Fraud And The West Wiltshire District Council

EDM number 408 in 1989-90, proposed by Stuart Randall on 30/01/1990.

That this House deplores the conduct of councillors Wardell-Yerburgh, Pearce, Self, Bennett and Goodbody, who collaborated with former West Wiltshire District Council Chief Executive Gerald Garland, finance director Roger White and others to produce a Tory Party press statement in response to public concern after the fraudulent takeover of the Council's computer software services by West Wiltshire Information Systems Ltd. (WWIS), whose major shareholder is Mr Garland; notes that this statement attempted to cover up the fact that the Council's finances, amounting to ú1.3 million, were used for private purposes to develop a poll tax software system which was then taken over fraudulently in a management buy-out supervised by Gerald Garland whilst still the Council's chief executive, who is now Chairman of WWIS, with no independent valuation or tendering undertaken to ensure value for money for West Wiltshire ratepayers; notes that councillors Pearce, Self and Bennett communicated with Gerald Garland regarding the suspension of Mr Donald Latham, the current chief executive, who wished to provide councillor O'Gorman with information he required and which exposed the fraud; calls on the Tory party leadership to disassociate itself from the conduct of the Council and for all councillors associated with the Tory press release to resign immediately; notes with confidence that the district auditor's investigation into the finances of the Council are progressing; and further notes that criminal proceedings and the surcharging of councillors could arise.

This motion has been signed by a total of 26 MPs.