Was WCC Officer Gilchrist too busy to deliver conference talk on PIP or is he loosing his bottle due to a rising pile of stiff legal challenges?

Updated Sat 6th March…

The BBC announced today that Westminster City Council’s parking department is facing an EU Probe over “alleged contractual irregularities” – a fact that I first reported back on the 7th of December last year.  However, the beeb go on to link that investigation with news today that Alastair Gilchrist, the leading officer behind Westminster Council’s hugely unpopular M/C parking tax scheme, was “too busy” to deliver a key speech at a parking services conference to explain the merits of the PIP ‘Framework Agreement’ on which the scheme is based.

As is often the case with these sorts of things though, there is more to these events than has come to light as yet. Not least of which is that there is even bigger news to report since the BBC were told by the EU Commission that they are at the “first stage of our infringement proceedings” – and that If they are content with the UK government reply, they will close the case – but if not, “we move to the second stage of infringement proceedings”.

Now, I have just heard a whisper from a usually well informed and reliable source in the land of Brussel Sprouts that the EU Commissioners may not be as satisfied by the explanations they have had so far that procurement procedures were fine and dandy – as promoters of the scheme might hope. And, although nothing is confirmed as yet, I gather that it could even be the case that that sleeves are being rolled up in readiness to open the second phase of EU investigations…

Anyway, for those who are new to these events, PIP, aka Partnerships In Parking is a consortium of London councils which was set up and led by Westminster’s officer Gilchrist and Cabinet Member, Cllr, Danny Chalkley who have both featured in a number of recent posts here and on other motorcycling blogs here in the UK and France.

However, I am wondering if Gilchrist really was too busy, as he told the BBC, or if he might be loosing his bottle to espouse the virtues of a contractual arrangement that is the focus for a rising pile of legal challenges and an investigation by the EU commissioners. Oh, and lest we forget, there is also that matter of a Fraud allegation and potential investigations that may be on Gilchrist’s mind as well.

Currently I have no way of determining whether Gilchrist was too busy, so I will not indulge in idle speculation at this stage. Nevertheless, it does seem like an unfortunate coincidence of happenings in the hectic life of this would-be M/C parking tax pioneer to say the least. Anyway, all I can say for the moment regarding this officer who I have witnessed acting in bullish fashion in the past is this. Oh dear!