Council paying celebrities thousands

Sir Steve Redgrave with Kerri-Anne Payne at the Middleton Arena opening

In the week that Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency are being castigated for promoting low wages in Rochdale, Rochdale Online understands that the Council and its 'partners' have sanctioned celebrities being paid hundreds, and in one case thousands, of pounds of taxpayers money for 'appearances'.

It is understood that Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, who formally launched the £15 million Middleton Arena in April this year, was paid a fee of £10,000, though a request to the Council for confirmation of the fee has at the time of publication not been answered.

Frank Salt, who has recently announced his intention to stand as an Independent in Castleton at the next local elections said: "Taxpayers money should not be frittered in such a way, the Council needs to get its priorities sorted out. This is an obscene amount of taxpayer’s money to be spending on a 'celebrity'."

Leader of the Conservatives on Rochdale Borough Council, Councillor Ashley Dearnley said: "Though the Middleton Arena opening event was very good, in light of the current economic climate we cannot be paying these vast sums of money to bring celebrities to Rochdale, the Council needs to reconsider its approach."

Leader of Labour on Rochdale Borough Council, Councillor Colin Lambert said: "At a time when Rochdale Council is looking at proposals to make £100 million of efficiencies over the next three years, it seems very unwise to be using council tax payers money to be publicising council events.

"Sponsorship of sports stars and real local heroes is acceptable, but the use of council tax to promote the work of the council by placing a celebrity to open venues or launch council services is excessive.

"But, what else would we expect of this council, it cares very little about the actual services it delivers and wastes thousands of pounds on media spin.

"It is time the council listened to the council tax payer and concentrated on repairing our roads, looking after our elderly and emptying our bins, and gave less time, less effort and less of our hard earned money to spin and glamour."

The Council does appear to be in the grip of a 'celebrity culture', in April this year, Coronation Street actress Samia Smith cut a ribbon to 'open' the new Heywood Library. A Rochdale Online request asking the size of her fee, following questions from local taxpayers, was rebuffed by the Council. A Freedom of Information request was also rebuffed with the Council quoting commercial confidentiality. However, we now understand from 'unofficial' sources that Ms Smith was paid a fee of £300.

At the time, Father Paul Daly, Parish Priest of St Joseph's, Heywood said: "There really is a culture of secrecy at work in RMBC which seeks to hide the truth. It is exemplified in the re-opening of Heywood Library. I read on RO that the council was hiring a minor celebrity to reopen the library. I wrote to the Principal Librarian and asked how much she was being paid, given that I was sure that the MP or the Mayor would do it for free and, indeed, that I had sounded out Heywood's only surviving former Mayor, who had expressed an openness, if they were stuck, to step in. The reply told me that she was being paid a 'nominal fee.' On further requests, I was told that the amount was 'commercially sensitive' and not for disclosure! Why hide the facts?"