Blog Image

Stockport Council News

But, it turned out they couldn’t sell the redundant land.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 12:02

You can’t find a buyer for the land, I said. Don’t be vexatious and stop wasting our precious time, they snarled in reply.



So, they intended to close two schools in North Reddish, the Fir Tree and North Reddish School, sell the land off for building and build a new school on an old tip which in the intervening decades had grassed over and become important local public space.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 11:59



I tried to bring the financial irregularities to the notice of the Audit Committee, but they had a majority of LibDems so couldn’t have cared any less.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 11:54


Rise in cost of the new school from £5.5m to £10m (plus ignored contamination remediation costs) explained in a back of a fag packet document.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 09:48


Not only was there a financial irregularity of £4.5m (the rising cost of the school) but also another financial irregularity of over £220k in their explanation of that rise.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 09:43

The Fraud and Financial Irregularities Policy at Stockport Council (no, don’t laugh).



Because I was/still am banned from asking questions on the subject, I resorted to asking the Finance Executive councillor in the council car park. Fortunately, he had some degree of honesty.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 09:29

This was the response he obtained for me.

When I wasn’t allowed to ask council questions, I questioned Paul  Carter, then LibDem Executive Councillor for Finance in the car park.  He eventually came up with this explanation for the doubling in cost of this primary school.

You will see from the document above that they have used a figure of £1450m2.

You will see from the document above that the attribute some of the monumental rise in cost of this school to an increase in floor area from 2600m2 to 3185m2 and they have themselves given the figure they used as £1450m2.  So, this is an increase of 585m2 at £1450 the cost of which they have put at £1,050,000 when I believe it to be £848,250. I might, of course, be wrong but I have tried to check year after year after this this apparent financial irregularity of £201,750.  Surely as a council taxpayer I am entitled to some response!



Obvious concern over funding – Donna Sagar (DS)to look at other possible funding sources, but she and the LibDem Executive councillors were still claiming my questions on the subject were “vexatious”, and their pals at the Information Commission were not inclined to back down.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 07:14

Point 10

“Advice required on how much of the above goes in the highlight report for May’s Project Board. Agenda to be prepared in advance – not a full highlight report”.

Sounds a bit iffy to me.



Cost in February 2006 £7.5 – £8m. Funds available £5.8m plus another possible £600k.

Andrew Webb, CYPD, Donna Sager, CYPD, LibDem Councillors, Vale View School Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, May 15, 2021 07:07


« PreviousNext »