Whistle-blower Bowles in Lincs hospitals row...

The whistle-blower whose actions led to the Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council being jailed for abuse of office is back in the news.

David Bowles was Chief Exec at County Hall but was forced out by the Tories - at huge public expense after he called in the police to expose the criminality of Jim Speechley.

I'm on record as saying his reward should have been a medal - not the sack. I was a member of the "Appointments Committee" and saw first-hand the disgraceful way he was hounded out of office.

It was an absolute disgrace which piled further shame on Lincolnshire after Speechley went to jail and eventually saw Speechley's Conservative successor - Ian Croft from Bourne - banned from holding office.

I wasn't surprised when Bowles was snapped up to run Lincolnshire Hospitals - which he went on to lead into a financial surplus.

But now he's 'between jobs' again. And there's a dispute over whether he resigned or was suspended by the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust.

Determined to ask the awkward questions...

Surprised that I seem to be the only local councillor calling for more information about the cost of the mysterious sudden departure of the Chief Executive of South Kesteven District Council.

I was interviewed for the Oakham-based Oak FM last night and quoted in today's Stamford Mercury trying to get the Conservatives who run SKDC to come clean and reveal what deal has been agreed - and at what expense to the public purse.

Linda Neal, the Conservative Leader of SKDC is denying that Duncan's departure is sudden, claiming she's been speaking with him all year about him going!

But she hasn't explained why the man we paid £105,000 a year to run our district council cleared his desk on the day of a secret meeting of councillors earlier this week, and apparently biked into the sunset.

Given that I'd been hearing rumours that the Tories wanted rid of him, I find it hard to accept that he's walked - or biked - from his £105k a year job without negotiating a generous severance deal.

I'm surprised no other local councillor else seems to be speaking out in the local media - specially as the Tories in Lincolnshire have form on getting rid of chief execs (after Tory Leader of the county council Jim Speechley was jailed for abuse of office, they launched a witch-hunt to sack David Bowles. He agreed to go for a payoff of £400,000- and we're all still paying the price of Speechley...)

Given what I know about the Speechley scandal and the cover-up antics at County Hall which followed his imprisonment, I'm determined to get the the bottom of the cost of Duncan Kerr's departure.

Someone has to speak up on behalf of local taxpayers and get answers about how much Duncan's departure is costing us all...and I full intend to keep asking the awkward questions.

Watch this space.

Speechley 'whistle-blower' oversees healthy surplus for Lincs hospitals...

Good to see that Lincolnshire's hospitals have achieved financial surplus for the first time - and that one of the key figures behind the success is David Bowles who played a crucial role in the jailing of Jim Speechley, former Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council.

The Tories who ran the council never forgave Chief Executive David Bowles for insisting on high standards and eventually calling in the police to investigate Speechley's abuse of power.

Bowles should have been awarded a medal for the public service he performed as whistle-blower in exposing the Speechley scandal.

Instead, following the jailing of Speechley for abuse of office, his Tory mates took their vengeance out on Bowles - disgracefully forcing him out of his job - at a cost to Lincolnshire taxpayers of a huge £400,000 payoff and a massive pay hike to attract a new Chief Executive.

David Bowles could easily have retired into obscurity - but he was determined to continue his career in public service and is now chairman of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust which I'm please to report has just achieved a £12.5 million surplus.

The Trust has been heavily in debt for years, but under David's chairmanship, is now on course to achieve break-even over five years which will allow it to become a foundation trust free from direct government control.

As well as financial achievements, the Trust has also recently made medical advances: Clostridium difficile infections are down 41 per cent, MRSA infections down 37 per cent and waiting times for treatment, diagnosis and A&E all reduced.

It's good to see David's skills and decency appreciated rather more than they were by the Tories who run Lincolnshire County Council, as reported at the time by The Guardian.