24th January 2026
On 23 September 2009 Stockport Council declined to investigate concerns over a sharp rise in the cost of a proposed local school project — and subsequently imposed a ban on further questions about the issue, a ban that remains in force more than seventeen years later.
The decision followed a complaint from Romiley resident and Freedom of Information campaigner Mrs Sheila Oliver, who questioned why the estimated cost of a new school increased dramatically in a short period of time.
According to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the projected cost of the school rose from £5.5 million in October 2005 to £7.5 million by December 2005. Mrs Oliver later stated that the final cost rose further, to around £11 million.
In a letter dated 23 September 2009, Stockport Council confirmed it would not investigate Mrs Oliver’s complaint, stating that it did not fall within the scope of the Council’s corporate complaints procedure.
Writing to Mrs Oliver, Anwar Majothi, Improvement and Performance Officer (Complaints), said the complaint would be closed and that no matters would be referred to Mr Steve Houston, Director of Business Services, as requested.
“As you have again not raised any issues that fall within the scope of the corporate complaints procedure, I have decided to close your complaint,” the letter stated.
Shortly after this decision, the Council formally designated further correspondence and questions from Mrs Oliver on the subject as “vexatious”, effectively barring any further scrutiny of the cost increases through complaints or FOI routes.
Mrs Oliver has consistently disputed this designation, arguing that her questions relate to the use of public funds and have never been substantively answered.
The ban on raising the issue remains in force to this day and is currently upheld by the Council’s Monitoring Officer, Vicki Bates, meaning that questions relating to the school’s escalating costs are still refused on vexatious grounds.
In earlier correspondence, Mrs Oliver criticised what she described as resistance to transparency, including an estimate by council officers that responding to her FOI request would take 84 hours, a claim she said was later contradicted by the small volume of material disclosed.
Stockport Council has not provided a public explanation for the full increase in the project’s cost and has not commented on whether any financial irregularities occurred.
The case has continued to attract concern among local residents, who say it raises wider issues about accountability, transparency, and the ability of the public to question major spending decisions once a vexatious designation is applied.
23rd September 2009
Case Reference: 10766433
Dear Mrs Oliver
Re: Your complaint about alleged financial irregularities
I write further to my letter of 21st September 2009 and your two emails in response, sent on 21st September 2009.
As you have again not raised any issues that fall within the scope of the corporate complaints procedure, I have decided to close your complaint. I am therefore not taking any further action at this stage and will not be reporting any matters relating to alleged financial irregularities to Mr S Houston, Director (Business Services), as you have requested.
NEXT STEPS
If you are unhappy with my decision not to investigate your complaint, I would advise you to take this matter up with the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), whose address is as follows:
Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Telephone: 0845 602 1983
Text: 0762 4804323
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk
Website: www.lgo.org.uk/
A hard copy of the LGO leaflet can be sent to you if you so request.
Please let me know if you have any questions at this stage.
Yours sincerely,
Anwar Majothi
Improvement & Performance Officer (Complaints)
Stockport MBC
Tel: 0161 474 3182
CC. FOI team
Legal Services team
From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 22 August 2009 08:07
To: Anwar Majothi
Cc: mike carroll; Syd Lloyd; Gaz Butler; Cllr Sheila Bailey(EXT); Jennifer Williams; DAVID PENKETHMAN; peter.devine@gmwn.co.uk; Michael Warburton
Subject: Vexatious with knobs on
Dear Mr Majothi
As there are plans to declare me vexatious with knobs on on1st September (I forget the correct terminology), I had better get everything out in the open before then.
Please see the attached. On October 5th 2005 the proposed school was to cost £5.5 million. On December 12th 2005 it had risen to £7.5 million. Why? I can’t see from any of the FOI documents I have seen (after a massive battle in which Mr Andrew Webb said it would take 84 hours of council officer time to read and redact what turned out to be about four folders, which I knew from the outset to be a lie) anyone explaining or querying this massive jump.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Mrs Sheila Oliver
Stockport’s Freedom of Information Campaigner
