“Scarborough Borough Council (LA) Confidential”
A Letter to the Editor from Heather RELF of Whitby, who writes to appeal for greater transparency from our second-tier Local Authority (LA) – Scarborough Borough Council – or, in simpler terms, where’s the money?
~~~~~
Dear Editor,
Scarborough Borough Council (LA) Confidential
As a Whitby voter, I have tried to get to the bottom of some basic fundamental, democratic questions. Quite simply, where is our money going? I deserve to be told what is happening concerning the income and expenditure side of the balance sheet. Surely that is not an unreasonable expectation. However, there appears to be a big obstacle – confidentiality and commercial sensitivity!
The obvious question is, why the secrecy? Is it because of incompetence? Is it so important that the taxpayer be kept in the dark? Why do decision makers resort to the comfort blanket of confidentiality?
I can refer to a few examples that continue to perplex and frustrate Whitby residents:
- Where are the audited accounts for the past two years? Ongoing legal challenge? What is it?
- The mystery of the quantity and distribution of harbour monies.
- The awarding of commercial rights in harbour operations.
- The amount and distribution of monies from the Jeremy Clarkson event.
- The audited accounts from the Market Place.
Money coming in, but where is the investment in the town?
Ask the questions, and – of course – it is confidential!
As a resident, all I want, and doubtless others too, is open and transparent answers.
Unfortunately, the cloak of confidentiality seems to suggest, either real or imagined, incompetence and cover up.
What is the issue with honesty and openness? We should never forget who pays the wages!
In confidence,
A.N.Other (a.k.a. Heather Relf)
Heather RELF, Whitby. 25th May, 2018.
Comments are closed.