This shower definitely need looking at. If anyone in Bexley, or indeed anywhere else fancies stirring things up, why not try this?
I have just written to my local council (email below) and have asked to see certain documents, as is my right under the Audit Commission Act 1998. It is under this act that all councils MUST provide you access to any documents that fall within the scope of the council's accounts for any given year. This access is granted during a twenty working day window each year and it so happens that my local council's window is currently open. If you want to know when your own council's window is open, simply phone the council switchboard and ask to be put through to the department dealing with Audit Commission Act 1998 requests. Please feel free to copy and paste the contents of the email below if you think it appropriate.
Here is the request I sent to Enfield council:
Dear Mr xxx
Further to our recent telephone conversation I now write to request sight of the following documents pursuant to the rights granted to me under the Audit Commission Act 1998. Please contact me when these documents are available for viewing so that I can make an appointment to come to your offices.
1. All parking enforcement contracts together with any deeds of variation and/or extensions of those contracts.
2. All invoices relating to the contracts at 1 above.
3. All pay by phone parking contracts together with all invoices relating to those contracts.
4. All bailiff and/or debt recovery contracts together with any deeds of variation and/or extensions of those contracts.
5. All invoices relating to the contracts at 4 above.
6. The detailed accounts for the parking place reserve account.
7. All invoices generated pursuant to requests for electoral role lists.
Kindly acknowledge safe receipt of this email.
Yours sincerely
xxxIn this instance, and following some earlier investigations, I'm fairly certain they will not be able to supply me with item 3 because they haven't even got the contract in question.
I wonder what the local press will make of that particular snippet of information if I'm right?