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Ealing Council 'incompetent' after leaked email reveals £65k of IT equipment 'stolen or missing'

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date09 April 2024
Publication titleMyLondon (England)
The opening line of the email reads: "In the last six months ICT has spent over £65,000 replacing missing equipment." The massive expenditure seems not to have stemmed the problem, with the following line adding that office supplies and computer equipment were still going missing or being stolen

The email adds: "However, we now find ourselves again in a position where a lot of equipment has been moved or has been stolen. This leads to a lot of frustration and complaints from staff who come to work only to find their desks are lacking equipment."

Staff and councillors received the message on April 4. It asks employees not to remove equipment from one work area and move it to another, to inform the ICT team if anything is lost or removed, to bring all relevant equipment with them when they leave their homes and to return all council equipment if staff leave the council's employment.

The end of the email says not abiding by the guidance could result in disciplinary action. Liberal Democrat Councillor Gary Busuttil, spokesperson for finance, lays the blame for the wasted money at Labour's feet.

He said in a statement: "[The] Labour council often claims it has no money but then we find out more examples of their waste where they have lost or had stolen £65,000 of IT equipment in just the last six months.

"Liberal Democrats want to see Ealing Council run efficiently and we uncovered over £1.5m of wasted spending that we would have reallocated to making Ealing cleaner and safer and helping many vulnerable residents. It is a smack in the face that Labour pours our...

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