A brief summary:
July, 2013 The "leader" of Sandwell Council ("SMBC") Darren Cooper, aka The Turdmeister, told the press HE had initiated talks with "one or two" developers to bring an ice rink to Sandwell. Thanks to my recent Freedom of Information Request SMBC - rather than the developer (!) - then assessed nine sites (presumably at public expense) before deciding that the best thing to do would be to use taxpayers' money to demolish its own Queen's Square car park! Council officers then scored this plan and it came out at a ridiculously low 54%. But Labour decided it had to go ahead. They arranged a proposed deal with a secret demolition contractor at a secret cost to knock the car park down.
December, 2013 A plan was hatched and put before a "cabinet" committee. The idea was to use public money to provide a cleared site to the developer who would then be granted a long lease at a nominal - rather than a commercial rent (why?). No other party was involved in this secret "deal". Three senior Labour "councillors"- Hussain, Eling and Crompton - had a busy agenda with the usual formalities, nine other matters and this to deal with, but speeded through in just 30 minutes - in the meantime deciding to drop the lease idea and find time to resolve to simply sell the cleared site to the developer at a price "to be agreed"!
When the meeting minutes were published they confirmed that the three Labour Councillors had indeed agreed this deal and in paragraph 59 (13) (2) resolved:
"that the Director - Legal and Governance Services be authorised to dispose of the Multi Storey Car Park, West Bromwich to Planet Ice Property Leisure Limited on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Area Director - Regeneration and Economy".
This is an out and out lie. Why it has been made I know not. How do I know this? Because until last week Planet Ice Property Leisure Limited did not exist! It does now under company number 09029113. I should know since I bought the company on 8th May!
Further info including my request for a FoI Internal Review via WhatDoTheyKnow.com - see "Ice Rink Appraisal".
See also my two earlier blogs - 15/01/14 "Another Sandwell Scandal - Spot the Difference?" and 18/01/14 "Cooper - Skating on Thin Ice? (Ice Rink Scandal Part 2).
THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - A COMMUNITY BLOG
Info about Sandwell Council, Sandwell College and Interserve always welcome!
e thesandwellskidder@gmail.com t @bcrover (Vernon Grant)
Confidential phone - 07599 983737 ( 7am to 8pm)
I did a Duedil Search back in 2013, Planet Ice Property Leisure Limited did not exist! - Even responded to E&S article, but post was never published! Oh Hum! - What does the 'Turdmeister' (Love that Expression) hold over Keith Harrison? - A 'Masonic Handshake?' - Harrison was a former Patient of Cooper? Harrison went to School with Cooper and had his 'Dinner Money' grabbed every Monday Morning, or was it that Cooper and Harrison sat on the 'Free Dinners' Table!
ReplyDeleteI know Darren can be chippy about class warfare but so can I. He has a point when he says he's sick of people getting lost with the money. There are hungry children in Sandwell. If there's indignity in the human condition it belongs to us all.
ReplyDelete