The Dark Heart of the Black Country

THE LAST POST - AND IT'S BAD NEWS! (12/08/24)

The original post is below - followed by some updates.

Many of you will know that the management of Black Country Ales got their way and forced the removal of Malt and Hops from The Welly. A kindly staff member took them on, but this disgraceful episode should never have happened.

Messrs McMeeking, Manwaring and Walker ignored a petition with over 5,000 signatures and toughed the decision out in the face of the almost total opposition of customers. 

Incidentally, one of BCA's biggest fans - before this outrage - states that Angus McMeeking suggested getting a cat in the first place to deal with mouse infestation!!!!

Farewell, Malt and Hops - you brought so much joy to so many. We shall remember you - and the heartless xxxxxxxx who threw you out.

LATEST NEWS AS AT SUNDAY 28th JULY #Catgate

Our visitor from Wales arrived yesterday and another friend from joined us. We boycotted The Welly in favour of The Colmore and the Post Office Vaults, and a jolly good time was had by all.

We picked up:

1   Further allegations (and they are only allegations) of further Black Country Ales (BCA or Be Cruel to Animals) bullying of legendary licensee, Nige Barker. Curiously, someone also wrote to The Skidder yesterday saying:

"Do some digging. The Welly has a unique deal with BCA and the only way to end it is to get rid of Nigel. The plan is to move a publican more in line with their ethics in there".

Perhaps Nige should be having a quiet word with m'learned friends?

Incidentally, BCA has been having a lot of problems hiring licensees lately. Is it any wonder if this affair is typical of top management's behaviour? Oh, and these geniuses also made a complete pig's ear of the recent replacement of the landlord at The Midland, Bearwood!

2   BCA is also said to have been bullying staff and threatening them with a "gross misconduct" charge if they post ANYTHING about #Catgate. And we learnt yesterday that an extremely popular staff member resigned on Friday in disgust at BCA's conduct. What a Company!

3   If one ignores the alleged sub-plot to defenestrate Nige, the real reason McMeeking, Manwaring and Walker is using for the eviction of the cats is said to be that BCA don't want the cats somehow messing-up the new carpets and furnishings. How different from 2017 as pointed out by "Singer of Songs" on X (Twitter):

Earlier #Catgate posts below ...

LATEST NEWS AS AT FRIDAY 26th JULY - INCLUDING BCA'S BIG LIE!

The golden rule when politicians and business folk are caught out is to lie, and that is precisely what Black Country Ales has done in #Catgate - their "top" [sic] management's decision to evict the pub cats from The Wellington Pub in Birmingham City Centre.

Yesterday, The Skidder was informed that Area Manager, Anthony Walker, had said that Malt and Hops are to be evicted since the management did not want them soiling the new carpets! As we shall see, this appears to be the real reason this (now) greedy pubco wants to put two fingers up to its staff and customers who are overwhelmingly hostile to the cruel eviction.

It gets worse. Firstly the three guilty men responsible for this obnoxious decision (pictured) have hidden from the media - including The Skidder - rather than having the b**** to try and defend the indefensible. This was a further email I sent to Black Country Ales yesterday which, again, received no reply:

L-R Angus MacMeeking, Anthony Walker, Graham Manwaring

Email - 25/07/24

"For the attention of Graham Manwaring and Anthony Walker

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

It is disappointing that the two of you are blanking media enquiries about your nasty decision to remove Malt and Hops from The Welly.

I was in two pubs (not BCA ones) in Brum last night and this outrage was a major topic of conversation. As one bloke said, "BCA has managed to unite the entire Brum pub community against it". BCA was also compared to Ryanair for its utter contempt for its customers.

Rumours abound and I want to give you another chance to "man-up" and start answering media and other enquiries.

Rumour 1 - that The Welly is to undergo a major refurb and you intend to make it more "corporate". Indeed it was said this goes for the whole BCA chain which is moving from a friendly outfit to a corporate behemoth. Is this the direction of travel? And can we expect Doom Bar at The Welly anytime soon?

Rumour 2 - notwithstanding the upset you have caused the staff at The Welly you have ordered them to stop posting pics of Malt and Hops on Instagram/Facebook.

It was also claimed that BCA does not actually own Malt and Hops. They are registered to an individual. If this is true have you contacted him for permission to re-home the unfortunate creatures?

Have you looked at the Google Reviews for The Welly? I am not just talking about the ones in the last few days which are unanimously hostile to BCA but going back in time. Some of us were looking last night. It is quite clear that Malt & Hops are extremely popular and feature most favourably in almost all the reviews. Why are you ignoring your customers?

It is not cowardly to reverse a bad decision. It is cowardly to stick with one."

Last night Black Country Ales top management finally put out a mealy-mouthed and disingenuous statement including a massive lie about the death of a cat:

FACT CHECK:

1   There is an long history of cats at The Welly. Before Malt and Hops there was the wonderful Welly. Cats did not "come in" with the virus;

2   One of three cats died with the implication that the environment is, somehow, dangerous. This is an outright lie by McMeeking, Manwaring and Walker. A person known to me and with Welly connections posted in reply:

"Also a f***** lie!!!!! The third cat lived at another pub for a bit, and then was re-homed when The Woodman closed. He is very much alive!

And:

"Absolute complete and utter b******! There was no dead third kitten."

Having just lost our beloved 18 1/2 year old cat I am even further outraged that the management could use a mythical DEAD cat to try to justify this insanity!

3   There is a smear that the cats are somehow a hygiene problem. As above the Google Reviews are overwhelmingly positive about their presence. Indeed some people visit the pub BECAUSE of the cats! The Welly does NOT serve food. It allows customers to bring their own. I have enjoyed pints of beer and sandwiches in The Welly for YEARS without harassment from cats. And whilst I don't support a dog ban either, Black Country Ales boast that at least 48 of their pubs are "dog-friendly". Try eating in a pub with a dog nearby and see what happens!. Also, anyone who knows you can take your own food into The Welly will already know that cats are present. I know of no-one who has avoided the pub because of the cats. This is just a pathetic comment intended to deceive.

4   The licensee of The Welly is the legendary Nige Barker - probably the man who has done more to keep real ale in Brum from the dark days of corporate keg than anyone else. And he is known well beyond our City for his championing of pubs and real ale. Whilst it is true to say that Nige is not, himself, a "cat-person", he has played host to Welly, and then Malt and Hops, for YEARS. The Management allege that he backs the decision. Sources close to The Welly claim that BCA management put the arm on him and, as one informant told me, "gave him no choice". What a Company to work for if management have to bully Nige and other staff to force through their crazed diktats.

5   Many people who live in flats keep cats permanently indoors. As a long-standing cat-owner, none of the Welly cats have ever appeared to be distressed, and the present incumbents are in magnificent condition.

When caught out with their big lie the management trio simply removed it from their Facebook "statement". They think their customers are stupid already, but did they really think no-one would notice?:

Now you see it, now you don't ...

But I am told that the battle to save Malt and Hops is lost. The macho management trio is doubling down on the decision, and the cats are going next week. They simply cannot get away with this!

Finally, in my original post I opined that the beer brewed by Black Country Ales is not great. One person posted on social media:

"If [Black Country Ales are] looking to give customers a better experience - keep the cats and ban Black Country Ales beers!

Oh, and we are hosting visitors to Brum tomorrow and our foursome were looking forward to a trip to The Welly. We are going to The Colmore instead. Why don't you join us?

THE ORIGINAL POST:

I have never taken LSD but imagine the effect is akin to walking into The Prince of Wales pub in Birmingham (the one behind the ICC). This Black Country Ales hostelry is decorated in the appalling "house style", but the intended effect is amplified here by the pub's small footprint. One is greeted upon entry with myriad psychedelic swirls of colour causing a bilious effect before one has touched the fine products on sale.

Prince of Wales, Cambridge Street, Brum

Alas, the style [sic] has been rolled-out across the burgeoning Black Country Ales estate, and you are likely to encounter it in the majority of their usually excellent pubs. Mostly the paisley psychedelia is matched with hideous nicotine-coloured faux "wooden" pannelling  - the colour being reminiscent of pub ceilings of yore.

Black Country Ales, brewing in Gornal and now boasting an estate of over 50 pubs, is a great local success story. To my taste its brewed beers are inconsequential - Bathams or Holdens it ain't. But, apart from the decor, most of the pubs are great with a splendid choice of beers always available in addition to the own-brand stuff. These are real - usually wet-led - boozers. In Sandwell there is The Midland in Bearwood. which is coming back to top form after a change of landlord. Stu at The Three Horseshoes at Hill Top, West Brom is always welcoming and its well-worth a visit. For geographical reasons I seldom get  to the superb Rising Sun in Tipton - a watering-hole favoured by Sandwell Tories although I expect they now hold their gatherings in a telephone box.

[A reader has correctly pointed out that BCA run two other pubs in the Sandwell poverty ghetto.]

Despite my comments above, The Prince of Wales in Brum is friendly and usually boasts a fine array of ales but, of course, BCA's jewel in the crown is The Welly - Birmingham's famous and best pub. This place - actually "The Wellington" - has been a major part of my life history - long before BCA took it over. It is not to everyone's taste. Visitors using the tradesman's entrance can be disconcerted by the infamous "Rat Alley". The pub also has an unpleasant odour which offends some sensitive souls. But what a classic! Captained by the legendary Nige Barker with a brilliant crew, this place is the real deal. BCA made an inspired decision to add a "roof terrace" - not quite one overlooking a Florentine Piazza  as it only affords panoramic vistas of the aforementioned Rat Alley - but its much-loved. And believe me, you would be amazed at the number of weekenders arriving in our bankrupt City whom I have directed from New Street Station to Bennetts Hill. It is THE first port of call for any beer-drinkers in town.

BUT ... 

The Welly has been blessed by lovely pub cats. The present incumbents - although not for long if BCA gets its way - are Malt and Hops. These characters bring great joy to the staff and customers alike, and have become minor social media celebs. The pub's advertising board says it all:

And visitors DO come in and ask where these lovelies are if they are not immediately visible (though they may be hiding under coats by the bar!) And here the beauties are:

Many folk around the WORLD have loved seeing Malt and Hops on social media, and one featured in probably one of the greatest pub cat photos of all time with super-staffer Matt:

Now the brewery management has inexplicably demanded their eviction. No-one who uses the pub can tell me the reason for the nasty and pitiless decision. 

The mainstream media report that they cannot get any answer from BCA and neither can The Skidder. An email to the area manager on Monday received no reply:

"THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY 

I have seen much on social media tonight that BCA are seeking to remove Malt and Hops - the Welly's favourite cats.

Can you please provide an immediate statement for Skidder readers why BCA are apparently taking this extraordinary course of action?"

If you are "managers" please at least have the guts to explain decisions!

In the meantime, a grassroots campaign has started to reverse the absurd decision:

PLEASE HELP US SAVE MALT & HOPS!

There is also a petition if you cannot contact Black Country Ales directly:

The link to the petition is here:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-malt-hops-getting-evicted?source_location=search

Black Country Ales was started by a really great guy called Angus McMeeking. He has built a magnificent chain, and has enormous wit and charm. Physically (so I understand), and metaphorically, he has b*lls. Angus has stepped down from day-to-day management of the wonderful business he has created. Angus - PLEASE - now is the time to step back in and stop this nonsense!

LEGAL NOTICE (Version 4 from 8th October, 2023.)

I cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where I refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Skidders passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “As The Crow Flies!” (at crowmultimedia.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com and we shall 

use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We have had to remove the direct comment facility from this blog due to the malicious activity of a West Bromwich woman but we are pleased to receive comments via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com, on Twitter via our publishers @CrowMultimedia or via our dedicated Facebook Group: “The Sandwell Skidder - Speaking Truth to Power!” We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Sandwell Labour - IT's a mystery

One of the reasons Labour Birmingham City Council went into the local government version of bankruptcy was the disastrous implementation of an Oracle Fusion IT system. Bent Labour Sandwell Council is also trying to roll-out an Oracle Fusion set-up and, guess what, its not going according to plan ...

When the plot was formed by the corrupt Council to unlawfully fund McNally's crazed case against The Skidder the (then) highly-controversial legal supremo, Surjit Tour, not only used public money to unlawfully fund the disastrous case but also deliberately tried to smear me in the official court papers (known as "Pleadings") without putting his lies in a formal witness statement (an ongoing issue). As part of the smear, Tour and his fellow plotters stopped me contacting bent Sandwell other than through a "single point of contact", and then told the High Court that they had been "forced" to do this by my mythical "misconduct". Needless to say, this was not pursued on my application to strike out the absurd claim at the first opportunity, but did not become an issue again since the case fell at the very first hurdle. Because of the unlawful funding the taxpayer had to cough-up £100,000 due to its malicious behaviour. Nevertheless, bent Sandwell insists that the "single point of contact" system remains.

Sandwell has refused to let the publicly-funded and vastly over-staffed press office deal with my journalistic queries, but I am the only journalist in the whole world facing this discrimination. Now, and not for the first time, Chief Exec Shokat Lal, has decided to take the proverbial as will be seen below. Whilst he ensures other "press enquiries" - i.e from pet propagandists in the mainstream media - are dealt with in a timely manner you will see below how I am treated very differently.

I received information recently on what seems to be a strange top-level appointment even by bent Sandwell standards. Of course, I cannot simply write up unverified rumours and so I did the proper thing and asked SMBC to confirm or deny the facts. It may be that my information is entirely incorrect, but the point here is Lal's reaction.

Here are the actual emails. Please note that I am still unaware of the truth or otherwise of Ms Davey's alleged appointment, but she has not chosen to respond either. Accordingly, the information received is entirely UNPROVEN and should NOT be regarded as a statement of true facts. Of course, I shall keep Skidder readers informed as the story evolves.

Email to SMBC point of contact for the attention of Shokat Lal and copied to the Labour Leader of the Council, Kerrie Carmichael - 18th July, 2024

"Dear Mr Lal, Ms Carmichael,

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY 

THIS IS A PRESS ENQUIRY AND NOT A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

I am informed that Alice Davey has been appointed as Director of IT and Transformation on a six-figure salary plus LG pension:

Part One

1   Where was this post advertised?

2   How many applicants were there for the post?

3   Was there any external process in Ms Davey's appointment and, if so, what?

4   What IT qualifications does Ms Davey currently hold?

5   What experience does Ms Davey have of managing IT Services during her career to date?

Part Two

Oracle Fusion has been a major problem for SMBC as with Birmingham City Council (and is now ["seemingly" - Ed] part of Ms Davey's remit). I am informed, rightly or wrongly, that on 8th July you emailed all employees stating that the implementation of the new Oracle system has been delayed from July to October. Is that correct? Does this mean additional costs for the taxpayer?

Please respond by 10.00 am Monday 22nd July.

Julian Saunders"

Readers will note that Mr Lal would be in a position to answer Part Two immediately.

Sandwell response - 18th July, 2024 (my emphasis added):

Dear Mr Saunders

Thank you for your email below, which has now been forwarded to the relevant persons.

The Council will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within the next few weeks.

My Response - 19th July, 2024:

This was a press enquiry. I have a deadline for Monday!

Sandwell response - 19th July, 2024

Dear Mr Saunders,

Unfortunately, the council is not able to response [sic] within those timescales. A response will be provided at the earliest opportunity.

My Response - 20th July, 2024:

Noting that Mr Lal is apparently incapable of dealing with this press enquiry in a timely manner perhaps you can forward it direct to Ms Davey who should be in a position to answer Part One immediately.

FOR THE TIME BEING - IT REMAINS A MYSTERY!!!!

LEGAL NOTICE (Version 4 from 8th October, 2023.)

I cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where I refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Skidders passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “As The Crow Flies!” (at crowmultimedia.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com and we shall use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We have had to remove the direct comment facility from this blog due to the malicious activity of a West Bromwich woman but we are pleased to receive comments via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com, on Twitter via our publishers @CrowMultimedia or via our dedicated Facebook Group: “The Sandwell Skidder - Speaking Truth to Power!” We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Sandwell divert £0.5m+ from public health to buy diesel buses

BREAKING NEWS - ADDENDUM - 12/08/24 Bent Sandwell are still hiding documentation concerning the use of Government funds to purchase the two DIESEL youth buses (see original blog post below) but has now admitted the fancy fit-out cost nearly £200,000 (ex vat). The precise figure was £98,152.13 plus vat for each bus (on top, of course, of the original half a million pound purchase price).

Also: for some bizarre reason, Facebook doesn't want you to read this post. See also: 

https://crowmultimedia.blogspot.com/2024/08/journo-bemused-by-metafacebook.html

ORIGINAL POST

The "dismal science of Economics is all about the best use of scarce resources - getting more bang for one's buck. Alas, both UK governing parties of recent times take a wholly different approach to spending OUR money, and it is duly wasted as a result of crackpot ideology and/or naked self-interest. And the way both Labour and the Tories are indifferent to sound governance is truly appalling.

This post will also look at how "green" issues are rapidly ignored when money is to be had.

Image via Earth.Org

Political parties don't look for the best projects to fund. They simply fill up pots of our money and then throw it at schemes of dubious or no value. If the money isn't spent by an arbitrary date for the scheme to end it is blown regardless, rather than being re-collected for better use elsewhere. Just two examples will suffice. Labour had its horrendous PFI schemes including the absurdly wasteful "Building Schools for the Future" programme (which Sandwell Labour loved!) The Tories had the pathetic "Levelling-Up" agenda whereby "bids" were made for all sorts of absurd projects regardless of merit. As the Tories had the ultimately doomed hope of retaining Wednesbury (an excrement-smeared toilet in Sandwell) they - and Labour (!) wasted a small fortune on a town-centre heritage project and new market. Trying to polish a turd is seldom successful, and this proved to be the case again in that dismal hellhole.

If you are a UK taxpayer - read on and weep ...

On the buses - Sandwell-style - the initial con

The Labour dictatorship at Sandwell Council is one of the most corrupt in the Country and has recently spent two years in Government "special measures" - at horrific cost to the taxpayer - due to "serious governance issues". Many of the Labour councillors despise capitalism, business and entrepreneurship, save where they are direct beneficiaries. Many have not worked or have only done so sucking in the taxpayer's nipple via the "third sector". In short, they couldn't run a whelk stall, but they have become skilful at extracting public funding to keep their rotten hull just above the waterline.

The crooked comrades ran an absolutely disastrous Children's Service which the Government had to transfer into a new Children's Trust. The disgraced former Chief Executive, Jan Britton, squarely blamed social workers for the failure his pathetic service.

The Youth Service spent money on operation two double-decker buses in the Borough. I will leave it to experts whether the expenditure is a sound use of public resources but the comrades claimed that it was. Youth workers ran a counselling service on the buses for a short time on four evenings a week. Two drivers were employed for 18.5 hours each costing the taxpayer £63,100 per annum plus maintenance, repair and compliance costs of at least £10,000 per annum. Of course, the wages of Council-employed youth workers were additional although they would presumably have operated from some other space if not on the buses.

Although Sandwell is a dirt-poor sh*thole, Labour likes to boast of his financial rectitude despite numerous examples to the contrary in Value for Money Reports prepared by its auditors, Grant Thornton. A problem for this youth service arose in that one of the buses was 23 years-old and the other 16. As the bent Council stated in writing: "The current budget for Youth Services would not allow for the purchase of new double-decker buses." But every fatal cloud has a silver-lining and Labour saw the funding being doled-out by the Tory Government to defeat Covid as an opportunity to redirect public health money to a favoured capital project.

One of the few good things about living in Labour Sandwell is that, statistically, residents will escape the Borough by dying earlier than their peers elsewhere. Sadly, public health is so bad there that folks will endure more years of pain and disability than elsewhere - after 50 years of Labour neglect, cronyism, incompetence and corruption.

Before Covid struck, Labour disastrously appointed Lisa McNally as its new Director of Public Health (DPH) - who has now left the Council. [McNally, earning over £100,000 a year plus pension, later tried to enrich herself by suing me in the High Court. The Labour Council unlawfully used taxpayers' money to pay her legal costs, wasting over £100,000 of public funds. Her hopeless and malicious claim was struck out at the first opportunity - Skidders passim ad nauseum.]

When Covid struck Sandwell was in sh*t-creek as its sick population was intensely vulnerable to the virus. McNally attacked Tory Government schemes and experts to the delight of Labour cheerleaders, and became a local media "celebrity". She appeared to some to be building a "personal cult" around herself and, fair play, public health issues did rise a little up the local political agenda although the dial does not appear to have been shifted in respect of the longer-term.

Meanwhile the wicked Tory Government set up the "Contain (Covid) Outbreak Management Fund" or "COMF" and showered zillions on local Councils. This was intended for contact-tracing, targeted interventions, help for those self-isolating and so on. In other words, revenue spending to help combat the pandemic - particularly in areas of Multiple Deprivation like Labour Sadders. The Director of Public Health was to have a large role in determining where these funds should be directed to alleviate the misery of the pandemic.

As the virus began to loosen its deadly grip Sandwell found itself still awash with extra dosh and literally asked around other Council departments how they could blow this unexpected largesse. For their part, the hapless Tories didn't ask for the unexpended money back unless it was unspent by a deadline date (the COMF cut-off). They loosened the rules so that COMF money could be spent on wider "public health" issues in the wake of the pandemic. Even though the Youth Service has been operating for years and is not funded from the bent Council's public health budget the crooked comrades decided to grab the money for the capital expenditure it otherwise couldn't afford. And we are talking over half a million quid here which they decided to divert from specific public health issues - of which there are a myriad in Sadders - and blow it on something else where public health benefits were tangential at best.

At least the locals can take pride in watching the buses drive around for 18.5 hours a week whilst dying prematurely. Their ongoing poor health is a small price to pay for this marvellous scam.

For over a year now I have been trying to get at the facts of this wheeze and following the intervention of the Information Commissioner bent Sandwell has finally coughed-up (no pun intended) some of the documents - although they are still incomplete and the matter is ongoing. In particular, the name of McNally hardly appears in any of the documents produced so far even though she was supposed to play the greater part in deciding where the COMF money should go. Even Sandwell admits that McNally and the Finance Officer provided "guidance" that the money could be used for the capital project rather than urgently necessary public health spending. Indeed the COMF rules specifically stated that the DPH must sign off on COMF expenditure.

Suffice to say that Labour were struggling to justify how spending over half a million quid on new buses somehow constituted "Public Health" expenditure. Almost any expenditure "may" have a distant public health benefit. If Sandwell Labour scraped the mountains of canine excrement off the streets of its ghastly six towns folk "might" walk about more and this "might" improve their health. But in a "Key Issues" document about the buses there is no mention of any specific public health benefit. In another formal document this wishy-washy tripe was the best that the paid service could dream up:

Of course, this blog has always shown that the bent Council benefits from "partnerships" with the likes of corrupt West Midlands Police and funds various charities and organisations which then produce propaganda praising the comrades which would make Josef Goebbels blush - like arts organisation (!) Multistory. And so officers cobbled this together to support diverting COMF money to the bus fund:

But the only "outcomes" that were achieved by this were:

• A reduction on anti-social behavior at Lion Farm (where Labour are seeking to destroy 19 ha of green space in a bent deal to build a shopping centre) although to be fair, a partner organisation did speak to your miscreants about drug use. This might be described as public health advice but was not delivered by the Council and it is unclear why such advice had to be delivered from a bus;
• Young tearaways had encountered some arts organisations. Again - why these taxpayer-funded organisations could only do this from a bus is unclear and any public health benefit of this is opaque;
• A small portable stage gave youngsters a showcase for their talent. 

It seems that even the comrades were struggling to pull this con off but one employee named xxxxxx, acting with others, came up with the most incredible solution. The COMF rules would be read literally. This is one of the most astonishing documents I have ever seen from a Sandwell employee. It is breathtakingly wrong or else a deliberate attempt to bend the rules on behalf of Labour councillors:

Was McNally the person he met with? The final paragraph would be hilarious if this wasn't so serious.

Sandwell ran a massive communications exercise during Covid on top of the enormous national one, and smothered the area with posters regarding the virus and then the vaccination scheme. To say that the use of funds to fight Covid could only be used via peripatetic means is truly astonishing. The COMF rules were not intended to pay for over half a million quid's worth of kit the Council couldn't otherwise afford on behalf of a different department. The above is the crux of the con since this tripe was then used to justify the fiddle right up to the top of the Council.

Just to put the icing on the cake the comrades pulled another of their favourite ruses by saying what the buses COULD be used for in the future. Not much, presumably, if they had to each provide youth services with drivers only employed for 18.5 hours a week! And who monitors whether the promises are kept?

As the Council has not produced all the relevant documentation - after very nearly ONE YEAR - it is not possible to see how far the top brass is implicated but, interestingly, the name of Kim Bromley-Derry crops up in heavily redacted documents. I have asked the Information Commissioner to ask for the disclosure of his involvement since it is not clear whether he was involved as Interim Chief Executive. or in his later role as the Government's Commissioner. In the meantime, the cover-up and gross delay by bent Sandwell cannot possibly have anything to do with the fact that the latest tranche of documents also show that current Chief Executive, Shokat Lal, was also involved in the latter stages of scam.

Incidentally, Cllr Dave "Greedy Scrote" Wilkes initially asked me to investigate this con which he considered a matter of intense public interest. That was when he was a Tory councillor. Since the traitor defected to Labour he has been silent on this issue but will, no doubt, now be seeking all the facts and publishing them on his much-used X (formerly Twitter) account!

Green B*llocks

Labour and the Tories (if they still exist) pretend to be "green". In the urban dystopia that is Sandwell the Dictatorship's claims are particularly mischievous. Labour destroyed Londonderry Fields for the Commonwealth Games paddling pool. It is destroying a substantial part of the the old Brandhall Golf Course. For some 12 years it has been trying to pull off a bent deal to destroy Lion Farm Fields for a shopping centre - and still is.

The two old buses in use had been specifically kitted-out for youth services rather than with seating as in "normal" public transport buses. In one document officers stated in writing: "it is not possible to buy a converted bus which met our specification". I am no expert but from suggestions elsewhere in the disclosed documents there is some doubt about this, and it certainly appears that this is another lie. This was an attempt to conceal that the buses had to be bought by a certain date otherwise Sandwell Labour couldn't steal the COMF money!

This has been made explicit in the documentation now seen by The Skidder - and it gets worse. Laughably, a chain of Council emails concerning this scam is  - and I sh*t ye not - plastered with this logo:

Whilst councillors and officers were plotting together one unnamed Councillor suggested buying electric buses, but these were said to be too expensive AND they would have been unavailable before the COMF cut-off date as documented in this sentence:

"this would have meant that the funding could not have been spent within the required timescale".

For the same reason bent Labour could not go through a "full procurement exercise" since that could not be completed before the COMF cut-off. Did even the grossly incompetent Tory Government imagine COMF money was to be used for major procurements AND not proper public ones at that?

Instead of an open public process bent Labour approached a private (for profit) limited Company in Cambridge, The Procurement Partnership Limited, to do the biz. In order to get the money in time it was decided to buy two buses in stock from Alexander Dennis at £515,990 plus VAT. Sandwell would then have to pay to convert the buses. The catch was that these "green" buses allegedly bought to promote public health were to be, er, DIESEL! WTF?

It seems even within bent Sandwell some were a bit restless about this but it was made clear - Labour have to have diesels or can't screw the Government in time. It was duly spun by Labour that because the old buses were knackered this was, in fact, a "green" move. The new diesel buses would comply with Euro 6 emissions standards and so be much healthier for sick Sandwell than the old nails. These people really are ****s aren't they?

How sick that money can just be recklessly spent by a Council like this and without any interest or questioning about this from the Government even when over half a million pounds is involved!

Needless to say there has also not been a whisper about any of this from the ever-diminishing band of Sandwell Conservatives.

The fag end of Toryism

Shokat Lal has been keeping all the above quiet for nearly a year claiming, amongst other things, simply that the COMF rules allowed this major procurement without saying why or how this decision was made. As above, he is still concealing much - including the role of McNally in all this - despite the fact that the COMF rules specifically made her responsible for signing-off the expenditure. I will keep you posted on this but in the meantime I approached the Tory Government about this and my (then) MP - Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove).

Initially I mistakenly wrote to HM Treasury but was referred to the Department for Health. I can do little better than show the sorry chain of emails which amply shows why the Tories needed to be kicked out. 

To the Department of Health Press Office - 27th October, 2023

"Good morning,

I originally sent this to HM Treasury but they have referred me to yourselves.

I am a journalist writing about the governance of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC). My query concerns large capital expenditure by SMBC using the Contain (Covid) Outbreak Management Fund (COMF).

My understanding is that COMF was, as the name suggests, set up to battle Covid via track and trace etc. As the main threat of the pandemic receded I further understand that guidelines were issued to local authorities permitting them to use residual funds for wider public health plans.

For some time SMBC owned and operated two “youth” buses. These were aged and SMBC decided to use over half a million pounds from COMF to purchase two replacements (such was the rush to use the money before a deadline date that they bought two buses “off the peg” and are now incurring substantial conversion costs - but that’s not the issue I am concerned with here).

Was it HM Treasury’s intention that COMF funds could be used by local authorities for large capital expenditure items in this way? If so, can you please point me to the Treasury guidance permitting this please?"

In the absence of a reply I wrote again to a named employee within the Press Office.

Still no response and so I sent it again, but this time to one Andy Brittain, the Department's Director of Finance, on 11th December, 2023 which I also copied to Sajid Javid MP (receipt was acknowledged)

On 13th February 2024 I chased the Department again with another copy to Javid.

On 16th May, 2024 I wrote to Javid again under the heading, "Long Outstanding Matter":

"I appreciate that you are leaving Parliament but you are currently still on the taxpayers' payroll.

I wrote to you as long ago as 13th February, 2024 about a long-outstanding question I had sent to the DHSC. I am still awaiting a response and I cannot even see that I have had an acknowledgement from you.

Here is the email I sent to the DHSC and to YOU. Can you please help me get a response?

Here is the email AGAIN: (Original attached.)"

In this country of grovellers I received an acknowledgement on behalf of "Sir Sajid". [Pass the sick bag, Alice.]

On 19th June, 2024 the Department finally responded to Javid copying me in and effectively telling me to f*** off. Only the last paragraph of the letter is relevant here:

"Now that Parliament has been dissolved before the general election, the Department cannot comment further on this matter. What happens on this issue in the future will be a matter for the incoming Government."

As above, I am still trying to get to the truth via the Information Commissioner and will take the issue on to a Tribunal if Lal continues to conceal the relevant documentation. I am also writing to the new MP for Bromsgrove, Bradley Thomas, asking him to finally get some sense out of the Department although noting that Labour are now also an elected Dictatorship nationally I don't expect them finding any issue with Sandwell's shocking conduct here.

[If you wonder why it takes me so long after the event to produce stories the above will give you an idea why ...]

LEGAL NOTICE (Version 4 from 8th October, 2023.)

I cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where I refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Skidders passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “As The Crow Flies!” (at crowmultimedia.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

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Labour Sandwell - business tendering failure

After the corruption at Labour Sandwell during the Cooper/Eling/Britton/Stevens era, and the Government having to place the rotten Borough into "Special Measures", one might have expected a more rigorous approach to governance. Of course, Sandwell watchers knew this would not come to pass given that many of the political team who were in what was arguably Sandwell's most corrupt Cabinet of all time under Squealing Eling are now running the show - the likes of Carmichael, Moore, Hackett and Khatun. They singularly failed - at the very least - to speak out against Eling's crazed regime

Ever since the Wragge Report there has been a cull of disastrous employees of the Council who were only too happy to facilitate the corruption. But are their replacements up to snuff? Well they - here in the form of Shokat Lal and Alice Davey - appear to have a cavalier approach to the crucial legal business of contract tendering. New legal supremo, Mike Jones, needs to get a grip on this or else another disaster looms.

Lal (left) using taxpayers' money for p*ss-up with Labour Cllrs

Under Britton/Stevens and Surjit Tour there was a disastrous record of failure in respect of keeping documentation ranging from deliberate destruction of incriminating documents/deliberate failure to keep records to general non-compliance with normal retention practice.

Contract tendering is a serious business designed to prevent corruption and deliberate awards of deals to cronies. Thus it is meant to be a very open process and tenders are available for all to see on various websites (Sandwell use "In-tend".) The process is simple - SMBC wants, say, a knackered old van out of which it can dispense coffee and cakes. It should retain records of the decision to spend taxpayers' money on the contract and then advertise it. Anyone can then bid to supply the van. The Council is not bound to accept the "best" price but must keep detailed records if deciding to accept a different bid clearly stating its reasoning. There can be legitimate reasons for this. For example, one tender may provide better quality work/materials than one at a lower price from a chancer. 

So far so good, but there are various problems with the system - some of which have featured in Sandwell Labour's bent history and are described elsewhere in this blog. We have seen in bent Labour Sandwell's similar "closed bid system" for land sales that Labour people put in an offer to acquire land and then cronies put in much lower, fake, offers. Hey presto - the highest offers "legitimately" won.

Another problem with the corrupt Council is failing to put mega contracts out to tender at all - as with the bent deal with a property developer to destroy 19 ha of green space at Lion Farm Fields.

Then there is, at worst, corruption and, at best, gross incompetence. We saw in a recent post that the unfinished restoration of Alfred Gunn House - where Labour is said to have accepted a ridiculously "lowball" offer from a contractor, and the contract is now £8m (yes, that's eight million pounds) over the tender price already. (Full story so far via the link below*)

Two problems arise for journalists and campaigners in respect of the system. Firstly, only the basic results of tendering contests are available via the (useless) Freedom of Information Act. The Council usually has a "get-out" in respect of disclosing other bids on the grounds of "commercial confidentiality". Thus in the Alfred Gunn House contract we cannot establish the price other contractors offered to do the work - although The Skidder is aware that one reputable contractor was amazed that Seddon's figure was - originally - so low, and considerably lower than it's own quote. But, as above, Labour has coughed up millions of pounds more - of OUR money - since the work started.

Another problem - short of actual clear criminal activity - is that only bidders can litigate in respect of the tender. Thus if Bidder A prices a job at £1 million but the Council accepts a higher bid at £1.5m from Bidder B then Bidder A has the opportunity to take legal action if it thinks it has a good case. The problems are manifest. No outsider  can usually bring civil action in respect of a bent contract even if funding is available. And Bidder A. in this example, will often take the loss of the deal on the chin and just get on with other bids to get new business. It may not wish to incur the high costs of civil litigation and it may also wish to put in future bids to the same Council and so is reluctant to queer its pitch. But this is where Sandwell needs to keep meticulous records of contract tenders since it could be on the receiving end of enormous litigation costs if it corruptly or incompetently gets contracts wrong.

One very small case which has already featured in this blog illustrates the continuing shambolic governance under Lal's stewardship. One of the bent Labour Council's most brilliant ("lol") appointments of recent times was that of Matthew Huggins - who has recently, and belatedly, been shown the door amidst a whole series of allegations and rumours.

It was said that Huggins wanted a "vintage" Citroen H coffee van from which to dispense coffee and cakes  at Lightwoods Park following the closure of the caff there. (It was also claimed that Labour would hire the vehicle out for other functions.) It is always strange when a number of employees contact The Skidder with the same story. Here, a number of employees told me that Huggins had bought the van via eBay. An employee, who wished to remain anonymous, sent me a picture purporting to show the van SMBC eventually purchased on the eBay site (which, unfortunately, I have lost).

This is categorically denied by bent Sandwell who insist they put the matter out to tender via the In-tend system. A Freedom of Information Act request has also flushed out that it was not Huggins but our old friend of video fame, Director of Borough Economy [sic], Alice Davey who approved the purchase of the van (rather than, say, a gazebo and a coffee machine at much lower cost). Indeed Davey had to request an exemption from normal procurement rules to acquire the van at a mere £39,000. She reported that after advertising for a catering van on In-tend, only one offer was received and the Council rules usually require three quotes.

This is slightly odd in itself as even a cursory Google search generates dozens of catering vans (and trailers) for sale at very considerably less than £39,000. 

But what really went on here? The eBay page printed and sent to me by the anonymous employee (and lost) was definitely of a Citroen H van and these are more expensive on the net than many other catering trucks/ trailers. Nevertheless bent Sandwell advertised, "We are looking to purchase a vintage vehicle (ideally a Citroen H van) which is fully equipped as a catering vehicle with coffee machine ...".

Sandwell employees told me that Huggins particularly wanted a Citroen H as it fitted the "aesthetic" vibe he wanted to create (aesthetics not being something which has bothered the comrades in the urban dystopia previously!) The point here is (a) that Huggins and Davey deliberately chose a "vintage" look which was likely to cost the taxpayer considerably more than other options, (b) specifically, they wanted to splurge on a Citroen H (perhaps after seeing the vehicle on eBay?) - again at greater cost to the taxpayer, and (c) Lal's circus say that there is no documented record whatsoever of them actually decided to splurge on the more expensive option rather than cheaper ones.

Incidentally, when Davey applied to ignore normal procurement rules she made out at the cost of the vintage vehicle was somehow good value by comparing it with the costs of a brand new vehicle which would then require conversion. This is absolute nonsense since, as above, the market is absolutely awash with second-hand catering vehicles and trailers at considerably less than £39,000!

Davey eventually paid £39,000 for a clapped-out Citroen H and the taxpayer has had to pay for Sadders to send a trailer to collect the supposedly roadworthy vehicle from Dorking in Surrey.

This is not a massive deal of course given the multi-million pound losses bent Labour clock-up but not only did Davey & Co. not keep any records of the decision, but they did not keep any records of the eventual advert on In-tend. I sh*t ye not when all Lal's team could produce was only PART of the above advert referred to. This read: "We are looking to purchase a vintage vehicle (ideally a Citroen H van) which is ..." That is literally it! After an Internal Review and 67 days this was all that could be produced concerning a £39,000 contract. I went back to SMBC pointing out that this was absolutely risible. I said that there MUST be at least a draft of the full advert kept electronically or on paper but 155 days after the FOIA request Lal's team confirmed that, no, there was absolutely zilch. The good news [sic], however, was that an employee had - after 155 days - managed to get into In-tend and take a screenshot (yes, honestly) of the full advert!

And so, here we have the new regime in action. No records of decisions taken. No records of actual public tender adverts. Anyone smell another rat here? Several employees did! And imagine if this happens with a larger, contested tender - bent Sandwell will be taken to the cleaners.

Still it's only OUR money not theirs ...

* https://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com/2024/05/breaking-news-labour-8m-contract.html

LEGAL NOTICE (Version 4 from 8th October, 2023.)

I cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where I refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Skidders passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “As The Crow Flies!” (at crowmultimedia.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com and we shall 

use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We have had to remove the direct comment facility from this blog due to the malicious activity of a West Bromwich woman but we are pleased to receive comments via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com, on Twitter via our publishers @CrowMultimedia or via our dedicated Facebook Group: “The Sandwell Skidder - Speaking Truth to Power!” We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Sandwell Labour: Planning - not a good look ... (+ addenda)

ADDENDUM 4th July, 2024 - following the publication of this post Cllr Millar has responded to my email, and her reply is set out below. Cllr Uppal has not chosen to reply as yet.

ADDENDUM 9th July, 2024 - this story becomes ever more odd. The witness utterly refutes the response of Cllr Millar. Accordingly I wrote to Millar and Uppal again but there has been no response. The full email is shown at the end of this post.

Addendun 19th July, 2024 - I have written to the property developer and its agent asking for the identities of the three individuals who attended the pub following the planning meeting. The correspondence is set out at the end of this post and followers of this story will not be surprised to note that both Sarwan Singh Suthi and Daljit Singh Barya have both failed to respond.

Last Wednesday was a good night for Sarwan Singh Suthi and family. This seemingly respectable businessman won planning permission for the demolition of the Wagon and Horses pub in Lewisham Road, Smethwick (St Pauls ward) via one of his companies, Sir Harry's Properties Limited. In its place he will build 11 flats.

Sir Harry's Properties is now based in Nottingham but its registered office address is in Birmingham and Mr Suthi has strong Edgbaston connections. He employed a Birmingham agent, Daljit Singh Bharya of Bharya DBC Limited, in respect of the planning application. It is very important to note that there is not the slightest hint of impropriety by any of these individuals or companies and none is suggested or to be inferred in this post.

At the Planning Committee last Wednesday three individuals turned up to see the application go through. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but it's what happened next which causes concern.

A witness contacted The Skidder to say that after the meeting the three individuals joined two Labour members of the Planning Committee for a drink in Wetherspoons, Oldbury. I duly wrote to the two Councillors - Chair of the Planning Committee, Kay Millar, and Wednesbury South Councillor, Kulwant Singh Uppal. Here is the email:

"Dear Cllrs,

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

I am informed that you were both on the Planning Committee last night which granted application DC/24/69093.

It is reported that, afterwards, you were seen drinking in Wetherspoons with the three gentlemen who had attended the Committee in support of the application. Is this true? Did either of you know any of the three gentlemen prior to the Planning Committee meeting? Do you wish to comment on the appropriateness of drinking with successful applicants after planning meetings?"

Once again, there is no suggestion of impropriety by these two in respect of the actual application, but is it a good look for Labour Councillors to whoop it up after planning meetings with successful applicants? I don't think so - but do you?

Needless to say - this spineless pair have not had the courtesy to respond to the email ... Why?

Email response from Cllr Millar, 4th July, 2024:

Good Morning,

I refer to your email last week and thank you for your enquiry.

In my capacity as Chair of Sandwell Council’s Planning Committee, I presided over the meeting which determined application DC/24/69093. As both a Councillor and member of the Planning Committee I am fully aware of my obligations under the Code of Conduct for Councillors and all relevant additional requirements which apply in relation to the operation of the Planning Committee. I have not been lobbied or received any form of representation on this or any other development applications. I am not acquainted with and have had no form of contact with the applicants or agents for this development or any others included on the agenda for this meeting and therefore am not required to make any declaration under the Code.

In relation to the circumstances you describe, at the conclusion of the meeting I visited a local public house in my private personal capacity with a fellow councillor having concluded official duties for the day. When approached by 3 individuals whom I recognised from the earlier Planning Committee, I did not converse with or engage them in any form of discussions either professionally or personally – as indicated I do not know the individuals concerned and have had no prior contact or communication from them. The individuals left promptly. I in turn left the public house shortly thereafter.

In accordance with the requirements of the Code, I do not speak to or engage with applicants, agents, developers, or objectors in the interests of maintaining the highest standards of integrity and impartiality in the conduct of decision-making by the Planning Committee and the wider council. 

Regards

Kay Millar

Email to Cllrs Millar and Uppal - 5th July, 2024:

"Wetherspoons allegations

Dear Cllrs,

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY 

Further to Cllr Millar's lengthy and formally-worded response to the recent allegations, the witness has contacted me again and stated, in writing, that Cllr Uppal greeted the three successful planning applicants by name, sat them at a table with Cllr Millar, bought a round of drinks and that both Councillors were still sitting with the three men some 30 minutes later.

This does not accord with Cllr Millar's version of events and it is only fair that I give you the opportunity to clarify your respective positions.

Please respond by 5 pm Sunday 7th July."

Correspondence with developer and agent:

Email to Daljit Singh Barya of Dharya DBC Limited - 8th July, 2024

Dear Mr Bharya,

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

I note that your company was involved in the above planning application on behalf of Sir Harry's Properties.

The application - to demolish a pub and build 11 flats was passed at Sandwell's last Planning Committee meeting when three males attended on behalf of the applicant. The three males were later seen drinking with Counciilors Millar and Uppal in the Court of Requests pub, Oldbury. Cllr Uppal, at least, appeared to know at least one of the three males.

Can you please confirm, if this was within your knowledge, who the three males were who attended the Court of Requests and whether any or all of them knew Cllrs Millar or Uppal prior to the Planning Committee meeting?

Letter to Sarwan Singh Suthi at Sir Harry's Properties Limited - 11th July, 2024

Dear Sir,

Sandwell Planning Application - DC/24/69093

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

I have written about the meeting of three supporters of the above planning application with two Labour councillors on the Planning Committee following the last Sandwell planning meeting:

https://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com/2024/07/sandwell-labour-planning-not-good-look.html

I enclose herewith a copy of an email I sent to your agents, Bharya DBC, on 8th July but I have not received the courtesy of a reply.

Accordingly, I am giving you the opportunity to explain what happened here, and to say whether your Company/your agents had prior acquaintance with either of the two councillors.

Please reply by 5pm Tuesday, 16th July, 2024.

THERE HAS BEEN NO REPLY FROM BHARYA OR SUTHI

LEGAL NOTICE (Version 4 from 8th October, 2023.)

I cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where I refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Skidders passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “As The Crow Flies!” (at crowmultimedia.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com and we shall use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We have had to remove the direct comment facility from this blog due to the malicious activity of a West Bromwich woman but we are pleased to receive comments via email to thesandwellskidder@gmail.com, on Twitter via our publishers @CrowMultimedia or via our dedicated Facebook Group: “The Sandwell Skidder - Speaking Truth to Power!” We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email thesandwellskidder@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.