23 August - Something to hide?
Someone
pointed out that BexleyCo publishes annual accounts, most BiB stuff comes from such tip offs, and I did my best to
understand them. We know that the boss is Graham Ward who I first encountered 15
years ago when he was Deputy Director of Customer Relations.
I found him to be helpful.
Six years later it was his name that
signed off new Traffic Orders for £112 grand a year as Deputy Director of Regeneration.
Another two years found him elevated via Deputy Director of Services and Programmes
to become Deputy Director of Infrastructure Delivery and an email from an employee described him as “obnoxious”. Another employee
wrote that Ward’s methods stink and that he was “loathsome”.
On LinkedIn Mr.
Ward promoted himself and eventually so did Bexley Council. After the Leader
said his work was “fantastic”
he
was moved on to the fantasy land which is BexleyCo. Two years later (2021) I was
still being sent criticism by employees but as I said, he was more than once OK with me.
At BexleyCo Graham Ward was paid £162,347 (including pension contribution) in 2023/24 and
probably more last year but that figure is redacted. Surely he couldn’t have
earned another raise because it plunged to another quarter of a
million-ish loss last year. (See below.)
Figures are £. Column 1: 2025. Column 2: 2024. Parenthesis indicate a negative.
An overall deficit of £130,040 is recorded which after eight years of operation is a far cry from the the late Cabinet Member Bailey’s
view
through rose tinted spectacles of BexleyCo. “It will be nice to see some
money coming back into the coffers of the Council”.
You would think that BexleyCo being a millstone around the taxpayer’s neck it would
be subject to the heaviest of Scrutiny; but no. It used to be under the watchful
eyes of the eight Cabinet Members but even they must be shielded from the truth.
Only the Leader, David Leaf and Cafer Munur are currently given full access to the truth.