Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government
Goes to...
Salford City Council
All hell broke loose at Salford City Council last April when even local councillors rounded on the officers and Deputy Mayor over a horrid, secret little property deal with Urban Splash that aimed to remove a Community Forest Garden in Blackfriars and hand it over to Tom Bloxham and co for a paltry price.
A report appeared on the Council's website proclaiming a 'Disposal of Land at East Philip Street' with absolutely no other details except a checklist stating amongst other things that disclosure would 'damage the Council's interests'.
The East Philip Street land was originally part of the Biospheric Foundation project, in which Salford Council sank £300,000 and the Manchester International Festival £100,000 for the hopelessly failed scheme. As part of the project, £30,000 was invested into developing a community forest garden, aided by many volunteers who believed they were creating something of value for the local community...
When the Biospheric Project - bigged up by the City Mayor, Paul Dennett, who sat on its advisory board went horrendously bust, the Forest Garden was left derelict and overgrown, although, with the original plants and trees still there, many in the local community were willing to give up their time to bring the site back to its former glory.
The Council had other ideas, and agreed to sell off the land to Urban Splash for development, before three councillors called in the decision; thus ensuring that the original secret report was made public.
The report showed that the land was earmarked for 'proposals from Urban Splash' as part of an original Development Agreement dating back to 2005, and the company had recently made an offer of £250,000 to buy it.
The councillors were furious that the decision was made "without consultation with Ward Councillors or members of the public", despite Paragraph 3.2.3 of the Council's Policy for the Treatment of Surplus Property stating 'It will then consult with the relevant Ward Councillors and other relevant parties to identify any potential issues or interest there may be in the property'..."This did not happen", stated the councillors, who 'called-in' the decision..
"The site's current use, history, community involvement, intended legacy and financial investment by Salford City Council was not identified by the officer dealing with this site and was unknown to the Strategic Director of Place, as confirmed in a meeting on 29 March 2019" they explained.
At the subsequent Scrutiny Panel meeting which addressed the call-in, Councillor Richard Critchley argued that the original report "shouldn't have been confidential", adding that there was no consultation, that no alternative options for the site were proposed, that it was contrary to the Council's green space strategy and that "the entire decision was based on an agreement in 2005". He explained that there were one hundred varieties of trees on the land that were in blossom and could provide fruit for the community.
Councillor Steven Cohen emphasised the "poor communication" in relation to the sale, while Councillor John Warmisham railed against a possible "concrete jungle" being created in the area. Meanwhile councillors on the Panel laid into the general lack of transparency at Salford City Council, saying that this was not an isolated incident...
"What concerns me most is the openness; the fact that ward councillors were not consulted" explained Conservative Councillor Robin Garrido "I'm afraid that this is happening throughout the city...ward councillors are not being consulted. This is just one example of this situation and there are many other examples."
Conservative Councillor Iain Lindley said he felt a sense of "dιjΰ vu"..."This isn't the first call in on a land sale that I've sat through" he said "I am pleased that we're discussing this in Part 1 and that the report is there for the public who want to see it, because when I called in the sale of the playing fields at St Georges I had to sign a confidentiality agreement before I'd even entered the room and was given the papers. I still can't say anything about it other than the call in was denied."
Labour Councillor Stephen Ord slammed the whole "Fifteen year fiasco" in relation to the site... "You originally did the deal with Urban Splash and didn't consult the community; you did the deal with Biospheric and you didn't consult the community; you cut all the trees down and you didn't consult the community and you've done a land deal with Urban Splash and didn't consult the community..."
It was all very shocking, and subsequently, the City Mayor decided to hand over the land for community use for twelve months while 'the future use of the site' is reviewed.
This is just one example of the total lack of transparency and openness that blights Salford City Council and it only came about because the ruling Labour Party's own councillors got pissed off. Meanwhile, the public and press trying to look into such matters hardly stand a chance.
So, ladies and gentlemen, doff your cloth caps and cloth ears for the winner of a second Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government
Salford City Coooouuuuncil!!!
If someone from the Council would like to make an acceptance speech please use the comments box below....
See other winners of the 2019 Salford Star Mary Burns Awards...
The Rome Wasn't Built In Two Decades Award Salford City Council click here
Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government - Salford City Council - click here
Wizard of Oz Scarecrow Award Hazel Blears click here
Feed The Rich Award English Cities Fund click here
Local Government Scandal of the Decade Award Salford City Council click here
U-turn of the Year Award Salford City Council click here
'We Might Be Bulldozing Swinton But We're Not Telling You' Award Salford City Council click here
Fat Cats of the Year Award Salford City Council and GMCA click here
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