Last year, Guido reported on the stand-off over at the Hemel Hempstead Conservative Association, with former agent Kevin Drew taking Association Chair Mark Woods to Watford Employment Tribunal after Woods allegedly suspended Drew for whistleblowing on furlough fraud. After hundreds of thousands spent on legal costs, the Tories coughed up and settled to avoid a public hearing…
Now questions are being asked of those involved in what local sources call the “cover-up” of the furlough fraud allegation. A whistleblower sent evidence of the alleged fraud – seen by Guido – to Noel Willcox, Reform’s PPC for Hemel Hempstead. Mark Woods told former agent Drew to work from home “to get access to the government’s 80% of salary support” in March 2020, the furlough continuing for around 18 months. Outgoing MP Mike Penning and Andrew Williams, member of Executive Council of HHCA and now parachuted into the seat as the Tory PPC, were made aware of the evidence. The Interim Report made by the HHCA executive council in 2021 was seen by both Penning and Williams, though they never responded to the sub-committee. Local sources are now questioning why they didn’t act or seek to properly investigate the claims…
Noel Willcox tells Guido:
“I have exposed this wrongdoing based on the facts available. In my opinion there is prima facie evidence to consider criminal charges against individual members of Hemel Hempstead Council Authority. Again, in my opinion, the evidence meets the Crown Prosecution Service criteria for investigating a case: ” there is a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest”. The Right Honorable Mike Penning needs to explain what action he took in respect of this scandal together with the Conservative Candidate Andrew Williams who at the time was the leader of Dacorum Borough Council. Serious questions need to be asked on behalf of the local taxpayers regarding the money spent on their behalf by our elected officials.”