🚨 Newport City Council Scandal: Employee Fired Over £50k Card Misuse 🎟️
A Newport City Council worker has been sacked after an investigation into some eyebrow-raising purchasing card transactions. The audit unearthed more than £50,000 in council-authorised transactions without proper receipts in just one year! 😲 From unauthorised travel expenses to parking fines, and even gifts and refreshments, the audit found “significant weaknesses” in the council’s purchase card use.
The issue was flagged during a council audit committee meeting where Norma Barry expressed her concern about the serious misuse of funds and called out the lack of oversight and control. Dr Barry highlighted, “This situation is indicative of a lack of managerial oversight,” urging for swift action to prevent a repeat. She wasn’t the only one shocked—Cllr John Reynolds also emphasised the reputational damage that such moves bring.
The council’s head of finance, Meirion Rushworth, confirmed that the fraud case has been fully processed internally and appropriately reported to the police. To tackle this ongoing issue, strategic director Rhys Cornwall and the HR manager are focused on rectifying these issues with staff.
While staff occasionally need to make urgent purchases, Cornwall insists better justification is crucial. The latest findings indicate that positive steps have been made, though more needs to be done!
Let’s hope these lessons stick—because nobody wants a repeat performance. 📉
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