The self-styled “watchdogs” have been in and out of Lime Street like Maggie May during the last few weeks.
Indeed, they have become such familiar faces in the city council’s Planning Department at Kingsway House, that staff now regularly offer to fetch their lunchtime butties.
The team of borocrats have even been given their own private office and offered secretarial, admin and photocopying support.
They have demanded copies of the minutes of all meetings, notes taken and all correspondence regarding the Centre on Mount Pleasant.
A number of staff have already been interviewed in-depth by the team of investigators.
They include Planning Chief Nigel Lee, who has been banned from taking any part in discussions or decisions about the Irish Centre because he has already compromised his impartiality.
In particular, the investigators have been interested in any documentation regarding Lib Dem Executive member Flo Clucas’s relationship with Dance Liverpool.
Readers will recall how Clucas used her position as a senior Cabinet Member and city councillor to promote Dance Liverpool’s campaign to take over the Grade 2 listed building.
Flucas is, of course, a Director of Dance Liverpool, but failed to declare her interest in the organisation – which stood to financially benefit from any move – at meetings in which she pushed their case.
Flucas promised Dance Liverpool they could have council taxpayers money and European grants – she is also Chair of the European Objective One committee, which doles out the cash.
Flucas has been interviewed by the Standards Board, and protested that she haS nothing wrong and that she is the victim of a disgraceful attempt to besmirch her good name and reputation as a leading Lib Dem councillor. (Surprise, surprise, eds)
Other senior figures been yet to be called to the wicket, including city council chief executive, Colin ‘Cover Up’.
As is the way with the borocrats, their investigation is now taking much longer than expected, such is the volume of paperwork being examined.
So their final report is not expected before early next year.
Of course, you will not be able to read a single word about any of this in the papers, or hear it on Radio Merseyside, all of which appear to have agreed to maintain a discreet silence about the investigation.
This is unusual - especially since the Standards Board is a public body, using public money to carry out a public investigation into a publicly elected city councillor.
Obviously, the public would not be the slightest bit interested in this investigation.