Today’s post on Ferret is in two parts, firstly…
Possible “suspicious transactions” around a Parish Council’s bank account are being investigated by the Police.
Cheshire Police said investigations into transactions at Audlem Parish Council were at an early stage.
Why you may ask, has Ferret brought the troubles and tribulations of another Parish Council to our attention, haven’t we got enough of our own?
We certainly have, and the reason Ferret has chosen to highlight this investigation, is that it appears to have a lot in common with what we are all concerned about with Hemsworth Town Council.
The authority said it was “deeply concerned” and had appointed a FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT.
The Parish Council added investigations were being “urgently pursued” and it would ensure reports into findings would be made public.
“Councillors are deeply concerned about what has happened and will work tirelessly to ensure that the parish council continues to look after the interests of all residents” Audlem Parish Council said in a statement.
What a stark contrast to what is happening at Hemsworth where the decision to use a Forensic Accountant was reversed in favour to use a local accountant, not one specialised in Forensic auditing.
The decision was also taken behind closed doors and contrary to Town Council instruction.
Perhaps the local accountants were too busy at Audlem Parish Council and they had to settle for the best…
and secondly:
Ferret would like to thank Councillor Maxine Hird for taking the time to respond to a number of concerned members of our community directly on our post yesterday.
Ferret would also like to thank Councillor Donna Moran, who placed the following post on her own Facebook page:
Donna Moran Labour Councillor for Hemsworth West
“To respond to some comments, I shall go away and find out how this could have been/can be done without the town clerks involvement, this be a matter I need to seek advice from others on as the town clerk is the one who needs to provide all the accounting information that any auditor would need.
As for the matter of this being a forensic audit I can only go by my understanding of what a forensic audit is and compare with what was done in 2019, if I compare the Frenkel report it seems light compared to what is being done by the accountant we have instructed, it does say in that report (from 2019) that the work would be relatively high level, we have asked for a much lower level of detail. As such I thought that we would be getting something more appropriate that satisfied the concerns being raised over the past few years.
I’m aware that there is another post circulating with similar concerns, as I’ve always said I will do what I think is best and would never mislead intentionally, as that post points out I’m not qualified in these matters and it seems that confidence in my role as finance chair is now at stake, this is something take very seriously and would not want to continue in the role should this be the case. I have lots to think about and will update once have things clear.”
Thank you from each and everyone of our community for taking the time to look once again at this decision and Ferret looks forward to your update once this is available…
Full story here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-62467740
I sincerely hope Donna Moran does not stand down. She has already explained her understanding of the financial audit, and I understand if anything untoward is discovered the matter would be referred to the authorities. Then a forensic audit could be commissioned. It takes a lot to accept and move on from criticism, which should always be constructive. We would all do well to remember that.