As part of its policy of being more open and transparent in its activities, Cheshire East Council has today made public the cost of the engagement of expert legal advice and of a Designated Independent Person to complete the investigation of allegations about the actions of a number of senior staff at the Council, in connection with the Lyme Green development project.
Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “In setting up this independent investigation, we wanted to ensure that there was a full and robust account of what had actually taken place in relation to Lyme Green.
“We knew in advance that the use of a Designated Independent Person (DIP) would not be a cheap option but, given the level of public concern about the matter, we felt this was a necessary price to pay.
“We have worked closely with the DIP, which has enabled the time taken to complete the review to be shortened, as well as giving us very clear outcomes in his comprehensive report. Actions have been taken or are in hand on all these recommendations.
“We have also engaged the services of an expert legal adviser to assist this process, particularly in supporting the work of our staffing sub-committee, which considered the report of the DIP. The full costs of all this vital work have now been identified as £225,000.
“As promised earlier, we will shortly issue a summary of the findings of the DIP, whose report must remain confidential, and this will demonstrate that we have acted on the lessons to be learned from these unusual events.
“My hope would be that we can now draw a line under this episode and move forward more positively to deliver the very best services we can for the people of Cheshire East.”
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