• THE New Journal once again reveals what some senior councillors want to keep secret (Town Hall’s bungle kept secret, July 27).

Residents cannot be reassured by Councillor Theo Blackwell’s reported dismissive statement that this was “unacceptable” and “rare”; £2.5million would have built some 12 to 15 new two-bedroomed flats or provided luncheon clubs for the elderly and vulnerable across the borough for a decade or provided some 150,000 hours of youth work if given to the voluntary sector.

This £2.5million does not take into account the no doubt hefty legal fees and staff time taken to reach this “settlement”.

Questions arise such as: How was the figure of £2.5million arrived at, and what was it for? Who sanctioned the payment? Was corruption or fraud involved? Were the police involved? And how, when, and why did it occur?

Councillors of all parties and residents need a thorough, independent, investigation and commitment to publish the results.

As with the Chalcots, it is only when secrecy is abandoned and replaced by promised transparency that we can rebuild trust the council. Otherwise, rumours flourish.

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