Tag Archives: Chair

WECA WATCH

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Testing times at WECA:

Stephen Peacock
Confused posh twat with failing memory

With former Mayor Dan “The WECA Man” Norris arrested before the recent election, questions are being asked about who supported the mayor’s shenanigans at WECA and why?

Local journalist Andrew Lynch, asked questions before Norris’s arrest at a January scrutiny meeting. He queried why an item on an independent report into Norris’s unlawful efforts to get his image plastered over the region’s buses had disappeared from the agenda?

The question was intercepted by WECA CEO Stephen “Preening” Peacock. Feigning confusion, he bizarrely claimed not to recall which report Lynch could be referring to and would need to go away and think about it.

That was the last the public heard of the report with Lynch’s further questions to WECA knocked back by Monitoring Officer Bob Brown “Nose” as, er, ‘defamatory’. Lynch chased up with scrutiny committee chair Jerome “Unhinged” Thomas, Green councillor for Clifton. Back came the ludicrous claim that Peacock “legitimately needed to refresh his memory on the matter”.

A matter that should stand out like a sore thumb. It’s not everyday an independent report states your mayor has acted unlawfully.

Suspicions of a Peacock cover-up for Norris are strong.

HOW MUCH DID THE WECA MAN SPEND ON HIMSELF?
A July 2024 FoI request to WECA asked for, “full copies of all expenses claims by Mayor
Dan Norris for each year he has been in office”.

The response from WECA was,“no expenses were claimed by the Mayor for that period.”

However, in January Norris explained, “I have not claimed any expenses since being
elected in 2021. The authority organises train tickets etc.”

So he received expenses but he and WECA bosses unlawfully failed to publish them.

Another FoI on the matter in March remains outstanding

TOENAIL TRUST TROUSERS OUR KIDS’ CASH

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venturers

Which local Academy Trust is charging its schools at least EIGHT PER CENT of their core income for “central services” – one of the highest figures in the country? Step forward the VENTURERS TRUST, the hopelessly underperforming education wing of the Society of Wealthy Old White Men (Surely Merchant Venturers? Ed.)

Last year the greedy COLSTON TOENAIL WORSHIPPERS charged their eight schools eight per cent of their general annual grant (GAG) – the funding each academy gets from the Department for Education. These charges are for ‘BUSINESS SERVICES’ such as human resources, financial services, legal services, educational support services, property services and, of course, “PR AND COMMUNICATIONS”. The kind of lucrative work, incidentally, that the toenail trustees and their wealthy mates specialise in!

However, while charging our schools and children TOP WHACK FOR MARGINAL CRAP, the Toenail Trust has been struggling on a number of fronts. In OFSTED terms, THREE of its schools are currently rated as INADEQUATE and another “REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT”. Meanwhile, the chair of the Trust, Anthony Browne, DISAPPEARED over the summer following an expensive spot of LEGAL BOTHER. Although the precise cost of this little escapade is yet to be revealed.

We do, however, know that the trust’s EIGHT SCHOOLS were charged £1.53M FOR CENTRAL SERVICES in 2017-18 and this was about nine per cent of the £17 million received from the general annual grant that year. Oddly, the previous year, the schools had been charged less than HALF THIS AMOUNT, a comparatively small £633,000. Where did all this extra public cash collected by WEALTHY TRUSTEES WITH LAVISH LIFESTYLES go in this age of austerity?

The same accounts also show that the Toenail Trust’s chief executive, HILARY MACAULEY, personally trousered £145-£150,000. Just under £150,000, which the Department for Education has said should only go to leaders for “EXCEPTIONAL” performance.

A highly unlikely outcome at the Toenail Trust.

RUNNING OUT OF ENERGY

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This story was published in our paper version earlier this month. Bristol Energy MD, Peter “High Pay” Haigh, has subsequently left the organisation as we reported yesterday. The reasons for his departure, like everything else about this shit show of a company, are shrouded in mystery.

bristol-energy2

So it’s farewell, then, to NICK JORDAN, chairman of Bristol Energy, who’s quietly sloped off somewhere or other to do something else instead and left behind a cool £30million tab for council taxpayers to pick up.

Nick has RUSHED FOR THE EXIT just behind Bristol Energy’s finance director, Laura Flowerdew and he’s replaced by Alex Wiseman, one of the few remaining directors at Bristol Energy and the owner of consultants Alex Wiseman Associates.

Meanwhile, staff at Bristol Energy tell us that the Operations Director, Dave Ford, and the Sales Director Phil Biddle were made REDUNDANT last month and they’ve not been replaced. This comes after three heads of department at the company were made redundant over the summer while others have simply DEPARTED without explanation. None have been replaced.

Bristol Energy staff tell us there is very little funding left and that they are being managed by consultants and very inexperienced managers as the whole operation winds down, apparently heading for BANKRUPTCY.

The only question seems to be when will the business go to the wall? Before the mayoral election in 2020 saving council taxpayers further DEBT. Or after the election? To improve the Reverend’s chances of re-election?

And cost the council taxpayer further millions ….