Tory-controlled Brentwood Council's latest bungle

Disturbing news in today's Brentwood Gazette as another major mistake is made by Tory-controlled Brentwood Council. In failing to renew its registration with the Information Commissioner's Office's Data Protection Public Register, thousands of pounds of council tax payers' money is at risk.

The mistake means that parking tickets could be unenforceable, CCTV images may be unusable in court and planning applications, benefits, council tax and housing bills are all being processed illegally.

This news follows recent revelations which include the council being named the worst in Essex by an Audit Commission report, mislaying £633K of tax payers' money, failing to get its finances signed off and paying two temporary officers £275K for 13 months work.

Cllr David Kendall, Lib Dem Group Leader, reacted to the news by saying:

"I cannot believe that something else has come to light which shows this Conservative administration to be in complete disarray and losing control.

"When the council was rated as the worst in Essex, Leader Cllr Louise McKinlay is quoted as saying "we have hit the base and the only way is up". Well, it seems that there was further to fall. You have to wonder what is going to happen or come to light next."

"This is a sorry state of affairs when these absolutely fundamental issues are not covered and the administration is wasting officers time on issues such as the Western Road hedge removal. It's no surprise officers make mistakes."

"There was also an issue at Planning last night where, I understand, the re-ordering of an agenda meant that an expert could not speak on a planning application that was subsequently approved and could now open us up to legal proceedings."

Under the previous Liberal Democrat administration the accounts were always signed off, we were regularly named as the best council in Essex and once as the fifth best in the country. Under the Lib Dems, the ICO registration was always renewed.