- Adelaide council boss slammed for urging employee to wave pensioner’s fine
- Pensioner illegally parked outside an Ascot Park property in March last year
- Found the council boss, Adrian Skull, breached his council’s code of conduct
A council boss has been slammed by the Ombudsman for urging an employee to wave a pensioner’s parking fine.
Marion chief executive Adrian Skull breached his council’s code of conduct when he told an employee to waive the 76-year-old’s $253 fine for parking in a bicycle lane, Ombudsman Wayne Lines found.
The unnamed pensioner illegally parked outside an Ascot Park property, in Adelaide’s south west, in March last year while visiting a disabled neighbour, The Advertiser reported.
Marion chief executive Adrian Skull (pictured) was found to have breached his council’s code of conduct when he told an employee to waive the 76-year-old’s $253 fine for parking in a bicycle lane
A council boss has been slammed by the Ombudsman for urging an employee to wave a pensioner’s parking fine (stock image)
Councillor Jason Veliskou, who is a friend of the pensioner, offered to help the elderly man by writing a letter to Mr Skull on his behalf.
In the letter it was argued the pensioner did not see the sign and had only parked in the spot for a short amount of time.
When Mr Skull received the letter he forwarded it to an employee in the complaints handling department with a note which read: ‘Can we please waive this fine? I think there is a compelling case for consideration of this.’
When questioned Mr Skull and the complaints department employee said the letter did not influence the decision to wave the pensioner’s fine.
But Ombudsman Wayne Lines disagreed.
Mr Skull told The Advertiser he was acting in good faith and felt his actions were ‘appropriate at all times’.
‘I have never, and would not, instruct a staff member to waive a fine,’ he said.
The anonymous Adelaide pensioner illegally parked outside an Ascot Park property in March last year while visiting a disabled neighbour (stock image)