The Council's credit cards

[22A]

Reported on page 19 of today's "Metro".

Bristol City Council issued credit cards to Social Workers, Teachers and Care Home Managers to buy goods for vulnerable people. Over the last two years these cards have run up bills of £2,000 a day as they bought out of YOUR Council Tax money;

Amazon goods - £78,909, Flights - £24,027, Meals - £6,219, Clothes - £4,360, Cinema trips - £500, Paragliding - £382, Adventure golf - £106, Alcohol - £195, a Chauffeur - £198. As a carer I can understand clothes and cinema trips, but the remainder deserves investigating.

 

The Taxpayers Alliance was not pleased to say the least. This Alliance; since most of us are taxpayers, have you ever been invited to join it? I haven't, nor have they sought my opinion on anything. At times like this though, a spokesman/woman steps forward and speaks for us all.

[wendyredredrobin]

Abslutely disgraceful. Heads should, but they won't as this is the council. Isn't this effectively fraud?

[Henry]

It's not uncommon for care home managers to pay for goods, such as holidays, amazon gifts etc, then recharge residents. People with LD often don't have bank cards.

also social workers have to supply foster children with certain amounts of clothes and furniture.

#fakenews

[SARJ]

On 8/29/2017 at 19:21, 22A said:

Reported on page 19 of today's "Metro".

Bristol City Council issued credit cards to Social Workers, Teachers and Care Home Managers to buy goods for vulnerable people. Over the last two years these cards have run up bills of £2,000 a day as they bought out of YOUR Council Tax money;

Amazon goods - £78,909, Flights - £24,027, Meals - £6,219, Clothes - £4,360, Cinema trips - £500, Paragliding - £382, Adventure golf - £106, Alcohol - £195, a Chauffeur - £198. As a carer I can understand clothes and cinema trips, but the remainder deserves investigating.

 

The Taxpayers Alliance was not pleased to say the least. This Alliance; since most of us are taxpayers, have you ever been invited to join it? I haven't, nor have they sought my opinion on anything. At times like this though, a spokesman/woman steps forward and speaks for us all.

Mate I have a white trash cousin who's never worked a day in her life. She has a 4 bed semi detatched house in Bedminster and 2 brand new cars all paid for by us, the taxpayer. Nothing wrong with her either, just typical lazy Jeremy Kyle stuff.

This is the reason I give up where tax is concerned. System is flawed and will never change.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Unsure what to make of this story. On face value it's a shocker...

However there are some good counter points also. Reckon it's somewhere in the middle between councillors- especially the high ups- taking the piss and what was posted by @Henry about social workers, care home managers and vulnerable people. 

Can certainly give a more clearcut example of it though with shall we say excessive use of credit cards- mate of mine went to university in Canterbury and they told me all about it...Now it's not such a drain on taxpayers but it's interesting nonetheless.

It's a good example of profligacy in public office. This case? Would need to know more about it before condemning it fully,  Henry's insight was interesting so I'm quite open minded on it.

Quote

In January Kent Online reported that Christ Church University vice-chancellor was “forced to resign from his £200,000 post” after he “blew thousands on business class flights, luxury hotels and even flowers.” According to Kent Online “Prof Robin Baker left his job on October 22 last year, amid talk of relationships with women at the university. The institution has close links with the Church of England and has the Archbishop of Canterbury as its chancellor. But the 59-year-old, who earned £203,000 a year as the university’s principal officer, ran up £15,000 on credit card spending, it’s been revealed. As his students struggled to pay thousands of pounds in tuition fees, Prof Baker paid for business class flights around the world, dinners in some of Canterbury’s finest restaurants, luxury hotels and even flowers. He even whipped out his corporate credit card to pay for shopping from Waitrose, refreshments from sandwich shops, such as Pret a Manger and Upper Crust and hundreds of pounds on opera tickets.”

Professor Baker hit the news in 2011 after Canterbury Christ Church University “admitted it spent more than £200,000 recruiting Robin Baker as its vice-chancellor and [then] creating a “palatial” office for him.” According to Kent Online “It was equipped with an executive washroom and shower, a kitchen, a photocopying room, waiting area and an office for a personal assistant. New furniture for the office cost another £1,300.”

This was back in 2012, 2013 that kinda time. This is well and truly taking the piss and I suspect it goes on with upper echelons in particular across the board in public based roles. 

An interesting story this...google "Robin Baker Vice Chancellor Canterbury Christ Church, credit cards" Guess there's more detail online too.

[Lanterne Rouge]

Try looking at any stories you can find relating to Baroness Scotland. Private Eye have got their teeth well and truly into her!

[PHILINFRANCE]

1 hour ago, Red Right Hand said:

Try looking at any stories you can find relating to Baroness Scotland. Private Eye have got their teeth well and truly into her!

Don't tell me she has bought another toilet seat?

[Lanterne Rouge]

30 minutes ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

Don't tell me she has bought another toilet seat?

Several I think. To go with the numerous bathrooms she`s had upgraded at huge public expense.