A fire service boss has been paid a £20,000 lump sum – after claiming for three years of travel expenses in one go.
Fred Walker – chairman of the Greater Manchester Fire Authority – slapped in a claim for scores of train trips to London costing up to £393.
The money was paid out even though the authority’s guidelines suggest expenses should be claimed within four months.
The news comes with the fire service set to shed as many as 150 jobs after the government slashed its funding by £23m.
Coun Walker, a Labour councillor from Wigan, admitted he had been ‘lax’.
He said: "The bottom line is that it should not have happened.
"To be honest, I should have been a lot quicker in putting those expenses in."
Coun Walker said he was actually out of pocket as his briefcase had been stolen during one journey to London – meaning he lost 12 receipts for earlier trips and could not claim for them at all.
And he added: "The meetings I attend, do help Greater Manchester fire service considerably regarding grant settlements and pensions arrangements.
"Our vision is about being influential and it means we need to ensure our funding.
"Because I’ve been around for so long and during that time Labour were in power, I tended to get selected by my colleagues to head things up. I also attended meetings with the fire service minister."
But opposition councillors said it sent out the wrong message at a time of austerity.
Iain Lindley, a Conservative authority member, said: "Staff will rightly ask questions about the judgment when the chairman of the authority thinks it appropriate to claim a five-figure sum on transport costs alone.
"I was very surprised by the payment."
Coun Walker’s claim, seen by the M.E.N, covers the period April 2008-October 2010 and is for a total of £20,442.27. It was paid on top of his £3,911.64 annual allowance for being a member of the authority and a special responsibility allowance of £4,568.74.
The claim is almost entirely made up of travel claims, with a small amount for parking and subsistence. The travel includes 34 train trips to London costing £200 or more. A number of those were first class, the M.E.N understands.
The £20,442 claim dwarfs payments made to other 30 authority members. Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Shannon, the chairman of the authority until June this year, only claimed £428 in travel expenses for the financial year 2010/11.
Coun Shannon said: "This extravagance on the rates raises serious questions. The authority is under severe financial pressure yet the Chair has failed to lead by example."
Gwynne Williams, a member of the authority’s management board member, said: "The amount is higher than others but cover a longer period of time and during this time Coun Walker has paid out his expenses from his own money which largely relates to his national work for the fire service.
"The claims are all within the rules and auditable."
Coun Walker hit the headlines in February this year when his Labour group – then in opposition on the authority – opposed a move to ban members from travelling first-class on trains at the taxpayers’ expense.
At the time he said: "If you go first-class you get a meal. Now we will have to submit claims for meals – in the end it could cost a lot more."
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If the claims should have been made within 4 months, then why were the ones that fell outside this period still paid. He didn't comply with this part of the rules and should not have been paid - plain and simple!!
Expenses & politicians. When will they learn?
Jamie
Absolutely shocking. I travel a great deal for work and if I don't claim my expenses within three months I lose the right to, and it seems the Fire Service have a similar policy - why wasn't it enforced? This is a smack in the face for those facing losing their jobs. One rule for them and another for the bosses eh?
The period is not three years, but a mere two and a half. That means this man is claiming expenses at a rate of over £8,000 a year.
Perhaps he does not need to go to London quite so much?
This highlights a major flaw with all the Greater Manchester bodies - they are actually directly accountable to nobody and it is impossible to get rid of any of their members by democratic means.
No wonder borough councillors scramble to get on the GM gravy train. Presumably, this is what they mean by "Transport for Greater Manchester".
Obscene beyond belief.
Two things here.
Firstly, what an idiot for keeping expenses that long. A good expenses policy simply shouldn't pay out on claims over a few months old - it sends budget planning haywire. 'Guidelines' means nothing here.
Secondly - what does this guy to that means he can be 20 GRAND out of pocket and wait 3 years to claim it back?!
£20K ? I assume all these trips to London were first class. It stinks!
Why couldnt he travel in muck like the rest of us? He shouldn't be able to claim a penny if he was so "lax." On yer bike ya prat!
Im sure hes going to enjoy the 20 grand as much as you lot love slating him for it! As if hes bothered really!!
How can anyone, including someone in a position of responsibility, forget to claim expenses for so long whilst being 20k out of pocket? Please, someone direct this man (because I would think he obviously can't do it himself) to the internet and the pre-booking website where he will enjoy savings on the price of tickets, and/or get him a railcard where again he'll enjoy savings. In this day and age with cutbacks etc, rocket science it is not.
£20,000 ? DISGUSTING, greedy, greedy man, shame on you !
Outrageous. I'm told by the local authority I work for that I'm able to get claims paid that are claimed within 2 months. Outside of that, my claims are denied and I'm out of pocket for not being on the ball.
Of course it's a different rule for Councillors who can claim when they please.
Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Authority has an annual budget of £100,000,000 :
I hope the Chairman manages its business affairs better than he manages himself -
losing his brief case with a dozen expenses invoices in whilst travelling 1st class on the train, & submitting £5 figure claims 2 years out of time !
Why does a Labour Chairman claim £8,000 a year in expenses when the Libdem Chairman managed on £400 ?
Councillor Shannon only claimed £428 for a full years expenses – it appears he has the right attitude that he is serving the people of Greater Manchester not the other way around.
Cllr Walker has been on the fire authority for many years so should be leading by example by following the rules/guidelines strictly. All this straight after/during he made a lot of people (the lowest paid in the brigade) redundant. I would say hang your head in shame Mr Walker but I know that he won't. As for being out of pocket for 4 years to the sum of £20k well I think his other income from his travel agency must be doing very well too.
Cllr Walker I agree does do a lot of work nationally and locally with the fire and rescue service. Ask the guys and girls on the stations what he's like. The standard answers would be "hatchetman" or "or yeah that guy that brings forth all our cuts" and this was years before the public spending review. He'll be rubbing his hands together now just like Mr Burns from the Simpsons saying "excellent!!!"
Why buy a first class ticket anyway as you can upgrade on the day of travel for a mere £15 each way. I travelled to London on Saturday on a ticket which cost £50 return so why can't these profligate leeches do the same? Of course I paid for my own travel unlike him so had to look at the cost first.
And he's the first one to complain when the complimentary champagne is served too warm.
The situation were a GM councillor finds he needs to travel to London more than once a month in order to carry out whatever responsibilty he has for Fire Services in Greater Manchester would seem to be of more concern than how he chooses to submit his expenses.
Since this situation is likely to be repeated for every other Fire Service across the country it, once again, shows the cost of London politicians obession with trying to control every aspect of govermnet activity in the regions, rather than let locally elected politicians take local decisions.
"Our vision is about being influential and it means we need to ensure our funding"
translation please?
sounds madder than mad jack mcmad.
Why has he got to go first class that should be stopped immediatly.Like the rest he should travel 2nd class for 2hrs instead of being pampered in 1st class who the hell does he think he is. people should remember this at the next election
Been telling you for years, DOUBLE STANDARDS, when will you listen. !!
By delaying the claim he has enabled the Fire Authority to earn some interest.
The sooner we get rid of all this multi-tiered local government the better. This country would greatly benefit from being run from a single, central power, with one leader.
A Labour party member...I might have guessed!!
Labour still are the masters at siphoning expenses at the taxpayers expense.
'Champagne Socialism' is still alive and kicking.
Should be, er,FIRED!