Chancers?

Some of you will know that I attended the Chance Glass Trust "presentation" at Oldbury Council House on 29th March, 2017. A number of councillors were present and I opined at the time via this blog that "where there is sh*t, there are flies".

I was immediately concerned that the whole thing was presented as a slick property development pitch and started to investigate the project. I am told that a lot of people closely connected with it are in for massive pay-days via consultancy fees etc if they hit the jackpot and the money taps are turned on.

When I expressed some concerns about the involvement of bankrupt Councillor Richard Marshall (who claims to be driving this project for SMBC) on the Trust's Facebook group the other night I was immediately blocked by them and so this is a very worrying sign that they are determined to shut down any questioning or criticism of the project - something I am now discussing with their various potential funders.

Regulars will also know that the Leader [sic] of Sandwell Council, Steve "The Milkman" Eling and Cabinet Member, bankrupt Marshall met with me and asked me to use this blog to attack their political opponents. To that end, Eling and Marshall started sending me information via a Whats App account in the name of Richard Marshall (curiously they have yet to face discipline from the Labour Party for their actions and particularly in respect of misogynistic obscenites about female councillors - compare and contrast with the treatment of MP, Jared, in the press at the moment!)

At the Chance development pitch on 29th March I pondered whether Chance's recently appointed Trustee, Afzal Hussain, was any relation to SMBC kingpin, Cllr Mahboob Hussain and asked Eling/Marshall:

29/03/2017, 13:20 - Jules: Assuming the Afzal Hussain on the Trust Board is "no relation"?
29/03/2017, 13:23 - Richard Marshall: Definitely. However it is rumoured he has bought into the skip  company on site that is holding up the whole project
29/03/2017, 13:23 - Jules: Oh!
29/03/2017, 13:24 - Richard Marshall: Exactly, skip company have bought up leases to other buildings on site
29/03/2017, 13:25 - Jules: Presumably holding out for a payoff?
29/03/2017, 13:31 - Richard Marshall: You might be able to say that but....
29/03/2017, 13:31 - Jules: Do we know anything about him? I will take a look....
29/03/2017, 16:51 - Richard Marshall: It's said he is the brother of the owner of the skip company whole stockpiled £1m of waste on Nelson Street Oldbury which is still there
29/03/2017, 16:55 - Jules: Ok. Will start digging plus I know a man to ask....
29/03/2017, 17:00 - Richard Marshall: Okay, I'll get you some names

You will note that Eling & Marshall make a VERY serious allegation against Afzal Hussain that he is playing both sides with a view to making personal profit. I have no evidence that this allegation is true and Eling and Marshall have not backed up this potentially libellous statement in any way. At present I say plainly here that the statement by them is untrue and I specifically make no imputation otherwise in this post but it is clearly in the public interest to publish that two very senior councillors in a deeply corrupt Labour Council were thinking this when also attempting to plough substantial amounts of public money into what I have now seen to be an insane project.

However.....

I did dig up a connection between Afzal Hussain and Abdul Naeem Quyum - someone whom regular readers of this blog will be very familiar with as a key player in the Boggate scandal. See:

http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/boggate-those-sandwell-coincidences.html

I sent this post to Eling and Marshall:

01/04/2017, 22:06 - Jules: Take a look at the blog of 5 mins ago....
02/04/2017, 07:03 - Richard Marshall: Blimey , so how related is he?? Why didn't you say when we were chatting yesterday??
02/04/2017, 07:26 - Jules: I didn't find it till last night. I was preparing for the tour and looking at the bogs. Getting involved with ANQ is bad news.
02/04/2017, 07:30 - Richard Marshall: I know I'll speak to Mark Davies. I'm suprised you think that it's odd we were there, Steve was asked to do a speech, it's my portfolio and I've been integral in getting it this far. They are looking at Langley Malting which is Gavan and Trowes area and Bob's interested due to chances links to Bearwood parks, it's a huge project for the borough id personally think there was something amiss if we weren't there
02/04/2017, 07:38 - Jules: Is it all a bit pie in the sky? Aren't there long leases on part of Chance site? How do they buy those out?
02/04/2017, 07:50 - Richard Marshall: Not really, they have the verbal support of the lottery, British Waterways and Canal and River Trust were there and are fully behind it also, of course it's an ambitious project but there's nothing wrong with ambition is there? There is a 99 yr lease that the skip company bought out as well as another 2 when this started gaining traction last year. They could privately settle on a price and as with anything if Council were minded to they could compulsory purchase the land for the value of the site
02/04/2017, 07:53 - Jules: Ah so CPO is the plan is it!
02/04/2017, 07:53 - Richard Marshall: Easy tiger I never said that
02/04/2017, 07:55 - Jules: 😀
02/04/2017, 07:56 - Jules: I am guessing land zoned as industrial use??
02/04/2017, 07:57 - Jules: BTW - not against it but SMBC need to do homework and not get sucked in by the hype.
02/04/2017, 07:58 - Richard Marshall: Not sure as skip company was only on temporary consent and are operating illegally. It is a heritage zone also
I have now established that there is also a 999 year lease on the site and that one of the owners of the largest building there is an ex-bankrupt.

I have also visited the site - this is industrial land and Sandwell needs jobs but SMBC are trying to change that and have been hammering the skip company to drive them off. It is a totally unsuitable area for a large scale housing development and the air and noise pollution is appalling! This is my last contact with Eling and Marshall on this subject:

21/04/2017, 21:29 - Jules: This Chance Glass deal is beginning to stink....
21/04/2017, 21:30 - Richard Marshall: Go on
21/04/2017, 21:32 - Jules: I am working on it....
21/04/2017, 21:32 - Richard Marshall: Tell me then?
21/04/2017, 21:34 - Jules: I can't yet - been working on this but picked up a lot of info today.
21/04/2017, 21:34 - Jules: And some very interesting documents....
21/04/2017, 21:37 - Richard Marshall: Why can't You? I don't want us getting dragged into bad deals
21/04/2017, 21:38 - Jules: Well for a start you should look at threats being made by SMBC staff - who is authorising that?
21/04/2017, 21:39 - Richard Marshall: What threats???
21/04/2017, 21:45 - Jules: You need to check with Jan about that!!
21/04/2017, 21:46 - Richard Marshall: Who's being threatened??
21/04/2017, 21:48 - Richard Marshall: I can't think of a single member of staff that would scare anything!!
Clearly there are a lot of questions that need answers here and the stifling of legitimate concerns already by the Trust is of considerable concern. So lets get digging Sandwell and find out what this deeply corrupt and scandal-ridden Council's agenda really is?
THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - COMMUNITY NEWS - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!

No phone at present - please use email.         Facebook:  Julian Saunders

Email:  thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

PROUD TO HAVE BEEN TROLLED BY DICKHEAD DARREN COOPER DECEASED!