Once again we have the opportunity to report on the travels and travails of Wirral Council’s former Head of Law Bill Norman. The reason we take such an interest in this particular ‘public servant’ is because, for us, he is something of a town hall totem. Symbolising everything that is wrong with the local government gravy train. Serenely sailing from Torbay to Wirral to Hereford and now to Cheshire East Council (CEC), Norman has picked up a sizeable cheque at each port of call whilst leaving waves of controversy in his wake.
Now we hear that ‘concerns’ have been raised about his conduct in his latest role as Head of Legal Services and Montoring Officer at CEC as we learn that a special committee has recently considered potential disciplinary matters concerning CEO Mike Suarez, Monitoring Officer Bill Norman and Chief Finance Officer Peter Bates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-39495102
According to a further reports in the latest edition of Private Eye Norman has been caught up in the scandal which they dubbed ‘Physiogate’ which has startling similarities to our very own ongoing ‘Wirralgate’ scandal – of which Norman was an early casualty . Indeed he is apparently keen to explain to anyone who’ll listen that he was ‘stabbed in the back’ by Wirral Council leader Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies. However we’re sure the £146k he received (+ £10k legal fees) must’ve eased the pain somewhat.
Private Eye had exposed that valuable contracts had been awarded to CoreFit a firm owned by one Amanda Morris. Morris just happened to be the ‘close friend’ and the personal physio of CEC leader Mike Jones . However these contracts somehow bypassed usual tendering processes – oops! – and consequently ‘Physiogate’ led to the resignation of Cllr Jones in 2015. The disciplinary hearing mentioned above summoned Norman to give evidence but it is not clear as to whether he faced disciplinary measures. However we do know that CEC CEO Suarez has been suspended.
According to Private Eye Norman could be implicated in ‘Physiogate’ because of his alleged treatment of CEC’s Head of Internal Audit, Andrew North. Apparently North had reported his concerns about the CoreFit contract to Suarez and Norman . Needless to say in true local authority fashion the person wanting to do things properly was treated as the villain of the piece consequently wanted to bring a grievance against Suarez and Norman.
Private Eye understands that Norman approached the CEC Head of Communications Beverley Walkden to ‘dig the dirt’ on North – like you do. Usually in these cases senior managers close ranks but miraculously in this case ,Walkden refused and , yes you guessed it, was suspended. Even more predictably North went off sick , left CEC in February 2017 and now claims to have been ‘bullied’ and forced out of CEC. So far, so familiar – there is even a missing audio recording of the disciplinary committee meeting (more parallels with Wirralgate!).
So it would seem that the ‘dig the dirt’ tactic is a favourite approach of senior council officers when faced with a pesky employee who won’t play the corporate game, have served their purpose or they just want shut of. We’re wondering whether it was a trick that Norman picked it up at Wirral Council or it was part of his legacy that he left behind? We say this as we are reliably informed that two acting very senior officers at Wirral Council went digging for dirt from staff in an infamous case from 2015 .The dirt concerned allegations of sexual impropriety involving a now departed senior council officer . So far, so sordid. However, for us , what is even more sleazy is that the approach came with the inducement that it would be beneficial to staff member’s careers if they dished the dirt. Nice work if you can get it and you can get it if you have absolutely no morals,ethics or integrity. What did we say in yesterday’s post about Wallasey Town Hall being a cesspit?
Somehow in this crazy , mixed up world of local government we are led to believe that the people doing such ‘dirty work’ should be valued and paid silly money . To add insult to injury these are the same people who value themselves so much that think they’re better than the ‘little people’ who pay them the silly money!
We’re here to remind them that they’re not.
Wirralleaks 
Bang on form Leaky.
These stories are your pièce de résistance, your jewel in the crown, your magnum opus.
I sincerely hope this is the Bill Norman swansong and he finally gives up being a drain on public money. The guy is just a magnet for trouble.
Sadly, he has probably accumulated a large, publicly funded, pension in his many travels in which he seems to have left a trail of chaos.
Dear Lord Leaks,
What perfect tap tap you have produced.
‘History, said Stephen, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.’
This is from Ulysses by James Joyce.
Oh sorry I am turning into Highbrow.
(It must be because I will be having a high vis meeting with him at the end of the month)
‘Ooroo,’
I bet that interests the Aussie?
G’day Leaks
“Interested”, you tease, but you do EXCITE ME, at what could evolve from you, “Highbrow”, Russian tea and the HIGH VIS jacket.
Leaky my DARLING you say…..DIRTY WORK
In the interest of openness honesty and transparency
May and the whistleblower.
I am not looking for pity, sympathy or charity just saying how it is almost six years on from blowing the whistle on Wirral “Funny” Bizz to Adderley and Basnett and would do exactly the same again.
I am having my ex “GOOD NEIGHBOURS” from Australia visiting me for five days.
They are reasonably wealthy and live in one of Australia’s most exclusive suburbs.
They will stay in my dingy flat and not think any the worse of me.
I can feed them modestly.
I can get him a ticket through friends to Anfield as he is a life long supporter from afar.
I then have £28 to entertain them for five days.
Just remind me Leaky how much they gave AdderleyDadderleyDooLally for lying to me and being a part of criminal asset stripping and a new job to boot.
DIRTY WORK
Ooroo
James
Oh Lordy I luv you so much they are the scum of wirral. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Photo shoots, peroxide sales, shagging and smoke signals are all they are good for.
G’day Leaksy
Where are you BEVERLEY?
Whistleblowing Allegations Against Enterprise Solutions Limited re: Wirralbiz(7)
Tour, Surjit
To james griffiths 12/08/11 at 7:31 AM
Dear Mr Griffiths
I write with reference the above matter and acknowledge receipt of the various emails you have sent in connection with the alleged activities of Enterprise Solutions Limited in relation to Wirralbiz.
In accordance with the Council’s Whistleblowing Policy I have referred this matter to Jane Morgan, the relevant Departmental Confidential Reporting Officer. Ms Morgan will be responsible for keeping your complaint in a secure place, maintaining records and reporting on the concerns raised and their outcomes as and when required.
I have discussed the allegations you have raised with the Council’s Internal Audit Section and have requested that they investigate the allegations as a matter of urgency. The officer that will have conduct of the investigation is Ms Beverley Edwards and she will be in contact with you very shortly to progress this matter further. Ms Edwards will confirm the manner in which the investigation will take place and once preliminary queries are addressed, she will be in a position to indicate when you can expect to receive a final response to the allegations raised.
In view of Ms Edwards appointment and to ensure an effective and timely investigation can be conducted and completed, I would be grateful if you would now liaise only with Ms Edwards (I have set out her contact details below) in connection with this matter. I note that you have sent various emails concerning your allegations to many individuals, including Council Members and employees of Enterprise Solutions Limited. Whilst I appreciate your frustration and desire for pro-active steps to be taken quickly, I would strongly suggest that you now refrain from sending emails to other persons other than to Ms Edwards (in connection with this matter) as this will mitigate the risk of the investigation being prejudiced or being undermined.
Ms Edwards will be provided with the various emails you have sent to date and will retrieve all relevant information you have already provided. The disclosure and gathering of any further/additional information will no doubt be addressed as part of the investigation.
The Council of course takes the allegations you have raised very seriously and I trust the course of action I have outlined above meets with your approval.
Should you have any queries concerning the contents of this email, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Surjit Tour
Head of Legal & Member Services
Ooroo
James
Oh Leaky check out the time on the email and I bet that was before he owned that fucking big shiny alarm clock he wears.
Luv you XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well how if in August 2011 Mr Tour refers matter to Mrs Edwards how then in March 2013 could he say to us he had not read the report ( we believe he referred to then hidden Jan 12 2012 report by the same lady?
Another inconsistency to add to the mountain of them. I agree that £12 m over 6 years was small vis a vis council expenditure but the affair is emblematic, as is the story here re Norman and Cheshire East, of how local government is mis-run.
Bill Norman should not be allowed anywhere near the Public Sector ever again! I was on the end of his nasty underhandedness at Wirral Council. He’s a horrible piece of work. A coward too in my opinion. He investigated a complaint I made against a senior officer but was more concerned in a smear campaign against me instead of the facts. I eventually took it to industrial tribunal and was successful. I could tell Cheshire East a few things about old Billy boy!
You’re absolutely right – Norman is a despicable excuse for a human being. The depressing thing is that East Cheshire must have been aware of what he was like but appointed him anyway. The only conclusion to draw is that Council management wanted someone who was as bent as a nine bob note. Chico Suarez’s report to Council recommending Bill-the-Bung’s appointment makes no mention of his dismal history at Torbay, Wirral and Herefordshire. Odd that. Or is it?
Councils seem to make senior appointments with very little reference to previous employments and backgrounds.
How else could the totally disgraced Stewart Halliday, subject of a devastating auditors` report into his totally improper handling of contracts, worth several hundreds of thousands of pounds, whilst in the employ of York City Council – all on public record- and then earning a mere £70,000, land up in Wallasey Town Hall on £188,000 a year?
“Feeble” Eric informed me in an e.mail that Wirral H.R. department were not involved in Halliday`s appointment but it was left to his Line Manager!
Anyone know who that person might be who has it in his/her gift to be so lavish with our money?
Local government at senior level, seemingly throughout the country, is greedy, arrogant, corrupt and staffed by charlatans.
He’s blowing smoke up your arse Charles. HR are involved in all recruitment. It’s their job ffs. The salary scale has to be set against the duties and responsibilities and for a post of this level I’m pretty certain it should go through the appointments committee. If not, definitely the Chief Executive would have a say!
However…
o ganging up together privately, out of sight of the public
o colluding
o cross-checking your stories to make them watertight
o shredding docs
o attending a court
o molesting a battered bible
o lying under oath before a judge
o stating that “you cannot recall”
o realising that you hadn’t taken minutes of “that particular meeting”
o confirming that you never received “that particular email”
o returning to base
o receiving your next obscene pay cheque
o getting back to the business of serving the public
o signing off the closure of a respite facility
o granting planning permission for luxury housing on green belt
o taking copious notes
…will not “risk the investigation being prejudiced or undermined.”
There’s a great deal said about Bill and I’ve said as much as anyone about his bad points which are many in number, but nobody ever makes reference to his good deeds.
For starters, whilst Bill was ensconced down here in Hereford, longer than I’d have liked, not once was he suspected of a criminal offence like Arson, Manslaughter or even stealing the milk money from doorsteps in the early hours. You’ll find that no intelligence exists suggesting that Bill is a Safe Breaker, a Burglar or a Fly Tipper. Indeed, whilst many down here were critical of Bill, even his harshest critics would acknowledge and admit, ‘If you get home and find you’ve been burgled it’s a good bet it wasn’t Bill who did it.’ Down here, in these parts, he was noted for not getting involved in the burglary of your home and stealing your trinkets of wealth. Whatsmore, many a victim of burglary would often remark to the Constable, ‘you can eliminate Bill Norman from your list of suspects. It definitely wasn’t Bill’.
Quite simply, Bill is not a violent man. He may have an unusually high need to acquire public money but nobody can seriously argue that Bill is likely to find out where you live, kick down the back door of your home, hurtle up your staircase and beat your skull in with a two pound wooden mallet screaming, ‘die you bastard’.
And so, I say, lets give credit where credit is due and acknowledge Bill could easily have been a great deal worse. Hard to imagine I know but try and keep an open mind.
Having had the dubious pleasure of hearing one of Bill-the-Bung’s “woe-is-me” tirades in which he laments the lack of gratitude shown to him for his loyalty by the burghers of Wirral, I can confirm that the third paragraph of the original post is correct in every regard. Except maybe the bit about the pay off being enough to soothe his hurt feelings…
Bill-the-Bung! – we like it.
Welcome to the bear pit Louis!
Lack of gratitude for doing their dirty work? – what a piece of work this wretch is!
G’day Leaksly
Maybe I have had it wrong for almost six years.
In accordance with the Council’s Whistleblowing Policy I have referred this matter to Jane Morgan, the relevant Departmental Confidential Reporting Officer. Ms Morgan will be responsible for keeping your complaint in a secure place, maintaining records and reporting on the concerns raised and their outcomes as and when required.
Maybe it is Jane Morgan that has hidden all those reports for all these years
or
Maybe she forgot where she put the key.
I also naively thought I might get a phone call from Beverley this afternoon as she for a while phoned me on a daily basis and even emailed me in Australia before she went missing without saying ooroo.
Ooroo
James
Will we ever get an open, honest and transparent answer Lordy.
I doubt they have it in them.
Lots of luv Le XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jane Morgan is just another Council stooge. She has held about half a dozen different posts and is seen as a “safe pair of hands” because good old Janey is like the wise old monkeys. Just the way the senior management like it. In return Ms Morgan gets shoehorned into another safe post, even if she’s not quite qualified for it. The last I heard she was a Constituency Committee Manager under Ms Degg. Don’t expect much from her James as you will be disappointed.
Good tap tap Stevie! Good on yer lad!
G’day Stevie
I don’t expect anyone to raise their heads above the parapet they all walk around like the half dead, scared shitless.
What an existence.
Have you seen the rosy faced “Phil the Very Very Very Very Slimy, Elusive, LYING Dill” when he is under a bit of pressure like the Improvement Committee joke.
He is a gutless mamby pamby mummy’s boy.
Ooroo
James
Thanks Stevie but look what they did to Stuart Kelly when he suggested they hadn’t done the right thing with Wirral “Funny” Bizz.
Cowards one and all.
Some just made a mistake and they can’t just put their hands up.
And so the whole rotten, corrupt machine of Local Government rolls on and on.
Saw Paths of Glory last night the Kubrick movies.
Eerily analogous regiment 702 and Wbc, the cynical divisional and corps commanders, the grubby motivations and the lure of promotions.
Is there a Colonel Drax within Wbc?
Or are all corporations ultimately guided by charlatans?
Can we have a parallel to the 1917 mutiny?
G’day Mate
No one at wirral, senior officer/clowncillor wise would have the intellect to manage a night at the movies when there are freebies to be had at Brighton Street, The Chamber Pot” or some charity so here’s part of the plot for them
Dax, who was a criminal defense lawyer in civilian life, volunteers to defend the men at their court-martial. The trial, however, is a farce. Dax protests the lack of a stenographic record, the lack of a formal written indictment, and the court’s refusal to admit evidence that would support acquittal. In his closing statement, Dax challenges the court’s authenticity, and requests mercy, saying, “Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty would be a crime to haunt each of you till the day you die.” Nonetheless, the three men are sentenced to death.
Wirralbiz I can’t wait to see “The Shyster” in that court house over Kev and Stella’s Stinking Stagnant wirral Waters saying, farce like, I can’t recall, I can’t recall. Written records? That Jane ‘Nobody’ has lost the key on all the reports and she forgot to contact anyone about any whistleblowing. The claimant might, will, challenge the court’s authenticity over it being a wirral judge and criminal farcical activities that they lied about. The finding of these men not to be open, honest and transparent would be a crime to haunt each of them till the day that they die. Nonetheless, the two men are………………………..
Ooroo
James
Wirralbizz you are Colonel Dax.
Personally I would prefer the French Revolution led by the revolt of the peasants in the Summer of 1778.
Our local political masters seem to think that we should be treated like witless peasants so who not emulate the French?
OOPS. Wrong date. 1788!!
Some more grubby motivations here when our local Tories were summoned to drop everything and get to Bolton.
https://twitter.com/Wirral_In_It/status/855193865858494464
G’day Paul
There is no point this lot being in Wirral what have they ever done between them?
I bet they didn’t stay in Bolton one minute more than it took to suckhole to their lying leader.
We won’t go to an election.
Ooroo
James
Leaksy Me Old Mate
Have I got it all wrong on this sabbath?
Are Tour, Davies, Davies, Robinson, Armstrong, Liptrot, Blott, Jones, Jones, Williamson, Patrick, Doughty, Foulkes et al SPECIAL?
Are they above the law?
Do they have the support of all local government departments?
Are they heck!
They are flesh and blood and poo like the rest of us.
Most of the fat old barstards would have haemorrhoids, high blood pressure, incontinence and diabetes as well.
What a lovely thought before your Sunday roast I am having toast.
They are just try hards like Raworth and Turnbull the £2,000,000.00 Wirral “Funny” Bizz thieves.
Ooroo
James
Can you sense my anger increasing Lordy nearly six years on and millions of pounds in their salaries, allowances and perks later?
Luv ya every Sunday XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx
Well this is the Bloody Sunday BOOMERANG…
” We have given them almost six years to own up and say it was wrong, they’ve lied, cheated, hidden stuff, obfuscated and told bare faced lies.”
This site seems to carry the full text of the Private Eye article on Bill the Bung’s latest antics:
http://www.audlem.org/newsroom/headlines/more-on-ce-suspensions.html
According to the BBC, Bill the Bung is “not in work”:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-39746754
Does anybody know why? Has he been suspended again? I think we should be told.
Yes we know. What a disgrace.
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