LIFT A STONE IN TAMESIDE...and see what comes crawling out.

When one reads some of the reports regarding what purports to be the administration of our justice system, it really makes one wonder of these magistrates are actually living on the same planet as the rest of us or whether they are working under orders to keep the prison population down for ulterior reasons.

Last week, The Reporter carried a story of a School Bursar (That’s an official who has charge of funds, particularly in a university, college, school, or monastery) who, over a period of 6 years stole £57,000 of Tameside taxpayers money!

In admitting 5 counts of fraud and 1 count of theft, it was reported that she had syphoned off thousands of pounds by dishonestly cashing 80 cheques and used the schools ‘credit card’ to make personal purchases.

 

And the punishment for this sustained dishonesty?  …A two year suspended sentence and £200 court costs!

In passing sentence, the Magistrate, Mr Maurice Greene, said, he was taking into account her early guilty plea and that she had showed genuine remorse.

Now unfortunately, that was where ‘The Reporters’ coverage stopped. The paper completely missed the obvious, more relevant questions that this crime had unveiled.

So, let's examine the result. ...Her early guilty plea? …This thieving cow had been stealing money for over 6 years! If it hadn’t been for the fact that the school's new Bursar spotted the financial anomalies after the thief had left her post; and after which our fabulously famous ‘beacon status’ council had then decided to carry out a full audit, she would not have been caught, admitted her guilt, or shown 'genuine remorse'! ...Not then, not ever!

That then brings us to the question how did she get away with this serial embezzlement for 6 years?

"TAMESIDE AUDITS ARE US-  Buy 2 pay only for 4!"

Who within Tameside Council was responsible for signing off the schools annually audited books? Why have they not been sacked?

In common with every other facet of ‘Public Spending’ financial pressures are growing on local authority maintained schools because the need to reduce costs and waste is becoming greater. Therefore the capacity for local authorities to finely monitor and support financial management in schools is that much the greater.

So, what was Tameside Council’s Auditing Team doing whilst this long running theft was going on?

Surely, if the school in questions financial anomalies could be so easily revealed by a new School Bursar, why were these ‘anomalies’ not spotted during previous audits during the 6 year period of embezzlement?

As seems to becoming the norm with Tameside Council, there seems to be more questions than answers emanating from these stories; obviously, weak financial management and weak academic performance now appear to be going hand in hand in our borough! (It might be seen as an inconvenient truth, but it still remains the fact that Tameside council was regarded by OFSTED as the worst performing local authority area in Greater Manchester and the 5th worst nationally. ...We now know why!)

This crime and following financial scandal, for once can’t be placed at the door of the Coalition or ‘the cuts’ or be passed off as ‘subjective’ because as council bosses well know; even if our local councillors do not, the Department for Education has a limited role in relation to the financial management of individual schools.

The financial management lies with schools themselves, with local authorities who are responsible for exercising effective oversight.

Oversight, it this case being the operative word!

Now, let's see Tameside's PR department 'spin' their way out of this one. ...We await an explanation.