According to Iain Dale, John Denham and his Permanent secretary are at daggers drawn over the sneaked in details of gerry-mandering in some English Counties and towns.
Dale had this to say this morning
Yesterday, the Government announced a volte face and abandoned plans for a Norfolk-wide unitary authority and instead indulged in a bit of pro Labour gerrymandering by creating a unitary authority for Norwich. Very few people support such a proposal (apart from Norwich Labour Party) and opposition parties are furious. It has to be said that there were very few supporters for the Norfolk wide unitary authority either. Most people want the status quo.
However, I can reveal that John Denham, the Local Government Secretary, has ignored warnings from his senior civil servants, who believe the proposal is “unaffordable” and doesn’t meet the Government’s own criteria. Indeed, the Permanent Secretary at the DCLG, Peter Housden, has forced Denham to sign a letter absolving the civil servants from any legal action. Incredibly, Denham has done just that. Norfolk County Council is ready to make a High Court challenge and the Conservatives have already committed to reversing this decision if they win the next election.
I am told it is unprecedented for a Permanent Secretary to send such a letter to a Secretary of State.
This letter shows how bad things are getting
Have followed your blog for some time with great enjoyment, but I do not want to enter the public arena. However, the story you have here is most unusual, and as a former Civil Servant with a little experience I might help you understand the context.
What you have uncovered is a Letter of Direction. Dynamite stuff, and described HERE.
as:
Ministerial Directions
2. Where an Accounting Officer of a government department considers that a Minister is contemplating a course of action that would be likely to infringe financial propriety or regularity, or the Accounting Officer’s wider responsibilities for economy, efficiency and effectiveness, it is the duty of the Accounting Officer to so advise the Minister. If that advice is then overruled the Accounting Officer will be required to seek a written Direction from the Minister to enable that action to be carried out. If such a Direction is issued by the Minister, the Accounting Officer must comply with it but must also notify the Treasury and pass the relevant documents to the Comptroller and Auditor General as soon as possible.
Very, very rare beasts, only used as a last resort. Permanent Secs never wish to send them as they show that they have lost influence over a Minister who is determined to press ahead regardless and that fact must be disclosed to others, including the C&AG. Unhappy does not begin to describe it.
Seems like we not only have Broken Britain but also a severely broken Government.
Time for a Change
Iain Dale’s Diary: Confirmed: Denham & His Permanent Sec at Daggers Drawn.
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2010/02/confirmed-denham-his-permanent-sec-at.html
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