Telford and Wrekin Council defends deputy again amid register of interests row

Telford and Wrekin Council has defended its deputy leader after it emerged that she failed over a five year period to place on her official register of interests that a company she jointly runs had a contract with the council.

The council insists that Councillor Carolyn Healy has “gone over and above” in providing details of contract values every year to the audit committee since she was first elected in 2019. Those documents are published on the council’s website.

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But a Freedom of Information answer has shown that while the Ironbridge Gorge councillor did declare that she was a joint director of Red Kite Network she failed to declare on the official register of interests between 2019 and 2024 that the company had contracts with the council.

The register of interests was updated at 9.14 am on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 stating that Red Kite Network “carries out ad hoc work for the council as part of a framework arrangement.”

But over a five year period from Monday, October 14, 2019 until then, the FoI answer reveals that no such link was revealed on the register of interests.

During that period of time Red Kite Network is recorded in council financial reports to have received in excess of £70,000 in payments.

A spokesperson for Telford & Wrekin Council, said that since September 2024 Councillor Healey’s register of interests has been up to date and includes a contract declaration.

The spokesperson said: “Since 2019, Councillor Healy’s register of interests has always included a declaration of being a director of Red Kite Network Ltd.

“For the last two years, since September 2024, the register, which is all publicly available on the council website, has been up to date and includes a contract declaration relating to Red Kite Network.”

The council spokesperson adds that in addition all councillors are asked to declare any trading activity with the council each year as part of the authority’s audit committee process.

Both Councillor Healy and Conservative Councillor Stephen Burrell have declared their trading activities.

“Councillor Healy has gone over and above the requirement to provide detail of contract values for this committee each year since she was first elected as a councillor in 2019.

“All of this information is again openly available on the council’s website.”

Red Kite Network is a registered supplier having successfully completed all required legal compliance and due-diligence checks.

A political row continues to bubble between council Labour leader Lee Carter and his Conservative opposite number Andrew Eade.

Councillor Eade renewed his calls for councillor Healy to resign.

He said: “As the main opposition on Telford & Wrekin Council, we have a duty to hold the administration to account.

“Councillor Healy is a director of a company that supplied more than £70,000 of services to the council between October 2019 and September 2024, yet no statutory declarations were made or due process followed.

“Failing to register such interests is a criminal offence under Section 34 of the Localism Act 2011, and despite the earlier reported assurance made  that his deputy had “followed the rules at every stage,” such a statement would appear to be untrue.”

Councillor Carter hit back saying the details always have been there for the public to scrutinise.

He said: “This latest attack says far more about the opposition’s and in particular Councillor Eade’s motives than it does about councillor Healy.

“The facts remain unchanged: Councillor Healy’s role with Red Kite has been openly declared, the company’s work for the council has been reported through established governance processes, published in council accounts and scrutinised through the Audit Committee. It is and always has been there for the public to scrutinise.”

He added that a Conservative councillor has commercial interests worth £millions in trade with the council “and continues to meet with senior officers responsible for areas that directly impact their business interests, these meetings often unrecorded.”

Councillor Carter added: “What residents will see is councillor Eade desperately searching for a grubby political story where none exists, while ignoring the facts and the transparency that has existed throughout.

“Councillor Healy has acted openly and in good faith, following the advice of independent governance experts, and attempts to turn this into a manufactured scandal will not distract her, or this administration from delivering on the important things for people in Telford & Wrekin.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) says on its website that councillors must register any disclosable financial interests within 28 days of taking up office.

“It is a criminal offence if you fail, without reasonable excuse, to declare or register interests to the monitoring officer,” the LGA adds.

The LDRS approached Councillor Carter and Councillor Healy to ask why wasn’t the register of interests updated to record the contracts with the council before 2024? There was no further comment.

Councillor Eade said: “For whatever reason, in answering “none” to that question between 2019 and 2024, Councillor Healy has clearly made a false and illegal declaration.

“Perhaps Councillor Carter is now suggesting that none of us now need to bother with this vital requirement to provide transparency.”