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SALFORD COUNCIL SCANDAL AS VICKERS TAKES JOB WITH SALFORD RED DEVILS
 

Star date: 6th September 2013

FOUR WEEKS AFTER TAKING £78,000 PAY OFF MARTIN VICKERS TAKES JOB WITH SALFORD RED DEVILS

Exactly four weeks after leaving Salford Council with, what the Salford Star understands, was a £78,000 pay-off, Martin Vickers, the Council's former Strategic Director, has taken a job at Salford Red Devils.

Vickers was part of the Salford Council team that negotiated very favourable terms for the rugby club to pay back £1.6million loans to the Council.

Full story here…

Martin Vickers at Salford Red Devils Launch Martin Vickers at Salford Red Devils Launch Salford Red Devils New Website and scary logo
click image to enlarge

Just four weeks ago Martin Vickers, Salford Council's £134,000 a year Strategic Director, left the Council to `concentrate on a family business'. Chief Executive Barbara Spicer even put an internal mail around telling staff the news.

The Salford Star understands that Vickers walked away with a pay-off totalling £78,000 – which in itself was a scandal at a time of horrendous cuts to services for some of the most vulnerable people in the city.

But to add further insult to the people of Salford, despite taking the pay-off, Vickers had possibly already lined up a job with Marwan Koukash at Salford City Reds. There have been rumours flying around Salford and the Council for weeks that he was joining Salford Reds.

Yesterday the proof was finally revealed as Vickers appeared on the platform at the `Salford Red Devils' re-launch of the rugby club, smiling and clapping, a diplomatic distance away from Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart.

Martin Vickers was on the Salford Council team that negotiated the takeover of Salford City Reds by Marwan Koukash - which notoriously included a deal whereby the new owner agreed to pay back to Salford Council only 16% of the Council's £1.5million outstanding loan over five years, with the remaining £1.26million spread until 2038, interest free (see previous Salford Star article for further details – click here).

It's been widely reported today that Koukash offered a £1million contract to Wigan Warriors star Sam Tomkins as part of his `Red Devilution' to make Salford rugby club one the best in the Super League.

Martin Vickers was also on the board of the Salford City Stadium, the Salford Council/Peel Holdings joint venture company, until he resigned recently. Koukash has said that he wants to buy the stadium and unveiled plans yesterday to redevelop the land around the site into a casino, waterpark and retail units

At the January press conference when Koukash took over the Salford City Reds, Salford Mayor Ian Stewart praised Martin Vickers and the Council team "on securing this very, very exciting situation". He added that "The City Council will continue to provide help and support to the club in ensuring that Salford City Reds takes its rightful place in the top flight…"

He can say that again!

Meanwhile, Salford council tax payers might well be wondering if they can get the huge pay-off back from Martin Vickers. And who stood to benefit in the negotiations between Salford Council and Koukash.

Salford Council refused to comment, while a promised statement from Salford Reds hasn't materialised as yet.

See also previous Salford Star articles:

• Salford Reds Takeover Complete As Stadium Reports £4.3million Loss – click here

• Fat Cat Vickers Leaves Top Council Job – click here

• Salford Council's Amazing PR Outburst on Salford Reds… "It's no surprise that the Salford Star should respond so negatively to an agreement that is good for the council, good for the Reds and good for the city. But every silver lining has a cloud, eh?" - click here

Main photo shows Martin Vickers, top left, on stage at the press conference, as seen on Granada Reports
True Story wrote
at 17:38:39 on 07 October 2013
Spicer was jealous of Vickers a he was running the show with the new Mayor. Everyone inside the Council knows that and she pushed him out. He got his contractual redundancy pay and then got offered job with Koukash. So if anyone needs investigated it is Spicer...maybe she will go next!
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A Thought... wrote
at 18:00:34 on 10 September 2013
Here's an idea..i'm going to join the council ranks on a junior level, keep my head down and get on with it - but during this time i'll join a couple of project teams - i'll schmooze wi the mayor and his cohorts - get noticed by private partners (who still to this day, get far too much o the public purse for their profiteering schemes) and when the council money's run out - i'll join up wi the company I poured the cash into...not an original idea (as your story illustrates) but it might just work...
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Salford boy wrote
at 07:25:49 on 10 September 2013
So an over paid cheif executive £200 k per year, Directors £120k per year, Communications Director 75 k per year, Mayor 65k per year, Deputy Mayor 50k per year, Assistant mayors x 12 20 k per year = over £1million of the public of Salford's money and not one of them has the balls to respond on here or elsewhere to this corrupt scandal. Where is Gena Merret the one who criticised the star, on this or have these mouthy Councillors been silenced. Each an everyone of the officers and councillors bear the guilt of silence by not questioning what has happened with Salford Reds and Vickers.
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john wrote
at 14:42:45 on 09 September 2013
In the Private sector, or in fact public ,(an MP or Councillor), the Police would be called in to investigate. Martin Vickers has abused his position as a senior Director,a Paid Officer of the Council, to seek gainful employment while using Salford Tax payers money to feather and sweeten the position he now has. The fact that the Chief Executive and City Mayor are complicit in this makes a mockery of Salford. How this is not in the National press amazes me!
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tony Blair, say's wrote
at 14:42:38 on 09 September 2013
Another seat up for grabs in weaste & seedley. Is there any truth that the Wilson family have put their dog up to be the labour candidate, seeing they already have father & son on board in the ward, with these two, the lights are on, but no ones home. There's only one challenger to labour in salford now and that's ukip, a vote for anyone else is just a wasted vote.
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Gavin McGovern wrote
at 17:29:04 on 07 September 2013
Another non story wrote: "Person who leaves job in 'getting new job' shock!!!". Note to Salford council PR Dept, on the Star where the comments web form says "Name" you should be putting "Salford clowncil". Don't make me laugh you council troll, I am sure you will get the response on here that you deserve but then a lot of people do call a "spade" a "spade". P.S piss off twats you have your own taxpayer funded site for your propaganda the URL is www.salford.gov.uk , if you can't spell it because you don't come from around here then just copy & paste the URL into your browser!
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bob wrote
at 17:28:39 on 07 September 2013
The Story is he left and still got a £80k payout and arrange a free load for his new bosses, umm id say that makes it new for the beleaguered council tax payer in salford. I take it "Another non story", works for the council or is getting a back hander. There not getting another penny council tax from me!
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Another non story wrote
at 12:41:02 on 07 September 2013
Person who leaves job in 'getting new job' shock!!!
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Karen wrote
at 04:56:24 on 07 September 2013
Why can't the Government sack the lot of them, it's like they are untouchable...I despair for this city, nobody in this city seems to care that we're going down the proverbial. Honest decent ratepayers need to galvanize themselves and march enmass and let this shower of fraudsters and thieves know how much they are despised.
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Can they do it? wrote
at 22:16:25 on 06 September 2013
Do the Tories on the council have the power to call in the auditors?????? If they do then they are as scummy and disgusting as the so called Labour party that run this city.
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Morally Wrong wrote
at 19:58:48 on 06 September 2013
Surely this sort of thing needs investigating. How can councillors and its executive officers be involved in awarding money to projects and companies that they belong to or are going to join. There should be some legislation in place to stop these people from benefiting or taking advantage of any more or contracts that they have played a part in handing out. Maybe a 5 year ban from joining any company or project you dealt with in your position with the council.
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wrote
at 19:58:43 on 06 September 2013
typical salford council the rich get richet and the poorest paid get shafted! wake up salford electorate
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Ratepayer wrote
at 19:58:21 on 06 September 2013
It's about time overpaid Spicer the Chief Executive did what she is paid for and called in the auditor to examine this disgraceful fiasco. She won't as it may reveal some of the other dodgy deals that may exist between the Council Peel ans Koresh . All the Councillors regardless of party membership look to be complicit as not one of them seemingly has the courage to question the Mayor re this and call in the auditor.
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