THE Public Sector Commission has delivered a second slapdown to Melville council in a week, saying it’s taking a new look into allegations of misconduct surrounding a proposed wave park.

Last week the council voted to give Wave Park Group a lease on Tompkins Park, Alfred Cove after meeting late into the night.

CEO Shayne Silcox told ratepayers at the meeting the commission had looked into the matter and found no staff misconduct. He also issued a release saying the commission wouldn’t be taking the matter any further.

But the next day the commission issued a clarifier to say it had made no findings, merely assessed an internal review provided by the city which didn’t point to any conflicts of interest.

The Herald asked the commission whether the city’s review divulged that a staff member who’d held shares in Wave Park Group had been flagged as due to provide councillors with an update on the proposal at confidential briefing sessions in 2015 – more than a year before he divested his interest in the company. Dr Silcox says that update never occurred, but won’t say why the staff member made it onto the agenda in the first place.

The commission responded that it “is currently undertaking further enquiries and no comment can be made at this stage.”