The Twelve Days of Christmas : Day Eleven – The Otter/Blott Incident

Joe Blott – the former Wirral Council Super Duper Director who inspired such admiration and reverence. 

When not gallantly attending Wirral Council meetings and recording the goings on for posterity it would appear that John Brace has taken to attending and reporting on Tribunal hearings. Up until now the cases have been fairly humdrum but we just had to comment on the latest featuring a certain ‘Leyland Otter’ v Wirral Borough Council.

Read more here: Senior Manager at Wirral Council dismissed for gross misconduct for email about Joe Blott

Now we didn’t know whether ‘Leyland Otter’ was an alias referencing a Beatrix Potter character – or if the definitions on Urban Dictionary are anything to go by – the best gay porn name ever! But no! apparently Mr Otter was Chief Investment Officer at Merseyside Pension Fund which is administered by Wirral Council.

However it would appear that Otter came a cropper by making offensive remarks about former Wirral Council Super Duper Director Joe Blott which inadvertently found their way to Blott via Mr Otter’s friend Mr H (we don’t know if this is the fella from Steps but nothing would surprise us in this astonishing story ). For those who are interested to find out what a toxic and dysfunctional organisation Wirral Council is, was and always will be it will be really informative to read the Tribunal decision notice here

More specifically Otter’s offensive comments read as follows :

“FMBI
Nigbo’s witch doctors voodoo spell on Blotto seems to be working quicker than I anticipated!

Hope the CUNT is in the primary stages of inoperable brain bum hole and liver cancer and that his demise is lingering and agonising which is no more than that deceitful, lying corrupt piece of SHIT OVERPAID FUCKING CUNT deserves!

We will finish the FUCKING TWAT off when we incinerate the CUNT on BONNYNIGHT!

Hope you are practicing the dance and chant that I forward to you from NIGBO’S WITCHDOCTOR.

FMB The Marsh will be wondering WTF IS going on in the garden when we get going….like the LAST ONE with NSG although…..mind you….he might have found something to WARM HIMSELF UP avin GREAT SEX in the compost heap(s) or out in the Jigger!”.

Oh dear that’s not very nice is it ? But then we can’t say we’re particularly sympathetic to ‘Blotto’ as as far as we’re concerned he and current Wirral Council CEO David Armstrong are the senior officers most complicit and collusive in the biggest cover up in Wirral Council history and therefore, whilst not condoning some of the Anglo- Saxon language, we can certainly agree with the ‘corrupt’ bit. But then what does Blotto care about how he’s perceived by his former colleagues with his record breaking £390,000 pay-off , which ironically included pension contributions?

Meanwhile if his Freedom of Information requests are anything to go by (read here ) we’re sure Mr Otter would have some interesting information concerning the administration of the Merseyside Pension Fund and particularly about the chair of Pensions Committee and soon to be ex -councillor Paul Doughty. Hopefully he knows where we are…

Spot the Blott

Joe Blott : Laughing all the way to the bank …….and at our expense.

As we exclusively revealed in February (2016) Wirral Council Super – Duper Director Joe Blott is about to escape. Most appropriately the article featured a ticking clock as we can only imagine that Blott must be counting the seconds until his exit as he knows all too well that the proverbial is about to hit the fan. Read more here :The Final Countdown

OK it’s been two years but it seems that it’s finally time to say : so farewell then Joe Blott – the last of the infamous Super Duper Directors appointed by failed Wirral Council CEO Graham ‘Burgesski’ Burgess.  Although you won’t be surprised to hear that Blott’s £390K bung is identified in the topsy-turvy world of Wirral Council as a ‘saving’.

The summary of costs in relation to above are as follows:

BLOTT’S BUNG
Severance	£93,412.60
Employer cost	£296,763.43
Total	£390,176.03
Annual Saving	£158,300.82
Recovery period	29.53months

To which we can only say  – “Oh it’s a saving all right – but of who’s skin?” because as we anticipated the proverbial may be FINALLY about to hit the fan!

Following on from the departure of previous failed Super Duper Directors Kevin ‘ Addled’ Adderley and Clare ‘Wet’ Fish we have to ask ourselves what did we get for our money?  Er ,not a lot ! From what we can gather Adderley was utterly appalling on every level except when it came to a left hook, Fish flailed around in shallow waters and laid the foundation for the inadequate rating of Children’s Services by Ofsted and as for Blott , well , Joe seems to have avoided blotting his copybook by being the chief co-ordinator of Wirral Council cover ups. But is that what we pay public servants to do? Are they there to serve us or their political paymasters?

Blott will forever be known by us for his infamous quote: ” No comment”  – Sorry  but you said it Joe and then lied about it to investigator Patricia Thynne and what’s more the ‘Wirralgate’ complainants have (yet another) recording to prove it !

He will also be known by the repeated use of the phrases : ” I can’t recall” and ” I have no recollection”  – which proves either  a)  a pre-requisite of a senior manager at Wirral Council is selective amnesia or b) Blott has early onset dementia

Nevertheless and needless to say we predict that with his connections and the favours he’s dealt Blott will find a nice little niche somewhere after his long anticipated but hastily arranged departure. We wonder if the previously alleged delayed hook-up with Labour councillor Paul Doughty will finally materialise ? See here : Blott’s Pension Pot

Of course , as we have done with many ex-Wirral Council employees who have previously featured on Wirral Leaks , we will be regularly checking where Blott pops up next . Any information will be gratefully received and it will be your chance to win a pair of Joe Blott endorsed ‘Personality Lifts’ – shoe inserts that will make the vertically challenged feel really, really important .

Life’s short but you don’t have to be!

Mark your entries ‘Spot the Blott’ and send to wirralleaks@gmail.com

 

Advent Farewell 24 – Feeling the Pinch at Christmas

As we await Santa’s arrival at Leaky Towers we have been reflecting on money matters – as most of us do at this time of  the year. But in this instance we’re talking about Wirral Council (just for a change) .

Does anyone think it was a bit Grinch-like of  Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies to announce plans at this week’s Labour Cabinet meeting for Wirral’s promenades and coastal walks to be subject to the same parking charges as our parks . This latest plan is projected to raise £245K per annum . Pip seems to be forever deriving pleasure from spoiling other people’s enjoyment of Wirral’s natural assets doesn’t he? Pip + The Grinch = The Pinch.

But does anyone think it is particularly obscene that at the same meeting (and behind closed doors obviously) the Cabinet made the recommendation to bung failed Super Duper Director Joe Blott £390K to get rid once and for all.  Is it just us who’s making the connection that rewards for failure are increasingly paid by us on a daily basis?

Isn’t it sickening to think that the likes of Blott and consultants like incompetent?/negligent?/corrupt? Stewart Halliday never have to feel the real pinch courtesy of  ‘The Pinch’. For when it comes to Wirral Council there’s always money for pay-offs , for consultants, for Frank Field’s pet projects and somehow income generation is not a concern when it comes to Wirral Chamber of Commerce and their peppercorn rents and gifts of public assets.

Meanwhile these are locations where you are going to have to scramble for change :

• North Parade, Hoylake / Meols
• South Parade, West Kirby
• Derby Pool, Wallasey
• Kings Parade, Wallasey
• Gunsite, Wallasey
• Leasowe Lighthouse

Might we suggest the change that really needs to come is at the local elections in May 2018.

Advent Farewell 21 – Blott’s Christmas Bonus

An Ordinary Joe or A Blott On The Landscape-  We still pick up the bill.

Christmas has traditionally been the time when Wirral Council likes to bury bad news. Christmas 2017 is no exception. If hadn’t been for the perspicacity of pernickety blogger John Brace picking up on the fact that the documents which were denied public scrutiny at Monday’s Wirral Council Cabinet meeting were published on their website. Wirral Leaks is, of course , blocked from accessing the Wirral Council website so we are eternally grateful for John’s revealing article. Which you can read here : Golden Goodbye

As you can see the last of the Super Duper Directors Joe Blott is set for what Brace calls a £390K + ‘golden goodbye’ – although we prefer the term ‘ arse -covering bung’. Why such a significant sum for someone so insignificant we hear you ask ?  Mainly because Blott knows where all the bodies are buried and what’s more he helped bury them !

But before we explore that further let’s just ponder the abject failure of former Wirral Council CEO Graham Burgess and his ‘big idea’ of appointing 3 Super Duper Directors. Where on God’s green earth would Blott, Kevin ‘Addled’ Adderley and Clare ‘Wet’ Fish be in a position to earn six figure salaries for achieving fuck all? Sorry that’s harsh – there was that Ofsted report rating Children’s Services ‘ inadequate’ wasn’t there?

But back to Blott  – there isn’t a recent Wirral Council cover up his itsy, bitsy, dirty little fingers aren’t all over. However we’re saying his involvement in the ‘Wirralgate’ cover up is the main reason for his premium payment – at our expense. His conduct throughout has been utterly reprehensible . From lying to Patricia Thynne during her first investigation report by claiming he didn’t say ‘no comment’ when asked by a Wirralgate complainant as to why they weren’t investigating the Cllr George Davies ‘sweetheart deal’  (and you don’t think they didn’t record you saying that Joe?) to scampering round at Cllr Steve Foulkes Standards Panel hearing following the second Patricia Thynne investigation circumventing public scrutiny at every turn. Arselicking as an art form – but then it pays so well!

In his own way Joe Blott is a microcosm – and boy do we mean micro – of everything that is wrong with local government. The personification of  How To Get Ahead In Local Government . The ultimate exponent of the ‘Kiss Up Kick Down’ management style that reaps rich rewards. The type to butter you up and then go behind your back.

We just wonder where next for the wunderkind and whether , as previously reported, he’ll end up topping up his pension pot by fulfilling his ambition to go into business with totally bona fide Labour councillor Paul ‘ Dance Away’  Doughty  Blott’s Pension Pot

At least those business cards wouldn’t go to waste , eh Joe?