Stockport Council News

Councillor Lisa Smart/Councillor Angela Clark
Stockport Town Hall
Edward Street
Stockport
SK1 3XE
By Recorded Delivery

Thursday, 01 February 2024

Dear Councillor Smart/Clark

You undertook at the full council meeting at Stockport Town Hall on 4^th October 2023 to represent me.  My questions have been erroneously branded as being vexatious by Stockport Council from the last time it was under Liberal Democrat control.  It was claimed that I had been rude and offensive.  The Information Commissioner decided that I had not been rude and offensive, but was asking too many questions.   I have that evidence, as does Stockport Council.  The Council has no evidence of my ever having been rude or offensive.   I need you to examine the relevant evidence yourself and decide if the questions were rude, offensive, wasting councillor/officer time or in the interests of public safety or the public purse.  I draw your attention to the relevant government advice, which was in place at the time these questions were first raised:-

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/armchair-auditors-are-here-to-stay

Your reply to me, when it was finally extracted from you, was ludicrous to say the least.  Because this took place in a different part of Stockport you can’t help me?  You promised to represent me – I live in your ward.  The offences were committed by LibDem Executive councillors, some of whom are now back in control of the council.

Financial Irregularities (Part 1)

I was branded vexatious by then LibDem run Stockport Council for raising the issue of financial irregularities.  In October 2005 the Vale View School was said to be costing £5.5million, by December 2005 it had gone up to £7.5 million.  By July 2006 the costs had risen to £8.2million, £2.40 million over budget.  It then rose shortly afterwards to £10 million Why was it considered vexatious of me to raise these matters?

I look forward to your reply.  I shall send this by snail mail as well, so you can’t claim you haven’t received it.

We don’t need another MP happy to turn a blind eye to the corruption of their political cohorts.

Yours

Sheila Oliver

http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/councildemocracy/your_council/documentsandfacts/budgetsfinancialmonitoringreports/councilspending#pcards

Dear Mrs Oliver,

I am writing in response to your request for
information (ref FOI 30582).

The relevant Council Service(s) has searched for
the requested information and our response is as follows:

Are postal votes counted before the rest of the votes are
counted on election night, and if so which individuals are privy to the number
of votes cast for each party?

SMBC
can confirm that postal votes are not counted by candidate/party before the
close of poll on election day and so no individual is aware of the number of
votes received by any candidate/party before the count takes place.

The
process that is followed in respect of opening postal votes is specified in the
Representation of the People (England & Wales) Regulations 2001.
Essentially this provides that:

·
The envelope containing the postal vote statement
and the envelope containing the ballot paper(s) is opened

·
The postal vote statement is checked to ensure it is
signed and dated and the number on the statement matches that on the ballot
paper envelope

·
The signature and date of birth on the postal vote
statement are scanned and the details compared to the master images kept by the
Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) as part of the postal vote application
process

·
If the postal vote statement is accepted, the envelopes
containing the ballot paper(s) then passes to the next stage of the process

·
When the postal vote statements have been scanned and
adjudicated, the envelopes containing the ballot paper(s) are then opened and
the number of ballot papers received are counted FACE DOWNWARDS so that any
candidates/agents observing the process is not able to see which
candidate./party the elector has voted for. The ballot papers are not sorted
into candidates/parties but the total number of ballot papers received is
calculated and the ballot papers sealed into ballot boxes ready to be included
in the count when it commences after the polls close.

If
the signature or date of birth on the postal vote statement does not match that
held by the ERO the postal vote is rejected. Any elector whose vote is rejected
for these reasons is contacted after the election so they are aware their
vote was disallowed and if necessary they can provide a fresh signature.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Officer

From: Sheila
Oliver
Sent: 23 April 2015
21:29
To: FOI Officer
Subject: Compulsory
purchase/demolition of property opposite town hall for construction of
offices

Dear FoI
Officer

I believe buildings
from the 1840s opposite the town hall are being demolished in order to build
more office space. The entire town is full of empty office blocks. Who came up
with this proposed development and why?

Kind
regards

Sheila

From: Sheila
Oliver
Sent: 26 April 2015
06:59
To: FOI Officer
Subject: Postal
voting

Dear FoI
Officer

Are postal votes
counted before the rest of the votes are counted on election night, and if so
which individuals are privy to the number of votes cast for each
party?

Many thanks and kind
regards

Sheila

Email received – 21 May 2013 09:43
Dear
Mrs Oliver,

I
am writing in response to your request for information (ref FOI
7165).

The
relevant Council Service(s) has searched for the requested information and our
response is as follows.

Over the past two
years to end of March 2013:

1) How many
“compromise agreements” have been signed?

382

2) What
evidence exists that employees access “independent” advice?

The signature of a
solicitor on the compromise agreement and receipt of their invoice. Independent
legal advice is a requirement within the compromise agreement
itself.

3) Can the
council guarantee that they do not provide any advice as to where employees
should seek advice regarding such agreements?

We do not provide
advice or recommendations. However, some employees do ask for the names of
solicitors other employees have used, in which case we direct them to their own
trade unions for advice and provide a list, but we are clear that this does not
constitute a recommendation and they can choose whichever solicitor/legal
adviser they wish, and it is their responsibility to ensure they are fully aware
of what the charges will be.

4) Are redundancy
payments calculated under a standard format or are there circumstances where
this might be varied?

Yes they are
calculated to a standard formula.

5) If so, what
criteria is used to justify the variation from the norm?

Yours
sincerely,

Simon
Oldfield

Freedom
of Information/ Data Protection Officer & RIPA
Coordinator

Stockport
Council
Town Hall
Stockport
SK1 3XE

Tel:
0161 474 4048
Fax: 0161 474 4006

From: Simon
Oldfield On Behalf Of FOI Officer

————————————————————-

From: Sheila
Oliver
Sent: 03 May 2013
19:47
To: FOI Officer
Subject: Fw: Compromise agreements
7010 – Response

Dear FoI
Officer

And supplementry to
my question below:-

Over the past two years to end of March 2013:

!) How
many “compromise agreements” have been signed?

2) What evidence exists
that employees access “independent” advice?

3) Can the council guarantee
that they do not provide any advice as to where employees should seek advice
regarding such agreements?

4) Are redundancy payments calculated under a
standard format or are there circumstances where this might be varied?

5)
If so, what criteria is used to justify the variation from the
norm?

Kind
regrds

Sheila

—– Original
Message —–

From: Sheila
Oliver

To: FOI Officer

Cc: leader@stockport.gov.uk

Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013
6:43 PM

Subject: Re: Compromise
agreements 7010 – Response

Dear FoI
Officer

Would the below
mentioned confidentiality clause preclude
whistleblowing?

By the way, £420,000
was spent on the A6 to Airport Road consultation exercise. How many of the jobs
of your decent colleagues could that money have safeguarded? But it has all
been blown on a doomed to failure roadscheme. And the Council says I waste
money!

Kind
regards

Sheila

—– Original
Message —–

From: FOI Officer

To: ‘Sheila
Oliver’

Cc: FOI Officer

Sent: Thursday, May 02,
2013 1:58 PM

Subject: FW: Compromise
agreements 7010 – Response

Dear
Mrs Oliver,

I
am writing in response to your request for information (ref FOI
7010).

The
relevant Council Service(s) has searched for the requested information and our
response is as follows.

The Council uses
compromise agreements as part of our standard approach for employees leaving on
voluntary redundancy grounds. Compromise agreements are signed by the employee
after taking independent legal advice, and by the employer. The standard
compromise agreement sets out the reason why the employee is leaving, any
payments due to the employee and details the property and information that need
returning to the Council as well as a standard confidentiality
clause.

Yours
sincerely,

Simon
Oldfield

Freedom
of Information/ Data Protection Officer & RIPA
Coordinator

Stockport
Council
Town Hall
Stockport
SK1 3XE
——————————————————–

From: Sheila
Oliver
Sent: 03 April 2013
18:04
To: FOI Officer
Subject: Compromise
agreements

Dear FoI
Officer

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9967901/14m-bill-for-gagging-axed-public-officials.html

Please see this
newspaper article. Has SMBC signed any such
agreements?

Kind
regards

Sheila