Watchdog puts Wigan Council on monitoring list over FOI response delays

Wigan Council joins 3 other councils in being monitored over poor delays over Freedom of Information requests.

Labour Politicians come out fighting over St Helens Labour candidate..

It looks as if Labour politicians can get it right sometimes.....

Labour MP Shaun Woodward, 55,  describes his replacement - Labour candidate for St Helens Marie Rimmer as a "true fighter"

Rt. Hon. Margaret Hodge MP describes Labour candidate for St Helens: “She's a natural fighter"

Shadow cabinet member Maria Eagle said: "Marie Rimmer has long been a doughty fighter for Merseyside"

It had to happen.....

Former Merseyside council leader Marie Rimmer charged over alleged assault at Scottish independence polling station

Although in fairness our Wigan Labour Councillors have been doing this kind of thing for years. 

Councillor fined for attack on ex-RL star

Labour run Wigan Council admits it has no idea were £96,000 has gone.

Poor Wigan Labour MP Lisa Nandy got her timing badly wrong this week and was left with a touch of egg on her face.

As shadow Cabinet Office minister she lambasted the Tories over its 'Big society' idea in Parliament. Lisa told the House of Commons: “We now know that the Government’s Big Society lies in tatters’ after the cabinet office announced it was trying to recoup £33,994 it had donated to a charity, see the full story in the independent here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/big-society-in-tatters-says-labour--as-charity-funds-face-recall-9727658.html

Bad timing for Lisa however, because  it was announced at the same time that that her own Labour run Wigan council has just admitted losing 3 times that amount, some £96,000 donated to a music group.  At a lost a lost to explain were the money had disappeared to, her local Wigan council staff have admitted ‘the council has no idea where the £96,000 has gone'


http://www.wigantoday.net/news/local/music-group-s-funding-cut-as-96k-of-public-money-goes-missing-1-6834827


If the Tories policy is in tatters over £33k, is Labour’s policy down the toilet for 96k?

Labour in threat to sue its own MP in row over 'backward Northerners’.

Labour has threatened to sue one of its own MPs, Austin Mitchell, after he claimed a senior aide to Ed Miliband referred to Northerners as ‘backward’....

Austin Mitchell said Miss Yearley made the comment to him and also claimed she talked to him like 'an educationally subnormal pensioner'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2733374/Labour-threat-sue-MP-row-backward-Northerners-Veteran-clashes-Eds-woman-fixer-call-female-lists.html

Like a swim? that will be £203 million please

Wigan Council's accounts for 2013/2014 show a little known Private Finance Imitative contract to convert Wigan Baths into the new life centre.

Although claiming to be opposed to privatisation, Wigan Labour run council has to pay a total bill of a whopping £203 million over 25 years

Although in fairness the Council receives a PFI grant from the Government to part fund the scheme, the annual grant is £6 million, but it still leaves the council committed to making payments estimated at £68.2m!

Cash strapped Ashton in Makerfield Labour MP claims 36p mileage expenses

House of Commons expenses records show Ashton in Makerfield  Labour MP Yvonne Foverage claimed 36p for a 0.8 mile journey last year.

The trip undertaken on 15/11/2013 (assuming that the 0.8 of a mile was a round trip) may only have involves a journey of some 600 metres in new money (3 times around a football pitch)

Clearly the MP must be hard up, although her salary is £67,000 that doesn't include expenses and allowances.

Although if she is short of funds she could also turn to her husband Cllr Paul Kenny, who current holds several different taxpayer funded positions - salary unreported.....

We do know he received a £15k allowances rise from Wigan council in 2013.

Weekly bin collections expensive claims Wigan Council Leader, as his council reserves hit record £91 Million

Weekly bin collections will cost labour run Wigan council 0.12% of its income

Responding to taxpayers complaints about maggot infestation, smells and other health concerns over the summer, Labour leader of Wigan Council Lord Smith has said a return to weekly bin collections would cost £1 million to reintroduce.

Lord Smith said it would be bad for the environment, a “real waste” of resources and a 'foolish notion', to return to weekly collections demanded by many residents.

Many residents wonder what Lord Smith intends to spend our money on at a time when the council's usable reserves hit a record £91.7 million, up £21 million from last year.

Claims that £1 million is excessive cannot be substantiated when in reality a council the size of Wigan could easily accommodate such a move, given last year its income totalled £836 million.

This is the same Lord Smith who's Labour party agreed to; Councillors expenses of £1.4m, replacing perfectly functioning street light bulbs at a cost of £11m, keeping Manchester airport shares worth £36m and signed a privatisation contract to run Wigan Baths costing £68m .