social workers of their responsibility to obey court orders.
If you ignore the impact on the affected family, Bexley’s failures might be seen
as funny but the smile might be wiped from your face when you learn that the
judge lumbered Bexley taxpayers with the legal bill.
Link including full court report.