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Camden Parking Manager Exits over Errors of Judgement
Posted on Friday, January 16 @ 18:39:12 GMT by pulpsimon |
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THE Town Hall claimed a parking chief appointed to make Camden's flagging parking system fairer had made "errors of judgement".
In an unexpected move, John Meyer left the council service in the final
working week before Christmas – just two months after a Camden New Journal
investigation into the council's much-maligned warden service.
Mr Meyer had previously been expected to keep the post of interim parking manager until the summer at least.
But his contract has not been renewed and he cleared his desk on the
Friday before the festive break. The Town Hall said there had been
actions "not compatible with the public profile of the post".
Officials confirmed that Borough Solicitor Andrew Maughan was last month asked to investigate anonymous allegations that Mr Meyer had awarded himself a permit allowing him to park on yellow lines and in residents' bays across Camden – although it did not lead to any disciplinary action.
A spokeswoman said: "We investigated the allegation. It identified some minor issues but the investigation is closed and no disciplinary action was taken."
As a matter of course, Camden investigates all complaints against staff. It was pointed out yesterday how accusations are often made unfairly against officials, particularly those in high office.
The council spokeswoman added that directors believed Mr Meyer had contributed to improvements.
Last night, Mr Meyer, 37, declined to comment, beyond confirming that a six-month contract had expired on December 19 and that he was now working on a fresh challenge elsewhere.
He is understood to have felt he performed well and got on well with senior colleagues during a drive to reorganise the department, taking backbiting among some members of the team in his stride.
But the sudden decision to part company has left the parking department without a head just as it enters its most crucial period for four years and with critical decisions over who should run the borough's warden service in the future to be resolved.
Camden is planning to offer its biggest-ever deal to private contractors at the start of next year and is preparing the ground before going out to tender on the lucrative opportunity. The winning bidder could take on all of Camden's parking enforcement operations for eight years.
At the same time, the Town Hall is struggling to understand why cash raised from parking tickets is down by £4million, with bosses ordering an internal investigation and a search for "quick wins" to improve performance.
A council spokeswoman said yesterday: "At the end of Mr Meyer's contract, the position was jointly reviewed with him and it was decided not to renew the contract. The decision has absolutely nothing to do with contracts or parking tickets."
She added: "During his time with Camden, John has played an important role in the council's review of the service to make parking more transparent and fair. There were, however, some errors of judgement on his part that we believe were not compatible with the head of service role or the public profile of the post. No further action is necessary."
Mr Meyer has forged a reputation as a top operator in the specialised world of parking enforcement and has advised other councils and large parking companies on their operations.
But, as the New Journal revealed in an investigation in October, his appointment in Camden was the source of staff unrest from almost his first day. A group of staff took the unusual step of writing to their superiors – albeit anonymously – to advise caution.
While some of his new colleagues at Camden raised the possibility of a conflict of interest over Mr Meyer's private company HHCT Limited, which repairs hand-held computers used by wardens, and his brother Simon's post at one of Camden's contractors, council chiefs stood by their man.
In a briefing organised in response to the New Journal investigations, environment department director Rachel Stopard insisted there would be no conflict in terms of his private interests and that he had given up a position he had held in the Conservative party.
And in a private memo, Robert Scourfield, her deputy, confidently announced Mr Meyer's appointment to staff, introducing him as a star signing and suggesting he would be in post until June 2009.
Officials at the Town Hall stressed last night that the "errors of judgement" did not relate to Mr Meyer's business interests.
Senior officers told last year how they need to make the parking service "fit for purpose", although initial moves to hike builders' permits by 267 percent have not engendered much confidence among motorists. Unresolved internal investigations into two suspended, well-liked managers have, meanwhile, further angered staff. The department was already unsettled by the departure of Rudy Bright, the last permanent parking manager, who left last year with a redundancy package soon after he had been lampooned by protesters in a You-Tube video condemned by the council.
Camden's Labour group leader Councillor Anna Stewart said: "This a blow to the Camden Parking Service, which is in a demoralised and volatile state. There is a massive financial shortfall looming this year and staff will be under pressure to bring in ever higher charges for residents. Parking must be fair and effective for local people."
A council spokeswoman said: "The process of recruiting a new permanent head of parking services is under way, and short-term arrangements have been made to cover the post temporarily."undefined
In further developments it has been revealed
Parking chief paid ‘£500 a day’ before shock exit
Insiders say he was among top earners at the Town Hall
THE parking chief who left the Town Hall amid council claims he made “errors of judgment” was one of Camden’s top earners and may have collected more than £60,000 in wages during his brief stint.
Several council insiders have quoted the figure of £500 to £550 a day in relation to the pay packet commanded by interim parking manager John Meyer who – as the New Journal revealed last week – made a shock exit at the end of last month.
He had been expected to stay until July 2009, but his initial contract was not renewed.
A council spokeswoman said: “There were some errors of judgment on his part that we believe were not compatible with the head of service role.”
The council stressed that no disciplinary action was taken against Mr Meyer and that an investigation into anonymous allegations about a parking permit issued to his car threw up “minor issues” but were addressed without the need for further attention.
While the size of his salary is not a record sum (an interim manager in another department netted roughly £830 a day in 2006), the reported sum potentially adds up to around £65,000 over six months.
Mr Meyer declined to comment on his time in Camden, referring New Journal queries back to the Town Hall, which in turn is refusing to discuss further details about his employment or sudden departure.
A council spokeswoman declined to comment on how much Mr Meyer was paid.
Liberal Democrat council leader Councillor Keith Moffitt said last night (Wednesday) he had confidence in the environment department to move forward.
He said: “I think it was felt that John Meyer did a good job in improving many aspects of the department, but it is a job which is very much in the public eye and a couple of minor things can be a problem.
“With parking, there will always be somebody who is not happy, but if you look at my postbag the number of complaints has dramatically reduced.
“People see that we have got rid of clamping and that we have done our best to make it fairer.”
Camden is currently undergoing an internal review to find out why it has made £4million less this year from issuing parking tickets than it expected to.
Memos showed that department chiefs had called on staff to think up “quick wins” to improve performance.
Cllr Moffitt added: “The money from parking is always volatile, but there has been no order from us to find other ways to ticket cars and bring in more money.”
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