Sheila Oliver's Campaigning Website

Please see the two documents below:-

As one would expect, Chris Upjohn at the Ombudsman Service wants a quiet life - like the rest of his colleagues. He was given access to all the information on this site regarding the toxic waste dump school and was happy that nothing has been done wrong by Stockport Council.

Nothing wrong then - children will be run over, many will have disabilities due to mesothelioma and an early death, local residents have to carry new furniture for their homes circa a quarter of a mile, ambulance crews have no access to collapsed residents, the school is not big enough for the children who need to go there, the funding is circa £5 million adrift, there are no sporting facilities to replace the lost playing fields.  

But, hush, hush whisper who dares, Chris Upjohn is resting at the Local Ombudsman's Office after strenuous investigation.  If his colleagues had done their jobs properly at the outset, then children's lives would not currently be in danger.

Yet another snoozing watch-pussycat. It is "frivolous" to complain about a member who used his professional credentials from this  Royal Society to mislead local residents in the Stockport Express that a lethal former toxic waste dump was, in fact, completely safe. Councillor Paul Victor Kraus Porgess is his name:-

Dear Sheila



Thank you for your email of 2 March, addressed to Diana Johnson about asbestos issues in schools.  I hope you will appreciate that the minister receives a vast amount of correspondence and is unable to respond to each email personally.  It is for this reason that I have been asked to reply.  
Partnerships for Schools (PfS) are now responsible for the delivery of the government’s schools capital investment programme.  I have therefore forwarded your email to PfS and asked them to respond to you directly.  You should expect to receive a full response to your enquiry within 15 working days.

Please note PfS contact details are:

Partnerships for Schools
33 Greycoat Street
London
SW1P 2QF
Email: PfS.Correspondence@partnershipsforschools.org.uk  

Website: http://www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk/

If you have any further enquiries relating to this matter please address them to PfS directly.



Regards

Amy Robinson
Public Communications Unit
www.dcsf.gov.uk

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2010/0017078. To correspond by email with the Department for Children, Schools and Families please contact info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk.

Dear Ms Oliver

Thank you for your email dated 17 April, addressed to Ed Balls, about building schools on toxic waste land. I should first explain that owing to the volume of correspondence the Secretary of State receives, it is impossible for him to reply personally in each case. The Secretary of State in the normal course of business, delegates to his staff and Government Departments the responsibility of dealing with many of them. I have, therefore, been asked to reply on his behalf.
I appreciate your concerns, however, under health and safety legislation it is for the local authority to have a risk assessment conducted at the schools you mention in your email, to ensure the health and safety of the staff, pupils and visitors and put measures in place to minimise any known risks. You may, therefore, like to raise your concerns with Stockport Local Authority.

You may also wish to contact the Health and Safety Executive about this issue. Their contact details can be found on the following weblink: http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/index.htm
Furthermore, Education Ministers do not have any powers to influence planning matters which are for the local planning authority to determine. However, if you remain dissatisfied, the Department for Communities and Local Government is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and is responsible for planning. They can be contacted at Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU.
Yours sincerely,

Adrian Thompson
Public Communications Unit
Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2008/0034126. To correspond by email with the Department for Children, Schools and Families please contact info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk.

Dear Mrs Oliver
Thank you for your e-mail. I note the points that you make. However, as you will be aware, officers cannot deal directly with complaints about councillors. If you wish to make a complaint about the conduct of a particular member please put it in writing to me indicating which part of the Code you think has been breached and providing any relevant evidence. Only complaints which relate to the Council's Code of Conduct can be considered. The Code of Conduct can be consulted at:
http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/councildemoc/council/councilprocedures/councilconstitution/part5codesandprotocols0208?a =5441
On receipt of the complaint it will be forwarded to the Standards Committee and they will make the decision as to whether there is a need for any further investigation or action.
Yours sincerely
Jane Scullion

From: sheilaoliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 22 July 2008 18:07
To: Jane Scullion
Cc: John Schultz; Leader
Subject: official complaint
Dear Ms Scullion
It is without much hope of any action being taken that I draw to your attention the events of last night's executive meeting.
Councillor Weldon incorrectly stated that it was one "rogue" planning committee member who drew attention to the "shoddy" design of the proposed school at Harcourt Street. Quite a few of the councillors on that committee mentioned the low quality design of the school and in particular the tin roof. The design is to be amended as a result, or so we are led to believe. I will provide sworn testimony from members of the public who attended should that be necessary.
I wonder why Councillor Weldon should even have used the word "rogue" about a member of the planning committee? If councillors are not subject to political pressure, then surely they are entitled to make comments about shoddy design or inadequate contamination investigations without being publicly labelled "rogue" by senior councillors. Given the email evidence from a senior consultant working for SMBC regarding putting political pressure on the planning committee and given the fact that Ms Sager did not write back informing him that this would not be acceptable practice, we have to doubt the integrity of the planning committee (except Councillor Harding and Councillor Bagnall). My belief in the integrity of some senior councillor officers went a long time ago.
I also note the High Risk status in the Harcourt Street Risk Register of further contamination work needing to be carried out, which means Councillor Harding was 100% correct to make the contamination comments he did at that meeting. It is surely the other members of the committee who were "rogue" being prepared as they were to put children's lives at risk from inadequate contamination investigations.
I think in future I should be provided with written answers at council meetings, which I have requested in the past. Councillor Weldon's responses often fall far short of believable or even understandable.
I would be interested in your comments. However, from you I expect a whitewash.
You remain my humble servant
Sheila Oliver

Dear Mrs Oliver
I am afraid that I cannot assist you any further in this matter and therefore have no advice to offer you.
Polly Tomlinson
HM Principal Inspector of Health & Safety
516 8225
0161 952 8225

From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 11 July 2009 17:21
To: Polly Tomlinson
Cc: Rebecca Fairclough; John Schultz; FOI Officer
Subject: Fw: Freedom of Information Act request and Environmental Investigations Regulations 2004

Dear Ms Tomlinson
Please see the attached from the consultants you told me to contact. Stockport Council is illegally refusing all FOI responses on the subject, as it has done for circa three out of the past four years and involving everyone in the town in the refusal to disclose information - probably everyone the country too.
I have to suspect corruption with all that has gone on with Stockport Council. Have you any advice for me? The issue is currently with the Information Commission.
These are children's lives that are stake.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Sheila
----- Original Message -----
From: Rebecca Fairclough
To: Sheila Oliver
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 1:02 PM
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act request and Environmental Investigations Regulations 2004
Dear Sheila
Please find attached letter response to you e-mail dated 3 July 2009.
Regards
Rebecca Fairclough
Associate
D: +44 (0) 161 831 6180
For and on behalf of Watts Group PLC
60 Fountain Street, Manchester M2 2FE Map
Watts Group PLC is registered in England and Wales. Registration number 5728557. Registered office 1 Great Tower Street, London, EC3R 5AA
Before printing this email please think about the environment
Please read the email disclaimer at the following link: Watts email disclaimer

From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 03 July 2009 17:24
To: Rebecca Fairclough
Cc: compliance@ico.gsi.gov.uk; DAVID PENKETHMAN; FOI Officer; peter.devine@gmwn.co.uk
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information Act request and Environmental Investigations Regulations 2004

Dear Ms Fairclough
Thanks for your reply.
ICO Ref. FS50247042 and Ref. FS50205853
I am banned from asking about this subject at Stockport Council. They have repeatedly acted illegally in this regard. The issue is now with the Information Commission, who will decide whether or not I can see the documents I have been refused. Personally, I suspect corruption.
So, I am not asking Stockport Council - I am making the request of you. I will decide if I have seen the documents already or not. I shall cc this to the Information Commission.
Kind regards
Sheila
----- Original Message -----
From: Rebecca Fairclough
To: Sheila Oliver
Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 8:41 AM
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act request and Environmental Investigations Regulations 2004
Dear Mrs Oliver
Thank you for your e-mails with regards to the Harcourt Street site. Firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding.
It is with regret that we are unable to produce the required documentation without prior authorisation from the Council and I therefore respectively request that you contact the Council in this respect. We would also like to note that it is unlikely that we hold any information that you have not already seen via the Council as they hold copies of all our documentation produced.
Please note that should the Council wish us to produce the information for you to view, we reserve the right to spend time to go through our files to remove all sensitive company information. Afterwards we would be happy to forward the necessary information. Obviously, all professional fees and disbursements is above our original instruction and any time involved will be charged at £75.00 per hour and additional expenses for copying and postage etc.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Kind Regards
Rebecca Fairclough
Associate
D: +44 (0) 161 831 6180
For and on behalf of Watts Group PLC
60 Fountain Street, Manchester M2 2FE Map
Watts Group PLC is registered in England and Wales. Registration number 5728557. Registered office 1 Great Tower Street, London, EC3R 5AA
Before printing this email please think about the environment
Please read the email disclaimer at the following link: Watts email disclaimer

From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 08 June 2009 19:53
To: Mail Manchester
Cc: DAVID PENKETHMAN
Subject: Freedom of Information Act request and Environmental Investigations Regulations 2004

Dear Sir
Under the above-mentioned legislation please let me have by email any documents you hold on behalf of Stockport Council regarding the proposed school at Harcourt Street, North Reddish.
If the documents are too big to email, please let me know and I will make other arrangements to view them.
You have 20 working days to comply with this request. Any failure to do so will be taken up with the Information Commission.
Kind regards
Sheila Oliver