Demands for public result into financial investigation at Lincoln academy group

A parliamentary candidate for Lincoln is demanding that a government report into the financial management of the Priory Federation of Academies is made public.

The Education Funding Agency finalised an investigation into the financial management of the Priory Federation of Academies, formed out of four county academies.

However, the findings that led to the resignation of Richard Gilliland on March 30, chief executive at the federation, have not been made public.

Lucy Rigby, Labour parliamentary candidate for Lincoln, is demanding the controversial report be made public

Lucy Rigby, Labour parliamentary candidate for Lincoln in the next general elections, told The Lincolnite she is going to be demanding that the report is made public.

She said: “The government has conducted an investigation and appears to have found financial irregularities so severe that Mr Gilliland departed immediately, yet the government is keeping this report completely secret.

“Thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money goes to these academies every year and obviously hundreds of parents entrust their children to the care of these schools every day.”

“We have a clear right and an urgent need to know what happened — the government needs to publish this report immediately,” she added.

The federation was formed in 2008, made up of four schools: Priory Academy LSST, Priory Witham Academy, Priory City of Lincoln Academy and Priory Ruskin Academy.

As the federation’s chief executive, Richard Gilliland was earning more than £200,000 per year, one of the county’s highest paid public servants.

Deputy chief executive Ian Jones has taken on the role of CEO on an interim basis, alongside his post as headteacher of The Priory Academy LSST.

As its 4,500 children returned to school on Monday, the Priory said the day-to-day running of the schools remains unchanged.

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