Pilton Sucks dotCom

As the scandal surrounding Elizabeth McGinnis begins to deepen and threatens to throw the Forth Ward election into chaos. We can today reveal more of the daming evidence against this tainted politician. Councillor McGinnis has abused her position of trust with this community and mis-used public funds.

1. The manager[Ms. McGinnis] stubbornly refused to put Six Circle’s services into the PEP business plan,after being strongly advised to do so by Don Millar[Six Circle Management Committee] the result was seemingly an eighteen thousand pound reduction in PEP’s proposed funding for the running of SixCircle’s services.

2. The manager did not want to take over the Six Circle premises, which were situated locally,and had a pepper corn rent of one pound a year paid to the Social  Work Department. Instead the manager preferred to pay the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre one thousand four hundred and forty pounds for the rental of some of their rooms for six months, the manager eventually recognised PEP was unable to financially sustain this and now the Neighbourhood group are crammed into PEP’s lounge,which is inappropriate to say the least.

3.The manager sanctioned-after PEP’s merger with the Six Circle Project- a significant proportion of the funds to run the previous Six Circle services to bring PEP staff up tp full-time status and to totally overhaul PEP’s computer system,a sufficiently good system for the projects needs,creating an unnecessary surplus of quality computing equipment,that the manager decided to give FREELY away rather than seek reasonable reimbursement to reduce costs.

4.The manager has been pressurising staff to relabel existing and funded schemes to gain DOUBLE FUNDING so funds can be SIPHONED OFF elsewhere I.E. the manager asked FD[FRANCIS DURIE] if she could not describe some of her social trips/groups as educational as there was educational funding available[JULY 05]

5. The manager is taking funding from one section/scheme/project or another-including RING FENCED FUNDS and using them to shore up other parts of the project.

6.The manager is chasing any funding available with little resources to fulfil any obligations she may take on-the project is struggling as it is-”just to keep the balls in the air”. Her latest foray being nearly ONE MILLION POUNDS of lottery funding of which she has already received THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS for a feasibility study.

7. the manager has stated members of the Neighbourhood Group “have to pay for everything” tea, coffee,meals,trips their annual holiday “become self sufficient like the other PEP groups” when there is money allocated in their funding for their expences. Yet again this money will be SIPHONED OFF to be used elsewhere,not only is this another abuse of public funds but money is also being STOLEN OUT OF THE POCKETS OF THE MOST VUNERABLE AND DEPRIVED GROUPS IN THE COUNTRY.

8. The manager runs the Management Committee,due to her position through intimidation and manipulation.

There is more much more. To read this fact filled document is incredible to say the least. Councillor McGinnis has lied to the funders, has abused her position as Councillor has betrayed this community and has taken a salary from public funds which she should at the very least pay back. She should return every penny she has taken and be removed both as Councillor and as manager of PEP.

We now speak to the community as a whole. We demand the immediate resignation of Councillor McGinnis,she should not be allowed to stand for re-election and be barred from ever holding any kind of office again. The Pilton Partnership must also look at itself and question why they to allowed themselves to be manipulated by this disgraced Councillor.

Councillor nowght to do with me Fitzpatrick cannot hide away and as usual turn his back. He to is up to his neck in this disgracful situation and hiding away will not help him this time. Why did he not speak up when he knew what was going on? His credibility is now on the line and he to deserves the boot. He knew that she was up to her neck in conflicts of interest but said or did nothing. He knew that by setting up a consultancy business together with Ian Cooke manager of the same Pilton Partnership which granted PEP so much public money was wrong but again he said or done nothing.

This is corruption of the tallest order and reaches right into the heart of the community including those who hang off Ms. McGinnis and her every word. Their funding must also be looked at. We would remind readers that Caroline Pickering a fair weather friend of the disgraced Councillor has received very large amounts of public money for the project she manages The Granton Information Centre, and rumours are abound that this project is favoured far more than it warrents.

Ms. McGinnis has been allowed to run wild and mis-use and abuse both her position as PEP manager and local Councillor. It is far better she goes now than when this fully detailed document hits the press. Pilton Sucks offers Ms McGinnis some words of good advice something she is far to arrogant and stupid to take. FOR GODS SAKE GO AND GO NOW.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 28th, 2007 at 1:06 pm and is filed under No Category. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.