Derbyshire council chief executive admits the real reason the authority dropped potential Traveller site

On February 22, Derbyshire Dales District Council issued a statement saying it had dropped potential plans for a Traveller site at Hasker Farm close to the eastern bank of Carsington Water. It claimed this was because the site was not “financially viable for the council or deliverable”.

However, a March 27 email sent by chief executive Paul Wilson to Dales MP Sarah Dines, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service via a Freedom of Information request, confirms the real reason.

This follows a March 21 article from the LDRS in which it detailed how the council had pursued a land deal at Hasker Farm by working with a convicted drug dealer, Kevin Brough, who was acting on behalf of his son, who owns the land.

In his March 27 email Mr Wilson writes: “In the period 2nd February – 10th February, Derbyshire Constabulary were looking into the material that I had provided to them and it was not until after my discussion with Derbyshire Constabulary on 10th February that I was in a position to formally update ex Cllr. Purdy.

“At that point, ex Cllr Purdy agreed with my advice that the council should not proceed any further with this matter and that we should cease all engagement with Mr. Brough.

“The council’s officers therefore disengaged from the process at this point because as you quite rightly state, ‘the reputational damage to the council would have been blindingly obvious to any local government officer’.

“It was blindingly obvious to me hence the advice I provided ex Cllr. Purdy and the reason why no further negotiations took place after 10th February.”

Ms Dines, in a March 24 email, asked why the authority “misled the media and public” “by claiming in a Council press statement on 22 February 2023 that the council ended its involvement with the Hasker Farm site because it was not ‘financially viable’, when the real reason, in the words of the then leader of the council, following information from Derbyshire Police, was that ‘it became patently clear that we had to withdraw with immediate effect from any further negotiations with Mr. Brough’?”

In response, on March 27, Mr Wilson wrote: “The statement issued by the council on 22nd February was a statement agreed with all of the political group leaders following the member briefing on 20th February 2023, hence the slight delay experienced in its publication pending formal sign-off.

“During that workshop, members concluded that they felt that the scheme was not financially viable and wished for this to be reflected in the statement that was to be issued.”

The LDRS asked the council why it gave the reason of financial viability instead of reputational damage and a spokesperson said: “Our statement at the time that the authority had agreed as part of its due diligence process that the site was not financially viable for the council or deliverable was the council’s official position on the matter and was agreed by group leaders following a briefing that all members were invited to attend.”