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Mr. Peter Francis

I am deeply grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) for allowing me to join in the debate. We are speaking because we feel a sense of intense frustration and anger. Those who, in my view, are clearly guilty have been surrounded by a ring of steel, preventing proper inquiry from being made and justice being done. I can think of few cases in my 34 years as a Member of Parliament that have filled me with such a sense of embarrassment at the disgrace and perversion of local government in Walsall. Walsall was a failed authority. The Government rightly stepped in, booted out the senior officers, started teaching the councillors how to be councillors and imposed staff, including a chief executive. She is now, thankfully, over the Thames. Every time I look over I feel a sense of anger, but also delight and gratitude to Southwark for relieving us of somebody who was at the centre of a range of activities, supported by loyal associates. I know Peter Francis very well, and my hon. Friend has rightly focused on what happened to him, but two other people were equally damaged, psychologically and physically, by what the local authority did to them. It is reprehensible, and the guilty have not been investigated and have so far escaped. The improvements in the council came at an unacceptably high price. The staff whom I know of—principally Peter Francis, David Parish, a former chief superintendent, and Liz McDonald—were intimidated, harassed and bullied. These were loyal staff. They did what they should have done as good local authority employees. When they saw that there was fraud, and misappropriation and misdirection of public funding, they went through the normal processes, to no avail. When one member of staff, believing that he was protected by law, blew the whistle, he continued to be hounded and was a broken man physically and emotionally. Judged by the normal principles of a local authority, this was an aberration. Not only were those people intimidated; the media were intimidated by the threat of having advertising withdrawn if they printed certain stories; councillors were threatened with the Standards Board and with prosecution. One councillor seen talking to a trade union official was threatened with the Standards Board—and she is a Conservative, a member of the ruling party on the council. But the staff—diligent, loyal and conscientious employees—were abused, humiliated and marginalised. As my hon. Friend said, Peter Francis was referred to as ““the enemy within? by the executive director. He became seriously ill and was forced to resign. Neighbourhood renewal funding granted by the Government was targeted at the council’s deprived areas, but it was spent on brown bins and on improving the borough’s image through the provision of sculptures and gateway signs. That is appalling. One cannot believe that money meant to relieve poverty was spent in a way totally unconnected to those objectives. Peter’s health deteriorated, and he was finally tipped over the edge. He became ill and depressed and the stress was appalling. He had never suffered from depression before, and he had always enjoyed excellent health. The council surrendered at the last minute, as my hon. Friend said, to avoid exposure in front of an employment tribunal. Of course, there was a gagging clause, so Peter could not even talk about the treatment that he had received. Unbeknown to Peter, David Parish, a former chief superintendent who had survived 30 years with the West Midlands police and its problems, was a broken man. He was head of community safety. He had reported major theft and the misappropriation of public funds, and investigated that over five years. Finally, a second West Midlands police inquiry was set up. I will say nothing about it except that I hope that the local authority has been assisting it fully, although I would be surprised if it has been. He is another broken man, but at least he had good legal support. Lastly, there is Liz McDonald, who was subjected to a Kafkaesque investigation over a period of years. She was isolated physically, hounded and thrown out. She had no legal representation at all, although she had some union representation. She finally got legal representation so that she could fight her case and, as happened in the cases of Peter Francis and Dave Parish, the council capitulated, rather than have its criminal behaviour exposed. Where did the money come from to protect that vulnerable woman? It came from her housing insurance policy, which she had purchased from Direct Line. What a way for a loyal public servant to get representation; she had to use her housing policy to get legal assistance. Finally, I point out that there are three inquiries. I will wait to see whether they are genuine inquiries, or whether the ring of steel surrounding the guilty is still in place. I hope that the Minister will discuss the issue with her colleagues, and that once those investigations are scrutinised, there will be a proper inquiry, because in the town that my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North, and I are proud to represent, local government has been besmirched by senior council officers. The reputation of local government depends on proper inquiries and proper action being taken by the Minister’s Department. I am absolutely sure that my hon. Friend and I will continue to fight for justice until the last day—the last hour—of our membership of the House of Commons, and beyond. That is how angry we both feel, and justice must be done. I hope that the council will provide justice for its staff, but if it does not, I believe that the Government should provide that justice.