25/03/19
"SMBC have stated on their website that they have applied for £25m of funding from the Future High Streets Fund principally for West Bromwich High Street.
Sandwell is a dirt-poor and deprived Borough, after over 40 years of Labour Party dictatorship, it could do with all the help it can get but a grant from this particular fund would be a disastrous waste of our - taxpayers' - money.
The principal objections are:
1 As local MP James Morris has pointed out in the House of Commons this authority has become synonymous with fraud, incompetence, cronyism and corruption. There are serious questions regarding the governance of this Council with the paid service being totally under the control of the elected members and thus unable to objectively guide and advise them. Given what has gone on there is no guarantee that any funding under this scheme will not be siphoned off into "other projects" eg the corrupt Council has form for giving money to private individuals for schemes who are totally unaccountable and, in fact, do not account for monies received from public funds. One example is that SMBC gave £30,000 to a private "entrepreneur" whose business is creating statues to plonk one in West Brom centre.
2 SMBC unlawfully destroyed The Public arts centre to provide a second almost new multi-million pound building for Sandwell College at no rent thus wrecking one regeneration project in West Brom. They have spent like drunken sailors in West Bromwich centre eg on Queen Square which is like a "ghost" mall. The addition of the (private) New Square shopping centre was supposed to regenerate the centre but has not done so. The indoor market is a disaster zone. The night-time economy is non-existent. Many people think it is too unsafe to go out in the area at night. With two college buildings in the centre of town there have been widespread public order issues from young people of late such that the police have had to seek special "stop and search" orders. Just throwing money at this when Labour have already wasted so much on this High Street is wrong and indefensible.
3 Perhaps the most important objection, however, is that the Council are attempting to bring a bent deal to fruition to develop a gigantic new shopping centre at a 19ha greenfield site called Lion Farm Fields at Oldbury. This is only FOUR MILES away from West Brom High Street. Even if one ignores the corrupt nature of the transaction (which Sandwell tried to keep secret for a lengthy period) a major new shopping centre in the Borough is likely to kill the High Streets of ALL six local towns, including West Bromwich. Why throw £25m at West Bromwich when the Council is actively working on a new retail development that will destroy the town - especially in the horrendous current retail environment. This would be a reckless and wicked waste of our - taxpayers' money.
4 Because of the political leadership calling the shots during the Jan Britton era, the paid service has no talent nor ability to do anything let alone spend this sort of money on an area where they have already squandered vast sums. It is noteworthy that they do not even have the talent to write a bid to you themselves but have had to use taxpayers' money to instruct "regeneration experts" to do that!
5 Messrs Hammerson had planning permission in 2016 to build a brand new shopping centre even closer to West Bromwich at The Junction site by Sandwell and Dudley railway station. Even with their considerable expertise in the retail property market they could not get tenants to make the scheme viable and have just announced that they will not proceed with it. If the professionals cannot make headway in this area what chance a bunch of corrupt cowboys/girls?
I have sent copies of this mail to James Morris MP and to Jan Britton, who claims to be the "Chief Executive" of Sandwell MBC.
Please acknowledge receipt of my objection.
Julian Saunders"
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May 3rd has come and gone, i have not seen any publication of the LF documents by SMBC, are they in contempt ?.
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