question is what are they hiding labour

the 1 main question that should be asked is what are they hiding

Councillors turn down request for more details into council deal with Mo Chaudry

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Sentinel

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RULING Labour councillors last night voted overwhelmingly to refuse a motion demanding clarity on Stoke-on-Trent City Council's deal with Mo Chaudry.

Independent councillors Lee Wanger and Dave Conway called on the council to declare full details of whether it made a private deal to close the Dimensions splash pool and pay the Waterworld owner £100,000-per-year to offer discounts at the Festival Park attraction.

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Mr Chaudry claimed the deal was made before the council reversed its decision to close the pool in 2008 and threatened to sue the council.

He has been paid £21,850 to drop his legal threat, while the council has spent £22,500 on legal fees.

Lee Wanger told the chamber: "This whole situation has been brought about by a complete lack of transparency that goes back years.

"The council has apologised to the owner of Waterworld, admitting there may have been some confusion. Can I ask what that apology is for?

"Was any agreement reached, were contracts drawn up, was anything signed?

"If not, then what have we paid compensation for?

"And the real question is, if closing the splash pool was to save £60,000, how could giving £100,000-per-year to a rival business make a saving?

"It is nonsense. It doesn't add up and never has."

Council leader Mohammed Pervez instructed the Labour group, which holds 33 of 44 seats, to vote against the motion after advice from the council's monitoring officer Paul Hackney.

In total, 33 of the 43 councillors at the meeting voted against the motion being discussed while nine voted in favour and one member abstained.

Mr Pervez said: "While the lack of information on this subject is frustrating, the legal advice is clear."

Labour's Mark Meredith, the council's elected mayor at the time of the alleged secret deal, declared a personal interest before the discussion began.

Mr Hackney said: "Parties enter into the mediation with the expectation that confidentiality will be respected before, during and after mediation.

"Two agreed statements have been issued by the parties, Mo Chaudry and Waterworld Holdings and the city council, giving details of the settlement agreed following mediation.

"Under the terms of the agreement, any remaining information is confidential.

"Any further release of information on this subject that is not agreed by both parties could give rise to a serious risk of breaching the settlement agreement."