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6th January 2026

By: Your Persistent Local Reporter

Stockport’s council coffers appear to have a missing £500,000—or at least that’s what local resident Sheila Oliver has discovered in her deep dive into council finances.

The story began innocently enough when Mrs. Oliver noticed a discrepancy in the council’s agenda for the new school project. The paperwork suggested that the sale of the Fir Tree site would contribute 20% of the school’s £8.5 million cost—roughly £1.7 million. Yet, according to her calculations, the site was only set to net £1.2 million, and half of that, £600,000, was already earmarked to satisfy Sport England’s requirements.

Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), Mrs. Oliver contacted Cllr. Dave Goddard, the council leader, seeking clarification. His response? A polite redirect: Please forward your request to the Freedom of Information Officer.

Not one to be easily deterred, Mrs. Oliver pursued the matter through the proper channels. She raised the issue formally via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer, expecting a clear accounting of the funds. Instead, she was met with a bureaucratic twist: the FOIA office replied that she was asking too many FOIA questions.

“It seems that in Stockport, if you ask enough questions to uncover half a million pounds of potential discrepancy, you risk being told you’re asking too much,” Mrs. Oliver commented dryly.

For residents, this saga highlights two things: vigilance matters, and transparency can sometimes be a labyrinth. Whether the £500,000 gap is a simple clerical error, a misunderstood allocation, or something more complex, the local community—and Sheila—are determined to see it resolved.

UPDATE: The Gazette will continue to follow the story as the FOIA officer and council work through Mrs. Oliver’s queries. Stay tuned for the next episode in Stockport’s real-life “mystery of the missing half million.”

The numbers from the email

  1. Total cost of the new school: £8.5 million
  2. Claimed contribution from the sale of the Fir Tree site: 20% of £8.5 million Let’s calculate 20% of £8.5 million: 0.20×8,500,000=1,700,0000.20 \times 8,500,000 = 1,700,0000.20×8,500,000=1,700,000 ✅ So 20% of £8.5 million should be £1.7 million.
  3. Actual expected proceeds from the Fir Tree sale: £1.2 million, of which £600,000 is already allocated to Sport England’s demands.

Step 1: Compare claimed vs actual contribution

  • Claimed 20% → £1.7 million
  • Actual contribution → £1.2 million

Already, there’s a discrepancy:1,700,000−1,200,000=500,0001,700,000 – 1,200,000 = 500,0001,700,000−1,200,000=500,000

So the sale is £500,000 short of being 20% of the school cost.

Step 2: Adjust for Sport England’s share

If £600,000 of the £1.2 million is earmarked for Sport England, then the actual usable contribution to the school is:1,200,000−600,000=600,0001,200,000 – 600,000 = 600,0001,200,000−600,000=600,000

Now compare that to the 20% target (£1.7 million):1,700,000−600,000=1,100,0001,700,000 – 600,000 = 1,100,0001,700,000−600,000=1,100,000

That’s a £1.1 million shortfall.

Step 3: Conclusion

  • The agenda claimed the sale would cover 20% of the school cost (£1.7 million).
  • In reality, the Fir Tree site sale will only bring in £1.2 million total, and only £600,000 is available for the school after Sport England’s share.
  • Therefore, the figures don’t add up. The contribution is less than half of the stated 20% when you consider the Sport England deduction.

So Sheila’s confusion is valid: either the agenda overstated the contribution, or there’s some additional funding not mentioned in the calculation.

Mon 27/08/2007 17:31

Dear Mrs. Oliver,

                    Please forward your request to Andy McAlpine.

                                     Best Wishes,

                                           Cllr. Dave Goddard.

From: sheilaoliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: Mon 8/27/2007 5:21 PM
To: Cllr Dave Goddard; Steve Lamb; John Schultz; Bob Wainwright
Subject: Pawprints

Dear Councillor Goddard

Just to get your pawprints on this, on page 118 of the agenda document from last Thursday’s planning and highways committee agenda it states that the sale of the Fir Tree site will raise 20% of the cost of the new school.  As I understand it it will only raise £1.2 million (and £600,000 of this is going on Sport England’s demands), so how can 20% of the  £8.5 million cost of the school  be what you are getting for the Fir Tree site.  I really need an explanation of this one quite quickly.

Lots of love

Sheila