John gets role with elite of finance

JOINING the elite . . . John Bland

A respected Oldham treasurer has been invited to join an elite group looking at multi-million pound public-private partnerships.

John Bland, formerly borough treasurer at Oldham Council, has been chosen for the Treasury’s Project Review Group (PRG) after he helped rescue a £3 billion contract this year.

Mr Bland is now deputy clerk to the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, which has signed the £3 billion contract with Viridor Laing.

It is the UK’s largest 25-year private finance initiative (PFI) waste and recycling contract which will trigger a £640 million construction programme.

But on Friday, March 13, it almost collapsed because of the credit crunch and lack of money to borrow from banks.

Mr Bland, who was named Finance Director of the Year in the prestigious Local Government Chronicle awards 2007, also worked on Oldham Council’s successful PFI schemes to build the Radclyffe and Failsworth Schools, and the revamp of all Oldham’s sheltered housing and bungalows, the biggest of its kind in the UK.

He was also treasurer to the waste authority and helped set up finances, including major bank borrowing, which would allow the multi-billion waste contract to go ahead, creating a public-private partnership to deal with waste, recycling and generating bio-fuel across Greater Manchester.

But it had to be rescued twice — once by GMWDA acting as its own bank to realise funds, then in April this year when bank promises of £120 million simply weren’t there any more.

Eventually in April the waste contract was one of the first to use Treasury Infrastructure Funding Unit (TIFU) credit to keep the massive contract on track. He said: “I’m not claiming we gave the Treasury the idea, but through our negotiations we acted as a catalyst.

“I can recall the events of Friday the 13th minutely. By 6.30pm we had a major problem. We worked over the weekend and got the Treasury involved, and three weeks later we had the contract.”

In his new role he will be looking at PFI schemes across England and the Project Review Group will be the gatekeeper for the delivery of PFI credit funding to local councils.

He will be one of eight members recruited for their knowledge and experience for a year.

Councillor Neil Swannick, the waste authority chairman, said: “We are delighted John has received this invitation. It is an outstanding achievement.”