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North Yorks Enquirer

A Further £¼-Million in Undisclosed SBC Officers’ Perks

July 29, 2014 Letters

A Letter to the Editor from Allan ROBERTS, of Scarborough, alerting the North Yorks Enquirer to a further quarter of a million pounds worth of Officers’ “perks” hitherto unknown to the wider public.

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Dear Mr. Editor,

 Following on from the recent article on this site regarding the car mileage abuse at Scarborough Borough Council – (“Council Pays Mileage of #19.67 per Mile”):

I quote from the report that accompanied that debate at Scarborough Town Hall,

‘When interviewed a senior officer reported that the lump sum payment was seen as a ‘perk’, as opposed to an operational requirement.’

And if you think that £95,000 was a lot of money to run the Officers cars, then I think you may be even more dismayed to find that it also cost a further £265,000 to park them.

From the report:

  • “Despite the fact that here is no contractual obligation on the Council to provide car parking facilities, ie specified in an individual’s contract of employment or in the national conditions of service, custom and practice has dictated that the King Street and the upper and lower Town Hall car parks have been made available for essential car users and Elected Members.
  • During 2013/14 105 car park passes were allocated to individuals for the King Street car park. The value of each permit is £1,485 per annum (with a total value of £155,925) and whilst no monies exchange from departments/operational services to the car park service, this amount is regarded as a notional value.
  • In addition to the King Street/Town Hall car parks, there are 49 other car park permits issued to officers and other persons covering all car parks, long stay and specified other car parks within the Borough, with a notional value of £108,562, making a total notional value for the provision of car park permits within the Borough of £264,487”.

Whether ‘notional’ or otherwise, I suggest that the value of free car parking falls into the same category as the car lump sum payment, and which the senior officers view as just another ‘perk’, awarded to themselves by themselves.

Regards, etc

Allan Roberts

Allan ROBERTS, Scarborough. 29th July, 2014.

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