8:27am Tuesday 7th September 2010
By Mark Stead
FOUR workers were sacked last year by North Yorkshire County Council, which has lifted the lid on the probes it has carried out.
A report on cases which came under investigation at the council during 2009/10 has revealed its internal audit teams delved into 54 cases surrounding its staff during the year, of which 23 were reported through the authority’s “whistleblowing” watchdog strategy.
As well as the four dismissals, a further four employees quit and two were handed disciplinary warnings about their future conduct, while two more were made the subject of action plans which will see their work come under scrutiny.
The rundown, compiled by Carole Dunn, the council’s assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services and monitoring officer, said the audit investigators looked into 54 staff-related allegations in 2009/10, including nine surrounding misuse of computer, email or internet facilities, 12 of theft, two of misusing the authority’s vehicles, three of abuse of position and four of inappropriate behaviour.
In total, 75 whistleblowing incidents were reported across the council during the year – an increase of four on the year before and 15 more than in 2007/08.
The report, which will go before the authority’s standards committee next week, said that in addition to the 54 cases relating to staff, the remaining 21 investigations concerned “potential frauds and scams” aimed at schools, the work of external agencies and cases from previous years which were still outstanding.
“These indicators are produced at the request of the committee to help give it an indication of the health of the authority in relation to standards and ethics,” said the report.
The year also saw 16 employment tribunals begin, with six of the claims being for unfair dismissal, two for racial discrimination and two for sexual discrimination.
Only two went to full hearings, with one being dismissed and one ending with success for the claimant, while three were settled and seven are awaiting hearings.
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