Robert Goodwill MP

On Wednesday 27 January, in a clear attempt to salvage the Vote of No Confidence the next day, Lisa Dixon, SBC Director of Legal & Democratic Services, sent out numerous responses rejecting complaints against SBC Cabinet Member, Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff.

I have since been informed that Leader Cllr Steve Siddons, Mike Greene SBC Chief Executive and Lisa herself were fully aware at this point of the recording and the content of it. Indeed, I myself informed them of this fact.

Does that make Lisa Dixon, Mike Greene and Steve Siddons guilty as charged?

To compound the lost sense of reality at Scarborough Town Hall, Leader Cllr Steve Siddons believes it appropriate to have in his seven-person Cabinet:

• A Councillor who is at best disturbed and requires help, but is authorised to sign off up to £140,000.
• A Councillor who believes the Nolan Principles to be a disgrace.

This confirms the failure of the SBC Duty Of Care in relation to Rogue Councillors.

Where does this leave SBC and the residents moving forward?

Economic Future Prosperity

It is well documented that Scarborough has recorded the highest level of personal insolvencies of any Local Authority area across England and Wales. Sadly, this was even before Covid 19 hit.

Given the recent conduct of SBC, it appears to be clear that no one in a senior position has clean hands.

The obvious concern must now be, that under the current administration, no reputable organisation would award any external funding to SBC. This will find its way to the likes of Middlesborough, Sunderland and Blackpool instead.

The downward spiral is clearly on autopilot with no one at the helm. To make matters worse, they will then drag other well managed Local Authorities down with them come devolution, which is just around the corner.

Robert Goodwill And Barry Khan

I believe that the only hope now to save the SBC area from sinking any further and to prevent undermining devolution is in the hands of Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill and Barry Khan, North Yorkshire County Council Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services).

Hopefully, they both have clean hands and neither has sat on either the disturbing transcript or the recording.

I have asked Robert and Barry to attempt to steer the out of control juggernaut that is SBC before it is too late.

If I don’t hear from either of them with the very least a holder for publication by close of business Tuesday 2 February, I believe to ensure that my hands remain clean, I must publish the full unedited 14 minute and 38 seconds horrific recording that the 26 seconds extract was taken from.

Why are clean hands so rare?