A report by auditors also said no legal action was requiredAdam Postans Local democracy reporter and Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporter
17:00, 02 Jun 2025
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
No criminal activity took place and no legal action is required over links between Bristol’s former deputy mayor and a business she helped set up that the city council paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to, it has been concluded.
Last November, external auditors Grant Thornton recommended two ‘improvements’ in how the local authority hires private companies to provide it with services, after finding the organisation failed to follow its own rules in awarding contracts for the Stepping Up leadership training programme for staff from diverse backgrounds.
The scheme was created with the help of former Labour councillor and deputy mayor Asher Craig as an in-house council project before those behind the course established a company to run it in 2018, paid for by City Hall.
The auditors’ report showed the council paid more than £600,000 to three different firms, including one with Ms Craig as a director and chair.
It said she used a different name to register as its director and did not initially declare an interest.
Grant Thornton said that while it was ‘not uncommon’ for councillors to use a different name than they do in business, it could ‘create the perception that arrangements are not open and transparent’.
In a statement at the time, Ms Craig, who stood down from politics at the May 2024 local elections, insisted ‘any suggestion’ of ‘improper conduct’ was ‘wholly unfounded’.
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When the report was published, several members of Bristol City Council’s cross-party audit committee demanded an independent inquiry by lawyers, but they agreed instead at a subsequent meeting in March to a ‘confidential briefing’.
That happened on April 10 where officers told councillors that both the external auditors and a review by the authority’s internal audit team had come to the same conclusion – that although the council’s own procurement rules were breached and there were weaknesses in managing the Stepping Up contract, nothing illegal happened.
In an unexpected announcement, audit committee chairman Cllr Rob Logan (Labour, Filwood) told its meeting on Thursday, May 29: “In the briefing the committee were advised that an investigation had been conducted by internal audit which concluded that based on their tests, no evidence of criminal activity was identified.
“However there had been non-compliance with internal procurement procedures in the earlier years and there were weaknesses in the management of the Stepping Up contract.
“These findings align with those noted by the external auditor.”
He said recommendations included complying with internal procurement rules and formalising contract management arrangements, while a potential conflict of interest was referred to the council’s monitoring officer, Tim O’Gara, who is responsible for ensuring the authority complies with the law.
Cllr Logan said: “The monitoring officer confirmed that he was satisfied that there were no issues of concern relating to any potential conflict of interest.
“The monitoring officer also confirmed that Stepping Up has been considered by external auditors and there are no outstanding issues to be addressed.
“The monitoring officer has advised that the audit committee should continue to seek assurance and monitor the arrangements that the council has in place relating to procurement and contract management.
“Following deliberations by committee members present, it was agreed that this matter has now been sufficiently scrutinised, and the committee has received the assurances it sought.
“Given that the committee has now exhausted its inquiries, this matter should now be taken as closed unless new significant information comes to light.”
Grant Thornton’s report last year said the ex-deputy mayor used the name Jennifer May Craig to register as a director of the Stepping Up Leadership CIC in March 2020.
It said she had a ‘connection and familiarity’ with the woman running the courses and two of the companies involved.
Presenting the report at the time, Grant Thornton director Beth Bowers said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we did not find that there were any relationships which should have been disclosed but were not.
“We only found that there were perceptions that there were some relationships that should have been disclosed.”
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Ms Craig said ahead of the November meeting: “I appreciate being given an opportunity to respond to the findings of the recent audit report concerning the contractor engaged for a city leadership programme.
“I would like to clarify my position regarding the implications drawn about my relationship with the contractor and the commissioning process.
“Stepping Up was designed as a response to the city’s paucity of diverse leadership within the public, private and voluntary sector in 2017.
“This leadership programme was the first ‘one city’ approach taken by city leaders to address under-representation.
“Whilst I have known the contractor and supported their involvement in the design and subsequent delivery of the programme, it is crucial to emphasise that my actions have always adhered to clear ethical boundaries and professional standards.
“Any suggestion that my advocacy and role as a director of the CIC led to improper conduct is wholly unfounded.
“I must express my concern that I was never asked for my perspective at any point by the writers of the report and nor was I given a draft before it was published.
“This lack of opportunity seems unfair and also raises questions about the impartiality of the process.”