Cornwall Council, Mr Lavery

A second post in one day about Cornwall Council, I posted earlier today about officers running the council, contrary to member’s wishes and now we know where this culture comes from, the very top.

Mr Kevin Lavery, ex-Serco golden boy, ex Newcastle City Council, parachuted in to run Cornwall Council on the tidy sum of £200,000 plus benefits a year.

Has taken the (very well paid £16,000) post to be returning officer for the election of a Police Commissioner for Devon & Cornwall, this despite the council telling him not to, for political reasons. Mr Lavery of course does not have to worry about this as he runs Cornwall Council PLC a small branch of SERCO, a non political organisation, with just a small board of 10 to keep happy.  So ignoring his employers he has taken the job on a personal basis.

So it’s a bit like you or me doing a bit of bar work in the evenings to make ends meet?

Mr Lavery, had to attend an interview for the job in London on the 1st Sept, a Thursday. Now in my world this could be a bit tricky, to take a day’s holiday or maybe pull a sickie, sneak up to London quick interview and back.

Now I don’t know how Mr Lavery, got the day off from his real job, but he’s not too bright, because he then charged the cost of getting to Newquay Airport on that day to his employers, 40 miles for travelling from home to Newquay airport and back, as well as taxi fares totalling £25.50. The reason on his expenses claim form was: "Flight to London – interview re Police Area Returning Officer."

Now I say he’s not to bright, because even the lad who washes the glasses in the pub where I do a bit of work on the side, isn’t stupid enough to do that.

It’s not yet known if Mr Lavery, also charged the cost of the flight to his employer, but I hope we soon find out. His employers said that they would have to ask Mr Lavery but could not because he was "out of the county" and unable to be contacted.

Unable to be contacted, can’t afford a mobile phone then or may be just run out of credit, now that sounds more like it, the lad who does the washing up has used that one.