This just in. More shortly, but there’s 38 pages to read through, so it may take a little while.
There’s thirty eight pages to go through, so here’s the summary – it’s pretty damning of those who have been previously been involved with the running of Ventnor Town council and the Winter Gardens – with phrases like “failed to adequately fulfil the role,” “numerous financial control failures,” “unlawfully procured” and “unlawful” jumping out.
Significant Findings
- “Some overarching concerns regarding the management of the Winter Gardens venue.”
- “clear lack of management control”
- “clear evidence of a lack of effective over-sight from the political level by members”
- “the former Town Clerk failed to adequately fulfil the role as regards providing members with advice as to their role and responsibilities”
- “The Town Clerk failed to ensure the legality of transactions and that proper governance arrangements were in place.”
- “numerous financial control failures in the management of the venue’s finances leading to transactions failing to comply with the law.”
- “The Responsible Financial Officer failed to ensure the proper administration of the council’s, and by extension the Winter Gardens financial affairs”
- “The concession contract was unlawfully procured”
- “variations to contract terms were not properly administered.”
- “The concessionaire had a clear conflict of interest when he sat on the Winter Garden’s Management Board.”
- “The system for setting hall hiring rates did not comply with the agreed rates leaving the system open to abuse and potential charges of favouritism.”
- “Financial controls over banking, ordering of goods and services, authorising cheques and time sheets and the administration of petty cash were inadequate and in the case of cheque signing, unlawful.”
- “The transmission of confidential personal information by email to a third party is a probable breach of the data protection act.”
