Complaint against Flintshire County Council chief executive  Neal Cockerton 

Blocked TWICE By Flintshire County Council on Twitter for exposing the TRUTH about Neal Cockerton Chief Executive. The Ratepayers of Flintshire are Treated with Sheer Contempt by this Authority under the Direction of Neal Cockerton.

Why does Neal Cockerton the Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council REFUSE to answer Complaints from the Ratepayers of Flintshire who fund His Salary ?

This is what you might expect in China or Russia with the TRUTH being suppressed and Complaints being totally ignored. This is absolutely Atrocious Conduct from Neil Cockerton.

Neal Cockerton will NOT apologise for the incredibly Poor Service from a Department under His direct control which affected the Safety of Two Elderly Flintshire Ratepayers and the Security of their Premises.

The Complaints Department deliberately protected the Department and the Officer concerned from Scrutiny.

Only when Flintshire County Council were threatened with Legal Action did the Officer concerned finally contact the Complainant after Two Months when the Complainant was promised a response within 24 Hours to the Urgent matter at hand.

Neal Cockerton Refused answer the Complaint addressed to Himself on this matter dated 1st November 2021.

When this Urgent Matter was still not resolved after some Five Months Jack Sargeant MS wrote to Neal Cockerton requesting an explanation regarding this issue.

Jack Sargeant as the Elected Member of the Senedd did Not receive a reply to his Letter.

Jack Sargeant forwarded a second email from the Complainant directly to Neil Cockerton but the Complainant did Not receive a Response from Neil Cockerton.

Some Months later the Complainant sent a detailed email to the Council Leader Ian Roberts on this subject which was forwarded by this Person to Neal Cockerton directly.

Shortly afterwards the Complainant sent a second email to the Council Leader to be submitted to Neal Cockerton however on this occasion the Council Leader Ian Roberts refused to submit this document on behalf of the Ratepayer stating as Council Leader it was not job to do so.

The Complainant then requested that Cllr Marion Bateman forward this email directly to Neil Cockerton but did not receive a Reply on this matter.

The Complainant then sent this document directly to Neal Cockerton after obtaining an Email address found online, but once more did Not receive a response from the Chief Executive.

Extracts of Email Dated 22/08/2022

Attention Neal Cockerton

I sent an email addressed to yourself dated 1st November 2021.

I sent a further email via the office of Jack Sargeant MS on 2nd

February 2022 forwarded to yourself.

Jack Sergeant wrote directly to yourself on 31st January 2022.

I discussed this position in detail with the Council Tax Department on

21st June 2022.

Ian Roberts forwarded an email from Myself dated 25th July 2022 directly

to Yourself.

So far there has been NO response from Yourself which is absolutely

appalling conduct.

Find enclosed below a further email for your urgent attention sent to

Ian Roberts on 6th August.

When will these matters be finally addressed by yourself?

Regards

No Reply from Neil Cockerton

Extracts of Email Dated 20/08/2022

For the Attention of Cllr Marion Bateman

Cllr Bateman I do not have an email address for the chief Executive Neal

Cockerton and I require that the email enclosed below  dated Saturday,

06 Aug 2022, 10:49 am is forwarded to Neal Cockerton as a matter of some

urgency. The email is dated 6th August and was addressed to the Council

Leader Ian Roberts unfortunately Ian Roberts has refused to forward

this document to Neal Cockerton on my behalf.

Could you kindly forward this email dated 6th August directly to Neal

Cockerton and kindly inform myself when this have been achieved. I do

not require any further assistance in this matter merely to ensure these

issues are brought to the attention of Neal Cockerton.

As a Ratepayer I am unable to contact Neal Cockerton directly.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Regards

No Reply

Extracts of Email Dated 20/08/2022

 Attention Mr Ian Roberts

Mr Roberts I contacted yourself on 25th July requesting that you

Forward the email of that date to Neal Cockerton which you subsequently

confirmed had been achieved.

As there is no email address available for this person I therefore contacted yourself regarding this matter.

However when I sent a follow up detailed email on the same subject matter I have not received any correspondence from yourself confirming whether or not this second email was forwarded by yourself to Neal Cockerton. Without any further delay could you kindly send this second email in its entirety dated Date: Saturday, 06 Aug 2022, 10:49 am for the immediate attention of Neal Cockerton and confirm to myself when this aspect has been accomplished.

When I receive this reply that will conclude matters between ourselves and I will not be requesting any further assistance from yourself as Council Leader either now or on any future occasion.

Extracts of Email Dated 16th August 2022

Ian B Roberts wrote:

You emailed me on Saturday, which is not generally regarded as a working day.  The council’s policies sate you should have a response within 10 working days so I am well within that.  I have informed you that I am not a forwarding service  I have also told you that with regard to these issues you need to  contact the council directly not via the Leader of the Council.

 Ian Roberts

Response from Complainant

Attention Ian Roberts

I contacted yourself as the Leader of the Council because the Chief

Executive cannot be contacted directly. It was your responsibility to

forward this document to the Chief Executive on my behalf. As the Leader

of the Council you are representing the ratepayers of Flintshire a

position in which you have failed to achieve in this instance. I find

the service you have provided as the Council Leader totally unacceptable

on this occasion. It is the responsibility of the Council Leader to hold

the Chief Executive to account which you have completely failed to do. I

will now proceed with this matter through the press.  

No aspect of the Complaint raised against Flintshire County Council has been dealt by Neil Cockerton.

Jack Sargeant has failed to ensure that the Chief Executive responded to his Letter containing these issues.

Council Leader Ian Roberts has failed to ensure that the Complainants issues are responded to by Neal Cockerton and to hold the Chief Executive to account on this matter.

Clearly Chief Executive Neal Cockerton does Not believe He is accountable to the Ratepayers of Flintshire who fund His considerable Salary and refuses to respond and apologise for the appalling conduct of the Service Department involved and the complete failure of the Complaints Department in ensuring that the Officer concerned performed His required duties, but instead deliberately protected this Officer from Scrutiny.

The Council Leader who again receives a substantial allowance for His position and which again is funded by the Ratepayers of Flintshire refuses to forward a document to the Chief Executive and has completely Failed to ensure that the Chief Executive is held to Account on this matter.

When Mr Barry Jones was consulted on a previous issue back in 2000/2001. Mr Jones stated at that time that He had been a Member of Parliament for this Constituency for 30 Years and that it was His experience that Flintshire County Council Do Not issue apologies to Ratepayers under any circumstances. Yet again the Complaints Department at Flintshire County Council Failed to make the Officers concerned Accountable to the Ratepayer and once more protected these Officers from Scrutiny. The Complaints Department at Flintshire County Council should be immediately disbanded as it is serving No purpose and merely acting as an additional Cost on the Ratepayers of Flintshire.

The Complainant withheld Council Tax deliberately to raise this issue with Neal Cockerton who still would Not respond and this resulted in The Complainant being fined £70 and having a payments order imposed on The Complainant by the Magistrates Court. 

The Complainant contacted The Press in order to finally have a voice in this matter. The Complainant was not allowed to raise these issues in the Magistrates Court. The Complainant sent over 30 emails on this matter because the Ratepayers of Flintshire are treated with sheer contempt by Flintshire County Council. 

This is not merely a single instance but a Culture that prevails within Flintshire County Council.

Neil Cockerton then spoke to the Council Tax Department who did not answer any aspect of the Complaint but instead issued threatening correspondence warning that action would be taken if the Council Tax was Not Paid and the payments arrangement schedule not adhered to.

This Urgent situation involving the Safety of Two Elderly Flintshire Ratepayers and the Security of their Premises was ignored by Flintshire County Council for several Months. Despite being given an assurance on 20th September 2021 that The Complainant would be contacted on this Urgent matter within 24 Hours. After FIVE Months The Officer concerned was still refusing to attend to this Crucial matter.

Surely the Ratepayers of Flintshire are entitled to a Service Fit for Purpose under the direction of Neil Cockerton which is clearly not the case at present. 

Is this position of any concern to Neal Cockerton ? Will this appalling Service from Flintshire County Council continue in the future as it has in the past affecting further Ratepayers of Flintshire ? Neil Cockerton does not even have the courtesy to respond on this matter to the Ratepayers of Flintshire who fund His substantial Salary.

It was stated by Flintshire County Council on Twitter quote So that we may look into the concerns you raise, please use the correct channel and submit a formal complaint https://flintshire.gov.uk/en/Resident/Contact-Us/Concerns-and-Complaints.aspx 

How very convenient for Flintshire County Council so the Complaints Department - Customer Services can Investigate the Complaint made directly against them raised in correspondence addressed to the Chief Executive Neal Cockerton. The Complaints Department at Flintshire County Council will Investigate themselves how ridiculous. Is this the Abysmal Level of Service the Ratepayers of Flintshire should be Paying for ?