Can a council award a contract to a current/ very recent employee, on the recommendation of the Clerk alone?

Question

https://hadleigh.nub.news/news/local-news/shock-and-outrage-as-sole-owner-of-12-magpies-accountancy-awarded-contract-by-hadleigh-councils-clerk-is-revealed-as-staff-member-221097

The clerk withheld the identity of an accountant (sole trader) and brought a motion to full council to award a 6 hour/ week, £35/hour contract to them. The council had agreed to reinstate the role of RFO to the clerk and the clerk wanted to appoint someone to do much of the work. The sole trader was none other than the council’s ex RFO and close associate of the Clerk. Though the councillors asked to be told the identity of the accountant, the clerk did not reveal this. 

On looking for an online presence, it looked as though the accountant had had a Facebook page which had been deleted. It transpires that many of us were just ‘blocked’ by the accountant’s Facebook page, though some of us could access it through friends’ and other pages we had, when we realised that we had merely been ID’d as people who might make a fuss.

Answer 1

The clerk didn’t appoint them….

The idiot Cllrs that voted for the motion appointed them

Comments

Is there a clerk ‘code of conduct’ though?

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The Clerk as an employee falls under the council's grievance and disciplinary procedures.  There is no 'code of conduct' akin to the one signed by the councillors.

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Code of conduct signed by Cllrs?

Do Cllrs routinely sign a Code of Conduct?

I recall signing an acceptance of office but not a code of conduct which would, I would imagine, be voluntary?

Interested to hear what others do….