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Powerful Tory exposed by battling paper

An evening paper fought to win the right to expose a council leader who it says was found to rule using “improper pressure”.

The Lincolnshire Echo devoted eight pages to an auditors’ report on Coun Jim Speechley, leader of the Tory-run county council.

The paper had campaigned for the report’s findings to be made public because although a £450,000 investigation had taken place over two years, there was no obligation for the auditors to reveal what was going on behind the closed doors at county offices.

The Echo launched its ten-week campaign for openness in February with the full support of its readers.

As soon as the “Let us in on the secret!” front page hit the streets, auditors KPMG were inundated with readers’ letters and e-mails demanding to see what was in the report.

Scores more readers made the same request through the Echo’s letters pages.

And Coun Speechley himself surprised many people when he, too, said he backed the Echo’s campaign as it meant he would be free to speak about the issues.

But when approached by the paper’s county council reporter Sharon Edwards he declined his opportunity to make any comment becaus he said he had not yet read the report – of which a draft version was sent to him in December.

Articles in the Echo included “How Jim fixed it for me. and me. and me”, how the taxpayer is more than £1m out of pocket because of the council’s unlawful and unethical actions, how the investigation was carried out – and a chance to meet the leader’s “£30,000 secretary”.

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