12 November (Part 1) - Keeping it off the balance sheet
The
appointment of Stuart Crichton as principal of Bexley’s Adult Education Colleges
definitely looks a bit odd. First he is a consultant being awarded lucrative
contracts by Bexley council, then he’s shuffled into a new job for which he has
no obvious qualifications and allegedly ponces off the backs of long serving deputies.
Then the story goes around that courses that don’t make a profit are quickly
closed down. It’s not my area of expertise but I would have thought that
financially speaking, educational courses are a matter of some you win and some
you don’t, otherwise no obscure subject would ever be taught.
Interpreting Bexley’s
‘Over £500’ expenditure is no one’s idea of fun and an
inexact science, but there are reasons to believe that SC Partners might not be unconnected with
the mysterious Mr. Crichton. Does he get college principal pay on top of his
consultancy fees or is what is on the council’s spreadsheet just the half of it? And
if it is simply ‘salary’ as stated, shouldn’t a school head’s pay be subject to PAYE?
As far as I can tell from earlier months, the £5,850 is paid monthly and the
£18,000 is some sort of quarterly bonus. Nothing in Bexley is totally honest
open and translucent but for those with influential friends in high places, the
gravy train still runs on schedule.