Louis Gardner at spaceport: the fun is only just starting

Posted By Peter Tremayne on 13 March 2025

By Peter Tremayne

The appointment of councillor Louis Gardner - apparently by
councillor Louis Gardner - to a lucrative non-job at the Newquay
spaceport could be referred to the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Commissioner, Sir William Shawcross, investigates appointments to
public bodies which appear to be contrary to the public interest. 
Previous investigations have included senior positions at the BBC, the
National Lottery and the Charity Commission.

Anyone can ask the Commissioner to investigate.

A key aspect of councillor Gardner’s appointment is that it was made
while he was the politician with responsibility for making it.  The
position remained vacant for seven months after it was first advertised
publicly last July.

It is not known when councillor Gardner realised he was ideally
qualified for the job but he himself was responsible for a Freedom of
Information answer, as recently as last month, which said the search for
a suitable candidate was continuing.

Councillor Gardner’s first day as the “Head of Future Air and Space”
is on Monday.  County Hall officials are bracing themselves for a raft
of public questions which will have to be answered publicly at a cabinet
meeting on Wednesday 26th March.  The deadline for submitting such
questions will probably be the previous Thursday, 20th March.

Crucial to the probity of the appointment is whether Cornwall Council
took any legal advice, or considered damage to County Hall’s
reputation, specifically in relation to the 1889 Public Bodies Corrupt
Practices Act.

This Victorian-era legislation remains available to the police.  It
warns:  “Every person who shall by himself or by or in conjunction with
any other person, corruptly solicit or receive, or agree to receive, for
himself, or for any other person, any gift, loan, fee, reward, or
advantage whatever as an inducement to, or reward for, or otherwise on
account of any member, officer, or servant of a public body as in this
Act defined, doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter
or transaction whatsoever, actual or proposed, in which the said public
body is concerned, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”

In 1995, following a series of corruption scandals involving the then
Conservative government, the Nolan Principles came into effect.   
They:  “apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This
includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office,
nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil
Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services,
non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education,
social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of
the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply
to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

1.1 Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

1.2 Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any
obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to
influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in
order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their
family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests
and relationships.

1.3 Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially,
fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination
or bias.

1.4 Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their
decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny
necessary to ensure this.

1.5 Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and
transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public
unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

1.6 Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

1.7 Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own
behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote
and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour
wherever it occurs.

via Cornwall Reports