Posts

LBWF, lobbyists, and ‘partner’ companies: greasing the wheels of commerce or corporate capture?

March 17, 2025 Mini Holland, Redevelopment 0

For the past fifteen years or so, LBWF has worked with a variety of private developers and infrastructure engineers to radically reshape the borough’s built environment. The formal relationships between these different parties of course are recorded in council minutes, contracts, press releases, and similar. But there has been plenty going on behind the scenes as well, and to shed some light on these less overt interactions, the following looks at two brief case-studies. The first is about lobbying, and its starting point is a short Linkedin comment that was posted by one Peter Bingle: Why is this noteworthy? Well, Peter Bingle is a director of the Terrapin Group, and one of the latter’s con... »

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LBWF has issued corporate credit cards to its senior managers, but broken the law for many years by failing to publish data tracking their use

February 27, 2025 LBWF spin, Local Government Transparency Code, Mark Hynes 0

For the past two decades or so, LBWF has issued its senior managers with corporate credit cards. And, since 2015, following the introduction of the Local Government Transparency Code (LGTC), LBWF also has been legally required to publish data on how these cards are being used. But with the exception of one year, 2016, the latter is something which LBWF has, without explanation, completely failed to do.  Challenged about this in January 2025, LBWF’s Corporate Director – Internal Audit, Anti-Fraud, Revenues and Benefits, Gemma Young, states that ‘The corporate credit card data is being collated and will look to be published [sic] as soon as possible’, and then attempts some reassura... »

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Private Eye covers the latest LBWF safeguarding scandal

February 19, 2025 Safeguarding 0

From Private Eye No.1643 21 February-6 March 2025. It’s good that PE highlights the witless response of Cllr. Mitchell. In another, more honourable time, many would have expected her to resign. »

LBWF’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programme: necessary corrective or self-serving extravagance?

February 18, 2025 EDI 0

In the past couple of years, and without much public commentary, the senior management team in LBWF has been seeking to transform the prevailing culture in the Town Hall by introducing and then championing a major equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programme.  Specifically, the aim has been to ensure that: (a) ‘our workforce reflects the diversity of our community’, on the basis that this will ‘lead to stronger connections with our communities and better design of services’;  (b) there is maximum ‘inclusivity’ so that ‘people feel safe to bring their authentic selves to work’;  (c) the work environment allows ‘everyone…to access good quality and suitable opportunities for... »

The local Senior Coroner points the finger at LBWF as details emerge about yet another safeguarding scandal

February 7, 2025 Safeguarding 0

The tragic death of Tracey Turnell has been much covered in the media, and last week Senior East London Coroner Graeme Irving held an inquest to review the surrounding circumstances, which the Investigations Reporter of the East London and West Essex Guardian Series, Charles Thompson, diligently covered here https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/24904405.tracey-turnell-death-coroner-suggests-waltham-forest-discipline-staff/ and this is the source for much of the following. At the outset, Mr. Irvine called Ms. Turnell’s death ‘“horrifying”, and added ‘“It is a truly, truly appalling case”’. But he also concluded that there had been ‘“significant missed opportunities”’ to ‘“safeguard thi... »

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