Statue Fiasco Latest - Cadman Speaks! (Sort of....)

Where the Skidder leads the mainstream media are now beginning to follow and it was good to see the Birmingham Mail take up this story (though I haven't seen anything yet from the Wolverhampton arse-lickers!)

Let us just analyse such new information as there is following the Mail article:

1. The statue is to cost £220,000 which is substantially more than previous Cadman/Ibbeson productions;

2. The £95 per head Laurie Cunningham Tribute Dinner - to be held in Birmingham and not West Bromwich - scheduled for 10th November had to be cancelled. It seems good folk were not keen to avail themselves of such a tempting offer or even Cadman's special price of just £900 for a table of ten!;

3. Cadman is still alleged to be fronting this private project (but see my blog of 18th November). As with all his other statue projects he has not produced any accounts to say how much has been raised and where exactly the money has gone to. Sandwell Labour have nicked £30,000 for infrastructure improvements and paid it over to someone in respect of this but have refused twice to say - under the Freedom of Information Act - who exactly the money has been paid to! Cadman won't say either and so I am having to appeal to the Information Commissioner;

4. It is again claimed that this is a private project organised by Cadman which begs the question why Sandwell Council's planning supremo, Nick Bubalo, applied for the planning permission and then granted HIS own application. Clearly the grant of the planning permission is tainted with illegality and I have formally written to Sandwell's Head of Legal to ask that the current permission be rescinded. Watch this space...;

5. Cadman alleges that he has raised £155,000 or the £220,000 so far in cash and, er, "pledges". Once again where is the money? What bank account has it been paid into? Where are the accounts for the public to see?;

6. Cadman claims  that West Brom's own statue to the legendary "Bomber" Brown has "taken priority". This is, er, bollocks. The two projects were mutually exclusive and the Brown statue was nothing whatsoever to do with Cadman;

7. The "dinner" will  - says Sunny Jim - take place next year and "the profits" will so to the statue appeal. Once again it is highly unlikely that any accounts will ever be published as to how the "profit" was calculated - certainly if past form is anything to go by;

8. Sandwell Labour have said they will not be putting in any more money apart from the small matter of £30,000 already handed over and the recent £1,469.90 Labour diverted from the Arts Festival monies to promote it over two days (one sixth of the entire festival budget). Yet Cadman claims that the Council will give "continuing backing". So what form will this take then?

9. The Mail spoke to me yesterday prior to running their piece and said that Sandwell Council were giving them a statement - although there is no mention of them having done so in the article itself. Normally the motormouth Labour leader [sic], Darren "The Turdmeister" Cooper, is pushing this wretched thing for all it is worth but suddenly seems to have gone quiet..... Tell us Cooper - precisely where is the £30,000 of public money now? Who has it?

Perhaps the good folk of Sandwell should forget this daft idea altogether and erect a statue to two other local heroes instead:

Muppet on a String!

Finally and on a related theme, cash-strapped Sandwell College are taking such an interest in this thing that the Board of Governors discussed it at their July meeting although the minutes are opaque as to why! The actual minute reads:

"In response to a further query, members were informed of the current position with regard to the "Three Degrees" statue..."

Who asked the question and who gave the information? Surely the latter was not the Labour Council's Chief Executive Jan Britton who has been placed by his political masters on the College Board where he laughably sits as an "independent" member. The College insist they have not put any money in (or been forced by Labour to do so as part of the bent Public deal) and so why are they getting "reports" on the project ahead of the voters who have stumped up £31,469.90p? Maybe ordinary folk just don't count in "socialist" Sandwell......

(Please don't forget the Police Fraud Team direct line - DS Wayne Haynes - 0121 251 2175!)

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