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Clear as mud

22/4/2017

9 Comments

 
PictureCr Les Larke
By Catherine Watson
April 23, 2017
 
A COUNCILLOR’S relentless campaign for “transparency” hit the wall at Wednesday night’s council meeting when his eight fellow councillors told him “Enough!”

​Cr Les Larke raised three notices of motion. The first motion called for the CEO to explain "in plain English" the council’s financial position, but the motions themselves ran to many hundreds of words, few of them in plain English. They are impossible to paraphrase so they are reproduced in full on the right.


The first motion lapsed because Cr Larke couldn’t find a seconder; the second and third were seconded but defeated eight to one.
 
Cr Stephen Fullarton seconded the second motion then conceded “I don’t understand every word of my colleague’s motion” and voted against it.

​Like most people, I haven’t got a clue what Cr Larke is on about in his motions but, as a member of a trade that values clear writing, I suspect he is subjecting councillors, ratepayers and residents to a torrent of gobbledygook designed to numb the brain into acquiescence.

​The gist of his argument is that the council’s accounting practices conceal an operating deficit of $31 million over the past five years. He has come close to accusing senior financial officers of cooking the books, and been forced to apologise for it.

 
Most of Cr Larke's fellow councillors initially supported him, passing several such motions in previous meetings. But they are increasingly sceptical about his claims that the council is in a perilous financial situation and frustrated by the time taken to deal with his concerns when there are other more important matters to attend to.
 
Last month he stormed out of a private council meeting after his fellow councillors declined to support a measure he was advocating. He later indicated his intention to resign from several council committees but did not proceed with the threat.
 
As Cr Larke frequently points out, he is a certified practising accountant of CPA Australia, and the lone one on the council. Arguing with him on accrual accounting and adjusted underlying results is like trying to argue with a used car salesman about gear ratios and differentials. You can’t win.
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But if he is right about the council’s underlying position, then every other council and every auditor general in Australia is wrong.
 
In response to his concerns, the council recently invited the Victorian Auditor General to send a representative to meet with council. The VGO rep advised that the council accounts had received an unqualified sign-off. The council's independent audit committee has also approved the accounts. 
 
One of the big differences between accounting of private and public organisations is the way income and expenditure are spread over the year. As Cr Geoff Ellis put it, “You can interpret the figures to say that we make a big profit around September/October then slowly go broke over the rest of the year."
 
The other difference is that private companies hate to spend money on non-income-producing assets while councils spend our money to build public infrastructure that is valued by the community.
 
On Wednesday night, Cr Bruce Kent said he objected to the wording of the Cr Larke’s motions, which begin “In the interests of transparency …”. “The community will look at this and if we vote no, they will say we are voting no to transparency,” said Cr Kent. 
 
Cr Michael Whelan said the motions were worded to wedge councillors. “As soon as one thing is addressed, Cr Larke slightly changes tack. I will oppose any more of these motions that come up on an ad hoc basis unless we can see an overall plan.”
 
He said Cr Larke had a history of harassing financial staff to such an extent that it was difficult for them to do their job. “Governance isn’t about nit-picking the fine detail of a professional officer’s work. It’s about setting the policy direction, ensuring that our confidence and trust are well placed and giving them room to do their work.”
 
Cr Larke responded that his notices of motion implied no criticism of financial staff. “They are very professional people.”
 
Asked by the Post if he felt his colleagues had lost confidence in him, Cr Larke responded: “These were minor setbacks in my best endeavours to have a high level of governance, performance and accountability including financial transparency …
 
Undaunted by these "minor setbacks", he said he planned to propose another financial measure at next Wednesday’s special meeting, “to further reform Council's Strategic Resource Plan, Budget and financial sustainability”. He expected it would also be defeated. “However, I will continue my quest for reform of council's finances in my capacity as the only professional member (within council) of a peak Australian accounting body and commitment to our community.”
 
Cr Larke was the Bass Coast Ratepayers and Residents Association’s (BCRRA) number one pick for the Bunurong Ward in the 2016 council election. Members of the association, including its president, Kevin Griffin, lobbied councillors to support the notices of motion and were present for Wednesday night’s meeting.
 
Mr Griffin has been labelled “the tenth councillor” for the prominent role he assumes at council meetings. Having achieved the council he wanted, however, he is finding some of the councillors the BCRRA backed in the election less malleable than he might have hoped.
 
Earlier, during public question time, Mr Griffin asked the council CEO, Paul Buckley, whether he would “advise the community as to whether or not he has expressed any interest in, or made any application toward being considered for any position within the Latrobe Valley Authority”.
 
A clearly annoyed Mr Buckley responded with a blunt and ambiguous “No”. When Mr Griffin attempted to question him further, Cr Bruce Kent rebuked him for the rudeness of his question and called for an end to hostilities.
 
The Post sought to speak with Mr Griffin but he did not respond. 
9 Comments
Frank Schooneveldt
23/4/2017 08:39:25 am

Thank you Catherine for this enlightened report.
I have read the Councils Strategic Resource Plan (SRP) and next years Budget that was released on Friday afternoon.
These are impressive documents and I offer my congratulations to all involved.
The Budget appears to be framed on a conservative basis and we appear to have scope to build more infrastructure like cultural centers and swimming pools.
The Council's finances are in good shape.
We all need to work together for the greater good of the Bass Coast.
Cheers
Frank Schooneveldt

Reply
Nola Smith
23/4/2017 10:16:15 am

Thankyou Catherine for the information re Councillors. As a resident of Bunurong, I was disappointed with the last council election result. My fears are being realised. We could have ben represented by many more enlightened people rather than a time waster. Cr Larke might be a man of many words but didn't even bother to auto acknowledge an email I sent him, let alone make a reply. We need positive people who want to make a genuine contribution to the shire.

Reply
Cr Geoff Ellis (Western Port Ward)
23/4/2017 10:39:58 am

Nola, I understand that every email and every issue is important and I can personally vouch for the tireless effort that Cr Larke has put into following up people's concerns and ideas. He has been a role model in this area.

I can also personally attest to the high volume of emails that are received by your representatives.

I know I haven't replied to all the emails sent to me, for various reasons, one of which is the time required for a worthy reply. I do read them all and trust that the senders know that I treat them on their merits and action them accordingly.

I also would like to point out that general enquiries can be made to basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au and these will be passed on to Councillors when appropriate.

Reply
Maddy Harford
23/4/2017 12:20:59 pm

Geoff

I think what Nola has suggested is that, if the volume of e-correspondence is high, then a polite way to deal with this is in the first instance, to set up an 'auto response' that, at the very least, acknowledges receipt.

I certainly don't see Cr Larke as a positive model of any aspects of the role of councillor. He has been unremittingly negative about community development and seemingly obsessed with the minutiae of numbers, persisting even in the face of acknowledged authority on the subject.

Geoff Ellis
23/4/2017 10:20:54 am

I am glad to read Mr Schooneveldt's positive feedback.

I value the results of informed scrutiny and I encourage all members of the community to offer feedback on matters that they feel might be of importance.

I totally agree that "We all need to work together for the greater good of the Bass Coast".

Reply
Maddy Harford
23/4/2017 12:28:57 pm

Thank you Catherine. This made excellent reading!

I had a conversation with Cr Larke during the campaign and, like Nola, I was disappointed to see that my fears about his approach to the role of councillor were realised from the 'get go'.

Reply
Julie Tyrrell
23/4/2017 07:02:35 pm

If Cr Larke is so concerned (obsessed) about financial transparency, maybe he should consider resigning from his current role as Councillor. Sooner rather than later. Much time and money would be saved. Or, he might like to consider that he's not really value for money, at all. His role is as a municipal Councillor and his duties are to represent the residents and ratepayers of Bunurong ward. It seems Cr Larke prefers to be an unofficial representative of the CPA and loves to grandstand his knowledge of financial matters. I note that Cr Larke signs letters with his CPA credentials, followed by his Cr title. No man can serve two masters, and I'm sick of my rates funding a pedantic and myopic councillor.

Reply
Warren Nichols
23/4/2017 08:41:31 pm

I believe it's about time that Cr Larke ought understand his role as a Councillor. He is elected to represent his constituents and not unlike any member of a board is there on Council, in conjunction with his elected colleagues, to set and monitor strategic direction.
It certainly is not his role to "harass financial staff", as reported, and be involved in financial detail.
In fact he ought not approach Council staff other than those whom the CEO permits.

Reply
Yvonne McRae
5/5/2017 01:02:50 pm

Cr. Les Larke's spiel re the budget would lose most people the will to live. A 'transformational approach'? Perhaps with Cr. Larke interested in the Wonthaggi Cemetery ratepayers bored to death by his ramblings and goobledegook could get a 'cut-price' plot?

Reply



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