26 July (Part 1) - Local Government Ombudsman. Unfit for purpose
According the the LGO, councils are at liberty to fabricate a story and submit it to the police with a request that they prosecute and their leaders and chief executives do not owe their populations any duty of care to prevent such blatant dishonesty.
It
is according to the LGO’s investigator Helen Bingham, up to the police to deal
with that sort of abuse of power and the LGO has no role to play. I can see a
certain amount of logic in it if police have not been wined and dined at council
expense and can be trusted to carry out investigations before referring cases to
the Crown Prosecution Service rather than afterwards, but in Bexley none of that
applies. I think you will know that story by now and the details do not need to
be repeated, suffice to say I think the LGO leans over backwards to support
councils however bizarre their behaviour may be.
The
Communities and Local Government Select Committee doesn’t think much of them
either, saying the LGO must up its game.
Select Committee Report. -
BBC News -
Comment by LGO Watcher blog.