Council planning staff were explicitly warned to have no input into the preparation of building warrants prior to an investigation into the “cash for warrants” scandal, The Courier can reveal.
An email obtained under Freedom of Information legislation was sent out by Perth and Kinross Council’s head of planning, Roland Bean, on May 1, 2008, stating such conduct would be “inappropriate” and could be seen as secondary employment.
Although the council denied any specific incident had prompted the warning, it came ahead of a probe that saw three employees investigated for exactly that course of conduct.
One was fired, another quit and a third was given a warning and still works for the authority. The council has steadfastly refused to give details of the investigation which took place last year, or its findings.
It is understood the building standards staff two from the Blairgowrie office and another based in Perth had been accused of accepting cash for drawing up and approving building warrants for the public, in contravention of council rules.
When first approached by The Courier about the allegations, the council called them “totally unfounded” but then launched its probe just two months later.
However, the 2008 email, which came at a time when the planning department was teetering on the brink of crisis, appears to show there were concerns about malpractice even then, backing fears it had been rife for years.
Mr Bean, who retired from the council earlier this year, said, “I wrote to all planning staff recently regarding the need to advise me of any planning applications of their own or in which they have a significant interest.
“I want to add to this instruction with regard to the preparation of plans and applications for planning applications and building warrants.
“The planning service is under close scrutiny at present by the press and others and we need to be seen to be acting in an open, transparent way which avoids either impropriety or any whiff of it and to avoid any accusations of conflict of interest.Inappropriate”In this context, I am writing to advise that I consider it inappropriate for any member of staff employed by this service to have any input into the preparation of plans, drawings or submissions which will be considered by this service through the planning application and building warrant processes except for their own or those of close family.”
He adds, “Such activity would constitute secondary employment for which all council staff are currently required to seek consent for undertaking.”
One person affected by the affair said, “The council have steadfastly denied this had been happening for years before they were forced into the investigation.
“Now we see this warning and it forces you to think there’s no smoke without fire. People knew this was happening and it was being ignored and now it’s time for the full truth to come out.”
At the time of the warning, the planning department had just been lambasted in an audit report that had picked out an instance of a planning officer approving a colleague’s planning application and, in another incident, a planning officer unilaterally waiving a condition imposed on a development at manager level.
The auditors said at the time, “In order to retain public confidence it is essential that council decision-making is not only proper and fair but also that it is seen to be so.
“This requirement may be undermined if officers in the same office and/or chain of management are involved in processing such applications.”
A council spokesman insisted the email had been sent as a general warning rather than because of a specific case.
He said, “This email was a reminder to staff of the need to adhere to strict professional standards and council policy during a time of significant change within the planning service and its associated professions. It should not be interpreted as anything more than that.
“Staff who are engaged in other work are not automatically guilty of misconduct. The council has a policy for staff who wish to seek permission to engage in secondary employment. This email reminded staff that any secondary employment should be declared through this policy.
“The council demands the highest possible level of professional conduct … and so emails … are sent from time-to-time to remind staff of their responsibilities not just in the planning service, but across the council.”