shlomo Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/bradford-council-boss-doctored-bank-19507745 A former contracts and procurement manager with Bradford Council has avoided an immediate jail sentence after he stole over £11,000. Bradford Crown Court heard today (Tues) that Simon Jackson, 37, persuaded a waste removal firm to make payments for scrap metal into his own personal bank account, but he was suspended from his post in April last year after concerns were raised about his behaviour and conduct. Prosecutor Ken Green said a financial investigation was carried out and it was found that Jackson, of Shaw Lane, Headingley, Leeds, had fraudulently obtained £11,134 in up to 10 transactions with the waste firm. “The money went into his current account, but was then transferred into his savings account,” said Mr Green. Father-of-two Jackson also submitted a false expenses claim for £423 and “doctored” one of his own bank statements to falsely show that he had £550,000 in his account so he could try and purchase a £450,000 house in Barnsley. Jackson, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty before magistrates earlier this month to six charges under the Fraud Act and today the Recorder of Bradford Judge Richard Mansell QC sentenced him to 16 months in prison suspended for a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTINX9 Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 What is perhaps more shocking is that there is a house that costs £450,000 in Burnley! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notting Hell Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Why would you even try to buy a £450,000 house in Barnsley? Far too cheap for the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop321 Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 What is perhaps more shocking is that there is a house that costs £450,000 in Burnley! Burnley? Burnley/Barnsley. Its like Lincoln/London...all the same place if you live further than 10 miles away .😆😆🤦🏻♂️ Yorkshire, even West Yorkshire can be quite a nice little spot. I guess a nice one bedder in Mayfair over a shop might be better, I see the appeal because you can earn 30% more in a HR or marketing role than up north. Plus more coffee shops and cinemas...worth every penny, if you don’t like fresh air and runs across the hills.😆😉 Barnsley Road, Silkstone, Barnsley https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72368022.html Maddox Street, London, W1S https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-97702739.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotblack42 Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Sounds like he's become a bit unhinged TBH. But also exposes extraordinarily weak financial governance. These acts would be impossible at any of the financial institutions I've worked for. Maybe 30 years ago.. You don't rely on people 'noticing' FFS. You have robust, preventative procedures in place. This is public money held in trust on their behalf. Its very tiresome for Firms to jump through hoops mandated by the public sector, only to learn that they are not themselves held to account to the same degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTINX9 Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Sounds like he's become a bit unhinged TBH. But also exposes extraordinarily weak financial governance. These acts would be impossible at any of the financial institutions I've worked for. Maybe 30 years ago.. You don't rely on people 'noticing' FFS. You have robust, preventative procedures in place. This is public money held in trust on their behalf. Its very tiresome for Firms to jump through hoops mandated by the public sector, only to learn that they are not themselves held to account to the same degree. One of the disadvantages of automation - its online and instantaneous and on a screen. It’s a lot easier to commit fraud if you have weak management than the old world of invoices in the post only payable to the company named. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24gray24 Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 It'seems normal for government employees to turn public assets into their own pockets by writing equipment off and then pocketing it. He merely infringed on the pecking order of who gets to take what is my guess. If they went back 10 years, they'd find huge quantities of such equipment being written off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NobodyInParticular Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Burnley? Burnley/Barnsley. Its like Lincoln/London...all the same place if you live further than 10 miles away .😆😆🤦🏻♂️ Yorkshire, even West Yorkshire can be quite a nice little spot. Barnsley isn't in West Yorks, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NobodyInParticular Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 It'seems normal for government employees to turn public assets into their own pockets by writing equipment off and then pocketing it. No. It's very unusual. That's why it makes the news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NobodyInParticular Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) Sounds like he's become a bit unhinged TBH. But also exposes extraordinarily weak financial governance. These acts would be impossible at any of the financial institutions I've worked for. Maybe 30 years ago.. You don't rely on people 'noticing' FFS. You have robust, preventative procedures in place. This is public money held in trust on their behalf. Its very tiresome for Firms to jump through hoops mandated by the public sector, only to learn that they are not themselves held to account to the same degree. If it was going into his personal bank account it wouldn't be hard to keep it hidden. It happens in private companies too (on the basis that it also makes the news from time-to-time). Financial controls in the public sector when it actually goes through the main accounting processes is pretty tight, based on my experience of having to work with it to get money from a council and knowing accounts working for them. However, this person needs much more in the way in sanctions than they seem to be receiving. If it had been an 'oik' stealing £11k they'd be in prison or at least doing community service for years. Edited December 27, 2020 by NobodyInParticular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop321 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Barnsley isn't in West Yorks, though. Didn’t say it t’was. New sentence. Understand the inference though. Lincoln is London though. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowMuch! Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 No. It's very unusual. That's why it makes the news. Happens all the time, all the experiences I've had end up with the local authority just not giving evidence to the investigating body until it gets swept under the carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonguest Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) It's sad that the whole HPI phenomenon has infected peoples thought processes to the point that people feel indifferent to resorting to criminal activity, risking everything, just to get the biggest house/property they can possibly afford with little/no regard for how they will ensure they will be able to maintain/keep up with mortgage payments till the end of the usual/customary25 year term - because never ending HPI greater than real wage growth means that they'll be able to cash in on profits long before then, and in the meantime enjoy a nice house/tandard of living that is technically beyond their means. Edited December 27, 2020 by anonguest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 because never ending HPI greater than real wage growth This is the only real way to better your economic circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonguest Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 This is the only real way to better your economic circumstances. So long as TPTB sanction/permit an economic system wherein HPI consistently exceeds real wage growth. It wasn't always this way is what people have lost sight off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) So long as TPTB sanction/permit an economic system wherein HPI consistently exceeds real wage growth. It wasn't always this way is what people have lost sight off. They are not sanctioning it, it is the only game left in town, when it ends our economy will implode. Edited December 27, 2020 by shlomo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonguest Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) They are not sanctioning it, it is the only game left in town, when it ends our economy will implode. What are you smoking?! HPI in excess of wage growth has been de facto economic policy by governments/central banks for a decade plus. Silmilar applies to the stockmarkets. In fact central banks are hardly making any effort lately to disguise their belief in the need to keep asset prices elevated at all costs! Edited December 27, 2020 by anonguest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 What are you smoking?! HPI in excess of wage growth has been de facto economic policy by governments/central banks for a decade plus. Silmilar applies to the stockmarkets. In fact central banks are hardly making any effort lately to disguise their belief in the need to keep asset prices elevated at all costs! OK, what should we base our standard of living on, resources, manufacturing ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonguest Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 OK, what should we base our standard of living on, resources, manufacturing ? Who's talking about measuring standard of living? We're talking, here, about why some people feel compelled to resort to seemingly desparate measures to buy property bigger than they can realistically afford - which, as you correctly identified, is in part because people can see that IF they do not 'cheat' to buy a property it will eventually become completely out of their reach - as wages inexorably failt to keep pace with HPI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 Who's talking about measuring standard of living? We're talking, here, about why some people feel compelled to resort to seemingly desparate measures to buy property bigger than they can realistically afford - which, as you correctly identified, is in part because people can see that IF they do not 'cheat' to buy a property it will eventually become completely out of their reach - as wages inexorably failt to keep pace with HPI. HPI seems to be the only game in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonguest Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 HPI seems to be the only game in town. You seem to be repeating yourself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 You seem to be repeating yourself! If you ask me the same question over and over again what do you accept House prices will crash now only because they went ridiculously high Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiltedjen Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Who's talking about measuring standard of living? We're talking, here, about why some people feel compelled to resort to seemingly desparate measures to buy property bigger than they can realistically afford - which, as you correctly identified, is in part because people can see that IF they do not 'cheat' to buy a property it will eventually become completely out of their reach - as wages inexorably failt to keep pace with HPI. or in a world where you can get insane leverage on an asset which is always inflated by government policies and not allowed to crash, it makes sense to max out what you can afford. most people calculate if they buy a 6 bed house, they get the use of a 6 bed house for years, then can downsize to a 4 bed for free and bank the HPI. i didnt go down that route i went for big enough and get rid of the mortgage ASAP, as i want low stress, but if you dont mind mahoosive mortgage and have a long term game plan then maxing out can make sense. it doesnt make it right, not at all, but thats the game if you choose to play it or not its also why house prices are very compressed, its pretty much a universal £ per Meter, all compressed around average house prices, and then every additional meter doesn't cost the same £, as its not about the underlying asset or £ per M but a function of borrowing thats just a sign of houses always hovering around the maximum borrowing of the average income give or take. And why if you are single, or earn little you are pretty much locked out of a decent house by couples or the rest of the populace. equally inflation etc over 20 years basically pays the mortgage for you, people buy a house at whatever insane income multiple today, knowing that in 20 years time the mortgage will only cost 1 years income to pay off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shlomo Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) or in a world where you can get insane leverage on an asset which is always inflated by government policies and not allowed to crash, it makes sense to max out what you can afford. most people calculate if they buy a 6 bed house, they get the use of a 6 bed house for years, then can downsize to a 4 bed for free and bank the HPI. i didnt go down that route i went for big enough and get rid of the mortgage ASAP, as i want low stress, but if you dont mind mahoosive mortgage and have a long term game plan then maxing out can make sense. it doesnt make it right, not at all, but thats the game if you choose to play it or not its also why house prices are very compressed, its pretty much a universal £ per Meter, all compressed around average house prices, and then every additional meter doesn't cost the same £, as its not about the underlying asset or £ per M but a function of borrowing thats just a sign of houses always hovering around the maximum borrowing of the average income give or take. And why if you are single, or earn little you are pretty much locked out of a decent house by couples or the rest of the populace. equally inflation etc over 20 years basically pays the mortgage for you, people buy a house at whatever insane income multiple today, knowing that in 20 years time the mortgage will only cost 1 years income to pay off. I understand where you are coming from, i just think the situation evolved their is no controlling force. and you are commenting after the events. I wished i had played these numbers on the lottery. Edited December 28, 2020 by shlomo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiltedjen Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) I understand where you are coming from, i just think the situation evolved their is no controlling force. and you are commenting after the events. I wished i had played these numbers on the lottery. Don’t get me wrong I held off for years waiting for a crash. There were a few times it might of happened. Covid has been a massive black swan and it’s really highlighted how house prices are now not allowed to fall. the whole housing market is insane. but if you can’t beat them might as well join them. they are hell bent on inflation, one day they will stoke enough of it to wipe out debts and then start to return to some normality without the debt loads to create new lending and growth. they need to create an inflation storm, they need to rebuild better. Edited December 28, 2020 by jiltedjen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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