Wirral Globe helps win back job for council whistleblower

A campaign by weekly newspaper the Wirral Globe has seen a council whistleblower who was allegedly bullied out of the authority offered his job back. Martin Morton began raising concerns about Wirral Council's overcharging of elderly and vulnerable residents at care homes in Moreton, but when he flagged this up with senior managers he was 'ignored, bullied and driven out of his job", according to a report in the Globe. Morton was later paid £45,000 to leave the authority and keep quiet, but instead told his story to the paper. The Globe, which is owned by Newsquest, launched a campaign that eventually saw the council admit its errors and repay £250,000 to 16 care home residents. The campaign culminated on Friday when council leader Jeff Green issued an apology on behalf of the authority and offered Morton his job back. Globe editor Leigh Marles told holdthefrontpage: "It's encouraging the local press has the power to shine a light on these issues and perhaps get things moving. "Before the Globe published Mr Martin's story, sections of the local authority seemed quite happy to brush the overcharging of these vulnerable people under the carpet and hope it would all just go away."