Former mayor Alex Phillips said sorry for having overclaimed childcare expenses in answer to a public question at a town hall meeting.
Laura King, a member of the Friends of Brighton and Hove Citizens’ Action Group, asked Green council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty whether he would apologise for the behaviour of councillors.
But the question was left to Councillor Phillips to answer and she said: “There has been a thorough, independent and transparent review of the issue.
“Recommendations have been agreed to improve the process to ensure there is absolute confidence in how members’ claims are administered which will mean that there is clearer guidance and systems in place.
“I co-operated with this independent investigation and accepted its findings in full.
“It was never my intention to make claims which were not in line with the council’s policies and procedures.
“I have publicly and sincerely apologised and make it clear that I will work to ensure that any future claims, including for childcare, are in line with the council’s policies and procedures.”
Ms King said that Brighton and Hove City Council had not taken seriously the “valid public questions” about councillors’ expenses.
Instead, she said, “at previous meetings when members of the public had raised concerns” Green councillors had booed, hissed and shut down those “valid public questions”.
And in a debate about councillors’ expenses at a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall on Thursday evening (21 July), there were further heated exchanges.
Conservative councillor Meadows said that she was concerned that there were still six claim forms missing from a file within a locked cabinet which may reveal more money is “owed to the public purse”.
Citing an audit which found that expenses had been overclaimed, she quoted the report saying that the investigation was “hampered by the poor quality of the information provided on the forms”.
Councillors Meadows said: “There has been a cover-up from start to finish with this issue. First, I was denied an audit of this issue by the then Labour chair of Audit and Standards. Then I was denied by that chair from putting a letter on to the Audit and Standards Committee agenda.
“Now the Green-Labour administration believes they can further cover this up by pretending this item is now closed.
“There is still so much that hasn’t been explained, like the relationship between the officers and the Green Party members.
“This is unsettling as officers are not supposed to be party political but this issue highlights the close bond they have.”
Councillor leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said that it was unfair to make allegations about officers who were not in a position to respond.
Green councillor Leo Littman, who formerly chaired the council’s Audit ad Standards Committee, recited the accusations made by Councillor Meadows.
He also reminded councillors that the council’s monitoring officer had said that this was not a case of made-up or fraudulent claims with falsified documents.
Councillors Meadows said that “no Conservative would get away with this” but Councillor Littman said: “The audit was carried out by a senior audit manager from another council. What role in what sort of conspiracy is Councillor Meadows accusing them of?
“She was asked to withdraw the unsubstantiated claims, to which she said: ‘It is unsubstantiated but a fact.’
“If any of my undergraduate students put forward such an argument, it would be an automatic fail.”
Councillor Littman said that he wished Councillor Meadows would offer Councillor Phillips the courtesy that she received when she accused of “personally profiting” during her own time as mayor.
Councillor Meadows, who was a Labour councillor at the time, was suspended from the party until she was later exonerated.
Labour councillor Gary Wilkinson, who chairs the Audit and Standards Committee, said that work was under way so that councillors could submit digital expense claims rather than using paper forms.
Councillor Wilkinson said: “I take allegations of misconduct, particularly in relation to taxpayers’ money, incredibly seriously.”
Sorry????? Theft = Crime. Should not be holding public office.
Sorry. . . I got caught
You just can’t trust any of them can you?
As cllr Littman suggests, cllr Meadows ran into a spot of trouble about hi-fi equipment.
So what was it that attracted you to the multi millionaire bus company owner Tom Druitt?
How is it that the Green Party is populated by so many wrong ‘uns?
Surely can’t be a coincidence.
Well done Cllr Meadows for bringing this cover up out into the open. The greens and Labour have tried to sweep this under the carpet. We now need a audit into the Big Lemon Bus council grant. Of course all the green Councillors have shares in the big Lemon Bus. Why is this private company living off the tax payer when all of a sudden they have money for houses in France.
We might have expected this sort of over claiming, the ‘Greens’ appear to have trouble with numbers.