Wednesday 2 September 2009

Christmas comes early in Rochdale

No, not the silly season diversionary fluff about Rochdale Council putting Christmas lights up in August.

MP's expenses, allowances aside...
http://tpa.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/25/mpsexpenses.jpg

...it seems Christmas has come early in Rochdale... for certain property speculators.

RAW is still investigating but we feel we must share some clear concerns immediately.

Some very odd property deals have been going on in Rochdale. Eyebrows have been raised but orders have come from on high for people to keep quiet and their heads down.

Who are the Usual Suspects?

Does spin and mismanagement come in threes?

Is there a troika of dodgy bullshit, incompetance and skullduggery (a freemason reference?) from:

-Senior Executives of Rochdale Council/Impact Partnership
-Rochdale Council Lib Dems/Paul Rowen MP/142a-144 Drake Street
-Rochdale Development Agency

Is there a symbiotic relationship between the three?

What deals have been done, or promised, with local property developers and civil engineering companies?

The amounts of cash involved could be huge.

Has Christmas come early for a lucky few, whilst others are expected to tighten their belts?

In a recent gift of a comment, Rochdale Lib Dem "caseworker" John Swarbrick expressed a few "Home Thoughts" on Rochdale Online's forum about a recent blockage with Rochdale Council planning applications. In hubris that could be regretted soon, Mr Swarbrick warns his political opponents could face the charge of Misuse in Public Office.

Pictured: A scruffy John Swarbrick next to mystery boy in wooly hat?


Oh dear, that is a threat that could haunt a few in Rochdale soon.

Misuse of Public Office by blatant abuse of public money for political purposes, personal or party gain?

Who has profitted from recent property deals in Rochdale? Who has been involved? Are large amounts of public money involved?

Whilst hard working local businesses and lowly council employees battle for their livelihoods and job, who has been "larging it" in Rochdale?

Have patience, like Christmas in Rochdale, you won't have long to wait for some shocking revelations about where our money is going.

7 comments:

Get Real said...

an apparently tired and emotional Paul Rowen was up late last nightposting on Rochdale Online.

He finally got round to answering some constituents questions after only 4 months or so.

He forget to explain where precisely his double bouuble Rochdale Council expenses went to. He promised in May to let Heywwod Parish Priest Paul Daly know which "mostly catholic" charidees got his (public) cash. It was a 2am rant by Rochdale's MP in May but he did promise to make the infomation known by "the weekend".

Last nights multiple rants by Paul Rowen cleared a few things up. He did use "his" money to pay for sports hordings. His money had been given to him by the taxpayer as a Parliamentary communications allowance. Does Paul think that political shenanigans and self promotion are properly "within the rules"?

Paul repeated yet again that the 40p banana wasn't his. An intern bought it. We paid for it through his expenses claim.

All this reminds me of a spoit little heiress who insists the piles of cash in the bank are hers. "Of course the money is mine...papa gave it to me"

Anonymous said...

Impact Partnership should count their bricks more carefully in future. And any building work for senior officers, councillors and "friends" given the once over. You might find some of the missing bricks in these crooked bastards' extensions ...

Anonymous said...

Impact Partnership should count their bricks more carefully in future. And any building work for senior officers, councillors and "friends" given the once over. You might find some of the missing bricks in these crooked bastards' extensions ...

Chris Paul said...

Just out of interest you nutty RAW boys, crackers (or crackling?) as ever, and your benighted normal for Rochdale (?) readers, my First XI of questions for today:

1. How did Paul Rowen come to be a paid Director and shareholder of Corinya (Uganda) Limited?

2. Other Directors include a chap from Kenya, where PR Paul has it seems recently completed a busman's holiday scrubbing orphanage outhouse toilets or something of that ilk, and Directors of Corinya Limited / Corinya Holdings which is highly active in Rochdale and the NW. What is his relationship now and in the past with these people and their property company?

3. How did Corinya limited come to be the landlords for a substantial council office, and is it true that this was during PR Paul's tenure as Leader, Senior Councillor and/or MP? Are there any other fiscal relationships with RMBC?

4. What exactly is Corinya (UG) Limited's relationship with the Suubi Orphanage near Entebbe in Uganda? And what about the Directors and Rochdaleans of Corinya Limited back in the constituency?

5. Who are the Directors and shareholders now and in the past near and distant of the Rochdale Reform Buildings Limited which appears to be the landlord of (a) Rochdale Lib Dems (b) Rochdale Labour Group (c) Paul Rowen MP (d) Their own world HQ (e) Commercial tenants?

6. How did this organisation come into being and come to own its past and present holdings?

7. Who or what are the Cobden Bright Trust which appears to be an unincorporated, unregistered, non-charity, un publically audited, unaccountable organisation and which has given money to Rochdale's Lib Dems?

8. What was the full history of Sir Cyril Smith MBE's share holding in the Turner Companies?

9. What other business interests, Directorships, shareholdings, property etc is in the name of Sir Cyril Smith MBE, his family and his associates?

10. Where Paul Rowen MP and the convicted child rapist and killer Ronald Castree - saved from earlier conviction by inept/corrupt police, by an inept barrister the former Tory Home Secretary and asbestos apologist David Waddington, and by "hurry up" "string him up" messages from Sir Cyril - in any contact as fellow and approximately contemporary Liberal children and young members of the borough?

11. Why won't Rochdale MBC now answer straightforward FOIA requests related to the Knowl View SEN Children's Home, famous through it's associated paedophile and intra-mural child sex activity, through its association with procurement of boys for the Smith Street "Cottage" and rough trade, through its continued poor performance and eventual inflagration? We're only asking how many staff were put on gardening leave and for how long, and who was on the various committees involved. We've had some tip offs is all.

In the dugout:

12. Why are Rochdale Lib Dems not submitting annual accounts when their tithe on their Council group alone appears to generate amounts well in excess of the threshold?

Anonymous said...

I see Terry Piggot has retired early from his post as RMBC Education boss.

The 59 year old is to go on an exciting secondment until he hits 60 and the superan (final, £100k+ salary?) pension rolls in.

Have the PFI deals been signed for the £200 million+ Rochdale Schools refurb and rebuilds?

Since when did schools cost well over £50 million each to build? Then there are the rapacious maintenance contracts that will be costing Rochdale dear for decades to come.

How did this get past Cllr Zulf Ali - Portfoilio holder for Education in Rochdale. Is this Yorkshire based man whose business failed despite his printing money off vouchers on his political leaflets?

Is "Education boss" Zulf Ali the guy who threatened legal action against allegations that he couldn't read or write properly- only for it to be later revealef that "his" threatening letters in the Ob and Rochdale Online Councillor diaries were NOT written by him?

With a quarter of a billion pounds of property cash bonanza in the hands of a councillor with questionable competance, it looks like Eid has come early as well as Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Rumours abound that Paul Rowen has spat his dummy out (no, not Dave Hennighan) and thrown the banana out with the bathwater.

His latest letter (not) from Westmister is about his wish to put a postive spin on all things Rochdale.

Is it true that he and his bananas bunch have threatened to pull all advertsing from the Rochdale Observer and Manchester Evening News if they print negative stories about the Dear Leaders Rowen, Taylor and Roger Ellis (and probably the ginnel based hairdresser Councillor Greg Couzens too).

Threat to pull publicly funded advertsing from Rochdale Council and the taxpayer funded MP's communication allowance?

If such threats are true then surely this is a clear Misuse of Public Office.

Wonder what the District Auditor would think of such threats and shenanigans?

Chris Paul said...

The District Auditor would think it was "Bananas" or perhaps even "Crackers" to make threats of withdrawing advertising.

Now, if there is any lull whatsoever in advertising it will look like it is Lib Dems using public money to stifle free speech, fair comment and accountability.

Obviously there's already trouble over waste of public money with Pr Paul Rowen taking ads in political leaflets that are little better then litter and which go direct from doormat to recycling bin.

How anyone - even a Lib Dem - can argue that that's not subsiding political leaflets is beyond me. Perhaps that why all the lawyers in the NW are now giving Rowen's crew the bum's rush and advising him that he IS bananas and IS crackers and better look out to be called all shades of incompetent and stupid as well.

Are you nutty boys headed for Bournemouth to heckle Rowen should he make a speech about Gazza, or indeed about Rochdale Liberals' 50 years of Turners' pockets ignomy over Asbestos?