Avon and Somerset Police chief Colin Port loses High Court challenge
Outgoing Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Colin Port has lost his legal challenge to block the recruitment of his successor.
Mr Port's bid to stop the interviews of candidates aiming to become his successor - scheduled for this Thursday and Friday - was thrown out by a High Court judge this afternoon.
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Outgoing Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Colin Port
He had claimed he was unlawfully called upon to retire by the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens.
Ms Mountstevens denied asking him to quit and insisted he "resigned unilaterally".
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Mr Port, who announced in November that he would not be reapplying for the position he had held for eight years, had requested a six-month notice period prior to the interview procedure taking place.
But the judge refused permission for a judicial review of the Police and Crime Commissioner's decision.
Comments
by IBM_Out
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:52PM
“In 2005, the then wife of Colin Port, Sue Barnes, was appointed to a £90K Director's job in Somerset County Council WITHOUT competitive interview.
Sue Barnes lead the outsourcing procurement that led to the disastrous joint venture Southwest One which was formed in 2007.
It is reported that 5 years into a 10-year contract barely 10% of the promised £190m of savings for Somerset have materialised, with something like £60m paid out to IBM via Southwest One - much of that on an expensive but troubled IT system called SAP.
Southwest One are now incredibly suing its 15% shareholder & lead partner Somerset County Council for even more money as Government cuts reduce service spend.
When BBC West reported on a clear & potential conflict of interest between his Wife leading the outsourcing project and "his" Police Force being a major partner in Southwest One, Colin Port responded by launching libel proceedings. That time he used £90K of OUR money that could have been spent on Policing, with posh libel lawyers Carter Ruck, to bring about legal proceedings against the BBC's democratic reporting that failed.
Once Southwest One was created (with IBM holding a majority 75% share holding) Colin Port was then appointed to and accepted a position as Director on the board of Southwest One as his largest contractor. Yet again, he saw no conflict of interest with being both the Head of the Police as a customer and being on the board of the major supplier Southwest One as a Director. As Southwest One is a private limited company, what he did and said & how he voted as a Director of Southwest One remains secret.
After a long campaign by the Bridgwater & West Somerset MP and a report to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Colin Port finally accepted a conflict of interest (citing changes in Somerset's contract) and stood down as a Director of Southwest One in Sep'2011.
"His" Police force has of late had success with improving crime detection and reducing crime.
Mr Port should now show some dignity and retire quietly (on a very good 6-figure est.pension) and bring this ill-judged & un-dignified epsiode to an end.”
by IBM_Out
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:51PM
“In 2005, the then wife of Colin Port, Sue Barnes, was appointed to a £90K Director's job in Somerset County Council WITHOUT competitive interview.
Sue Barnes lead the outsourcing procurement that led to the disastrous joint venture Southwest One which was formed in 2007.
It is reported that 5 years into a 10-year contract barely 10% of the promised £190m of savings for Somerset have materialised, with something like £60m paid out to IBM via Southwest One - much of that on an expensive but troubled IT system called SAP.
Southwest One are now incredibly suing its 15% shareholder & lead partner Somerset County Council for even more money as Government cuts reduce service spend.
When BBC West reported on a clear & potential conflict of interest between his Wife leading the outsourcing project and "his" Police Force being a major partner in Southwest One, Colin Port responded by launching libel proceedings. That time he used £90K of OUR money that could have been spent on Policing, with posh libel lawyers Carter Ruck, to bring about legal proceedings against the BBC's democratic reporting that failed.
Once Southwest One was created (with IBM holding a majority 75% share holding) Colin Port was then appointed to and accepted a position as Director on the board of Southwest One as his largest contractor. Yet again, he saw no conflict of interest with being both the Head of the Police as a customer and being on the board of the major supplier Southwest One as a Director. As Southwest One is a private limited company, what he did and said & how he voted as a Director of Southwest One remains secret.
After a long campaign by the Bridgwater & West Somerset MP and a report to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Colin Port finally accepted a conflict of interest (citing changes in Somerset's contract) and stood down as a Director of Southwest One in Sep'2011.
"His" Police force has of late had success with improving crime detection and reducing crime.
Mr Port should now show some dignity and retire quietly (on a very good 6-figure est.pension) and bring this ill-judged & un-dignified epsiode to an end.”