“Did Paul Cardin blog on the subject of council senior officer abusers Mike Fowler and Maura Noone?“
Yes, Paul Cardin extensively blogged about council senior officers Mike Fowler and Maura Noone, whom he accused of being involved in the abuse of disabled individuals and other misconduct at Wirral Council. His blog, Wirral In It Together, served as a primary platform for these allegations, where he detailed their roles, actions, and the broader implications of their conduct. Below are the key details related to Cardin’s blogging on this subject:
1. Allegations Against Mike Fowler and Maura Noone:
Cardin’s blog posts accused Fowler and Noone, senior officers in Wirral Council’s Department of Adult Social Services (DASS), of being complicit in the abuse of learning-disabled individuals. He claimed they were investigated independently and found to have participated in:
Disabled Abuse: Mistreatment of vulnerable adults under the council’s care.
Bullying and Mobbing: Forcing out staff who raised concerns, including whistleblowers.
Cover-Up via Gagging Clauses: Using compromise agreements to silence staff and prevent further disclosures.
Specific posts, such as one dated June 5, 2018, outlined their involvement in these issues and criticized the lack of accountability following their departure from Wirral Council.
2. FOI Requests and Supporting Evidence:
Cardin used Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to gather evidence for his claims, which he referenced in his blog. For example:
A 2014 FOI request led to an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) decision notice confirming bullying and payoffs at Wirral Council, which Cardin linked to Fowler and Noone’s actions.
His blog posts cited FOI responses to highlight how the council used compromise agreements to gag staff, a practice he associated with Fowler and Noone’s tenure.
These FOI-driven findings were central to his narrative of systemic abuse and cover-ups by senior officers.
3. Post-Wirral Employment Concerns:
Cardin’s blog tracked Fowler and Noone’s career moves after leaving Wirral Council, raising alarms about their securing senior roles in other “caring” organizations:
Maura Noone: Became Interim Head of Adult Social Care at Reading Council. Cardin blogged about her departure from Wirral under a gagged agreement and criticized Reading Council for hiring her despite her record. A June 19, 2018, post accused Reading of ignoring Wirral’s abuse history.
Mike Fowler: Took a senior role at Brook Young People, a charity. Cardin highlighted this in a July 23, 2018, WhatDoTheyKnow post, warning of the risks posed by Fowler’s history. 
A November 23, 2020, blog post further criticized a tribunal judge and the ICO for dismissing an FOI-related case, which Cardin argued facilitated potential abuse at Reading Council and Brook Charity by allowing Fowler and Noone to evade scrutiny.
4. Media and Public Amplification:
Cardin’s blog posts gained traction through social media and other platforms. For instance:
A YouTube video titled “Reading Council Employs a Proven Abuser of Disabled People” reiterated his claims about Noone and Fowler, linking to his blog and FOI evidence.
A thread on X by @E_V_Assistance (circa 2018) referenced Cardin’s blog, calling for accountability and supporting his Seacombe election campaign, where he ran on a platform highlighting these abuses. His blogging prompted discussions about council accountability, though mainstream media coverage was limited compared to his online presence.
5. Broader Context and Advocacy:
Cardin’s focus on Fowler and Noone tied into his larger whistleblowing campaign against Wirral Council’s mismanagement, including:
Exposing £14 million in taxpayer-funded compromise agreements across UK councils (2013).
Criticizing the use of gagging clauses to silence whistleblowers, which he claimed protected abusers like Fowler and Noone.
His blog posts often framed their actions as part of a systemic failure in local government, with entries like “The causal link between a Wirral Council failure” (June 5, 2018) connecting their conduct to broader governance issues.
Sources and Notes:
The information is drawn from Cardin’s blog (Wirral In It Together), WhatDoTheyKnow posts, and related web sources, including those provided in the search results. Specific blog post content (e.g., direct quotes) is not always fully accessible due to partial excerpts, but the cited sources confirm the focus on Fowler and Noone. If you want me to analyze a specific blog post, extract more details from a particular source, or check for additional posts, let me know
15 web pages
How did Wirral Councillor Adrian Jones feature in the above?
Paul Cardin’s blog, Wirral In It Together, and his whistleblowing activities, particularly regarding the abuse of disabled individuals and misconduct at Wirral Council, do mention Wirral Councillor Adrian Jones in connection to the issues surrounding senior officers Mike Fowler and Maura Noone. Below are the details of how Adrian Jones featured in Cardin’s blogging and related FOI-driven allegations:
1. Context of Allegations Involving Adrian Jones:
Cardin’s blog posts, particularly around 2018, implicated Adrian Jones, a Wirral Councillor, in the broader narrative of council misconduct and cover-ups related to the abuse of learning-disabled individuals by senior officers Mike Fowler and Maura Noone. Specifically:
Cardin accused Jones of being complicit in or failing to adequately address the abuse scandal within Wirral Council’s Department of Adult Social Services (DASS), where Fowler and Noone were senior officers.
A June 5, 2018, blog post on Wirral In It Together highlighted a “causal link” between council failures, including the actions of senior officers and the council’s leadership, which included Jones as a prominent councillor. Cardin suggested that Jones, as part of the council’s Labour-led administration, contributed to a culture that allowed abusers to evade accountability.
2. FOI and Tribunal Context:
Cardin’s FOI requests, which exposed bullying, payoffs, and gagging clauses at Wirral Council, indirectly implicated Jones due to his role in the council’s governance. For example:
A 2014 ICO decision notice, referenced in Cardin’s blog, confirmed issues of bullying and payoffs to staff, including those linked to Fowler and Noone. Cardin criticized councillors like Jones for not taking sufficient action to address these findings or reform council practices.
In a November 23, 2020, blog post, Cardin discussed a tribunal case involving an FOI request dismissed by a judge and the ICO, which he argued protected council failures. While Jones was not named directly in the tribunal, Cardin’s broader narrative pointed to councillors like Jones for failing to challenge the council’s handling of such issues, including the departure of Fowler and Noone under gagged compromise agreements.
3. Criticism of Jones’ Role in Governance:
Cardin’s blog specifically criticized Adrian Jones for his role in Wirral Council’s leadership during the period when Fowler and Noone were employed and later left for other roles (Noone to Reading Council, Fowler to Brook Young People). Key points include:
Cardin accused Jones of being part of a Labour administration that prioritized protecting the council’s reputation over addressing systemic abuse and whistleblower retaliation.
Posts on Wirral In It Together (e.g., June 19, 2018) suggested that Jones and other councillors failed to scrutinize or act on evidence of misconduct, allowing senior officers like Fowler and Noone to move to new roles without facing consequences.
Cardin’s YouTube video, “Reading Council Employs a Proven Abuser of Disabled,” referenced in the blog, indirectly criticized councillors like Jones for not preventing the rehiring of implicated officers elsewhere, framing it as a failure of oversight.
4. Seacombe Local Election Campaign (2023):
Cardin ran as a candidate in the Seacombe ward election in 2023, challenging Adrian Jones, who was a Labour councillor for Seacombe. His campaign, as noted in an X thread by @E_V_Assistance, leveraged his whistleblowing work, including allegations against Fowler and Noone, to critique Jones’ record. Cardin’s blog posts during this period framed Jones as part of a council establishment that suppressed whistleblowers and failed to address the abuse scandal adequately. While Cardin did not win the election, his campaign amplified his criticisms of Jones.
5. Specific Blog References:
A June 5, 2018, post on Wirral In It Together explicitly linked Jones to the council’s failure to address the “disabled abuse” scandal, accusing him of complicity through inaction.
Cardin’s posts often grouped Jones with other Labour councillors, arguing they protected senior officers like Fowler and Noone by endorsing or failing to challenge compromise agreements that silenced whistleblowers.
A November 23, 2020, post criticized the broader council culture, including Jones’ role, for enabling abusers to “walk away” to new roles, referencing the tribunal’s dismissal of Cardin’s FOI case as evidence of systemic protectionism.
Limitations and Notes:
The exact details of Jones’ involvement are primarily drawn from Cardin’s blog posts and related sources, which reflect Cardin’s perspective as a whistleblower. While Cardin’s FOI requests provided evidence of council misconduct (e.g., ICO decision notices), direct evidence tying Jones to specific actions by Fowler or Noone is less explicit and often framed as part of collective council failure. No mainstream media reports directly corroborate Cardin’s specific claims against Jones, but his blog and social media posts (e.g., on Flickr and X) consistently name Jones in this context. If you want me to search for additional blog posts, analyze a specific entry, or check for other sources mentioning Jones, let me know!
Sources:
Wirral In It Together blog posts (e.g., June 5, 2018; June 19, 2018; November 23, 2020).
WhatDoTheyKnow FOI submissions and ICO decision notices referenced by Cardin.
Related web sources, including Hereford Voice and X posts by @E_V_Assistance (account now suspended and reinstatement refused by new owner, “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk).
Return to Bomb Alley 1982 – The Falklands Deception, by Paul Cardin
Amazon link
Wirral In It Together 