Middlesbrough council withheld details of outlay on unusable Covid tests
February 15, 2021, 12:09 pm

Middlesbrough council withheld details of outlay on unusable Covid tests

Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston promised during his election campaign that he would be ‘open and transparent’.

Mayor Andy Preston disregarded advice from director of public health and ordered pinprick antibody tests

Middlesbrough council withheld potentially embarrassing details of how – against the advice of its own public health expert – it ordered £24,000 worth of Covid tests that it could not use, emails reveal.

The independent mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston, spent £24,000 on pinprick antibody tests, disregarding concerns voiced by the region’s director of public health, according to documents released under Freedom of Information laws.

An initial FoI request regarding the use and success of the tests was submitted in August last year. After a copy of the emails was received with key paragraphs heavily redacted, further inquiries were made. The council eventually released the unredacted correspondence in January.

It shows that Preston authorised the purchase of 1,000 Vaxeal Lyher Combo Test Kits even though they did not have the requisite approval for use as home tests. The kits are in storage while the council “investigates the most effective means by which to use them”.

During his 2019 election campaign, Preston repeatedly promised that “as mayor, I’d always be open and transparent”.

The emails between officials including Preston and Tony Parkinson, the chief executive of Middlesbrough council, show that the South Tees director of public health (DPH), Mark Adams, voiced his concerns around the usefulness of the tests.

“I’m uncomfortable with this,” said Adams. “It’s unlikely that we would be able to link any local testing into the test and trace programme (not easily anyway), and ultimately, if the advice is to isolate or get a test anyway, I don’t think it adds anything to the temperature guns.”

Middlesbrough council made 50 temperature testing guns available in July, around the time of the proposed launch of the antibody testing kits. In addition, Adams expressed concerns that the test would be unable to identify people in the pre-symptomatic stage – the first 10 days of infection – saying, “This test fails at the key area” and “We could end up spending a huge amount of money to achieve very little.”

While the tests have been awarded a CE certificate by the EU, they are yet to receive approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates medicines and medical devices in the UK.

The Labour MP for Middlesbrough, Andy McDonald, said: “It’s about openness and transparency, and people want to know that their money is being used responsibly and not spent chasing headlines. Trying to keep this hidden from public gaze is not acceptable and it should have been revealed in the first instance.

“I’m absolutely staggered that you’ve got a professional DPH, who has expressed great caution about proceeding with this. Not only that, there is no approval from the MHRA. Quite frankly, you shouldn’t spend £24,000 of public money until you’ve got the green light. You can’t make important decisions in local government on a whim.”

A Middlesbrough council spokesman said: “The council provided the information voluntarily, once it was appropriate to do so. Any suggestion the Council tried to ‘hide’ information is false.

“Middlesbrough has had some of the highest infection rates in the UK. At all times throughout the pandemic we’ve had to act quickly and decisively. The purchase was made before national testing was commonplace. Unfortunately, we were unable to use the kits in the way we intended.”

source: Alex Mistlin

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.