SIGMA CAPITAL GROUP WINS FIRST SALFORD STAR AWARD - Salford Star

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SIGMA CAPITAL GROUP WINS FIRST SALFORD STAR AWARD

Star date: 4th December 2014

THE SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2014:

SIGMA CAPITAL WINS THE OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR WORK IN HIGHER BROUGHTON

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the eighth annual Salford Star Mary Burns Awards, which are given out to honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past twelve months.

It gives us great displeasure to announce that the first award goes to Sigma Capital for its £700,000 `work' in Higher Broughton. Ladies and gentlemen rattle your jewellery, kick out the community and give it up for Sigma Ca-a-a-a-p-i-t-a-a-a-l...

Full details here...

click image to enlarge

Ladies and gentlemen it would help add to the experience of these coveted Salford Star Mary Burns Awards if you could put full dinner dress on, grab a glass of warm white wine and applaud to yourself after each award is announced. Now, without further ado, let's get on with this year's ceremony...

THE OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH MEMORIAL PRIZE

Goes to…

Sigma Capital Group

This annual award harks back to the brilliant classic drama series about regeneration gone rotten, starring Salford's own Christopher Eccleston. This year's recipient, Sigma, was the judges' overwhelming choice, thanks to its trousering of an estimated £700,000 for its `work' on the clearing of the Top Streets community in Higher Broughton.

Over two hundred affordable houses were bulldozed in the Top Streets, replaced by eighty largely unaffordable houses plonked up by Countryside Properties in the re-named Kings Square. Public money paid for the clearance of both houses and community, while Countryside built the houses…

…Sat somewhere in the middle was Sigma Capital – in partnership with Salford Council and the Royal Bank of Scotland – and it was "pleased to report" to the Stock Exchange that "The Top Streets project will provide the Group with fees and a share in the value of the housing units currently estimated at £0.70million in total".

Meanwhile, a landmark housing tribunal case a few years ago ruled that former resident Guy Griffiths had his house in the Top Streets undervalued by £24,000 - and thus, we can conclude, most people also had their houses undervalued, meaning Salford people were done out of a good few million quid.

It's nice to know that while those exiled Top Streeters struggle with bills somewhere away from Higher Broughton, they've made a nice contribution to Sigma's profits. And probably the Royal Bank of Scotland's vaults too.

• Sigma is set to pocket another £300,000 from the health centre and retail scheme currently being built off Bury New Road on land that was supposed to be for picnickers on `Broughton Green'.

So ladies and gentlemen, go wild in the Countryside, count your losses and lift the roof, if there are any left, for the winner of this year's Our Friends In The North Memorial Prize...

Sigma Capital Group!!!

If someone from Sigma would like to make an acceptance speech please use the comments box below...

• The eighth annual Salford Star Mary Burns Awards ceremony will run throughout the festive season

Other 2014 Salford Star Mary Burns Awards...

* Daft As A Brush Panto Award - Salford City Council - click here

* The China In Your Eyes Award – Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart - click here

* The Ben Hur Award For Services To Hollywood - click here

* The Bridge Over Troubled Water Award - Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart - click here

* The Downhill Slalom Gold Medal For Collapsing Fracking Share Prices - IGas Energy plc - click here

*The Feed The Rich With £6Million Award (Part 1) – Peel Holdings – click here

* The Feed The Rich With £6Million Award (Part 2) – Scarborough Development Group – click here

* The George Bush `Read My Lips' Award' - Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart – click here

* The In The Thick Of It Award – Matt Finnegan – click here

* The Palm d'Or Award – Hazel Blears – click here

* The Salford Red Devils `Paperwork Error' Award – Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart – click here

The One Rule For The Mayor And One For Everyone Else Award – Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart – click here

The Disgraceful Disgusting Urban Splash Award – Urban Splash – click here

• To see who won last year – click here and follow the links

Honest Johns wrote
at 18:27:59 on 24 March 2015

As Councillor Merry appears to be reading the Salford Star again, perhaps he would like to stand up and comment as to why he is not fighting for all the people who were paid below market value for their homes?

Wishful thinking wrote
at 10:04:16 on 01 January 2015

"we really care for the people who were ripped off in Higher Broughton and will fight to make sure they get the compensation that they are legally entitled to" ---Merry and Warmisham

Honest Johns wrote
at 12:47:13 on 28 December 2014

Still nothing from Merry and Warmisham? Anybody reading this would think that they did not care about the residents in the ward who were ripped off by the compulsory purchase. Surely this isn't so Councillor Merry and Councillor Warmisham?

Honest Johns wrote
at 09:35:59 on 23 December 2014

Well Christmas is almost here. Are the 2 Johns (Merry and Warmisham) going to display some Christmas spirit and fight for the residents who did not get the market value for their homes? Come on Councillor Merry! You have stated in the past that the council can only legally pay market value with compulsory purchases and these people have clearly not received that. If these people got the money that they should be owed legally, then you might get a bit of respect from them. Have you or councillor Warmisham, the former lead member for housing, got any decency in you? Stop tweeting and reply on here.

Honest Johns wrote
at 11:28:38 on 17 December 2014

And still silence from councillors Merry and Warmisham. Anybody reading might think that they don't want to fight for local people and for them to get a fair price for their homes. Could this be because if fair compensation is paid, developers will not be interested in coming to the city to "regenerate" some areas? Maybe it is because there will be more compulsory purchases coming soon? Shame on you John Merry and John Warmisham.

Honest Johns wrote
at 12:09:08 on 14 December 2014

Thank you "We're in the money". I was hoping that maybe the councillors might feel guilty and suddenly decide to start to stick up for the people who were ripped off and who legally should have been payed market value. So what are you going to do about it? Get off twitter and reply.

Were in the money and the salford voter keep voting labour wrote
at 05:49:16 on 13 December 2014

Do you realy think we at the town hall give a shit about the people who got ripped off, that's what we labour councillors are all about, it's about our health and wealth and making shure we retire comfortably. So keep voting labour you serps.... Signed, Stewart, Lancaster, merry, warmisham.

Honest Johns wrote
at 10:11:45 on 12 December 2014

Still nothing from the two Johns, Merry and Warmisham??? Come on we know you like reading the Salford Star more than going on twitter. Are either of you going to stand up for the people in these Streets who were ripped off with their compensation? Former lead member for housing and former council leader and neither will fight for the people of the area? Shame on the pair of you.

Honest Johns wrote
at 07:51:01 on 09 December 2014

I see that the 2 Johns (Merry and Warmisham) are keeping quiet. Surely they want to fight for the people in this streets who were payed below market value for their homes?

Bernard Brough wrote
at 13:18:46 on 06 December 2014

Honest, if one thing is clear in the 21st century it is that politicians no longer see protecting the interests of the people as their responsibility.

Honest Johns wrote
at 18:20:33 on 05 December 2014

Well lets see. 200 homes (actually it was 240) undervalued by an average of £24,000 equals £4,800,000 (4.8 million). Throw in the 10% homeloss payment and that is another £480,000, for an all in figure of £5,280,000 (five million, two hundred and eighty thousand pounds if Phil Thompson wants to do the sums). Now if former lead member for housing John Warmisham who approved this and former council leader,local councillor and regeneration supporter John Merry,had any integrity, they would look into this. Warmisham is now finally critical of regeneration and remains a Broughton resident. Avid Salford Star reader Merry has previously stated that the council "can only pay market value" when compulsary purchasing peoples homes. So John (Warmisham) and John (Merry) are you going to fight for local people and make sure they get the missing millions that they are owed? I do not think they have the integrity to stand up and fight for the residents who have been ripped off. Come on Scrooges---prove me wrong.

Bernard Brough wrote
at 15:59:49 on 05 December 2014

Mr Thompson, is taking £700,000, that's seven hundred thousand pounds for doing nothing, that's zilch, zip, sod all a good deal for the people of this city? You say on one hand you know nothing of the development but you are sure the unaffordable 80 homes are better than the 200 they replaced. You obviously know nothing. I didn't notice the words "Rampant profiteering" in the item so maybe you were reading something else??

Phil Thompson wrote
at 09:33:43 on 05 December 2014

"Rampant profiteering".... Have you even a clue what you're talking about?? If by that you mean making a modest profit to which allows you to employ people and pay salaries, then maybe you're correct.. I'm not that familiar with the development, but I'm sure it's much better than what it replaced. Dilapidated, uneconomical homes?? Maybe?? You obviously don't know you're subject matter ...

Alice Searle wrote
at 12:17:34 on 04 December 2014

Brilliant satire. Just more proof that the writers for Salford Star know their subjects and can present the truth via different styles. Under this humour is a sad tale of distroyed lives and rampant profiteering by developers. We optimistically hope that councillors are there to protect the community but we are disappointed too often. Let's hope that the Mary Burns Awards may instill some guilt, maybe a change of attitude! I am ever the optimist and always the disappointed.

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