Two-Year Investigation of Alan Graves Slammed as a "Wasteful Fiasco"

A two-year investigation into the behavior of the recently chosen head of Derbyshire County Council has been criticised as "a waste of time and money" for taxpayers. A recent meeting at Derby City Council came to this conclusion. Councillor Alan Graves, who is from the reform group, broke the guidelines set out for conduct. By disclosing sensitive details in a video he shared on social media regarding what he claims was a "miscarriage of justice" during his time as a city councillor.

However, notwithstanding the violation, Councillor Graves encountered neither penalties nor sanctions due to his conduct. Following the hearing held last Thursday (May 15), the duration of the council’s inquiry along with its overall expenditure have faced scrutiny.

However, Derby City Council has countered these allegations by stating that the expenses and results justify the investment in this case. This disagreement originated two years ago when Councillor Graves shared a video outlining how he was affected. criticised in a Facebook post by another councillor .

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Councillor Graves demanded justice and sought an apology. However, he became enraged upon learning that the issue had been concluded without offering him an apology.

This spurred him to create a video where he disclosed sensitive data from municipal documents regarding the management of the entire affair. Consequently, this resulted in an inquiry and a hearing, with councillors expressing worries over the financial burden imposed on the council due to these events.

At the hearing, Councillor Ajit Atwal questioned the council officials regarding the expenses, yet he did not receive a response. There were allegations stating that hiring a legal investigative officer had incurred costs amounting to £5,000 for the local government body. However, the council has acknowledged that they do not contest this sum.

Speaking after the meeting, The hearing’s chair was Councillor Steve Hassall. I am deeply concerned about the expense associated with this rather unwarranted inquiry. Over the past two years, the council has devoted numerous officer hours, particularly those of high-paid legal personnel, to a situation that could have been settled with a straightforward apology. This apology might have readily been arranged by the oversight officer.

My impression is that the council has already spent £5,000 on external legal counsel regarding this matter, which is quite remarkable considering their financial standing and the number of lawyers they employ.

This entire issue proved to be an enormous waste of both time and resources and ought not to have been permitted to prolong itself for such an extended period, much to the disadvantage of the taxpayer.

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The Derby City Council has come forward to defend the extent of Following the video shared by Councillor Graves, an inquiry was launched. A representative from the local government stated: "At the outset of this complaint, Councillor Graves raised concerns about the neutrality of the monitoring officer, the standards procedure, and high-ranking officials. Consequently, it was fitting to bring in an independent outside entity to look into the issue."

Seeking external legal counsel when needed is standard procedure for issues related to local government standards and comes under the purview of the monitorings officer's statutory authority.

Furthermore, the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 mandates that local authorities provide funding for monitoring officers to carry out their legal responsibilities, such as ensuring the utmost integrity amongst elected officials. Consequently, the expenses involved were legitimate, and the result of the hearing, which determined that Councillor Graves violated the code of conduct, supports the investment made in this instance.

The hearing took place the next day after Councillor Graves was appointed as the new head of Derbyshire County Council when Reform gained control of the body following the recent local elections.

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