Friday, October 20, 2006

North Yorkshire Police pouring money down the drain

A female chief constable spent almost £30,000 of taxpayers money on an en-suite shower for her office.

Della Cannings, the head of North Yorkshire Police, paid £15,000 for plumbing, £4,000 for electrics and more than £5,000 for rebuilding in an existing shower room.

The floor, ceiling, painting and furniture also cost around £1,000 each, bringing the cost of the project to five times the original estimate.

Miss Cannings, 53, said she had been horrified at the cost of the personal shower. She could not believe how they had spiralled and insisted her only involvement had been in picking the carpet colour. "How come I am being advised that the cost is nearly five times more?" she asked a colleague.

How come she didn't know? This is the chief constable of a force and she doesn't even know what is going on in her own office! Saints preserve us!

The force's spending habits have previously been questioned after it raised its precept by 76 per cent in 2003 and ordered a fleet of Volvos for senior officers.

Has she been sacked? Reprimanded? Is anything going to be done?

Well, if this follows the usual pattern, she'll probably get promoted and maybe a CBE, OBE or something.

Phil Willis, the Liberal Dem ocrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the extravagance was such that the Home Secretary should investigate. "We are in danger of North Yorkshire Police becoming a laughing stock for its profligacy," he said.

Apparently he was serious when he said that.

1 comment:

Poison-Dwarf said...

Have to absolutely agree with you on this post. I live in an area of North Yorkshire which is blighted by anti-social behaviour. We have residents who have been put on hold when calling the police, been told we have no one available and simply been told, we don't have the resources. Well now we damn well know why.
http://antisocialwatch.blogspopt.com