QUESTIONS have been asked as to why a long phone conversation between a town councillor and an auditor led to an unexpected invoice for Ledbury Town Council.

The matter was discussed at last week's full town council meeting in the Community Hall, when Cllr Andrew Harrison revealed that he'd had a one and a half hour conversation with the auditor, concerning the Ledbury Town Council audit.

Mr Harrison, who was chairman of the finance committee at the time, spoke to the auditor without the official permission of the town council, although Cllr Harrison said he had sent emails, seeking permission, but hadn't had a reply.

Cllr Harrison, saying he had "no wish to be adversarial", added: "I did send an email, my fourth in a week, saying, can I speak directly to the auditor?"

Cllr Harrison said he did not expect the town council to be charged, as it was charged, for the conversation he subsequently had with the auditor.

The audit had already been completed, although the town council had been seeking a meeting with the auditor.

Cllr Harrison said his conversation "was not a replacement" for that meeting, and he expected that extra costs would not be accepted without those costs "going through the council."

But deputy mayor, Cllr Elaine Fieldhouse said: "It's a foregone conclusion. If you are using up someone's work time - one and a half hours - it has to be paid by someone.

"If I speak to my solicitor for an amount of time, this will be charged to me. It's the normal run of business. It's their time."

She asked why, if the emails had not be responded to, Cllr Harrison could not "go to the town council and ask, may I go ahead and do it?"

The extra amount charged by the auditor was not revealed at the meeting.

After the meeting, Cllr Harrison gave the following statement -

He said: "I was chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee at the time.

"Full Council had passed a Resolution for the chair to add value to the internal audit by meeting with the auditor to discuss the audit.

"Three emails to the mayor over an 8 day period asking for the date of the audit visit went unanswered. All were copied to the clerk, deputy clerk and deputy mayor.
Before contacting the auditor I again emailed to ask for any objections.

"It was only when I copied the clerk and mayor into my email  to the audit firm that I received the response that the auditor had been and finished in the council office that same day.

"So the mayor and clerk either through design or omission had ensured the resolution could not be carried out. My ban from contacting the clerk directly meant I could not pop in as Cllr Fieldhouse suggested. Nor do I work twenty feet from the council office."

Cllr Harrison added: "In the email with the news that the auditor had already finished the clerk made it clear to both me and the auditor that no extra costs would be accepted without going through council. This was as it should be and my subsequent phone call to the auditor was made in that understanding.

"The phone call to they auditor was not a replacement for the meeting which council had mandated.My follow up email to the auditor, mayor and clerk made it quite clear that the clerk was to obtain quotes for any extra work.

"I recommended that the request for extra costs be rejected."