Review ordered after council’s chairman paid to cut the grass

Nick Thwaite, a member of Long Preston council in North Yorkshire, is understood to have earned around £20,000 in just three years after taking over the contract in 2007.

The authority, which claims Coun Thwaite earned closer to £14,000, has now been ordered by Craven District Council to review its tendering policy.

Furthermore, the review committee, which stated that it was “concerned” whether the office of parish chairman had been compromised, said that Coun Thwaite should be mentored and that the case be sent to a monitoring officer.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that village handyman Trevor Shuttleworth, who had been carrying out the work for some 20 years, ceased his duties shortly after Coun Thwaite was elected – after which the costs of those duties rocketed.

The council also spent more than £5,500 on a new mower, despite Coun Thwaite being a contractor and not an employee.

In the published review into the case, Craven District Council states: “It is alleged that Long Preston Parish Council councillor Nick Thwaite undertook paid work for the parish council as the lengthsman at a rate of £18 per hour plus expenses.”

The authority goes on to say that its standards committee has asked for the parish council to “review its policies and procedures in relation to the awarding of contracts” and also arrange “mentoring of Councillor Thwaite, with relation to his understanding of what might reasonably be the public view of the appropriateness of a parish council chairman taking on such a contract.”

A spokesman for Long Preston Parish Council, however, said they were “dismayed” at the recommendations.

In a statement, a parish council spokesman said: “There will be no comment on those aspects which relate directly to Coun Thwaite, as these are outside the powers of the council and a matter for Coun Thwaite.

“The council is, however, dismayed at the recommendations of the committee in asking the council to review its contracts and tendering policy, with the inference that members of the council should be excluded from tendering or being awarded contracts by the council.

“It is the opinion of this council that such a direction is not good procurement practice, would be illegal at a European level of tendering and is illogical as the council’s own declaration of interests asks members to declare such contracts.

“The fact that the council was tried and condemned on policies – put in place by democratically elected members – without knowing that such a review was being undertaken is contrary to the principles of justice.

“Finally, the council believes that Long Preston Parish Council should not have been singled out in this respect, and considers that the sub-committee should have recommended that all other parish councils in Craven undertake the same review.”

Coun Thwaite declined to comment on the matter yesterday.

The chairman of neighbouring Cowling Parish Council, Alan Perrow, claimed that several people – including Mr Shuttleworth – had applied for the job when the contract was awarded to Coun Thwaite.

However, Long Preston Parish Council claims that Coun Thwaite’s bid was the only one they received for their latest contracts in 2010.

Coun Perrow said that the authority needed to be “open, transparent and honest”.

He added: “Councils have a duty of care to the public purse, especially at £18 an hour.

“They should stop trying to hide things and remember they are there to serve the public, not themselves.”