HOW AND WHY THE 'OFFICIAL SITE WAS SET UP

Is this example of lack of financial controls, indicative of a general lack of financial controls?

To start, here is an email, (Word format - return with your back button) and my response, send to me by a person who claims to have the authority, or the delegated authority, of the Northlands Park Neighbourhood Committee (NPNC). What does this indicate to you? Let me know!
You will note that it is said, "…. The council have already paid me ….. " How does this fit in with being 'at arms length' from officialdom. Some sceptical people could make the slight inference that perhaps, maybe, there is some minor control exerted by 'the council'. "He who pays the piper, calls the tune" comes to mind!

You can see my story of how I came to set up this web site. (back button to return).

At this time, I, and apparently the Basildon District Council (BDC) people, with whom I came into contact, did not know of the existence of the 'official' web site.

What I am able to piece together, from the little information I have been able to glean, is that BDC (and some members of the NPNC) did not know how the web site project was initiated.

It seems that no extensive discussion was had by the BDC/NPNC. No one could tell me if it had been discussed at a meeting, proposed, seconded, recorded and voted on.

It is certain that no feasibility study was carried out to determine the comparative worth of the project with other needy schemes.

It is certain that no competitive tenders were sought. It was just 'awarded' to the current web designer. (Who, from the email, appears to have close contacts with a member - or members - of the NPNC/BDC).

As a resident of Northlands Park, I have certain rights regarding the management of funds. I have asked when the project was started, how much has been spent to date and how much is the budget (if one exists). No one will tell me. WHY!

I accept the principle of commercial confidence. I did not want to know how much was paid to the designer, only the total costs. These would include the expenses of registering the name of the site.

It is certain that no 'system specification' was offered to any competent specialist for comment on the technical validity, and suitability of purpose, of the proposed specification.

It appears that no one on the NPNC/BDC is competent to monitor the progress of the project, and no one from BDC is doing any monitoring on behalf of NPNC.

It was only when I started my web site that the 'official' site was forced to be published on the web. It is a sad effort. It is ineffective, lacking in dynamism, full of colour & programming gimmicks, lacking in content and is 'still born'. It is more suitable as a "Sunday Times" colour supplement, than a local news & views site.

To cap it all, the designer did not register similar site names, and I was able to do this. If they had fell into the hands of porn kings, making a mistake in typing in the site name would have led people straight to a porn site! What good professional foresight!

So, not only does it seem that BDC had no input to the web site project, neither did some members of NPNC. So, I could be called a liar when I assert that there is a link between BDC/NPNC. There is no link. There is no knowledge of each other's actions. There is no advising. There is no control. There is no co-operation.

Is this example of lack of financial controls, indicative of a general lack of financial controls?

BACK