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Alan Dransfield's Blog

Freedom of Information and Health and Safety

This blog is aimed at shaming those who ignore health and safety and those who abuse the Freedom of Information Act out of laziness, corruption or to cover up incompetence.

DCC/NPS Project Agreement

NPS Norfolk Property Services Posted on Sat, April 04, 2015 19:26:49

Email sent – 03 April 2015 19:14

Dear Mr Bradshaw

Please see the attached Project Agreement between Norfolk Property Service
(NPS) and the Devon County Council (DCC).

I am of the opinion that the attached document is not a legal document and
in breach of EU contract law. It has been pushed through under Teckal and in my
opinion is nothing but a scam and a tool to assist the passage of fraud and
theft of public funds and in particular PFI capital funds.

No wonder the DCC have placed me on a lifetime email ban and refused to
release this document under the FOIA 2000.

This Project Agreement is for a fifteen (15) year period to provide multi disciplinary property consultants. A very impressive title indeed.

However, the Project Agreement does not have any independent transparency, accountability or security and there are no fiscal ringfences.

At this juncture, Carrillion are the maintenance contractors for the Devon
Schools and NPS are the glorified architects.

The service specification runs from 1st April 07 (April Fool’s joke) to 31st Jan 08. Therefore, this contract agreement has expired.

The service agreement calls or a 5 year review from the DCC, which has not
been carried out.

This agreement refers to The Asset Management Plan which at best is a joke
and at worst, a design to deceive. The Project Asset Management Plan at the DCC
and in particular the Devon Schools is non-existent.

I call upon my MP to write to the Minister of Education and the Treasury
Minister to call for a public Iiquiry into the DCC/NPS Project Agreement as attached.

I have reason to believe this scam is active nationwide and not just
isolated to Devon.

For your urgent action and files.

Yours sincerely

Alan M Dransfield



Devon Norse, subject to the FOIA?

NPS Norfolk Property Services Posted on Sat, March 21, 2015 06:54:53

Email sent – 20 March 2015 08:37

Devon Norse

Lancaster House
16 Central Avenue,
St. Andrews Business
Park
Norwich
Norfolk
NR7 0HR

Dear Sirs

Could you please advise me if Devon
Norse operates under the FOIA 2000.

With thanks

Alan M Dransfield



Devon Councillor joins NPS South West

NPS Norfolk Property Services Posted on Sun, February 22, 2015 07:59:32

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Architect-Devon-youth-cuts-quits-job-property/story-20838597-detail/story.html

“Tory Will Mumford, the cabinet member for education and children’s services in charge plans to close 34 youth centres and sack 60 staff, has left after being made managing director of property company NPS South West.”



We are relying on Ben Bradshaw MP to act. Sigh.

NPS Norfolk Property Services Posted on Sun, February 22, 2015 07:50:14

Email sent – 22 February 2015 07:21

Dear Mr Bradshaw

ARMS LENGTH CONTRACTORS EMPLOYED BY DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL

Further to my letter yesterday ref the subject title.

At the last Cabinet Meeting of Sheffield City Council, the Council Leader
conceded that it had no Quality Assurance Management System in place to oversee
its multi billion contract with Amey for the revamping of Sheffield’s
roads.

She admitted that their was no direct scrutiny, blamed the Tory
cuts for having no money to provide the oversight, and said that the council
relied on complaints from the public as a monitor of quality and contractual
conformance. Needless to say, Amey are coining it . .
.

Perhaps you might like to invite Devon CC to demonstrate, as
required by law, the benefit to its ratepayers consequent upon the expenditure,
whether direct or indirect, to DCC.
In addition, DCC can also be asked to provide the evidence
demonstrating that the contractual and statutory principles of Best Value were
applied.

This is compounded even further because the DCC does not operate any Asset Management Plans on their projects. Such projects are tailor-made for fraud and theft
of public funds. No wonder the DCC put me on a lifetime email ban and refuse my
FOIA requests under vexatious exemption.

In a nutshell the DCC are writing blank cheques for public works with no oversight or fiscal ringfences. The 6 PFI School projects
are a classic example of such Fraud. As you are aware, my FOIA case ref these
PFI schools was put in abeyance until the Court of Appeal Judgement.

Nice job if you can get one.

For your information,action and files.

Yours etc

Alan M Dransfield.



Secrecy surrounding payments to NPS (again)

NPS Norfolk Property Services Posted on Sat, February 21, 2015 20:20:24

From: Alan Dransfield

To: Ben Bradshaw

Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2015 8:06
AM

Subject: Re: FOI request – Alan Dransfield
– ICM3617

Dear Mr Bradshaw
Please see the following email from Norfolk County Council which is
somewhat disconcerting because Devon CC pays Norfolk CC several million pounds
each year via Norfolk Property Service (NPS) for public works maintenance works in Devon, e.g., schools and hospitals.

Can you please write to Devon County Council and establish how much the DCC
paid the Norfolk CC for public works last year (tax year)?

It is beyond my comprehension why the DCC would outsource any work whatsoever to another Borough/County Council. No point in me asking any such questions, as they would surely refuse
under section 14(1) vexatious grounds.

I would envisage that the DCC pay the Norfolk CC several million pounds each year for public works maintenance works. Quite frankly Mr Bradshaw, this
appears to be a form of money laundering in my opinion.

This might be one of the reasons why the DCC are spending thousands of
pounds of taxpayers money fighting my FOIA Case which, as you are aware, is
currently awaiting the ” decision hand down” from the Court of Appeal.

With thanks

Yours sincerely

Alan M Dransfield

———–
On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 3:02 PM, Information Management wrote:

Dear Mr Dransfield

Freedom of Information Request – ICM3617

I refer to your request for information received by Norfolk County Council on
09 February 2015 and confirm that the search for information has been
completed.

A copy of your original request appears at the foot of this email.

Your request was processed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and we are pleased to supply you with the following
information:

A search of our financial system reveals that Norfolk County Council did
not submit any invoices to Devon County Council during the last (2013/14)
financial year.