Concerns of a potential council “cover-up” have arisen after a complaint about an unnamed councillor involved in a counter fraud investigation was blocked due to their identity remaining undisclosed.
The probe was initiated in October last year following whistleblower concerns about procurement practices at Cotswold District Council. The Liberal Democrat-led authority reportedly awarded over £80,000 of contracts to companies allegedly linked to council officers and a councillor without declaring these connections.
The Fraud and Enforcement Unit investigated claims that three companies were selected outside proper contract procedures. One case focused on rebranding work where, although one councillor recommended a company, the contract was awarded based on an evaluation by a single officer — an evaluation that ignored the council’s procurement rules. Notably, the council’s legal, finance, and leadership teams were not consulted, and while the company signed a contract, the council did not.
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Despite these irregularities, Council Leader Mike Evemy declined to name the councillor involved, stating the report did not assign any fault to them. Opposition Conservatives, however, argue that multiple breaches of the councillors’ code of conduct have occurred. They filed a complaint, but council officers have refused to process it without a named individual.
Tom Stowe, Conservative group leader, criticized this decision as a “farce” and accused the council of hiding the councillor’s identity to obstruct transparency. He said: “If the councillor in question is innocent, why keep their identity secret? The council’s refusal to disclose their name traps us in a Catch-22 situation where the complaint cannot progress, yet the public remains in the dark.”
He warned that the lack of transparency only fuels suspicion and uncertainty about the council’s integrity and the extent of any wrongdoing.
In response, a council spokesperson emphasized legal and procedural constraints. They stated that under the Localism Act 2011 and the council’s Code of Conduct Complaint Handling Arrangements (approved September 25, 2024), investigations can only proceed if the complaint names specific councillors who were in office when the alleged misconduct occurred.
Consequently, with no councillor named in the complaint, the council said it cannot move forward with the investigation.