Hussain Family - Bits and Pieces.

Sandwell Labour are now refusing to deal with Freedom of Information Act requests relating to the land sales to their Deputy Leader Mahboob Hussain's son, Azeem Hafeez, on the basis that there is alleged to be an ongoing police investigation. They are also refusing to say when Azeem Hafeez worked for the Council and what he was supposed to be doing to be paid taxpayers's money - noting his other "business" interests.

ADDENDUM 02/11/14 - as at 17th April, 2012 Azeem Hafeez was working in Nick Bubalo's Regeneration and Economy department. Handy!

With regard to the police the bad news is that the enquiries are still being conducted by West Midlands Police (and appear to still be of very narrow remit - not, for example, looking into the Five Star taxi contract) but the (possibly) good news is that matters have been moved away from Sandwell Police who appear to have an unhealthily close relationship with Sandwell Labour and some of its leading local figures. Accordingly, bringing in outside officers is, at least in theory, a good thing. We shall see.....

If you have information please now forward it to:

DI C. Berrow, Aqua House, 20 Lionel Street. Birmingham B3 1AQ.

Of course, if you are a SMBC employee take appropriate steps to protect your identity. I understand the SMBC phones are now being "monitored" for what is deemed to be "inappropriate use" and so do not use a "work" phone or computer to contact the police.

LAND AT JOHN STREET, OLDBURY

Another good bit of business by Azeem Hafeez. I am not sure who he bought the land off but he bought an L-shaped plot at the side of and behind The George pub in Oldbury which was a cleared site previously used for the storage of concrete road barriers. The Land Registry title number is WM437931. He paid £45,000 but then got planning permission to build three houses on the rear part of the land on John Street (planning application DC/13/55827). The application is difficult to find straight away as it is stated to be "land to the rear of 38 Birmingham Road, Oldbury". He then obtained planning permission for the front part of the land for two shops and two flats (DC/13/56514).

The interesting thing here is that Sandwell Labour refused planning permission for this site for residential use in 2000 under application DC/00/37073 as this was an area zoned for commercial use. Happily, Labour brought in a new planning scheme or SADD plan in late 2012 relaxing this requirement. Soon afterwards Hussain's son bought the land on 22nd March, 2013 and applied for planning permission to build 3 houses on 23rd April, 2013. Can you believe it - by 21st June, 2013 Nick Bubalo for Sandwell Council was signing off the approved planning permission! All sorted within two months - a fantastic planning service indeed!

The houses have been built and one of them is believed to now be the home of another of Hussain's sons, Naveed Hussain and his wife, Nigat Loreen. The other - front part - plot is up for sale with Derek Spires Estate Agents as a building plot with planning permission for £55,000. With the three houses a tidy profit indeed. I wonder why the previous owner sold it so cheaply?

THE WELLESLEY ROAD FACTORY

I have mentioned this property before in my blog of 09/10/14 "Bog-gate - The Stench Gets Worse and Worse...". Regular readers will know that for a long time I was trying to make a link between the Hussain family and both Abdul Quyam and Abdul Naeem Quyam. Here is another link in the chain...

The factory is officially owned by Abdul Quyum and Abdul Qayyum and when they applied to demolish the factory and build two apartment blocks they used the same architectural consultant as used by Abdul Naeem Quyum in the Bog-gate scandal and as also used by Hussain's son Azeem Hafeez. Please hold in your mind for one moment that the initial planning application for 12 flats was in 2004 but not granted until 2007. But then the applicants got greedy and put in a new application in 2007 for permission to build no less than 35 flats. Unfortunately for them, they had over-egged the pudding and various official bodies objected - including the Health and Safety Executive. Technically, the application appears to be still "pending".

If you try and search for the planning application you will find it listed as "land adjacent to 88 Wellesley Road" but on the documents the consultant, Anthony "Barrie" Hope, has helpfully supplied the actual postal address ie "Units 1 - 7 Wellesley Road, Oldbury".

Remember, that this property is in the name of Quyam and Quyyam and, on the face of it, nothing to do with the Hussain family. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you a little story about this just yet but suffice to say here that someone of impeccable character told me a very different story. And what do I find today? In January 2006 a company called Car Crash Direct Limited (no 05665553) was set-up with a registered office at, er, Units 1 - 7 Wellesley Road. The Company Secretary was Hussain's son, Naveed Hussain, and the sole Director was another son,  the multi-tasking Azeem Hafeez!

No doubt Mr Hope, Mr Quyum and Mr Quyyam will say that they were merely letting out the buildings to a local business pending the outcome of the planning application(s). One sincerely hopes so since Mr Hope signed a legal declaration on 17th February, 2007 as part of the second application:

Question: "Is the applicant or the agent submitting on behalf of the applicant a Sandwell Council employee or Sandwell Councillor or the spouse/partner or relative of a Sandwell Council employee or Sandwell Councillor?"

Answer: "No".

Car Crash Direct was struck off and dissolved by Companies House on 6th July, 2010. There was a fire at Wellesley Road.

RICKSHAW RESTAURANT, DUDLEY

Talking of fires, I would be grateful for any information about the above.

HUSSAIN'S WORK ETHIC

People tell me that Mahboob has, over the years, spent a huge amount of time in various council offices assisting with the smooth running of the Council's affairs and, as an elected officer, doing his bit to help out the hard-pressed pressed staff who Labour have been sacking in such large numbers. In case you missed it, I am sure you will be relieved to note that his efforts on behalf of the community have not gone unrewarded and in the last financial year he picked up allowances of just £34,629.

THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - A COMMUNITY BLOG - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!

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