Thursday 15th August, 2013

A new report has found that fraud was "probable" at Stoke-onTrent City Council and has uncovered what it terms as "serious systemic failings" in the council's project management and the way it conducted the drive to increase business in North Staffordshire. The claims come after an allegation was made to the Stafforshire Police in 2010 in relation to the tendering process. As a result of the report, Stoke-on-Trent MP, Rob Flello wants the Crown Prosecution Service to take another look at the case.

The report identified serious failings in the way some of the building projects run by the council had been operated - projects which had been funded by over £16m of taxpayers money. The report found that some of the procurement documents were falsified, in some cases to increase the pricing for the work, and in other cases invoices were raised for finished work, prior to the completion of the building projects by several months. A false invoice was also produced for demolition work which was outside of the procured contract. On top of that, the report also found a falsified increase in the professional fees being charged.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's chief executive, John Van De Laarschot, who was not in charge at the time, said;  "It's absolutely horrendous and totally smacks of systemic failings, not only within the local authority but with all the partner agencies that are working together," said Mr Van De Laarschot. "These are dark days within Stoke on Trent's recent past. "This is not something that we would condone or indeed something we would like to ever replicate on a go forward basis."

Rob Flello MP is now asking for the CPS to reopen the case.