CC Wilkinson ~ The Firefighter ~ The FBU Representative ~ The Politician ~ The Freemason.
Lancashire Labour’s CC Wilkinson who was never an actual LCC Labour ‘Leader’ and never a ‘leader’ in any sense of his wildest imagining.
He was simply a ‘buggins turn’ Chairman of the LCC at one point which purely amounts to cutting ribbons and using a spade on green field sites, a very stressful role …
The Editor’s first contact with Wilkinson came at Station E77 Heywood(Manchester) a two pump wholetime station when Wilkinson was a Fireman with Lancashire Country Fire Brigade and a member of a Watch under the Sub-Officer Burns’s command(1.10.69-16.3.1970).
He could never be described as a ‘senior hand’, a compliment by the crews of the Watch to those whom they respected in their peer group.
The Editor recalls keeping a suspicious eye on Wilkinson’s less than enthusiastic participation in routine Watch duties. Wilkinson needed constant supervision and ‘watching’ and as history was to record this potential political predator never lost his spots.
Frankly he made a poor ‘hand ‘ at firefighting because he was never there.
It was clear from first-hand experience, even at this early stage of Service life, that Wilkinson exhibited the same ‘qualities’ that Sir Robert Armstrong had in respect of ‘economy of truth’ and unreliability where it was concerned.
Later by his actions and in his own correspondence he was to condemn himself by his own deceit out of his own mouth.
Recollection is that he spent a considerable amount of his ‘duty’ time released to play football for the Brigade team which meant that other Watch personnel had to carry the additional burden of his duties which hardly made him particularly ‘popular’ until, with relief all round, he was eventually transferred to his home ‘turf’ at Ramsbottom.
Later he received a knee injury at football which he was to claim later was a ‘qualifying’ service injury in the line of ‘operational duty’ and when the time came for his early retirement the Chief Fire Officer of the day, to his credit, was having none of it, and he was discharged with an ill health pension though how he acquired even this remains a mystery; a mystery which, as CC Wilkinson, he denied and lied about, but when challenged by his peers of that period he had no other option but to confirm that he did hold an ill-health pension and an ‘economy’ where the truth was concerned.
In the period that followed post 1970 Wilkinson gravitated to the FBU a decade which culminated in the first nine week National Fire Service strike in 1977/78. Wilkinson had sought refuge in FBU activities and was last seen on the picket line in 1977.
Once more Wilkknson was not one of the leaders in Lancashire unlike the Editor who was both Secretary and Chairman of the Officer section(soon to become a Branch) before, during, and after the Strike.
Wilkinson, like many another budding politician, subsequently prostituted his trade union credentials for the most of his political life.
As he rose through the FBU ranks it also brought the usual ‘advantages’ of non operational nights and weekend shifts; and the greatest bonus of all, ‘no accountability’, within Brigade management structures as to his whereabouts or his activities, a continuing practice today which is an abuse of the independent role of a Union Official where they have their free Service provided office though in fact it is the Tax Payer who picks up the actual bill!
De facto this amounts, as it still does today, to taxpayer paid permanent leave which cannot be described as other than an abuse of the ‘system’.
Nor can it be overlooked that all the full time senior officials of the FBU have their FBU pensionable salaries linked to the senior rank structure of the FRS for pay purposes and as serving members of the Service they have, in addition, the added benefits of their Service pensions, so ‘double dipping’ is hardly a novel new concept for them much as they might bleat about it.
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In 2001 Wilkinson in fulfilling his political ambitions was elected as a Labour Lancashire County Councillor and with an increasingly slim majority re-elected once more in 2005 only to be dumped by the electorate in 2009 much to the unbridled glee of his political opponents and his betrayed former colleagues who sent him expletive undeleted emails of ‘congratulation’.
In the interim he rose rapidly within the Labour ranks and by 2007 he was the Chairman of the Combined Fire Authority; by all appearances the fox within the hen house but appearances can be deceptive when in fact it was more akin to a poacher turned enthusiastic gamekeeper.
During this time in the heady politics of the usual Buggin’s turn he became the Chairman of the County Council, a titular head who wields no political power, but which is a grand excuse for taxpayers paid jaunts here, and mostly there, and if common gossip is to believed even his ‘foreign’ jaunting companions deemed his drunken antics unsavoury to say the least.
On one occasion as Chairman of the Council, ever the opportunist, he ran a function at County Hall celebrating the ‘Heroes of Lancashire’ to which the Editor was invited.
The cynical purpose of the evening seemed to be Wilkinson’s self-aggrandisement by ‘heroic association’ during which he created the impression that as an FBU Official and former Firefighter he was instrumental in persuading the then Labour Leader Louise Ellman(M.P.) to send a rescue squad to the Armenian Earthquake in 1988.
Nothing could be further from the truth. He simply played no role whatever in either peripheral events, decision making, or in any official capacity whether FBU or not, before or after.
He simply attempted to short change those FBU Officials who did and who were the actual heroes who travelled as rescuers to Armenia.
This was a distasteful charade but not untypical of Wilkinson who clearly had drunk deep from the elixir of power and was eminently qualified to be a politician.
In 2006 with the advent of the LFRS pension debacle the Editor and others who were long gone from local politics and the Service were of the naive opinion that common sense and comradely loyalty would prevail and this issue could be resolved in a courteous, mature, and mutually respectful manner, and if errors by either party had occurred, then they must be corrected.
But alas Wilkinson showed his true colours and loyalties, and those he was responsible for, right from the start.
Aided and abetted by fellow Freemasons, Winterbottom (the boss), Holland, O’Toole, Warren, and Hamilton he initiated an immediate, punitive, and disloyal cover up which even the usually diffident LEP ran an editorial under two banner headlines ‘Betrayal’ and ‘Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut’ though as events were to illuminate the LEP had its own reasons for supporting some of the FSVs, those more equal than others. Especially those who had been led from the ‘darkness into the light’ by Winterbottom and his fellow LFRS Lamplighters.
As a CC Wilkinson had a primary duty under the LFRS Code of Conduct in avoiding any suspicion of duplicity, personal, or pecuniary advantage to declare his ‘Interest’ at all formal CFA Meetings and withdraw which was of course the fact that he was an LFRS pensioner himself who had been compulsorily discharged with an ill health pension ~ the great mystery.
A glance at the LFRS Minutes of that time show, until his secret was unveiled publicly, Wilkinson had never made a declaration of ‘Interest’ at a single meeting which meant that he controlled every single factor which led him to set up a ‘Review’ into the pension debacle.
It is of particular note that this ‘Review’ was not an across the board review of failed pension administration but undoubtedly slanted by his control to exclude any examination of pensioner’s records who had been discharged with an ill health pension including himself.
At that time he denied that he had ever received an ill health pension but when publicly challenged attempted to mislead all those who knew better.
Perhaps he thought he was dealing with politicians?
Wilkinson was, as expected, deceitful from the moment of his renewed contact with the Editor. Archived emails and letters tells this entire sordid story.
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