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SALFORD TOWER BLOCK CLADDING COCK UP AS £19MILLION SITS UNUSED IN COUNCIL COFFERS
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Star date: 29th August 2018 SALFORD COUNCIL SPENDS JUST £135,000 OUT OF £19.5MILLION ON CLADDING SAFETY A latest financial report from Salford City Council shows that just £135,000 has been spent on removing dangerous cladding from the nine Pendleton tower blocks it owns, while over £19million sits unused in the budget. Meanwhile, cladding has been removed from all City West bocks in Salford, while Salix Homes are in the process of removing cladding from its blocks. At the last meeting of Salford Council, Deputy Mayor, John Merry, wouldn't elaborate in public on the reasons for the cladding inaction. Full details here...
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A latest financial report from Salford City Council shows a budget of £19.5million for 'Tower block safety works' and just £135,000 spent at the end of June this year. It was exactly one year ago that Salford Council announced that it was to borrow £25million, arguing that "...the Council is keen to ensure that necessary works are carried out as speedily as practically possible to ensure the safety of residents."* One year later, and the only cladding that has been removed is from three lower floors of the most at-risk tower blocks, Spruce and Thorn Court, and from some of the low-rise blocks. At the last meeting of Salford City Council in July, Deputy Mayor John Merry refused to elaborate on the cock-up in public... "In regards to the £25million, I don't want to go into detail but I'm happy to outside this chamber" he said "Suffice it to say that the Treasury aren't very happy about the loan situation and we're currently discussing it with them. "They have, after a great deal of humming and haaaring, finally agreed that we are entitled to access some of the £400million that was promised by Theresa May which originally they said we weren't entitled to" he added "We're in an almost Kafka-esque like situation where they were saying 'You're not entitled to any of the £400million, and by the way it might be difficult to lend the £25million', so I don't want to go into detail at the moment." The Salford Star understands that it's all related to the contract between the Council and Pendleton Together Operating Limited. But, after the big announcement last year, the Council obviously hasn't borrowed ?25million, as the virtually untouched budget is £19.5million ? and, according to the Council report at the time, there was already a budget of £8million (£5million from the Council and £3million from Pendleton Together Operating Limited) for 'immediate costs' associated with safety work on the blocks. While vast amounts of money are swilling around, and the Council and Government argue the toss on spending it, residents are still living with the dangerous cladding and the fear of what might happen in a worst case scenario... Meanwhile, the financial report also shows that during this period Salford Council spent £18.167million (from a budget of £38.669million) on its new 100 Embankment office block...
* See previous Salford Star article - Salford Council Set To Borrow £25million to Make Tower Blocks Fire Safe click here The National Picture... A Government report in July stated that out of 159 social housing buildings that failed fire safety tests, only 13 have been sorted and signed off as safe. Of 14 publicly owned buildings with ACM cladding, only 7%, or one building, would meet current building regulations guidance. The report also showed that Salford (along with Manchester and parts of London) has the highest number of "social and private sector high-rise residential and publicly-owned buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet current building regulations guidance" in the country, with over twenty buildings unfit for safety.
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Bob the regular wrote
at 18:53:21 on 01 September 2018 |
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| Has Rossi been drinking? He is begining to talk a load of complete and utter common sense. Good on you Rossi |
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ROSSI TALKS SENSE IN A WORLD OF INSANITY wrote
at 13:26:04 on 01 September 2018 |
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| There is a solution to this problem, and it lies in tenant power. If the tenants of buildings like Spruce and Thorn are shitting bricks, then the answer to their problem is to Work Together. I know, it sounds revolutionary doesn't it. What they could do, the rent paying tenants, probably about seventy five percent of each building, could all agree to withold their rent. Pendleton Together and the Council would then be in a bit of a quandary - after ten weeks of none payment of rent by approximately 125 tenants, do Pendleton Together begin eviction proceedings, with all of the national media interest that this would generate - or do they and the Council pull their fingers out of their arses and deal with the greater problem, the fire hazard cladding, which could in truth, turn either building into a giant Wicker Man.
Saying all of that though, it's not really feasible as you wouldn't get Tenant Power. Fifteen tenant in the building may withold their rent ... and then they'd get evicted, because the other tenants wouldn't dare to put their heads above the parapet. Apathy reigns supreme. Okay. I'm finished here. VIVA SOCIALISM! Rossi, Over and out. |
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Paul Gerrard wrote
at 05:26:48 on 01 September 2018 |
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| At a public meeting called by the UNISON trade union in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire, Cllr Merry said the council had agreed to spend £28 million on removing inflammable cladding 'and we'll argue with the Tories later about who pays'. So three or four storeys get stripped and for months nothing happens. Now this.What a betrayal of tenants. |
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Bob the regular wrote
at 19:51:18 on 31 August 2018 |
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| Open letter to directors of Salix homes ,and City West.
Look at my post about manslaughter below.The same applies to you lot as it does to Salford councilors. I know you lot are more intelligent than the councilors . You earn a lot more money. It is not likely another fire will happen.But is it worth the risk? You are taking a risk with your liberty for no financial gain to yourselves. I can only think that at this minute, there are former public service workers, who are now having to account for previous actions, who are wishing now that they had made different descisions in days long past. You know who I am talking about, one of you in particular. Lives are more important than money. |
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Rossi Takes The Fifth wrote
at 08:52:18 on 31 August 2018 |
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white wrote
at 06:25:07 on 31 August 2018 |
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| Mr. Rossi,
With your extensive knowledge of the law could you tell us what happened to the proposal to set prison sentences for gross negligence manslaughter that was announced in 2017.
And given that individuals within the council must have taken, or not taken, certain decisions, will that not open them to prosecution.
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Bob the regular wrote
at 06:23:52 on 31 August 2018 |
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| Bollocks Rossi. If a public servant who has a public duty to ensure safety carries that duty out negligently ,and someone dies, that is gross negligence manslaughter..Its like a gas fitter who works for a company, then a boiler blows up. They all get done. Look at the coppers from that football match. |
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Rossi Teaches wrote
at 17:47:59 on 30 August 2018 |
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| Bob the Regular, You're wrong Bob. They could only be charged with Corporate Manslaughter. You don't go to prison for that. You lose your job and get fined. So they really wouldn't be shitting their pants. Sorry Bob, but I felt compelled to let you know this. |
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Bernard Ryan wrote
at 15:46:26 on 30 August 2018 |
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| Central & Local Governments Bungling in this matter goes to show their Disdain for the People of this City Living in over-priced, Tinder Box High- Rise Social Housing, 15 Odd Month after they should have acted.
Westminster & Salford City Council & Partners are SCUM, who can get away with Murder without consequence.
Both do not give a Shit for the plight of every day People, then expect to get paid Top Bat on Rent & Council Tax, Disgusting.
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Bob the regular wrote
at 07:58:23 on 30 August 2018 |
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| Open letter to Miranda City Solicitor Salford.
Dear Miranda, please can you advise ,as is your duty to do so, your stupid thick clients ,the elected imbeciles who sit on Salford City Council, that in the event of another fire of Grenfel type proportions, that they could face manslaughter charges for their failure to remove this cladding danger, and also if convicted what the penalties may be in such a scenario. The defence of not knowing the dangers present would not be available to them as it might be to other possible defendants in other possible manslaughter trials. I am sure they will all shit their pants when you tell them what could , In the unlikely event of a fire, happen to them. Lets hope it gives them a kick up the backside that they surely need. |
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