LIB DEMS CALL FOR EX-POLICE BOSS EXPENSES INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE PUBLIC (Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats)

Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats <info@saffronwaldenlibdems.org.uk>

LIB DEMS CALL FOR EX-POLICE BOSS EXPENSES INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE PUBLIC

December 19, 2011 10:22 PM

Conservative councillor Robert Chambers is facing calls to have the recent investigation into his Police Authority expenses made public.

The calls follow Thursday's BBC reports that Uttlesford's finance chief Councillor Chambers, who is also an Essex County Councillor and the former chairman of Essex Police Authority, "has been asked to repay £10,000 in mileage claims expenses." The BBC report went on to say that "Robert Chambers had been chairman of Essex Police Authority for nine years when he resigned in February 2011, saying he was considering standing as a police and crime commissioner."

Lib Dem Deputy Leader on Essex County Council Mike Mackrory said "Councillor Chambers has already had to pay back £1,500 of mileage expenses to the police authority. The fact that he is now being asked to pay a further £10,000 of Essex taxpayers' money shows that there have been some serious errors here. I will be calling on Essex Police Authority to explain how these overpayments could have been made and what procedures have been put in place to make sure it cannot happen again."

Councillor David Morson, who is the Uttlesford Lib Dems' Deputy Leader, commented "We are obviously concerned that the man in charge of Uttlesford's finances can make such a grievious error in his own financial management. Essex Police Authority's own figures show that Councillor Chambers claimed nearly three times the mileage cost of any other member in 2008/9, but he continued to claim and the Authority continued to pay. The Lib Dems on Uttlesford want to see the results of Essex Police Authority's investigation made public so taxpayers can see how nearly £12,000 of their money was incorrectly paid to Cllr. Chambers."

Essex Police Authority published their members' expenses for the financial year 2008/9. The full document can be found here. Robert Chambers claimed a total of £7,713.03 for mileage in that year, the highest of any member (the closest claim for that year was £2,817.79).

The original article that was broadcast on BBC Look East on 8 December 2011 can be found here.