Boris Watch

Thanks to Dave Hill for pointing us to this extensive correspondence (supplied to GLA Labour Group leader Len Duvall after an FOI request) concerning Boris Johnson’s attempted appointment of Veronica Wadley to the Chair of Arts Council London.

The initial application process was handled by Arts Council England’s consultants, Saxton Bampfylde, who contacted a list of candidates identified by the GLA, inviting them to apply for the post. The candidates who were eliminated from the initial list of applicants, however, received a letter from the GLA HR department (dated 11 June but franked on 24 June) informing them that they had not been shortlisted for a post with the London Skills and Employment Board. Er….

An email dated 30 June (sender and recipient both censored) on page 238 of the correspondence reads:

As you are aware the GLA hr team made a mistake in sending out the wrong rejection letters to the unsuccessful candidates. I have spent the weekend and Monday sorting out the mess, doing as much damage control as possible. The candidates were called yesterday and apology letters have been sent out. I have liaised with Saxton Bamfyde (sic) and advised them on this.

Of course this is very embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable and we are investigating this matter to ensure that this kind of error remains an isolated case.

Examples of correspondence sent to the GLA by disgruntled applicants who’d received the letters advising them that they’d been unsuccessful in applying for a job that they hadn’t applied for are also included. An internal GLA email states:

…these people are some of the most senior in their fields, its (sic) totally unacceptable.

Another internal email on 29 June makes the excuse:

The correct letters were originally made. The error most likely got in when they had to be re-printed due to printer issues and I have not double-checked them again afterwards.

Of course, the old printer-mysteriously-changing-the-job-title excuse.

Tags: 1 Comment