Steve Eling - Ay Up Me Duck?

In 2012 "socialist" Steve Eling dreamt up a scheme to shaft the very poorest and most deprived folk of Sandwell. He was a Cabinet member then and the financial maestro [sic] in the deeply corrupt Cooper/Britton era. Of course he is now the Leader in the benighted Borough.

Steve decided to deprive 3,600 (yes, a massive three thousand six hundred) desperately poor people (including women in refuge hostels) of the right to claim a reduction in Council tax. This was all agreed by the comrades at the infamous "Labour Group" meeting the night before the full Council meeting on 4th December, 2012. At the latter meeting the assorted dimwits and allowance-guzzlers waived this through without any discussion whatsoever and got through the full agenda in just 39 minutes. (Incidentally, when I asked Jan Britton if he was at the full Council meeting - as he usually is - when this shocker sailed through he claimed he "couldn't remember"!)

As a well-known and respected commentator on such issues wrote, "just what did Sandwell think they were doing?"

The immediate result of Eling's moment of madness was the instant LOSS to the Borough of £675,000 of central government funding! The allegedly "socialist" Council was then taken to the High Court by, would you believe it, the Child Poverty Action Group. They inevitably won on all counts at more huge cost to us taxpayers. The High Court Judge castigated Sandwell in scathing terms. Eling's crazed scheme was unlawful (ultra vires). That dealt with the case but he also found that the comrades had failed to consult on the scheme, had been guilty of both racial and sexual discrimination, had breached EU and human rights legislation and more. As the aforementioned commentator said, Eling's policy was "just bonkers, absolutely bonkers". This million-pound disaster and shafting of the most vulnerable did not prevent the comrades handing Eling the leadership crown so tarnished by the late Smethwick Scumbag, Darren Cooper.

Steve himself seems rather keen on money. Over the years he has combined raking in allowances with working for another Labour basket case Council, local er, Rotherham. He has continued with the day job despite becoming "Leader".

I have heard allegations for sometime that although Eling does indeed have a flat in Smethwick he has been a long-time resident in, er, Derbyshire! Some months ago I asked him directly if he owned a house there and he gave a politician's answer - "I only own one property". As far as I know that is true but he might have been a little more forthcoming and mentioned that his wife owns the delightful "Jasmine Cottage" in the Derbyshire village of Fritchley (and has done since 1992). Of course, in the incestuous world of Sandwell Council, his wife was also a long-term employee of the Council and receiving the taxpayers' shilling.

There is something curious about all this in that Pam, Steve's wife, shows up at three addresses. She first appears on the electronic version of the voters roll as follows:

I do not mention this out or prurient interest since look who is shown as an occupant of the property on the same entry:

Of course, in 2003 Steve Eling was a councillor in Sandwell.

Another slightly differing address also pops up and, once again, our man is shown as being resident at the property:

Once again, in 2000 Steve was a Sandwell councillor.

For completeness, Pam Pulsford (now Pam Eling) was a company director from 2004 to 2007 and gave another slightly different address, Jasmine Cottage, The Green, Fritchley DE56 2LP (?)

Cllr Eling claims to be "draining the swamp" of the corruption from the Cooper/Britton years. But here is an exchange of emails from this very morn which, again, is hardly very forthcoming (sorry about the classic typo!)

Reply:

Me:

Reply:

Clearly this last implies that the good Councillor was resident there earlier (when he was also a Sandwell councillor).

Just as Labour mayoral candidate Sion Simon chooses to live outside our shitty conurbation so it appears that Steve has his little country retreat when he feels he needs to escape the dog-shit smeared streets of Sadders. He never told you that at election times though did he Sandwell voters?

Oh well, Steve and his hard-left [sic] comrades were happy to shaft the very poorest and most vulnerable in the Borough but it looks like he will continue to come up smelling of, er, jasmine.....

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