How It Works In Sandwell!

Labour in Sandwell don't get much by way of corporate donations which is hardly surprising noting their "hard-left" hatred of business (not assisted by the fact that a substantial number of the comrades are unemployed and of those that do actually work, many of them are in the public sector). Happily, the likes of the hard-pressed members of Unite the Union are willing to stump up to ensure the continuation of the disastrous Labour governance of the Borough, er, sorry, the perpetuation of the socialist paradise on earth.

Incidentally, wealthy local MP, Tom "The Rutting Walrus" Watson, is still refusing to identify exactly who PRIVATE donor "Derek Webb" is and whether he is the same "Derek Webb" of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. To be fair to The Walrus, he hasn't been around much lately as he is so confident of local sheep trailing into the polling booths to vote him back in that he is not bothering with West Brom East and campaigning up and down the country instead (Cleethorpes, Chorley, Wolverhampton etc in the last couple of days alone).

Not so long ago, the loony lefties said that as the thick Twitter troll who leads the "socialist" Council, Darren "The Turdmeister" Cooper, was sacking so many people there was no need for extra space and, indeed, SMBC could shed surplus space. But nothing is quite what it seems with this lot. 

Even though Sandwell is awash with cheap office space, Labour have BORROWED over £20 million pounds to buy 1 Providence Place following the collapse of their pathetic "deal" with BT. Council documents clearly state that the plan is to move the main office from the Kremlin to West Bromwich - good news for West Brom but the death knell for down-at-heel Oldbury. Although this information is documented, when Cllr Phil Garrett (UKIP) was the only Councillor to express concern and asked at a full Council meeting whether this was, indeed, the plan the ludicrous Cooper answered with a single word - an unequivocal "no". Despite Freedom of Information requests, Labour are still flatly refusing to say what they are going to do with this colossally expensive white elephant (at the same time blaming "Tories" for having to sack people and cut vital services):

Don't forget to ask the Labour candidates about this fiasco when they come a'knockin especially if you are wondering why your sinking town is losing out to West Brom yet again.

Of course, the other thing the "socialists" like to do is set up "arms-length" organisations so they can hide what they are doing from the voters. Often the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to these organisations. Thus in 2013 the Council took a minority stake in a "not for profit company" to supply services to schools with an inevitable "bullshit" name, Sandwell Inspired Partnership Services Ltd - "SIPS" (I kid you not about the name). But despite the acres of cheap office space there was no way this "not for profit", ie taxpayer-funded, company was going to slum it. Let Mr Paul Bassi of Real Estate Investments Plc take up the story:

"Even bad news turned into good for REI during the year when the firm was hit by the collapse of Challinors Solicitors.

Mr Bassi said: “Demand for good town centre stock was demonstrated when Challinors Solicitors went into administration and we immediately re-let floor space to Sandwell Inspired Partnership Services Ltd, a ‘not for profit co-operative’ formed by the local councils and schools.”

Sandwell Inspired Partnership Services took just under 25,000 sq ft on a ten year lease at Guardian House in West Bromwich, representing one of the largest deals in West Bromwich for a number of years, at an annual rental of £251,792." (Birmingham Post 17/03/14).

Even without rent increases that is over £2.5m. Good news indeed!

The "inspired" team then put up this sign, er, behind a tree!!!!

Locals may know Mr Bassi better through his Bond Wolfe Group of Companies. Thankfully on 29th September, 2014 his Bond Wolfe Assets Limited became only the second corporate donor to Wealthy Watson's West Bromwich East constituency party. A small donation of just£2,500 but still, "Every Lidl Helps"*

Any connection between the donation and the above lease deal is, of course, entirely coincidental.(As was the College suddenly deciding it needed to rent office space from Labour Party Properties Limited following the bent Public deal).

* tom_watson ‏@tom_watson  14 Sep 2013

Lib Dems talking about plastic bag tax. If you shop at Lidl, you already pay 6p and 3p for them. Not that @nick_clegg would know that.

This was a tweet from The Walrus pretending to be an ordinary mortal when, of course, he was caught out in the MP's expenses scandal for his enormous food bills at the rather more up-market Marks and Spencer food hall. That is what is known in the trade as someone "p*ssing down your leg and telling you it's raining".

Vote Labour y'all!

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