Pip’s Pay Pal – THAT Liptrot Appointment

Dont’cha just lurve it when a plan comes together….

As more details emerge on the shameful appointment of Martin Liptrot (aka Liptrotsky) as Wirral Council’s International Schmoozer -in- Chief you may have noticed that whilst opposition councillors fulminate we are the only ones prepared to name him.

We stated yesterday that the ‘Interim Investment Lead’, as Liptrotsky will be more formally known , would be on an annual salary of approximately £127,000 . We just need to clarify that whilst this calculated a sum assuming a whole year appointment we now understand that ‘the successful candidate’ ( ha! ha! ha! ) will be paid a mere £350 per day and the contract is currently only for 4 months. However don’t be fooled  – council correspondence we have seen states that the 4 month contract is just to ensure the appointment ‘is within budget’.  The decision to extend the contract beyond 4 months is a mere formality or in Council-speak ‘The decision maker remains the Executive and the decision in question remains implementable.’ In other words neither councillors nor the council tax paying public get a say – it’s up to Power Boy Pip and Liptrotsky whether they want to squander more of your money.

Additionally might we suggest that this appointment will involve additional costs to the public purse. The day rate of £350 comes ‘with flexibility should we require it’  – and we all know that flexibility will probably involve more public money being spent rather than less. We also need to take into account that the post will involve  international flights and hotels , starting with an arduous spring trip to Cannes. Perhaps Pip and Liptrotsky , being West Kirby neighbours, can do a car share to Wallasey Town Hall to cut down on travel expenses!

As an aside we’d also like to know what happened to Liptrotsky’s ‘Policy Advisor’ post – have the costs been offset against his new appointment or is the £350 day rate in addition?

The apparent urgency to make this appointment , the circumventing of criticism about the post and the fact that details were selectively seeped out –rather than leaked out- last Friday in the knowledge that Liptrotsky will take up his new position tomorrow (20 February 2017), all suggest that the Labour administration know that in the current financial climate that this appointment is politically unpalatable. 

It will be interesting to see how Liptrotsky’s appointment will  be dealt with at tomorrow morning’s Cabinet meeting. No doubt the Labour group will put on a public display of hand-wringing over “savage government cuts” whilst picking our pockets to put Pip’s pal on the payroll.