MPs warn against Miller appeal

OLDHAM’S three MPs are urging the council to drop their appeal against a judge’s ruling in the doomed Vance Miller trial.

Judge Jonathan Foster QC threw the council’s fraud trial against kitchen trader Vance Miller out of court and ruled that the local authority foot the defendant’s costs.

The council then decided to appeal this decision in a bid to reduce the impact of the case on tax payers.

Labour MP’s Michael Meacher, Phil Woolas and David Heyes have written to District Auditor Mark Heap to express their concern. The letter says the MPs believe the appeal is an “ill thought out exercise” that could result in a “further considerable waste of public money”.

It states: “We ask you to consider ruling against the appeal on the grounds that local tax payers’ money is already exposed to a liability of £5 million. Therefore, it is not justified to expose the tax payer to further significant risk of even greater liability considering the council’s case is extremely weak.”