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15th January 2026

Fresh concerns have been raised over governance and accountability at Stockport Council after residents identified unexplained mathematical discrepancies in a publicly available cost report supporting a £9.9 million grant-funded school project.

The report, prepared by NPS, states that a construction rate of £1,450 per square metre was adopted. It also records an increase in the gross internal floor area from 2,600 sq m to 3,185 sq m, alongside a further increase linked to Sport England requirements.

However, when the stated rate is applied to the stated increases in area, the resulting figures do not match those presented in the report.

A local resident who reviewed the document says the issue is not one of interpretation but of basic arithmetic.

“The report itself gives the rate and the areas,” the resident said. “When you multiply one by the other, the totals in the report are significantly higher. That raises legitimate questions about how the overall £9.9 million figure is justified to grant providers.”

The discrepancies amount to £239,600, close to a quarter of a million pounds, based solely on differences between the stated rate and the stated areas.

Despite this, the resident says that Vicki Bates, the council’s Monitoring Officer, has long maintained that continued querying of these figures is “vexatious”.

Monitoring Officers have a statutory duty to uphold lawfulness, transparency, and good administration within local authorities. Critics argue that labelling straightforward mathematical scrutiny as vexatious risks discouraging legitimate public oversight, particularly where public funding is concerned.

“This isn’t a campaign, and it isn’t harassment,” the resident said. “It’s checking whether numbers add up. If asking that question is deemed vexatious, then something is badly wrong with how accountability is being understood.”

The issue now being raised is broader than the project itself. It goes to the heart of public confidence in local governance.

“Should someone who characterises basic financial scrutiny as vexatious continue to hold public office?” the resident asked. “That’s a fair question for elected members and the public to consider.”

The Romiley Gazette understands that the calculations are drawn directly from the published report and that no alternative rate or explanatory adjustment is stated in the document.

Stockport Council and the Monitoring Officer have been approached for comment.

Forensic Schedule: Area-Based Cost Calculations

Source: Published NPS report
Stated construction rate: £1,450 per square metre

1️⃣ Main building area increase

  • Original area: 2,600 sq m
  • Revised area: 3,185 sq m
  • Increase: 585 sq m

Correct calculation:
585 × £1,450 = £848,250

Figure used in report:
£1,050,000

Difference (anomaly):
£201,750

2️⃣ Sport England additional area

  • Additional area: 167 sq m

Correct calculation:
167 × £1,450 = £242,150

Figure used in report:
£280,000

Difference (anomaly):
£37,850

✅ Total discrepancy identified

£201,750 + £37,850 = £239,600

Key observation

The discrepancies arise solely from applying the report’s own stated rate to its own stated areas.
No alternative rate, uplift, or adjustment is explicitly identified in the document to explain the differences.