Challenge for Cllr "21 jobs" Albert Nugent

How much are you paid for your 21 jobs, Albert?

by “Lastman”

Durham County Council Leader Cllr “21 jobs” Albert Nugent, whose total remuneration directly and indirectly via the taxpayer is unknown but substantial, has failed to declare his interest as a director of Durham County Waste Management Co Ltd. DCWM is the parent company of Premier Waste Management which is responsible for the “Big Durham Stink” at Newfield waste disposal site near Bishop Auckland.

Nugent was appointed as a director of DCWM in May last year, but failed to include it when he last updated his Declaration of Interests in July. As of today (14th March) he still has not declared it.

UPDATE 5th April 2008: Albert still won't tell us what he gets paid for his directorships, but a Fredom of Information request by a friendly journalist (which took three weeks to answer) has revealed that Cllr Nugent holds three directorships as Leader of Durham County Council: County Durham Development Co., Durham County Waste Management Co., Newcastle International Airport. He doesn't get paid any extra for these three positions, but the question remains: what are the other five directorships, and how much does he get paid for them?

Albert is a busy, busy man. As well as DCWM, he is a director of seven other companies. He represents the council on at least 20 different organisations - all this in addition to being Leader of the Council. Nugent’s county council “pay” for 2006-07 was £10,521.00 basic allowance, plus £25,749.56 “special responsibility” allowance (= £37,270.56), plus travelling and subsistence expenses of £5,291.39.

A question for Albert “Twenty-One Jobs” Nugent: we know you are a busy man, but will you find time to order a full enquiry into the failure of Premier Waste Management (owned by the Council through DCWM) to comply with government regulations in its failures to properly treat and dispose of household waste, and will you make the findings public?

And when are you going to declare all eight of your directorships and how much you get paid for each of them?

PS: Twice recently some of Albert’s Labour colleagues on Durham County Council have moved a vote of no confidence in their Leader. Albert survived both attempts to remove him from office, but how much longer will he survive?