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Big bonuses for Lancashire police chiefs (From Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen)
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Big bonuses for Lancashire police chiefs
8:50am Monday 22nd June 2009
LANCASHIRE’S most senior police officers are set to receive massive bonuses.
The Chief Constable, his deputy and three assistants, along with a senior staff member, are being put forward for cash rewards of up to 15 per cent of their salaries. Police authority chiefs said bonuses – set at the maximum that could be awarded – were deserved because the officers had exceeded all their targets.
But political leaders said the rewards would upset people hit by the recession. They believe the cash would be better spent putting extra police officers on the streets.
And the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said it would be nice if its members received similar bonuses for the work they did on the front line.
Chief Constable Steve Finnigan could receive a 15 per cent bonus and his second in command, Deputy Chief Constable Michael Cunningham, 12.5 per cent.
Assistant Chief constable Wendy Walker is in line for 10 per cent while her counterparts Chris Weigh and Andy Cooke will be moved up two salary bands.
Director of Resources David Brindle is also being put forward for a 10 per cent bonus.
The pay award committee could have recommended bonuses as little as five per cent, but have chosen the biggest rewards possible.
When advertising a couple of years ago, the Chief Constable post carried a salary of around £130,000 a year.
This means the proposed payouts could see the police shelling out tens of thousands of pounds.
The rises come at a time when the force is making £3.6million ‘efficiency savings’ because of a ‘challenging financial position’ which led to an above inflation 4.5 per cent increase in the police council tax precept.
Members of the Lancashire Police Authority will vote on the proposals at a meeting this Wednesday.
A report from a pay award committee has recommended the bonus be approved to reward the chiefs for helping to bring down crime and the force again being rated as one of the best in the country.
Ribble Valley Conservative MP Nigel Evans said: “When Lancashire police is asking people to accept high precepts because they claim it will aid them to tackle crime it is wrong that the money is now being spent in this way.
“I am not a fan of bonuses for public servants anyway.”
“This urgently needs looking at.
“People should be paid to do their job and not expect any bonuses just for doing it correctly.”
Coun Gordon Birtwistle, Liberal Democrat leader of Burnley Council, said: “I can’t believe they are getting bonuses just for doing what they are paid to do in the first place.
“They are paid well enough as it is and they should take pride in reaching their targets, not a bonus.”
Conservative leader of Hyndburn Council, Coun Peter Britcliffe, called for the proposals to be scrutinised.
He said: “This needs looking at very carefully because figures like this, at a time like this, are very difficult to justify.
“It would be better to not increase their wages which would therefore enable the police authority to keep their council tax precept as low as possible next year.”
Police officers’ pay will increase by around 2.6 per cent this year.
John O’Reilly, of Lancashire Police Federation, said parity in the pay scales would be welcomed.
He said: “I am sure some of our members would like these bonus payments but they are not part of our pay negotiations.
“We have a very good working relationship with our bosses and if they deserve it they should get it.”
Malcolm Doherty, chairman of Lancashire Police Authority, would only comment to say: “No decision has been made on these proposals and they will only be ratified at the next police authority meeting.”
Miranda Carruthers-Watt, chief executive of Lancashire Police Authority, said the proposals were in accordance with the Chief Officer Bonus Scheme.
She said: “It has been reported in a totally transparent process and is linked to the excellent performance of Lancashire Constabulary.”
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Your Say YourCitizen
Ian the Beancounter, Darwen says...
11:14am Mon 22 Jun 09
voiceoftheworkers, rishton says...
12:10pm Mon 22 Jun 09
charlie, rossendale says...
1:12pm Mon 22 Jun 09
duke bar, burnley says...
2:04pm Mon 22 Jun 09
This is the most Dangerous job in the world after serving in the army..
Well Done Lancashire Police its long overdue .
All our Police are heroes, who protect us from evil.
God bless the POLICE FORCE.
Anyone who thinks different must be a CRIMINAL
Mike Costa, Blackburn says...
2:39pm Mon 22 Jun 09
charlie wrote:Mike Costa says:
Mick costa how can you say 4x4 drivers are above the law.I own a 4x4 for were i live and my job.I have been stopped tyres checked dipped for diesel tax checked.So if 4x4 drivers are above the law its news to me.
Sorry if I hit a raw nerve. Doing a lot of driving for work, as I do, the number of time Ive been cut up by a 4x4 driver led me to tar you all with the same brush. Once more apologies
blackburnlad, blackburn says...
4:40pm Mon 22 Jun 09
duke bar, burnley says...
6:03pm Mon 22 Jun 09
Did not take long for the CRIMS to turn up putting the Police down.
blackburnlad, blackburn says...
6:42pm Mon 22 Jun 09
holsten pils, burnley says...
6:51pm Mon 22 Jun 09
a wage should be all they get and nothing more , its scandalous .
Stone Cold, Bburn says...
7:15pm Mon 22 Jun 09
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
9:13am Tue 23 Jun 09
I wonder who has reported my comments, strange indeed that the information I provided is not 'NEWS'.
Here it is again without my comment just truth as it is today :
My investigations into Lancashire County Council(LCC) started over 6weeks ago when I first discovered them listed on Dunn and Bradstreets’ website. It is listed there as a company and all of the schools in the county are listed as their ‘trading names’. I was interested to know more about the corporate status of LCC.
LCC was not the only supposed government organisation I found listed as a company on the above website. I could not, however, find them listed at Companies House, the UK Company Register database. This got me thinking!
From my own experience, any incorporated company registered in the UK is done so through Companies House, which is a Trading Fund. The office registered (the ‘registered office’) can either be the main place of business, the home address of the ‘owner/s’ or their solicitors’ office! If the registered offices is outside the UK its not on Companies House.
When I first phoned LCC, about 3wks ago, to ask them about what I had found on D&B I was met with confusion from whom ever I spoke to. I spoke to many different people all of which couldn’t answer my questions and could not put me onto some who could! Then I found one that could!
My question was very simple, “ Is Lancashire County Council a company and if so where is it registered?”
The first answer I always got was “LCC is a local authority, not a company”. My reply to this was very simple too:
“If that is the case, then why can I pay nearly $500 for Dun and Bradstreet International Business report. What information have they got that is worth $500 that I, as a member of the public, can’t get off you for free? Do members of the public have to pay tens of thousands of pounds to get individual reports on all its branch trading activities?”
By this point I had asked whoever was on the phone if they had internet access. “Yes” would always be the reply so I would direct them to the above website before asking the above questions.
The response from this was usually one of amazement. They would accept they new nothing and offered assistance by trying to find someone who could! I must say, everyone I spoke to did their best to find me an answer. Then I got a strange reply.
One man came back on the phone after having me on hold and said, “I have asked around and no one seems to know. Someone did tell me, though, that they had had a similar enquiry last year and they were told they would have to write in as a complaint but no one knew what had happened since”. He told me I should do the same.
I phoned back the next day, this was last week, and finally got through to someone who could answer my first question – Is LCC a company?
This gentleman told me that it was, and that it was registered at Companies House. This wasn’t news to him but he did not know the ins and outs. He said it had special status and that it wasn’t the same as all the other companies. He also thought it had been set up by Royal Charter!
Really? Like the Bank of England?!?
So I went to www.companieshouse.g
ov.uk
What I found is disturbing to say the least! Lancashire County Council is registered. Its number is 666! The full number is IP00666c but if you can accept that zero is NOT a number then the only number I see is 666! (FSA no. 666C)
Search this number at the above website and you will see Lancashire County Council. You will also see that has been removed and is no longer trading! I phoned companies house and they told me that it was a credit union and was registered with the Financial Services Authority! The women couldn’t tell me whether or not they were my county council and referred me to the FSA.
I phoned the FSA and spoke to a lovely woman called Maria (tel. 0207 066 4916) who was very knowledgeable and very helpful! Not often you get the two together! First she told me that the ‘IP’ and ’C’ prefix to the number meant it was formed under the Industrial and Provident Act 1965 and the Credit Union Act 1979.
She then went on to tell me the following:
‘ LCC was incorporated in 2002. Its registered office was 3rd Floor, Christ Church Precinct, County Hall, Preston. It was completely dissolved on the 24th January 2008.
The registered address of this company is Lancashire Police Headquarters, PO Box 77, Hutton, Preston. They now own all of LCCs assets and liabilities!
I told her that I was confused because I paid council tax to a company called LCC. She said I shouldn’t because that company no longer exists and no one is trading with that name!?!
Now I was really confused and I got back on the phone to my local borough council and managed to speak to the head of collections! He was stunned to silence and kept saying, “ I don’t know what to say!
I tried in vain to have my questions answered from both my county and borough councils. Many, many phone calls all with the same reception – shock and aw! Still my questioned went unanswered!
Then, on Sun1st March 2009, I had a meeting at Preston Police station with a WPC Srgt Logan 2870. I had actually gone in to submit formal allegations against 3 officers who had stopped me outside Preston Magistrates 5days earlier.
I decided to talk to her about what I had found out about LCC and asked her whether the Police would investigate the matter if LCC would not deny that it is they I am looking at on Companies House!
She sat there in silence as I explained. Previous to this, when I had been explaining the Law to her and how her officers were breaking it, she had kept talking over me and been very dismissive. Now she just sat there.
She suddenly piped up and said “That can’t possibly be true!” To which I said “ You are not entitled to make that decision”
She repeated herself but this time I could see something going on behind her eyes! She was thinking about it! Then she said this
“ It can’t possibly be true because Lancs County Council pay my wages!”
“Really!” I said, “I thought you were employed by the police, sergeant. Are you not?”
And that brought an end to my first visit to Preston Police station!
Since then, I had to phone the police 0845 number for something and the man who answered said “Lancashire Constabulry”
“Oh, is that not Lancashire police Authority?” I replied.
“No sir, this is Lancashire Constabulry!” he said
“Well my council tax pays Lancs Police Authority, not Lancs Constaburly!”
“You need to speak to your council about that sir”
So I did! Trying to get hold of any one at the top at your council is hard but today (5.3.09) I got a call from a man called Gary who is head of corporate finance at South Ribble Borough Council.
I told him a few things and he very quickly sounded very worried! It was either because I was right or because he new I was right! He said he was going to look into it because it was very serious. Also, he said that all the money they collect as tax, every penny, goes to Lancs County Council!
“Then why am I paying you to pay then? What’s going on?”
I then read a few extracts from the Industrial and Provident Act 1965 to him. Now, I’m not sure but I believe he defecated right there on the spot!
He said he was going to check the names on accounts because he thought that what they paid to LCC was paid to an account with a different name!!! I told him it was probably the Blues and Twos! He just said he would get back to me as soon as he could!
That’s where we are up to. Still no conformation as to whether or not LCC (IP00666c) is my county council! But after reading various Acts I can see how it is!!!
The funny thing is, South Ribble Council have a Liabilty Order against the legal fiction known as MICHAEL THOMAS DOBSON. They have been hassling me for months, as I had been conned into thinking it was me! Since I started the above process I hadn’t heard a thing until 2days ago when they sent me a very polite letter asking if I would like to pay by direct debit! Ha ha
The other thing to note is that not one other county council is listed on companies house! Weird!
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
9:26am Tue 23 Jun 09
I hsve sent the above information to MP Greg Pope and asked he act on my behalf to investigate the reality as it relates to LCC being a company controlled by Lancashire Constabulary.
I will keep you informed of his response.
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
8:52pm Wed 24 Jun 09
Greg Pope acting for the people of Hyndburn....
"FORGET IT"
15% BONUS: Chief Constable Steve Finnigan
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Finger Bang, Blackburn says...
10:49am Mon 22 Jun 09
Just because "the proposals were in accordance with the Chief Officer Bonus Scheme" - it doesn't mean they are morally right.