LDNPA - Incompetent or Corrupt ?

The Freedom of Information Act is a very useful tool [when the Authorities play fair] at indirectly finding out about the internal workings of Public Organisations.

I was interested in finding out how much money the LDNPA received from the Forestry Commission, so I asked both organisations for the figures. The results are startling and show a LDNPA that is totally out of Financial control. The figures revealed that money received from the Forestry Commission is not going through the books and is unaccounted for. Is this incompetence on the part of the LDNPA or is the money being diverted elsewhere?


SUMMARY OF FORESTRY COMMISSION PAYMENTS TO:
THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY - 1996 TO 2005

What the LDNPA claim they receive and what the Forestry Commission claim they give.

Financial Year  LDNPA Figures Forestry Commission Figures
1996/1997 £0.00  £2,524 
1997/1998 £5,282.00 £15,915 
1998/1999 £4,209.37  £35,203 
1999/2000  £4,000.00 £21,215 
2000/2001  (£825.15) £11,979
2001/2002  £5,160.67 £28,062
2002/2003 £0.00  £16,239
2003/2004  £0.00  £9,223
2004/2005 £0.00  £21,532
Total £17,826.89 £161,892

The LDNPA figures come from Kerry Powell [Corporate Finance Director] they didn't raise any suspicion with her as to being wrong by a very wide margin. I knew the figures were nonsense before I had the evidence from the Forestry Commission. Whilst some small discrepancy would be expected this order of magnitude difference shows an alarming lack of financial control.

Where has all the money gone as it certainly hasn't gone through the books properly?
Your guess is as good as mine, incidentally Paul Tiplady [LDNPA Officer] went missing on 19 April 2006 on what the the Authority claim is a sabbatical.