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  • "You will also find it was the previous administration that hired Mr Farrall, when as grey_man says they should have blocked his appointment or considered him an unsuitable candidate on his previous track record alone.
    Why do you think Tony Fox that those most stridently defending Mr Farrall in the face of the factually real concerns of Helen Jones, the five Labour councillors and the rest of us, are Lib Dem Councillors, namely Bob Barr and Ian Marks? For them to later agree Helen Jones et al were right would be tantamount to admitting the Lib Cons were wrong with their original selection.
    You are right in saying Mr Farrall is unfit for purpose. But since the Lib Con administration voted him his 9% rise with added benefits in 2009, their successors had no power to rescind that decision. That unfortunately is the way our local government procedures work. So it is the Lib Cons you should be putting your questions to."
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Will the taxpayer be re-imbursed?

WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones’ rhetoric, backed by five Labour councillors, Graham Friend, Kevin Bennett, Chris Vobe, Steve Roberts and Billy Lines-Rowlands, on calling for Andy Farrell, executive director of environment and regeneration at the council, to resign, is laughable.

In 2009/10 Mr Farrell was awarded a nine per cent pay rise and in the same year former chief executive Diana Terris was given a £7,105 pay rise. These council chiefs have picked up thousands in pay rises in the middle of a multi-million pound cost-cutting drive and during 2013/14 up to 190 jobs will be cut from WBC as it tries to save £14 million.

Yet Labour has always sold us the idea that to recruit the best in the public sector you have to pay the going rate to attract the best. So what has happened here in the case of Mr Farrell?

So the accusers say the application to develop Peel Hall has been simply ‘overlooked’ by the department and as executive director Mr Farrell is paid a significant sum to oversee and run the council department and with his inflated salary comes responsibility.

In a nutshell am I right to think that the aforementioned councillors and MP are saying that Mr Farrell is not the right person for the job? Therefore should we be re-imbursed his nine per cent rise from 2009, plus his salary and other benefits?

TONY FOX
Stockton Heath

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