Letter: Is The Manager Managing By The Nolan Principles?

Published on: 10 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 10 Apr, 2019

From Ben Paton

Under James Whiteman’s management, the council does not appear to have followed its own governance codes.

As one example, Cllr Matt Furniss, apparently, wears multiple hats. He is the deputy leader, the lead councillor for infrastructure and also a Surrey county councillor with cabinet responsibilities there. He is also the lead councillor at GBC for governance.

In public company governance codes, an explanation is required if anyone is both chairman and chief executive. It is rare and frowned upon for an executive to also be in charge of compliance.

Has Mr Whiteman raised any objection to any of this? If not, has he been tacitly complicit rather than impartial?

In the latest revelations, we discover that the head of planning has been complicit in sending out letters drafted by a developer. All this is happening under Mr Whiteman’s management.

Is this being impartial? Or is this turning a blind eye to practices that are not best practice? Is it not the role and responsibility of the senior civil servant to set out the limits of acceptable behaviour by politicians and their obligations under the Nolan Principles? Failure to apply the rules is a failure to be impartial.