Cllr Paul Elgood

At last night's (Tuesday 17) meeting of the Council's influential Governance Committee, Councillor Paul Elgood, the Lib Dem leader called for the authority to review its whistleblowing and staff grievance policies to make them more accessible to staff making a complaint.

The meeting was attended by the Leaders and Convenor of all the political parties, including Leader of the Council Mary Mears and new Chief Executive John Barradell.

Cllr Paul Elgood said:
"These policies need to reviewed to make them more accessible to staff members making a complaint. Complaints should be made to an independent body who will then oversee how they are investigated and ensure a fair outcome.

"There can be no justification for the council to be investigating its own whilstleblowing complaints. Trust in the policies will only occur when the process is properly independent.

"We have made a call for a review many times before, and have to question why officers are so attached to these existing policies which seem to be little used as a route for complaint as staff members clearly have no faith in a fair outcome."

Councillor Elgood has also raised whistleblowing issues and cases directly with the new Chief Executive John Barradell since he took up the post last month.

Following a Freedom of Information request by Gscene Magazine it emerged that the Council's 'Whistle Blowing Policy" had only been triggered once in the last year.