Blog Image

Stockport Council News

Are LibDem Councillors Smart/Clark willfully blind to LibDem corruption?

LibDem Councillors, Lisa Smart LibDem PPC, North Reddish Primary School, SMBC FOI, Vale View School, Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, December 02, 2023 07:45

They promised in the full council meeting of 4th of October that they would represent me. No response yet to this letter to them.

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

Date 10/10/2023

Dear Councillor Smart/Clark

You undertook at the full council meeting at Stockport Town Hall on 4th 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

It is an offence under the Fraud Act 2006 to act deliberately to cause someone (in this instance the council taxpayer) a loss.

Section 2 – Fraud by False Representation It is an offence to commit fraud by false representation. The representation must be made dishonestly. The person must make the representation with the intention of making a gain or causing loss or risk of loss to another.

  1.  You are building the Vale View School too small deliberately, I told Stockport Council.  Your question is vexatious and you are wasting our valuable time with your constant questions, they replied.

My question to the full council meeting – deemed vexatious.

  • But the Council knew in April 2006 that the school was being built too small, so why was my council meeting question on the subject deemed vexatious in February 2008?
  • The birthrate in the area was rising sharply.

The Council stated in the minutes of a meeting on 26th April 2006 that 555 pupils needed a place at Vale View School, so the above FOI response would appear to be incorrect – also an offence to give an untrue response.

  • On 10th of March 2006 the Council knew the school was being built too small.  “I stress the need for confidentiality.”
  • After the school opened it was admitted that a share of 81 million pounds would have to be spent on school places including North Reddish.

I look forward to your decision as to whether this was well-researched questioning about which nothing was done, or my being a nuisance to busy and important council officers and councillors.  It is a simple matter for you to read through this evidence.  There will be no need to drag this out over weeks and months and I look forward to your response with interest.

Yours

Sheila Oliver

c.c. Councillor David Meller

Town Hall

Stockport

SK1 3XE



LibDem Councillor Mark Weldon and planning irregularities

LibDem Councillors, Uncategorised Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Tue, November 26, 2019 18:36

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/councillor-blasts-cowardly-disgraceful-critics-17302845

Councillor Mark Weldon was lead Executive Councillor on the biggest incidence of planning corruption I have found at Stockport:

Is Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer at Stockport Council, guilty of offences under the Fraud Act 2006?
Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer Stockport Council, says asking questions about missing community facilities is “vexatious”.
Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer at Stockport Council, does she ever uphold the law?
Vicki Bates, Stockport Council Monitoring Officer, at ease with financial corruption.
LibDem planning corruption at Stockport – Monitoring Officer fine with this.



Is Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer at Stockport Council, guilty of offences under the Fraud Act 2006?

Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Thu, September 19, 2019 11:35

“2 Fraud by false representation (1) A person is in breach of this section if he— (a) dishonestly makes a false representation, and (b) intends, by making the representation— B 2 Fraud Act 2006 (c. 35) (i) to make a gain for himself or another, or (ii) to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.

(2) A representation is false if— (a) it is untrue or misleading, and (b) the person making it knows that it is, or might be, untrue or misleading

3 Fraud by failing to disclose information A person is in breach of this section if he— (a) dishonestly fails to disclose to another person information which he is under a legal duty to disclose, and (b) intends, by failing to disclose the information— (i) to make a gain for himself or another, or (ii) to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.”

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/baby-boom-sparks-primary-school-689600  “The document says unused school buildings could be reopened and council bosses said they have not ruled out reopening closed schools such as North Reddish Juniors.”

This newspaper report is from June 2012 and talks of re-opening the existing Edwardian school the new still gassing toxic waste dump school was intended to replace. The toxic waste dump school opened in September 2011, less than a year earlier.

“You are building the new school too small” I said to the entirely LibDem Executive at Stockport Council.  “Don’t be vexatious”, they replied.

They knew the birth rate in the area was growing like Topsy and not falling.



Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer Stockport Council, says asking questions about missing community facilities is “vexatious”.

Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Thu, September 19, 2019 11:19

At the still-gassing, toxic waste dump primary school site, because public playing fields were being developed, Sport England imposed a £650k planning condition.  These new facilities should have been provided before the new school opened in 2011.  To date there is absolutely nothing on the site, and all questions as to why there is nothing there are deemed “vexatious”.

They cheated local people out of their legal right to replacement community sports facilities, and as there is absolutely nothing there, who trousered the hundreds of thousands of pounds which should have been spent on these?



Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer at Stockport Council, does she ever uphold the law?

Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Thu, September 19, 2019 10:34

When the Stockport LibDem councillors decided to develop a recreation ground, as I understand it they should have consulted the public and held a public inquiry if there were any objections under the Acquisition of Land Act 1981.  Obviously, they did nothing of the sort and every time I tried to raise the matter I was branded “vexatious”, and I still am.

This is how they treated recreation grounds they destroyed to build their bypass for votes (fourth row down on the right), with a newspaper announcement of their plans and the right to object.

No such protection for a recreation ground Stockport Council wanted to develop for the school.


Vicki Bates, Stockport Council Monitoring Officer, at ease with financial corruption.

Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, September 14, 2019 16:30

LibDem planning corruption, with a large proportion of the miscreants coming from the Hazel  Grove constituency – financial abuses.

There is no functioning fraud and financial irregularities policy at Stockport.  I have tried to report this for a decade, but keep being stopped by Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer at Stockport Council, Michelle Dodds, Deputy Monitoring Officer, other senior council officers and councillors of the cabinet. 

This is an explanation of the rise in the cost of the toxic waste dump school, obtained after talking to a now dead Executive Councillor for Finance, Cllr Carter, in the town hall car park, as I was not allowed to question him in meetings.

As you will see from sheet 2, a figure of £1450m2 was adopted within the cost plan.

As you will see from sheet 1 for the increased floor area from 2600m2 to 3185m2 a cost of £1.050 million is given –

3185 -2600 = 585m2 x £1450 = £848,250 and not £1.050 million.

 Surely, it is in no way “vexatious” to question a financial irregularity of £207,750.  But it is at Stockport firstly under the LibDems and now still under Labour.

In addition, changing areas Sport England – £280,000 – additional 167m2.  Firstly, 167m2 x £1450 – £242, 150 and not £280,000.  Secondly, as far as I am aware there is didley squat there on the site and, of course, I am not allowed to check whether these are hidden inside the school as that would be “vexatious”.

There is no football pitch at the school site – another £75k abnormality Michelle Dodds and others won’t allow me to question.

I asked then LibDem leader of the Council Goddard, now Lord Goddard, chum of notorious gangsters and the person who had sick, innocent Mr Parnell imprisoned.  I have submitted the evidence countless times as I have done to you. This was his response:

Stockport Council Monitoring Officer Vicki Bates and her deputy Michelle Dodds claim it is “vexatious” to question these multi £m financial irregularities. Are these women fit people to hold public office?



LibDem planning corruption at Stockport – Monitoring Officer fine with this.

Vale View School, Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer, Stockport Council Posted by Sheila OliverPosted on Sat, September 14, 2019 07:54

The Stockport Council assistant monitoring officer Michelle Dodds and Vicki Bates, Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal, Democratic Governance and Estate and Asset Management), say I am vexatious to have ever raised this issue.  Ms Dodds and Ms Bates obviously care nothing for children’s safety.

The Stockport then-entirely LibDem Executive decided to build the new 500 pupil, still gassing toxic waste dump school at this location where traffic was already horrendous:

Most of the cars  from the houses within the red lines on the photo below, which have to exit their housing estate along narrow Mill Lane past the new, still gassing toxic waste dump primary school, were ignored at the planning meeting. What about the traffic from all these houses I asked and asked?  Don’t be vexatious they replied, and they still do –  Ms Dodds and Ms Bates, Stockport Council panjandrums.

Within weeks of the new school opening the police had complained about the dangerous traffic situation, which I had previously warned the Council about:

The school was issuing letters to parents and residents about the dangerous traffic situation, but still my questions on the subject were and still are “vexatious”.

It would be bad enough that Ms Dodds and Ms Bates, Monitoring Officers, don’t care about children’s safety enough to allow questions to be asked about the traffic situation, but my young son died in a traffic accident aged just 16.  For these women to call a mother who lost her child in a traffic accident “vexatious” for correctly identifying the dangers to primary school children is so offensive to me as to be off the scale.

My son