Conwy Council,

With regard to the remedial work carried out to Victoria Pier,
Colwyn Bay by on or behalf of the Council in early October 2009,
please provide the following information:

1) A copy of any structural survey / engineers report or similar
carried out by or on behalf of the Council which identified the
works that needed to be carried out. If no such reports were
carried out, then a copy of what decision process the Council used
in determining it needed to carry out the works. The costs of these
surveys / reports is required.

2) A copy of any any estimates for any part of the works (including
plant hire costs for the hydraulic access platforms used etc.) from
external suppliers to the Council.

3) A fully broken down list of the total final costs of the works
carried out - which should include the costs of plant and access
platform hire, manpower (the gross total will suffice, I do not
require details of individuals pay packets), materials, disposal of
waste any any other costs not included in these sub-categories.

4) A copy of the risk assessment carried out prior to the works
commencing.

5) A copy of the method statement under which the works were
carried out.

6) A copy of any engineers report / survey or other determination
of a suitably qualified person that states clearly to what
standards the works were carried out, to what degree the works have
remedied the problems originally identified which gave rise to the
works being required, and any recommendations for future works and
the time-scale in which they should be undertaken.

7) It was stated in the press by the Council that it had served
notice on RPG (Insolvency Practitioners) regarding the above works
to the pier. Please provide a copy of that notice.

8) A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Council at which the
need for these works was discussed, and the decision was taken to
carry them out. If the decision was carried out by way of other
process than a meeting (such as the direction of an officer) please
advise who that officer was.

Steve Hunt

Conwy Council,

You are reminded that BY LAW you must fulfill my request for the
above information by this Friday 12th February 2010.

Steve Hunt

Unit FOI 1036-10

Dear Mr Hunt

Please find attached documents and information below in response to your
enquiry dated 15/1/2010.

You requested; Q1) A copy of any structural survey / engineers report or
similar
carried out by or on behalf of the Council which identified the
works that needed to be carried out. If no such reports were
carried out, then a copy of what decision process the Council used
in determining it needed to carry out the works. The costs of these
surveys / reports is required.

Response Q1 - Following complaints that the pier was in a dangerous
condition the Building Control & Renewals Manager made a visual
inspection and noted that the structure was in such poor state in parts
that there was potential for some part of the structure to become
detached and injure someone who may be in close proximity. The sections
77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984 therefore applied as the pier was a
dangerous structure.

Correspondence was entered into with the Trustees in Bankruptcy to try
and have the dangerous elements removed.

Continued dialogue with the Trustees in Bankruptcy reached an agreement
that the local authority would employee a contractor to undertake the
work to render the immediate danger safe. The Councils legal Department
were the main negotiators. The Planning and Environmental Enforcement
Manager signed the works order. There was no cost for the surveys.

You requested; Q2) A copy of any any estimates for any part of the works
(including
plant hire costs for the hydraulic access platforms used etc.) from
external suppliers to the Council.

Response Q2 - A copy of the Contractors estimate and costing are in
attached documents.

You requested; Q3) A fully broken down list of the total final costs of
the works
carried out - which should include the costs of plant and access
platform hire, manpower (the gross total will suffice, I do not
require details of individuals pay packets), materials, disposal of
waste any any other costs not included in these sub-categories.

Response Q3 - A cost of the Contractors invoice is attached

You requested; Q4) A copy of the risk assessment carried out prior to
the works
commencing.

You requested; Q5) A copy of the method statement under which the works
were
carried out.

Response Q4 & Q5 - The risk assessment and method statement would have
been undertaken by the contractor. No information is held.

You requested; Q6) A copy of any engineers report / survey or other
determination
of a suitably qualified person that states clearly to what
standards the works were carried out, to what degree the works have
remedied the problems originally identified which gave rise to the
works being required, and any recommendations for future works and
the time-scale in which they should be undertaken.

Response Q6 - The works removed the immediate danger which was confirmed
by the Building Control & Renewals Manager. It has been brought to the
attention of the Trustees in bankruptcy that further deterioration will
occur and further action may be required in future. Regular checks are
maintained by the Building Control & Renewals Manager. No such
report/survey is held.

You requested; Q7) It was stated in the press by the Council that it had
served
notice on RPG (Insolvency Practitioners) regarding the above works
to the pier. Please provide a copy of that notice.

Response Q7 - No information is held as no notice was ever served on
RPG. An order was considered under section 77 of the Building Act 1984
but agreement was reached between the Council and the Trustees in
bankruptcy which avoided such action.

You requested; Q8) A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Council
at which the
need for these works was discussed, and the decision was taken to
carry them out. If the decision was carried out by way of other
process than a meeting (such as the direction of an officer) please
advise who that officer was.

Response Q8 - No minutes have been taken with regard to the action
taken. The decision process has been explained above. No information is
held.

If you are unhappy with this response you may appeal to the Information
Commissioner's Office - Wales, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square,
Cardiff, CF10 5FL

Yours sincerely

David Smith
Corporate Information & Complaints Manager

show quoted sections

Dear Info Regs Unit/Uned.Rheol-Gwyb,

Thank you for your response and the attached documents.

I will check them through and confirm whether or not I consider my
original request to be answered.

In the meantime, could you please confirm the cost of the report
prepared by Datrys Consultant Engineers (as per my original
question 1)

Steve Hunt

Unit FOI 1036-10

Dear Mr Hunt

Apologies for the delay in response.

The cost of the report has now been confirmed as £2193.29.

Yours sincerely

David Smith
Corporate Information & Complaints Manager

show quoted sections

Dear CCBC

Thank you for confirming council corruption has cost the taxpayer a
further £2,193.29 on top of the £1,055.70 mentioned earlier for
these works.

I make that a total so far of £3,248.99 on repair works to the pier
that CCBC would not have had to carry out had you not decided to
illegally bankrupt me.

Added to the costs awarded to me by the courts as a result of legal
action I won against you due to your breaking of the law and the
subsequent lies of you in-house legal department to the Court
Bailiff, this now totals more than I owed you in the first place
(which is now proven, and indeed you admit, that you lied to the
Courts about that sum in any case)

Given the Council has also lost getting on for 2 years worth of
rates since the pier has been closed and non-trading, and given
that you also have not received a penny of what was genuinely owed
due to your absolute refusal to bill me correctly in the past,
perhaps you would care to explain how this all represents "value
for money" for the local taxpayers?

Steve Hunt

Unit FOI 1036-10

Dear Mr Hunt

Apologies for the delay in response.

The cost of the report has now been confirmed as £2193.29.

Yours sincerely

David Smith
Corporate Information & Complaints Manager

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Smith,

Thank you for confirming council corruption has cost the taxpayer a
further £2,193.29 on top of the £1,055.70 mentioned earlier for
these works.

I make that a total so far of £3,248.99 on repair works to the pier
that CCBC would not have had to carry out had you not decided to
illegally bankrupt me.

Added to the costs awarded to me by the courts as a result of legal
action I won against you due to your breaking of the law and the
subsequent lies of you in-house legal department to the Court
Bailiff, this now totals more than I owed you in the first place
(which is now proven, and indeed you admit, that you lied to the
Courts about that sum in any case)

Given the Council has also lost getting on for 2 years worth of
rates since the pier has been closed and non-trading, and given
that you also have not received a penny of what was genuinely owed
due to your absolute refusal to bill me correctly in the past,
perhaps you would care to explain how this all represents "value
for money" for the local taxpayers?

Steve Hunt