Appropriation of at the rear of Albion Primary School

The request was successful.

Mayflower Tenants Association

Dear Southwark Borough Council,
This information request seeks information about land located at the rear of Albion Primary School (“land”) London SE16 that used to be playground / playing field for Albion Primary School and is now earmarked for new homes. On 9th December 2014 Southwark’s Cabinet decided:

"That subject to the outcome of an application for the consent of the Secretary of State for Education to change the use of the released land, it be agreed that the land shall be used for the delivery of new council homes and to that end the appropriation of the land from education to housing be authorised."
http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieDeci...

In August 2016 The Secretary of State for Education /Department for Education gave consent for the disposal of the land playground / playing field https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Searching Southwark’s website, the publication scheme, we cannot find any information about the appropriation of the land from education to housing after Cabinet authorised that to happened on 9th December 2014 . We also cannot find any information about the value calculated for the land. And we cannot find any information about any application to The Secretary of State for Education /Department for Education bar public notices in the Southwark News in September and October 2014.

Information request

a) Please can you provide information about Southwark Council’s application to the Secretary of State for Education to change the use of land at Albion Primary School? This might take the form of a completed application form and attachments. That is, for clarity, the land at Albion Primary School authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet for appropriation from education to housing on 9th December 2014.

b) Please can you provide information about any valuation of the land referred to in a) above? That is, the land at Albion Primary School authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet for appropriation from education to housing on 9th December 2014. Who provided the valuation? How much was the valuation? £5 million pounds?

c) Please can you provide information about any the appropriation from education to housing authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet on 9th December 2014? Has the appropriation (or transfer) from General Fund to HRA taken place? At what value? How much debt did the HRA take on? Was transfer by actual debt outstanding on the asset to be transferred or a general transfer of loan fund debt equal to the agreed transfer value? What bookkeeping entries were made into Southwark’s accounting ledgers (likely to be SAPS or other digital software entries)?

Why is this request in the public interest?

The story being put around by Southwark councillors is that Southwark Council asked the school governors to release “their” land. It is our land – it belongs to Southwark Council. The story continues that the land was then “sold” subject to consent by Secretary of State. The land has not changed ownership. The story continues that the land was sold for “£5 million pounds”. There is no evidence in the public domain of any value being calculated for the land. On the face of it the story being told by the councillors is a tissue of lies (perhaps not intentional). This information request aims to replace fictional narrative with robust information and facts. It is in the public interest to know that overall the debt of Southwark Council never changed a result of debt transfer from General Fund to HRA. There was no sale of land on the market to bring in £5million pounds. And therefore there was no sale proceeds coming into Southwark Council's coffers towards funding the new school. We just transferred our own land to ourselves. And borrowed more money to build the school. Residents argue that they were told a story which was a ruse to make the financing of the new school look good and bounce the project into being agreed. And spin prudent sensible financial management. When in fact there is the opposite. Honesty, transparency and openness are in the public interest. Obstructions, bamboozling, gerrymandering & fake news stories are not.
The auditors will be returning in Summer 2017 and it is in the public interest to have access to the information requested.

Yours faithfully,
Mayflower Tenants Association

accessinfo, Southwark Borough Council

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References

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1. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200031/...

Regeneration, Southwark Borough Council

Southwark Council - Information request

Our reference: 757508

show quoted sections

CEXaccessinfo, Southwark Borough Council

6 Attachments

Link: [1]File-List

Dear Mayflower Tenants Association,

 

Re: Your request for information: 757508

Thank you for your request for information that was received on 27
February 2017.  

Your request has been dealt with under Environmental Information
Regulations (EIR) 2004.

In response to it, we are able to provide the following information:

 

This information request seeks information about land located at the rear
of Albion Primary School (“land”) London SE16 that used to be playground /
playing field for Albion Primary School and is now earmarked for new
homes. On 9th December 2014 Southwark’s Cabinet decided:

 

"That subject to the outcome of an application for the consent of the
Secretary of State for Education to change the use of the released land,
it be agreed that the land shall be used for the delivery of new council
homes and to that end the appropriation of the land from education to
housing be authorised."

[2]http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieDeci...

 

In August 2016 The Secretary of State for Education /Department for
Education gave consent for the disposal of the land playground / playing
field
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

 

Searching Southwark’s website, the publication scheme, we cannot find any
information about the appropriation of the land from education to housing
after Cabinet authorised that to happened on 9th December 2014 . We also
cannot find any information about the value calculated for the land. And
we cannot find any information about any application to The Secretary of
State for Education /Department for Education bar public notices in the
Southwark News in September and October 2014.

 

Information request

 

a)         Please can you provide information about Southwark Council’s
application to the Secretary of State for Education to change the use of
land at Albion Primary School? This might take the form of a completed
application form and attachments. That is, for clarity, the land at Albion
Primary School authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet for appropriation
from education to housing on 9th December 2014.

 

An application was made to the Secretary of State for Education to release
the land identified on Albion Primary School to be delisted as education
land. Please see the information attached.

 

b)         Please can you provide information about any valuation of the
land referred to in a) above? That is, the land at Albion Primary School
authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet for appropriation from education
to housing on 9th December 2014. Who provided the valuation? How much was
the valuation? £5 million pounds?

 

Valuation was requested as part of the s.77 application process and is
attached.

 

c)         Please can you provide information about any the appropriation
from education to housing authorised by Southwark Council’s cabinet on 9th
December 2014? Has the appropriation (or transfer) from General Fund to
HRA taken place? At what value? How much debt did the HRA take on? Was
transfer by actual debt outstanding on the asset to be transferred or a
general transfer of loan fund debt equal to the agreed transfer value?
What bookkeeping entries were made into Southwark’s accounting ledgers
(likely to be SAPS or other digital software entries)?

 

The appropriation has not yet been undertaken.

 

 

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make an appeal for a review of our decision, you
should write to the Corporate Freedom of Information Manager at:

Corporate Freedom of Information Officer

The Governance Team (2^nd floor)

PO Box 64529
London

SE1P 5LX
Email: [4][Southwark Borough Council request email]

 

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your appeal, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have first
exhausted our internal appeal procedure and you should contact him within
2 months of the outcome of your internal appeal.

Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available through
the Information Commissioner at the:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire

SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Internet: [5]www.ico.org.uk

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Martyna Plewniak

System Information Project Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential,
may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this in error please notify us immediately. If you
are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for
delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it
for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may
be unlawful. Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not
necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not
responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/cid:filelist.xml@01D2A714.2A6F56D0
2. http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieDeci...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. mailto:[Southwark Borough Council request email]
5. http://www.ico.org.uk/