What will you do about councils which refuse to toe the line?

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

Please see the following from LibDem ruled Stockport Council. On two counts they would appear to be completely disobeying the Coalition government's orders, which is odd because Andrew Stunell the local LibDem MP, is a junior minister at the Dept. for Communities and Local Government and one of the architects of the coalition government.

What punitive action your department got up its sleeve to use against such apparently renegade councils?

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ye...

and

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/st...

Kind regards

Sheila

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

I would like a response to this question please.

Stockport's Condem Council is refusing to cut the things the Government told it to but is cutting vital community services instead.

Please see this story:-

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningn...

The civil disobedience has started and presumably will continue.

What is your department going to do about rogue councils like Stockport?

Yours faithfully,

Sheila Oliver

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

Could I please have a reply to this. I would hope you have some plans in writing. We are still getting our Stockport Council newspaper, full of self-promotional photos of Executive Councilllors - about six copies a year on glossy paper in colour sent out to 123,000 households each and every time. They are still progressing with the A555, paying consultants out of my money, when there is no government funding for the scheme.

The councillors are still giving themselves free meals at a cost to me of £23,000 pa.

What will you do about such councils, and this one is a ConDem one, so shouldn't they be setting an example? And, my local ConDem MP is a Communities and Local Government junior minister Andrew Stunell and one of the four who negotiated the ConDem coalition government. If they can't even try to set an example, then who will?

Yours faithfully,

Sheila Oliver

CLG-FOIAdvice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Dear Sheila Oliver

Thank you for your email of 19th October 10.

You have raised several points in this, and other emails. We aim to let you have our considered response no later than 5th November.

Kind regards

FOI Advice Team
Knowledge Management Division
Zone 2/A3, Eland House
0303 444 3973

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Dear CLG-FOIAdvice,

Excellent! Something needs to be done about what is going on here.

Kind regards

Sheila Oliver

CLG-FOIAdvice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Dear Sheila Oliver

Further to our email of 20th October I apologise that we will still not be in a position to respond to you on the 5th November. We are in the process of investigating what correspondence the Department has received from you, and what action has been taken on it.

We will respond to you as soon as possible, once we have this information.

Kind regards

FOI Advice Team
Knowledge Management Division
Zone 2/A3, Eland House
0303 444 3973

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Dear CLG-FOIAdvice,

Stockport Council now, apparently, has a shortfall of £78 million, yet they still refuse to stop the Council Pravda or the £23,000 for free meals for councillors. I believe 400 jobs at the Council are to go.

Also, they proceeded with the A555 when told by the Government to stop earlier this year.

http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/n...

They are now moaning about the wasted £10 million, but they wasted it.

Kind regards

Sheila

CLG-FOIAdvice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Dear Sheila Oliver

Further to our emails of 20th October and 3rd November I apologise that we are still not in a position to provide you with a substantive response. We are still checking to see what correspondence the Department has received from you, and what action has been taken on it.

We will respond to you as soon as possible, once we have this information.

Kind regards

FOI Advice Team
Knowledge Management Division
Zone 2/A3, Eland House
0303 444 3973

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Dear CLG-FOIAdvice,

You don't need my previous correspondence to answer this. Simply, what will you do about rogue councils like Stockport (close political chums of DCLG Junior Minister Andrew Stunell) which refuse to adhere to your advice about such things as stopping council Pravdas and pushing ahead with unfunded roadschemes wasting public money, purely because not to do so would lose them votes?

You should have some answer to this question immediately. What do you intend to do?

Yours sincerely,

Sheila Oliver

CLG-FOIAdvice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

1 Attachment

Dear Sheila Oliver

Please see the attached letter in response to your communications to this Department.

Kind regards

FOI Advice Team
Knowledge Management Division
Zone 2/A3, Eland House
0303 444 3973

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Dear CLG-FOIAdvice,

Thank you - a very helpful reply and thank you for referring it to GONW.

You do see, don't you, that if the Government makes these statements about what will happen and if even ConDem councils won't listen and think they can carry on regardless wasting public funds in promoting their own political interests, it erodes confidence in the Government, which is quite low anyway.

We don't want hot air. We want things sorting out.

Yours sincerely,

Sheila Oliver