Tuesday 17 January 2012

An appeal to Tameside Citizen readers

FOI 532 Response

I would like to appeal to readers of the Tameside Citizen blog to assist me in a Freedom of Information request regarding councillors allowances at Tameside Council. I've had a duff response and was wondering if readers could give their opinions. A very reliable source of information told me that Tameside Labour councillors have to forfeit 10% of their salary directly to the Labour Party. This doesn't sound unusual as most parasitic politicians have these arrangements in place, the difference is that this money is automatically deducted on Labour councillor's payslips. This would mean that Tameside Council not only acts as a collection agent for the money, but would also incur payroll costs along with banking and administration charges.

So I thought about looking at Tameside Council's "transparency" page which was recently slated as being vague by the MEN and found no reference to the payments made to the Labour Party. So I went about doing a FOI (Freedom of Information) request to ask:

*A monthly breakdown of donations made to a political organization/trade union by councillor. Along with what their being paid for etc. Along with dates of payments and the percentage of the deduction.

*A clarification if deductions are made before or after tax.

*Copies of agreements between the council and the party group where an arrangement has been made for the councillors salaries to be deducted.

Now Tameside Council say they have the information, but have refused to hand it over due to the Data Protection Act. Now what was that about the Chief Exec being able to go above and beyond the rulings of the DPA when selecting councillors? One rule for one and one for the other!

The other reason is that "Councillors have a reasonable expectation that information about deductions an individual chooses to make from his or her allowance would be kept confidential and not disclosed since this does not impact on how public money is spent and relates to the decisions they have made as an individual." But the point is that it isn't the councillors money any longer if Tameside Council collects it for them and then gives it away.

So maybe the council doesn't want to give me the breakdown of payments made to the Labour Party by councillor due to the DPA. So what is to stop them from telling the public about secret agreements made between the Labour Group and the Council? This is another brazen attempt by Tameside Council to dodge transparency.

And here's my final bit and you've probably heard me say this many of times. But back in 2007, the TPA did some research into councillors allowances and found that Tameside Council had the 9th highest average salary per councillor in the UK at £19,500 per year. This was more than what the average Tameside resident earns in a full time job at the time of the survey. So given that there are now 48 Labour councillors, they would hypothetically earn £936,000 (48 x £19,500) a year between them. 10% of that would make £93,600 a year to potentially go towards an election war chest.

When Kieran Quinn became leader he promised "new politics" for Tameside. He started off well by ditching one of the Jags. He got rid of political assistants (only to have an executive assistant later on). He said he had nothing to hide or fear. Yet he refuses to answer the demands from the public to have less councillors and lower councillors allowances. Why don't we have a "big conversation" on that subject Kieran?

You can make your own notes on the FOI by signing up to the WhatDoTheyKnow service by clicking this link.

Liam Billington

61 comments:

SerpentSlayer said...

GMP largely ignored my request for info on the common purpose crime syndicate.

This is beyond my own knowledge, perhaps if there was a poster on here who was a self taught expert on FOI requests...

Anonymous said...

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has
any plans to require additional inspections of patients services at (a)
Hinchingbrooke Hospital and (b) other facilities operated by Circle
Health by the Care Quality Commission.

Does he ever highlight and raise questions about his own condemned
Hospital.
No he`s a bloody fraud and devious.

Stan said...

I will do it but please explain where I need to go to make the FOI request.

Get off my land said...

You may gain minor victories but virtually nothing will change whilst the quality of the electorate is so low and still falling.
Widespread low intelligence, cowardice and apathy amongst the intelligent, and the extremely high turnout of Labour's 'imported' vote could destroy this country.
Be aware that clever legal work such as FOI's and democratically focussed campaigning may not be enough to save Britain. Might is right and numbers are everything, Islam in particular has known this for 14 centuries.
The international 'farmers' who've planted this alien, ignorant seed in our land may be reponsible but we must remember we have to deal with those who planted the seed AND the burgeoning crop we see in the ever growing ghettoes all around us.

The Hour Of Resistance! said...

What the borough solicitor called the battle for financial transparency is over. I expect the battle against Labour thuggery and gutter politics to begin.
Upon this battle depends the survival of everything decent and true. The whole fury and might of the Quinn/Taylor smear campaign will very soon be turned on us.
Quinn knows that he will have to break every individual spirit of resistance or lose the struggle.
If we can stand up to him and the Labour Mafia, all Tameside may be free and the life of the borough may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole borough, including the whole of the north West, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the Labour Mafia and its snake followers last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."

Anonymous said...

Place a complaint with the FOI Commissioner at his head office which is on our doorstep at Wilmslow.
They are on the ball and quite independent and a complaint to him should sort TMBC out.
http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Address (head office)
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
View Google Map
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (or 01625 545745 if you would prefer not to call an ‘03’ number, or +44 1625 545745 if calling from overseas)
Fax: 01625 524510
Email: Use an email address provided in 'Enquire or tell us something' above.
J.Hall

Alf Garnett said...

That cameron is a good bloke ? NOT He givin scotland a vote but cant give britain a vote on europe ? Well all i can say scotland is watch out ? coz thay will now fill scotland with imigrants so it gos there way ? well they did it in england

Alf Garnett said...

and is scotland wanting to go independant to get away from europe

What are you Tolkein about? said...

a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.

...and when we get to Mordor, we just chuck the ring in the lava and fly home on the big bird that just happened to appear?

Seriously, what are the 'lights of perverted science', and how can we enter any sort of 'Dark Age' if someone has left all these pervy lights on?

We will bite them on the features! said...

Anyone else see the irony of using bits of that particular speech on here; one of the most Quisling infested corners of the WWW?

Mohammed MacDonald said...

The ironic thing about Mr Salmond's campaign for Scottish independence is they'd have to lean on Europe to survive instead of the UK. Europe would flood Scotland with immigrants, EU AND Third World. With Scotland's small population, in a few years Scots would only make up half the population of their own country as the Muslims, sub-saharan Africans, Eastern Europeans etc outbred them fifteen to one. A few years after that there would be no recognisable country called scotland.

SerpentSlayer said...

Cultural Marxism is perverted science, they use Freudian analogies to define humanity as belonging to oppressed and suppressed classes.

This equates to 'disadvantaged' minorities being given privelege over whites and all dissent against this treated like heresy.

One does not need to be convicted to be branded 'racist' and thus an hate figure in the press, or to lose your job on the most spurious claim.

The days of burning hetretics is gone but if you follow the logic of treating political dissidents as if rebels against the very (false) truth of existance, then it's not hard to imagine a dark future unless we get a few people brave enough to emulate the heroes of myth and folk tale.

The NDAA passed in America not long ago, indefinate detention without charge. They are trying to pass internet censorship laws as we speak.

The clawed hand of the wyrm has grasped the edge of the precipice of hel, we either force hm to lose his grip or we sit by as he crawls onto the earth and is too obvious to ignore.

The old political distinctions are dead, no more left and right, only Globalism and Nationalism, Tyranny or Freedom.

We are ending a historical cycle, in life all exists in a cycle, life and death, death and rebirth. So too must we end our age, and await the death of all we know and the birth of a new age full of life.

Stan said...

Thank you for the information J Hall. I will contict him first thing in the morning.

They left the accounts on a post office photocopier said...

A few years ago, Tameside Labour had over £30k in an election fighting fund.

Ali McDougall said...

"A few years after that there would be no recognisable country called scotland."

Good. The Scottish (like the Welsh)have done a fine job of helping elect Labour governments to Westminster, whilst it is the English who have bore the brunt of mass immigration and multi-culturalism. For far too long the Scottish have got away with remaining (to all intents and purposes) 'Scottish' whilst being all left wing and PC.

A good healthy newlabour-sized dose of mass third world immigration is what they need to jolt them out of their antiquated anti-Tory and and anti-English mind set. Hopefully that would give them something genuine to worry about and they can then begin getting their priorities right.

tonydj said...

Regarding Freedom of Information requests.

Generally speaking only bodies, organisations etc in receipt of public funding are subject to the FoI Act. And some of these are subject to exceptions.

The security forces and police for example are exempt from providing operational details and details of ongoing investigations.

For a list of liable organissations see:-
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/schedule/1

In the case referred to by Mr Billington I would suggest that the arrangement to deduct 10% of expenses and pay it to the Labour party does NOT come under the remit of the FoI SINCE IT IS NOT PUBLIC MONEY AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME. It was public money when given to the councillor, and as we know the ammounts given to councillors hae been revealed,
but once paid they are the private property of the councillor IN TERMS OF THE FoI.

I might suggest a FoI request asking how much in total it costs the council to do the deducting.

Any problems and you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO").

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Anonymous said...

@TonyDJ

"In the case referred to by Mr Billington I would suggest that the arrangement to deduct 10% of expenses and pay it to the Labour party does NOT come under the remit of the FoI SINCE IT IS NOT PUBLIC MONEY AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME."

But that isn't the money at issue. The money at issue is the cost incurred by the tax payer in diverting money which should've gone to an employee but is instead going to the Labour Party.

If every wage-earner in the country who donates money to organisations or charity were to request that their employer deal with that donation on their behalf in the payroll department, I think most employers would show them the two fingers and tell them to deal with it themselves.

I think I'll have to ask my employer to start taking on the burden of dealing with all my direct debits / standing orders etc each month, but then again I think I'd be risking a rather stern two letter response. The same should apply in all workplaces, but apparently not so when it comes to donations to the Labour Party in Labour controlled councils.

Anonymous said...

Reynolds/Bingham House of Commons.

Did you Mr Reynolds campaign to stop Tesco building a new huge development at Mottram which will increasingly shut Stalybridge completely down??
And are you also stupid Mr.Bingham
to ignore the large numbers of extra vehicles created by Tesco Mottram which will severely impact on the A57/M67,and did you campaign against Tesco.???
No you did not! therefore you both Reynolds/Bingham are yourselves the creators of your own resultant shit and then you both squeal like pigs about the consequences of your deliberate failings in not seeing the obvious planning lunacy.


Reynolds (House of Commons)
Today I want to share with the House some of the challenges faced by traders in my local towns. For those Members who have not yet been lucky enough to spend time in Stalybridge, I shall say a little about it. Stalybridge is a former mill town which has the Huddersfield narrow canal running through it. It has benefited in the past from regeneration to open up that canal and the area around Armentieres square. Many of the former mills have been transformed into loft-style apartments by companies such as Urban Splash. It has a population of over 20,000 with a range of incomes and housing, from social housing to properties currently on the market for more than £1 million, so it should be able to support a decent town centre.

Andrew Bingham (High Peak, Conservative)
Does the hon. Gentleman, whose constituency neighbours mine, agree that one of the problems is getting people into and out of town centres? I am sure that he does, as we are having a joint meeting on Friday to discuss roads. I have spent many hours on Mottram road trying to get into and out of Stalybridge.

Anonymous said...

You missed this classic from Jonny
Reynolds ie

Mr Deputy Speaker, you could spend a pleasant afternoon in Stalybridge, given its location and amenities, but unfortunately alongside our picturesque canal there is currently a burnt-out health club

Anonymous said...

What a pair of bullshitting self-seeking cunts.

Anonymous said...

I See, that John Taylor is pointing the finger at young Tories for their un-becoming conduct.
This thug can point the finger at other people.
Arrogant tosser!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh-p35aw2gc&feature=channel_video_title

Car insurance prices rocket in the North said...

Car insurance has risen at a higher rate than inflation in many regions across Britain over the last twelve months, according to a report from Confused.com and Towers Watson Car Insurance.

Its price index reveals the cost of comprehensive cover rose by 4.9% overall in 2011. The average policy costs £844 compared to £804 this time last year.

However cities in the north of England such as Bradford experienced an increase of 17.1%. Insurance costs rose by 14.8% in Oldham while in Manchester insurance prices rose 14.4%.

Some areas of Britain did see the average cost of a comprehensive policy come down. Falkirk in Scotland saw prices fall 4.6% in 2011 year on year.

Yes master ethnic, no master ethnic... said...

You can't GET insurance in many of our most enriched inner city areas know. The risk of your car being involved in an accident with an uninsured one is too high. That plus high theft from vehicle and damage rates, plus the politicised police's, 'community' relations before law enforcement approach, has led to this Third World type situation. The gutless West Yorkshire Police allowed the uninsured driver rate to climb as high as 61% in Bradfordstan a few years ago.

tonydj said...

ANONYMOUS AT 14:45

I think you are right concerning the cost of deductions being liable to a FoI request. But I said as much in my original post

"I might suggest a FoI request asking how much in total it costs the council to do the deducting."

War said...

The men of Britain and the western world are increasingly feminised. The recipe for destruction.

Gay Nationalist said...

We all have our ways, but some are bad, some are destructive in nature. Mational Socialism bends both ways.

Mud and blood said...

We had to meet the enemy a mile away,
Thunder in the air and the sky turned grey,
Assembling the Knights and their swords were sharp,
There was hope in our English hearts,
Hear our roar,hear our sound,
We're gonna fight until we have won this land,
Hoorah, hoorah, hoorah, yeah,
Over the hill with the swords oif a thousand men.'

Tenpole Tudor.

Gay Nationalist said...

Sorry National Socialism. I'm queer but nothing to fear from me The Gay Nationalist.
I'm from Stoke.

Normal and abnormal said...

Pedarist's need medical treatment to cure their abnormalities.

Protests too much? said...

No, podiatrists cure OTHER PEOPLE'S abnormal feet.

You don't seem to get the quality of rabid homophobes any more...

SerpentSlayer said...

Youre thinking of pedarasts, normal and abnormal.

The problem is that homosexuality is encouraged as being 'better' than heterosexuality. Part of the cultural Marxism as defined in a recent link here.

You often see characters on TV being congratulated on admitting their perversions ad the queer lifestye is presented as fun and carefree, from speaking to people involved, I know better.

People have impulses, some of them work in ways I struggle to understand. The fact remains that men reproduce by copulating with women, and therefore their relationships are worth far more to any Nationalist who has anything more than the simplest grasp of the ideology.

Homosexuality may have its uses in male bonding (between soldiers for example, like the Spartans), but these relationships should be seen as a form of close friendship at best. We certainly should not be promoting it over the beautiful, Aryan producing relationships between white men and women.

Oh and don't feed the trolls. They can spur thought but donn't bother arguing with them.

I put on my robe, and wizard hat said...

BTW, O Wise One:

PedErast = nonce.

Gay Fruit Nationalist said...

I am a gay nationalist fron Stoke. I don't want immigrants to take over our Country thank you very much.
Lets not get into this "who takes it up the bum nonsense" we are concerned about being overrun are we not?

BBGG said...

Trip trap, trip trap...

Peter Norton said...

Protest's too much, what do you mean 'anymore'?
The word 'homophobia' was only invented a few years ago to try and demonise those who think homosexuality is abnormal. A phobia is an irrational fear, i.e. 'If you disagree with us pro-homosexualites there's something wrong with you.'
Tolerance is a two way street, if you want tolerance for homosexuality, practice it towards those who disagree.

Peter North said...

Calm down dear, your mascara's running!

The term 'homophobia' is derived from the Latin, and is not an invention of the PC age, just means 'fear of the homo'.

Gay Nationalist said...

Being Gay and a nationalist is not easy. We don't all take it up the bum.
I was involved with the nationalist movement in Stoke for many years. Whats the beef about?

tonydj said...

@Peter North

Phobia is from the Greek (and not the Latin) for fear.

Homo is Greek for "same....." or Latin for "man"

Thus homophobia means "The fear of the same" ie men fear men, footballers fear footballers, bloggers fear....you get the idea!

Anonymous said...

What like the police fear bloggers? Tonydj?

Peter Norton said...

Peter North, derived from the Latin! It didn't exist until a few years ago, and thanks for agreeing with the rest of my reasoned argument by failing to dispute any of it.

SerpentSlayer said...

I know what a meant, its a thin line between the two.

I can't see why you bother to mention it Gay nationalist. People are complicated in their sexuality (I use thhe word in the original sense and not the PC one) lines blur. Hence why it's so easy to convince loads of people that they may be 'bisexual'.

To identify as homosexual in the modern day, if you realsie it or not, is a strong political statement.
I understand that it's painful but to understand why it's so hard for you, you have to understand that being 'Gay' in the modern world is seen as setting yourself on the wrong side of the line between us and Marxism.

If anything it shows just how cruel and inhuman our opponents are. They are happy to use a small part of our population to hammer their agenda into the rest of us, all the while the Marxists convince everybody that people are born 'gay' as if it is a black and white issue.

We are animals, our animal instincts can be confused or warped. To preach to homosexuals that what they are doing is normal and the same as a normal relationship is bending reality and messing with peoples mind. It's different, biologically redundant but the feelings are honestly felt.

If we stop promoting it, reverse the trend of making promiscous sex some kind of ideal and make all relationships based on love and childrearing, homosexuality will be less popular and the people involved in it will be free of the political polarisation they have done nothing to deserve the misery of.

Anonymous said...

Oh what a gay day, i feel gay today, lets do something gay and free. He looks like a gay chap (happy) See what i mean

Anonymous said...

SerpentSlayer Hitler did not get rid of Ernest Rohm because he was a puff.

Anonymous said...

Remember The SA was a group that had about 4,000,000 Nazi storm troopers that wanted to be the official German Army. They believed in the true Nazi beliefs. The real German Army thought that this group was a threat to old military beliefs and ranks. At the time, Adolf Hitler had been promising that he would restore German military from the points of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited the Army to 100,000 men. Adolf Hitler thought that the SA was a problem that could mess up his future plans for Germany.

SerpentSlayer don't think that puffs can't be racist and nationalists. It takes all kinds to make a movement left right, it makes no odds.

The Fritsch Blomberg Affair said...

That is a good point you make. Few people are aware of how many gay people were at the heart of the German NS movement. Since the war the Nazis have been portrayted as exterminators of gay people. Quite the opposite is in fact the truth.

It is amazing how many people who have an admiration of NS Germany are in actual fact guilty of believing allied propaganda as is evident in the opinions they express.

Being a nationalist does not mean you have to dislike people of colour or a different sexual orientation to themselves. It means so much more than that so stop conforming to Hollywood sterotypes, especially Serpent Slayer who seems to have little understanding of the true concept of nationalism and National Socialism.

SerpentSlayer said...

Did anybody actually read my post?

Has anybody bothered to read any of them?

We do not need homosexuals in our movement, they are not to our detriment either, so long as they conduct themselves well.

I know full well that Rohm was shot for political reasons, the argument you read was about the influence he had on Hitler, supposedly because according to the article I was arguing against, Hitler was some pansy who liked to skip around and wear dresses.

If Rohm had any pull on Hitler, he would have not been killed by Hitlers men. That was the conclusion I stated. I did mention the official reason but maybe I shouldn't have, people assume you are as short sighted as them and can only type the total of all your knowledge on the subject without leaving out the obvious.

Maybe I give people too much credit, I assume that they can understand what I say without having to do colour illustrations.

From now on I will speak v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y f-o-r y-o-u a-l-l.

Good night.

SS

Peter Norton said...

If it's all about 'consenting adults' then it would be 'normal' to have sex with your Grandmother. The drive to 'normalise' the abnormality of homosexuality is the thin end of the wedge in the ongoing campaign by liberals to destroy the family unit.

SerpentSlayer said...

Where did my post go TC?

I responded well to the trouble causers on here.

Anonymous said...

SerpentSlayer not all puffs dress up in dresses. You've read about the 300 Spartans? all of them were puffs but brave fighters against the Muslims.

tonydj said...

Anon @22;34

The 300 Spartans May have all been gay / homosexual or whatever. They may not have been. A Gay (etc) relationship between the hoplites in the Greek phalanx was encouraged as a way of fostering a bond between the warriors and to discourage desertion in battle. I can't comment on the 300 specifically.

But they were not fighting Muslims. THERMOPAYLAE was fought in 480 BC. Islam was invented in the 7th century AD

Mohamedian said...

TonyDJ, Islam was not 'invented' it was brought to earth by Allah's (PBUH) holy messenger. Do your research before commenting on things of which you have no knowledge.

Yes the Spartans were gay, It is historical fact said...

Herodotus wrote that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows were so numerous that they blotted out the sun, he remarked with characteristically laconic prose, «So much the better, we shall fight in the shade.»

Gay Nationalist said...

Serpent Slayer. I have never heard that Hitler used to skip around in a dress. Where did you get this information or are you just making it up?

SerpentSlayer said...

I'm obviously using it as an absurd exaggeration of what others have said.

That Spartans fighting Muslims thing was a howler, I've made some in my time but that was spectacular.

we need them now said...

300 Final Scene and Speech the word was spread.
To victory the past, the future.

Puffs we are, but Islam we don't want in Britain.

El SId........... said...

"Leave the dead to the dead, and the puffs to the puffs"

Some of the greatest warriors of the age were homosexual.
Not the type that you see marching in Manchester showing their bare arses in public.

Anonymous said...

Sorry El Cid

The geek shall inherit the earth said...

Did anybody actually read my post?

Has anybody bothered to read any of them?

We do not need homosexuals in our movement, they are not to our detriment either, so long as they conduct themselves well.

I know full well that Rohm was shot for political reasons, the argument you read was about the influence he had on Hitler, supposedly because according to the article I was arguing against, Hitler was some pansy who liked to skip around and wear dresses.

If Rohm had any pull on Hitler, he would have not been killed by Hitlers men. That was the conclusion I stated. I did mention the official reason but maybe I shouldn't have, people assume you are as short sighted as them and can only type the total of all your knowledge on the subject without leaving out the obvious.

Maybe I give people too much credit, I assume that they can understand what I say without having to do colour illustrations.

From now on I will speak v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y f-o-r y-o-u a-l-l.

Good night.

***stomp, stomp, stomp, SLAM!***

GOD! It's just so UNFAIR!

Why can't these people see me for the genius I obviously am?

One more comment like that and I am going to smash up all the little men I spent so long painting, then throw all my many-sided dice out of the window!

One day they will appreciate my genius, one day they will, 'cause I'll make them, won't I Mum?


SS

drshfy*n tvdbvsGVVHGFVBdgbhvf said...

Puffs will always be on the right of politics. Not all puffs will fancy you! I think you've gat a secret desire that they will fancy yo?

I am a gfyjrbKJhBD ybv urdvHYDVDVcgxF said...

Puffs are human, puffs have political thought right or left, mostly on the right. Oh I know you've got the puffs in Manchester showing off their arses. But they are shit bastards would F*** anything they are filth to the core.

Queer, puffs, nationalist said...

Hitler feared Rohm end of argument!