Council officer authorised payments to pay for building work

A council executive authorised payments from the child services budget to renovate the home of a former lover, a hearing was told John Skinner, Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing for Torbay in Devon, approved a £3,000 payment to a foster carer to convert a bathroom into an extra bedroom. Skinner had been in a relationship with the carer and had previously paid £4,000 towards the mortgage on the property, it is claimed. He also knew the house was on the market…