19th January 2026

19th January 2026

A local resident has been trying to correct a council school report error for 16 years, only to be repeatedly dismissed. Despite holding a paper copy of the original report obtained directly from Stockport Council, the resident’s concerns were labelled “vexatious” at the time.

Council Now Admits Mistake — But Files Are “Lost”

In a letter from Katie Moores, Complaints Manager at Stockport Council, the authority acknowledges a mathematical error in the historic report. Yet, the council claims that reviewing all committee reports dating back 16 years would be disproportionate, and that other electronic and hard copy files no longer exist.

Vexatious for 16 Years

“This is astonishing,” said the resident. “I have been highlighting this issue for 16 years, yet the council not only refused to act at the time, labelling my concerns vexatious, they now claim it’s impossible to check the matter properly — even though I can prove the report came from them.”

Escalation Path Suggested

Ms Moores’ letter notes that she consulted the Monitoring Officer and the Assistant Director for Estates, who oversee the council’s school estate, before responding. The council suggests unresolved complaints can be taken to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, and other information requests — such as regarding Vale View School — should be submitted via a formal FOI request.

Questions of Accountability

Experts say the case raises serious questions about transparency. “When a resident can provide verifiable evidence, it should be straightforward to review and correct historic errors,” one observer said. “Dismissing concerns for 16 years as vexatious, and then claiming the files no longer exist, is troubling.”

Resident Seeks Justice

For the resident, the letter confirms the error, but leaves wider implications unresolved. “It’s not just about the numbers,” they said. “It’s about being heard, being taken seriously, and ensuring mistakes don’t get buried for decades.”

Wed 26/06/2024 17:55

Dear Ms Oliver,

Thank you for your emails dated 14th May and your further email dated 21st June 2024.

Having looked into the matter, I can see that your communications in relation to the school have previously been deemed vexatious and that the council does not have to reply to any communications from you on the topic.

However, in order to try and assist, I have spoken to the Monitoring Officer and current Assistant Director for Estates (that covers the council’s school estate).

We can see that there is an error in the mathematical calculation contained in the report. We have looked at our committee system reports that are on the internet to see if this error was picked up at any point in the reports regarding the school. Due to the number of years that have passed since, it became apparent that it would take a significant time to read through all the reports and would be disproportionate to the query raised. There are no other remaining electronic files or hard copy files in existence due to the passage of time of 16 years.

If you are not happy with our response, you can raise the issue with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the contact details are as follows:

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

PO Box 4771

Coventry

CV4 0EH

Telephone:
0300
061 0614

Text:
0762 480
3014

Website:
www.lgo.org.uk

With regard to your information request regarding Vale View, please can you submit an FOI request online in relation to that matter:

Kind regards,

Katie Moores

Complaints Manager

Stockport Council

http://stockport.gov.uk