Friday, September 05, 2008

The cost of failure for Hasitall.......

FAILED City Treasurer Phil Hasitall is being paid off with half a million pounds after making Liverpool the worst council in the country.

Details of the record pay-off are exclusively revealed in today's Daily Post.

It means the smiling assassin Hasitall will be departing next Spring after 10 years with the city council following the Audit Commission offically ranking Liverpool as the worst council in the country for its financial mismanagement.

We wonder how much he might have got if he had done his job properly?

The hated Halsall is known for a few other things:


He is a mate of Chas Cole, promoter of the Summer Pops


He gave more than £3million of council taxpayers money to his mate Chas for the Summer Pops, breaking all council procurement rules

He went on holiday to New York with his mate Chas and his other mate, the rottweiller Dr David McElhinney while signing the fat cheques for Chas

  • He went to the same school in Southport with his mate Chas and Colin Cover Up - talk about the old school tie!
  • His mate Chas gave Hasitall's son Liam a slot for his band 'Abe' as support to Status Quo at the Summer Pops - the band have since sunk without trace
  • The cost of The 08 Place spiralled half a million pounds over budget, after his mate Chas got special treatment for his office inside from Hasitall's other mate, the rottweiller McElhinney

  • His mate Chas got free parking from the city council at a cost of £19,000 - Hasitall authorised this
  • Hasitall allowed The Harbarrowboy to waste millions on Capital of Culture cock-ups and then went cap in hand to the Government begging to be bailed out

  • Hasitall has spent the last three years leaking like crazy against Colin Cover Up and Fireman Bradley after unsurprisingly failing to get Henshaw's job

Hasitall was, of course, a fully signed-up member of the evil cabal with Sir Diddy and the Rottweiller. Their major claim to fame, of course, was their corruption, dishonesty and cowardice.

An avid Daily Torygraph reader, Hasitall distinguished himself at the city council by putting his personal greed above all else.

But he did provide some lighter moments - Hasitall's two most memorable public appearances were:

1) Telling Mick Ord at Radio Merseyside how, thanks to Hasitall and McElhinney, city council staff were now going to get preferential treatment for tickets for the first Paul McCartney gig at Kings Dock - and then being slightly bemused when a firestorm of protest erupted

2) His now legendary TV interview with the saintly Gordon Burns on BBC North West Tonight earlier this year when the £230,000-a-year Hasitall was questioned about the council being the worst in the country for financial stewardship.

(This landmark interview is now being replayed by PR companies all over the North West as a classic example of how not to do a TV interview - Hasitall was rude, arrogant, dishonest and seemingly extremely put out that somone of his seniority and obvious intelligence was being held to account for his record as a senior council officer and why should he even deign to answer silly, stupid and ridiculous questions from a mere TV reporter who clearly didn't understand anything at all about figures and after all what was it to do with him anyway? I'm not fucking accountable to him or the great unwashed in Garston sitting at home watching the telly with their egg and chips on their laps waiting for Eastenders to start, I'm fucking accountable to that other dick-head Bradley and his stupid side-kick Hilton who are as bad as each other and I can pull the wool over their eyes any day of the week, anyway I would rather be on the golf course than sitting in a stupid fucking cupboard on Paradise Street talking to some idiot in a fucking studio in Manchester.)

Sort of thing.

Meanwhile Labour, for entirely understandable reasons, have been concentrating their attack over the council's financial failures soley on the Lib Dims.

In order to reap the obvious benefits, Joe Anderson has sought to extricate Hasitall of all responsibility, while pinning it more firmly on the back of Bradley et al.

Which is fine, but not the whole truth.

Hasitall is just as complicit in taking the city council to the brink of bankruptcy as the incompetent Lib Dims.

And now he has got his reward - half a million pounds of council taxpayer's money.

It is they who will now be picking up the tab for his failures for many more years to come.

While Hasitall lives up to his name.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is incredible, you know

Anonymous said...

Half a million quid is just enough to hire a mechanical spider for a day

Anonymous said...

Incredible it took so long, you mean!

Anonymous said...

if i cocked up in my job as he has i would be sacked for gross misconduct. one rule for the workers another for the evil cabal. all council tax payers should protest NOW not next spring when cuts will again be made to services to pay for this blundering idiots pay off!!

Anonymous said...

To Mr Stoneycroft
Well you could complain to Fireman Bradley or CoverUp, but they wouldn't do anything about it and would probably issue a statement to thre craven Echo slagging off home helps for being overpaid, lazy bastards - this IS Liverpool after all, were the truth is routinely stood on its head by the council!
But you might drop Joe Anderson a line, even though it had nothing to do with him, to tell him about your feelings, as he is likely to be in charge in the not too distant future and the only one likely to do anything at all about it. joe.anderson@liverpool.gov.uk

Anonymous said...

Now now, isn't Fill Holdall worth it for all he has done to publicise the city getting us national media recognition?

What's another 500k between friends? The council would only waste it on respite care for people with dementia or Home Care workers or something like that and this causes cash flow problems for the Undertakers.

Fills life style doesn't come cheap you know, where as all those old buggers need is a cardigan,a piece of toast now and then and coronation street. while Fill has to travel abroad, keep up with his golf and wine and dine regularly with his friends. Have you not heard of the credibility crunch? Lay off the poor man.

Anonymous said...

How strange that Charlie Parker joined Enterprise as well after awarding them £180Million of contracts during the preceding 10 years.

McIlhinney joined BT of course after he set up the Liverpool Direct joint venture first.

Anonymous said...

And no-one does a single thing about it IN MY CITY! Makes me sick.

Anonymous said...

The Boy Wonder is our only hope - but I fear some national broadsheet is going to pinch him very soon.

Anonymous said...

What sort of replacement are we going to get and whose mate will he/she/it be?

Sadly, I am sure we will have another round of the same lying, cheating corruption whoever is appointed.

Does anyone know where Hasitall is going to?

Also, anyone know how to get rid of cover-up?

Anonymous said...

Well, there are a number of choices for Hasitall...
1) he can get a job with Chas, sorting out the millions he has helped him bank from the Summer Pops in some tax-free offshore trust account
2) he can join the 'jobs for the boys' trail to Enterprise (most likely)
3) he can play golf all the time and live off the interest on his pay-off
4) he can get a job with Sir Diddy, looking after patients in our NHS
5) he can get a job with BT through the 'good' offices of the rottweiller.
6) he can become the manager of 'Abe' and try and get them a second gig - perhaps as the star turn at the 2012 London Olympics?
But whatever happens, as sure as eggs is eggs, you can bet someone will be looking after c***s like him...

Anonymous said...

Whilst all this has been going on don't you realise our council leader, Mr Badly, has been moving heaven and earth to keep both football clubs afloat, fight Tesco, bring L1 on stream on time and within budget, deliver the Echo to the people of Liverpool, sorry I meant the Arena on time, organise the Mathew St festival, organise the World Firefighter Games. Take onboard the decision to move the Post Office from Copperas Hill. Then sort out the Zimbabwe election, I mean council election. Then find the time to put on his firemans uniform and go to work. As he says you can't get the staff now days...Its all about sustainable jobs coming into the city. Investment in empty apartments and he built the cruise liner bollards. When the spider disappears into the Mersey Tunnel he will reveal how he single handed sorted that problem out. Thats what its all about folks local democracy in action and it all comes at a cost!

Anonymous said...

I was rather hoping he might be off to prison...

Anonymous said...

It's a good job we have the blog to get our news. I won't be reading any of the so-called "Boy Wonder's" papers when they are printed in Manchester.

I reckon the Echo has done more to hinder Liverpool's progress than anyone listed in here anyway.

Brave enough to post this without editing it, Moderator? I doubt it...

Tori Blare said...

Hasitall will be joining the big bosses who steal all Liverpool's work, Enterprise, he will be seconded for 6 months then a job will suddenly appear that he will be placed in.
We have not heard the last of him, he will still steal my money and yours.
If I fucked up on my job I would be sacked!
This is appauling beyond belief.

Anonymous said...

I am astonished (although I suppose I shouldn't be), that there isn't any official body willing to hold these people accoutable for their actions and give them consequences...

I am very grateful to the people here who are willing to stand up against them and tell the truth about what really happens.

Something really needs to be done!

Anonymous said...

Be careful chaps - Halsall has gone spare about this.

Anonymous said...

Hilarious that the Craven Echo is now begging for our loyalty when it moves to Oldham when it has let this City down so badly in the past.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/09/09/echo-editor-we-re-committed-to-this-city-100252-21709088/

Goodbye and good riddance Trinity Mirror

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the 'heads up' :)

Perhaps he has not heard of this...

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides the right to freedom of expression...

“ Article 10 – Freedom of expression1
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.

Anonymous said...

As per Lord Denning, there is a “public interest that the truth should out”.

Anonymous said...

Plus, it's bloody funny!

Anonymous said...

Well, unless you're Halsall, Henshaw, McElhinney or Chas Cole, obviously.

By the way. Whatever happened to Louise Gray?

I think we should be told!

Anonymous said...

The coverage in the Telegraph and the Mail will certainly not go into the cv.

Do you think he will change newspapers?

Anonymous said...

This must give Tony great pleasure to see....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2689263/Council-finance-chief-Phil-Halsall-to-leave-with-500000-golden-handshake.html

Council finance chief Phil Halsall to leave with £500,000 golden handshake

A city's director of finance is to depart the local authority with a £500,000 golden handshake.

By Nigel Bunyan
Last Updated: 5:54PM BST 05 Sep 2008

Phil Halsall, 50, who earns £180,000 a year with Liverpool City Council, will be seconded to one of the city's joint venture partners, Enterprise plc, in October before taking early retirement in April next year.

When he does so he will receive an extra five years' enhancement on his pension package - worth around £420,000 - and a lump sum of £80,000.

The deal includes a gagging clause, which precludes Mr Halsall or the council talking about its terms.

It is understood that the council would have been forced to increase Mr Halsall's pension pot, if he had been made redundant instead of taking early retirement.

He is the second senior official this year to agree a high-profile severance package with the council. Jason Harborow, formerly chief executive of the Liverpool Culture Company, secured a £230,000 pay-off in January.

Mr Halsall is the last survivor of the team put together by Liverpool's former chief executive Sir David Henshaw, who departed in 2006 with a £340,000 pay-off after his public falling out with former Liberal Democrat council leader Mike Storey.

Mr Halsall's long-term future came into question earlier this year when the city's current chief executive, Colin Hilton, decided to restructure the top tier of council management.

The finance director was the last survivor of the inner circle of executives appointed by Sir David, known to critics as "the cabal", and his departure would mark the end of the former regime.

Mr Hilton will now take on some of the financial responsibilities, while Mr Halsall's second-in-command Robert Corbett will also be given extra roles.

The Labour opposition leader, Joe Anderson, said giving the chief executive more financial power was like "asking a painter-decorator to do your electrics: you usually live to regret it".

He claimed Mr Halsall was paying the price for raising questions about an old row with Mr Storey.

"As far as I am concerned he is being scapegoated," said Mr Anderson. "We can ill-afford to be paying out this money at this time.

"At a time when we have been criticised about the financial capability of the council in relation to how we perform, we should not be cutting our capacity."

Liverpool City Council declined to comment on Mr Halsall's pay-out.

"We do not discuss matters involving individual members of staff," said a spokesman.

Anonymous said...

and this......

Council finance boss gets £500,000 golden handshake despite running Britain's 'worst' department

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:45 AM on 06th September 2008

The council said to be England's worst has agreed a £500,000 golden handshake for its finance chief.

In a deal critics described as 'a reward for failure', Liverpool City Council's director of finance Phil Halsall, 50, will receive a lump sum of £80,000 when he takes early retirement in April.

The authority has also agreed to enhance his pension by five years, worth another £420,000.

The pay-off to the £180,000-a-year executive comes months after the Audit Commission said Liverpool was the worst financially managed authority in England.

It brings to more than £1million the packages awarded to just three senior bureaucrats since a falling-out between its Liberal Democrat leader and its chief executive two years ago.

Last night a TaxPayers' Alliance spokesman said: 'This is a massive payout for a director who has presided over shambolic finances at the council

'This is nothing but a reward for failure and an insult to hard-pressed taxpayers who foot the bill.'

Mr Halsall was among the inner circle of Liverpool City Council's former chief executive Sir David Henshaw, who left in 2006 with a £340,000 pay-off after falling out with council leader Mike Storey.

Another member, Jason Harborow, in charge of organising the city's year as Capital of Culture, left in January with a £230,000 settlement.

Joe Anderson, leader of the council's Labour group, said Mr Halsall had been made 'a scapegoat' in the clash involving Sir David.


Last night, Cllr Anderson said: 'At a time when we have been criticised about the financial capability of the council in relation to how we perform, we should not be cutting our capacity.'

He said giving the chief executive more financial power was like 'asking a painter-decorator to do your electrics. You usually live to regret it.

'As far as I am concerned he is being scapegoated for having raised questions about the HenshawZStorey fall-out. I think he is being punished for that.

'The Lib-Dems bear full responsibility for the financial decisions that were made. The decisions that were taken around finances were taken politically.

'We can ill-afford to be paying out this money at this time. We do not discuss matters involving individual members of staff.'

Here's what readers have had to say so far.

Blunkett says there'll be no money to pay ordinary workers' pensions. How much longer are we going to put up with this preferential treatment of the incompetent public sector?

- Ben, Birmingham, UK, 5/9/2008 16:00


Welcome to nu labour Britain, where total incompetence and failure is more handsomely rewarded than hard work! Why was he ever employed?

- David West, Petts Wood, Kent, England, 5/9/2008 16:06


The proper word for this is: 'CORRUPTION'.

- J Anders, Wallasey, 5/9/2008 16:13


Surprise, surprise!

Why do you think you pay so much council tax?

- Harry, uk, 5/9/2008 16:15


This is the way to spend our council tax. He certainly got his own finances sorted.

- Dab, Cambs, England, 5/9/2008 16:19


This country rewards failure, so I don't see the problem.

- Mr Black, London, England, 5/9/2008 16:25


I think the UK has gone stark raving bonkers!! You even get rewarded if you fail. I wish someone would top up our pensions. No such luck - we worked hard and were too honest so tough.

- Margaret, France, 5/9/2008 16:29


Typical,make a hash and get mega bucks.

- baz, south normanton derbys., 5/9/2008 16:39


over inflated wages and over inflated egos seem to be the norm in the civil service, plus a reward for failure, and he can probably expect a mention in the new years honours list just for good measure, makes one proud to be British.

- Oliver s (ex-pat), Netherlands, 5/9/2008 16:43


Might well the man smile..This payout absolutely stinks...Some person or persons had to approve this...Self interest is at work...It means that come another redundancy the person or persons will themselves be able to use this example to enhance their redundancy however inept they may have been...I bet the man is toasting his colleagues and grinning at there stupidity..

- Filmex, London, 5/9/2008 16:52


This is what happens in NuLabour's NuBritain - abject failure is rewarded handsomely.

- William J, Plymouth UK, 5/9/2008 17:14


"The deal, which includes a gagging clause, precludes Mr Halsall or the council talking about its terms."

I believe this statement to run counter to Local Government rules. I would recommend that a Liverpool council taxpayer challenge the Auditors to this effect. Mr Halsall need then say nothing. The inquirer may publish.

- michael, brightlingsea, england, 5/9/2008 17:26


Another parasite who will pocket our money. Have these thieves no shame?

- David Jessop, Newcastle, UK, 5/9/2008 17:31


how are these sorts of payments justified, when they involve public money?

- Isabelle, London, 5/9/2008 17:31


Why is it that incompetent people who work at management level always get a huge golden handshake? Worse still, why does the tax payer have to pick up the bill?
I thought there were enough 'snouts in the trough' at the national government level; now it seems it is happening at the town/city level.

- Stuart A expat, Simpsonville USA, 5/9/2008 17:31


It is no wonder I left that inept, corrupt incompetant country called the United Kingdom. From the top down, that includes Brown and all CEO's; through councils, judicury, police force. Not forgetting the feral street brats and the low life parents who breed them.......!!!

- Howard Sutcliffe, Estepona Spain, 5/9/2008 17:36


How come members of local councils can get more money than the prime minister, who
is in charge of this fiasco, Oldham council leader is supposed to be on £155,000 PA.
whilst the old town hall having been empty for about 30 years or more, is now in a state
of severe dilaplidation, pavements on Union st, are an absolute disgrace, and yet someone can sanction a salary plus massive pension, out of ratepayers council taxes,
heads should roll, a councillor used to to do it for the benefit of the town, now it's become one of the best part time jobs going, and funnily enough these really nice people
suddenly become little hitlers,

- frank shaw, oldham, 5/9/2008 17:52


Don't you just love these jobsworth's in local council's , can't do the job,(this council
is labeled as one of the worst in the Country) but still gets a mega payout.
This is occuring in councils up and down the Country, makes you want say few
choice words! ! !.

- Barbara, Bolton .England., 5/9/2008 17:56


Nothing new here then

- Nibs, Glamorgan, 5/9/2008 17:57


These people are worse than PIMPS.
How can they command so much of the publics purse, when so much is going wrong with our local councils.

Even if they were the best run councils in the land, they still don't deserve such high wages and pensions. Its so unfair to the ordinary person.

These authorities are not privately owned, high profit making successful businesses, they are supposed to be a public service.

- Don, UK, 5/9/2008 18:01


He vigorously defends his own record ! Really ! This guy has made such a hash of Liverpools finances, that he should be refunding some of his salary to the Council, not getting a pay-off.

- mike, usa expat, 5/9/2008 18:09


Not bad but clearly not as lucrative as a spell in the Met.

- Dr Melvin T Gray, huddersfield uk, 5/9/2008 18:21


Don't worry - it's only taxpayers' money. The elderly, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged taxpayer would only waste this money on food or fuel costs if it was not given to council employees.

- howardinmk, Milton keynes, 5/9/2008 21:23


Sick. Should be tried for misfeasance in public office.

- David Hearn, Oxford, 6/9/2008 0:16


normal for public sector

- terry sullivan, morden england, 6/9/2008 4:33


Life sounds pretty good for the parasites on this runaway gravy train.

- Ian, Winchester, 6/9/2008 6:01


These scum will not stop until they have bleed us dry. Reward failure and incompetence, for as long as they are labour.

- Simon T., Bucks, 6/9/2008 6:32


Our children and grandchildren will have to pay for this type of Buggins turn payoffs for many years to come. These mediocre council bosses would not get senior jobs in the what they call the private sector (i.e. the real economy), but they really milk the system in local councils by rewarding eachother in this way.

Because the whole public sector is infected by this help yourself attitude in the upper echelons the poor tax payer is unable to stop them; but lets call it for what it truly is i.e. corrruption. And lets hope the tide has turned against them, by starting with the naming and shaming...well done the Daily Mail and Private Eye.

- S.McDonald, Cambridge, 6/9/2008 6:44


How come he can retire at 50 while private sector workers have to soldier on into their 70s?

- Kevin, Workington, Cumbria, 6/9/2008 7:08


And now I suppose he will go around doing interim managing in other councils and getting anywhere up to £500 per day - lucky for some!.

- Tracey, Tonbridge, Kent, 6/9/2008 7:37


Well done, why this Labour shower put so much emphasis on us all being winners is beyond me, here is one of life's failures and look how well rewarded he has been.
This is an outrage

- MARSHFIELD, Salisbury UK, 6/9/2008 7:47


WE say that MP,s are the pigs in the Trough but Council Officials are indeed the most over paid over supported people around, and they are there normally for there for their working life. Its an absolute travesty . These officials are able to swan off on jollys all over the world,are given courses of whatever comes to mind from "navel gazeiing to "how to create more unproductive useless job positions" for the jobsworths. All senior positions are on six figure salarys with inflation proofed salary, cars and six weeks min holiday a year. Who can stop it? Cameron this is an opportunoty for you!

- peter french, farnham england, 6/9/2008 8:17


Do a good job and earn £500k in four years or act with hideous folly and have a merry old time earning £500K within the year. What does it matter to the council? This money would have been wasted on some absurd project anyway; there is always more money to be squeezed from the public. 'celebrate good times...' Halsall is clearly have a wonderful time; public? what public - 'oh...that riff rafff' HA ha ha ceeeleeeebrate good times...come on....everyone...ceeeleeebrate good times!!!'

- Ben, Durham, 6/9/2008 8:32


When oh when will people like this be given a boot out of their jobs without being given a golden handshake that is worth more than most people earn for doing a job well and retiring at the usual age?
Why do the useless get promoted out of the way while those who are capable slog?

- sandra, alicante+spain, 6/9/2008 8:55

Anonymous said...

Of course the real disgrace is that whilst he officailly leaves in April, because he had such a high up position and was privy to all manner of things, the council are now paying him to sit at home doing nothing. If they're paying him he can fucking well don an overall and help clean the streets

Anonymous said...

I like that... "they're paying him to sit at home doing nothing".

Can't be much different from what he did in work then!

Anonymous said...

In a recent news item, the inspirational President Obama came out with a real gem...

"What gets people upset - and rightly so, is executives being rewarded for failure".

Seems particularly apt here!

How the council use Ripa to spy on you....


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