To:
Mr John Edwards
Information Commissioner
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Thursday, 06 November 2025
Re: Request for Review – Evidence of Fraud Affecting ICO Decision Relating to North Reddish School (Romiley Gazette Investigation)
Dear Commissioner Edwards,
I am writing to you directly to request that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) urgently review a prior determination concerning Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made in relation to the North Reddish School redevelopment project in Stockport, completed in 2011.
The ICO previously ruled certain requests as vexatious. However, new evidence has since emerged that raises serious questions about the accuracy and integrity of the information supplied to the ICO during that process.
Background
Recent article by the Romiley Gazette (published 6 November 2025) reveal significant inconsistencies within the council’s own financial documents.
Specifically, a 2008 cost report by NPS Stockport Limited details a £1.05 million charge under “Revision to the scheme” for a 585m² increase in floor area — despite the same report citing a standard build rate of £1,450 per square metre. This implies an overstatement of approximately £200,000.
Further discrepancies include:
- £280,000 attributed to Sport England compliance;
By 2008, projected costs had risen from £5.5 million to £9.93 million, and when completed, the final cost exceeded £11 million — with no published audit or transparent explanation.
Multiple FOI requests seeking a post-completion cost breakdown have been refused on grounds deemed vexatious. It now appears that material financial irregularities were withheld or misrepresented, possibly misleading the ICO in reaching that decision.
Grounds for Review
I respectfully submit that if the ICO’s earlier vexatious ruling was based on false or incomplete evidence — whether provided by the council or its agents — then the decision may be tainted by fraud or misrepresentation.
Under common law and the ICO’s own procedural fairness obligations, any decision obtained or influenced through fraudulent or misleading submissions should be set aside or reconsidered.
Given the seriousness of these findings, I ask that the ICO:
- Reopen the relevant case and re-examine the decision in light of the new evidence.
- Investigate whether any party misled the ICO during the original process.
- Direct Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council to disclose the full, post-completion financial records for the North Reddish School project, in the public interest.
Public Interest and Accountability
This matter concerns the apparent misuse of over £11 million in public funds for a single school project. The refusal to release cost information has eroded public confidence and undermined transparency in local government.
If fraud or misrepresentation occurred, the integrity of the ICO’s prior decision must be restored through independent re-evaluation.
This is just one instance of a large number of irregularities connected to this project. All council meeting questions on the subject have been refused under the FOIA, although not asked under that.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would appreciate acknowledgment of this letter and guidance on the appropriate process for submitting supporting documentation, including copies of the cost reports and prior correspondence with both the Council and the ICO.
Yours sincerely,
Sheila Oliver
Editor, The Romiley Gazette
