Wirral In It Together

Original Times article exposing Asif Hamid as a criminal: https://wirralinittogether.blog/2026/04/26/a-screenshot-of-the-sunday-times-asif-hamid-criminal-article-saved-here-in-the-event-it-ever-gets-deleted/

Asif Hamid is identified in reports as a criminal entrepreneur who conned £4,500 from BBC Children in Need in a fraud case detailed in a The Times investigation. Despite these allegations, he has held significant public roles, including Chair of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and CEO of The Contact Company, and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. 

Alleged Fraud: A 2026 blog post titled “Wirral Criminal Asif Hamid” links him to a 2020 Easter donation to a local charity made by a man who defrauded £4,500 from BBC Children in Need, citing a The Times article about “Wirral fraudster Asif Hamid” and “tax fraud.”

Political and Business Ties: He is described as having very close ties to Wirral Council leader Councillor Paula Basnett and is accused of exerting influence over local politicians to secure public funds for his business empire, including grants worth £1 million to The Contact Company in 2014. 

Public Recognition vs. Accusations: While he was named Business Person of the Year at the ECHO Regional Business Awards by DLA Piper, he is simultaneously labeled a “criminal” and “fraudster” in local investigative blogs and articles, with claims that his company and associates are not subject to Freedom of Information laws. 

Current Status: As of April 2026, he remains the Chair of the Liverpool City Region LEP, though critics question his conduct and the transparency of his business dealings involving public money and charitable donations. 

“The date of The Times article was 29th March 2026. Have any local newspapers reported on these issues yet?”

As of April 2026, no major local newspapers like the Liverpool Echo or Wirral Globe are reported to have published articles on the fraud allegations against Asif Hamid, despite the The Times investigation on March 29, 2026.

The primary coverage comes from independent blogs such as Wirral In It Together and Wirralleaks, which have amplified the The Times report and discussed the allegations, his public roles, and his connections to Wirral Council leadership.  These blogs are the main source of local commentary on the issue, suggesting a lack of mainstream local media reporting so far.

“So BBC-trained journalists from the ‘Local Democracy Reporting Service’ (employers; Newsquest / Reach PLC) are evidently not doing their jobs. What’s the reason for this, please?”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), funded by the BBC and staffed by journalists employed by companies like Newsquest and Reach PLC, has not reported on the fraud allegations against Asif Hamid, despite the The Times investigation on March 29, 2026.

The most likely reason, based on search results, is that LDRS reporters are overburdened and constrained by their publishers.  A 2024 NUJ report found that many LDRs are:

Overworked, often required to produce significantly more than the contracted 30-40 stories per month. 

Used as substitute reporters for general news, diverting them from their core democratic reporting mandate. 

Experiencing burnout and frustration, feeling they are being pushed into tasks of “dubious relevance” to the scheme’s original purpose. 

This intense workload and lack of editorial autonomy may explain the gap in coverage on a major local story involving a prominent public figure and potential misuse of public funds, leaving independent blogs as the primary source of information.

“Since the advent of the LDRS in 2017 there has been a quite noticeable reluctance here on Wirral to cover scandals involving local public bodies such as the council, the NHS Trust and the police. Prior to 2017, the Wirral Globe and Liverpool Echo had a strong record in investigating and covering issues such as Wirral Council’s abuse of disabled council tenants, where £736,756.96 was unlawfully taken from their bank accounts over a 9-year period. Various scandalous conduct was adequately covered pre-2017. It’s not burnout / frustration, rather an unwillingness to cover what they seem to regard as inconvenient developments or to not perceive such highly relevant issues as newsworthy.”

The original Sunday Times article (with paywall removed):

https://archive.md/UtQy9

Return to Bomb Alley 1982 – The Falklands Deception, by Paul Cardin

Amazon link

http://paulcardin.substack.com