Sun. May 19th, 2024

In the Extraordinary Meeting on 12 October 2021, Mr Jim Kenyon was asked on a number of occasions how much it would cost to cancel the Vengaboys concert which he has organised for which only 200 tickets have been sold.

Mr Kenyon was unable to answer the question himself, other than some ramblings about contracts and the Vengaboys have already put it on their website.

However, the Clerk – Mr Draper informed the meeting costs of around £7500 had already been paid to the organiser and as a deposit to the Vengaboys, which would be lost.

The biggest cheer of the night came when Councillor Hardacre asked Councillor Kenyon when he would just accept it wasn’t viable and to cancel the whole thing…

It certainly makes more sense to Ferret to cut our losses now.

Yes, it will cost us around £10000 to cancel, but it will potentially cost us £80000 if we don’t.

The meeting tonight gives the Councillors the opportunity to do this and their votes will be recorded for us all to see.

Let’s hope they finally see some sense…

By Ferret

26 thought on “The Vengaboys are coming or are they…”
  1. I hope common sense prevails. A bit off subject I know and I apologise for that,last night I happened to catch a brief glimpse of a video of the previous meeting. What I find very disturbing in that meeting is that women were clearly being asked by the chair “will you please state your full name” before they got chance to ask their questions. Clearly and totally unnecessary I might add and as a veteran of countless public meetings I’ve never come across this in my life before. May I suggest to some of our more younger able contributors to contact the town clerk and the local MP as to why this is happening it’s very disturbing indeed and I’m sure in a so called informal meeting a person’s Christian name as a matter of courtesy is suffice. It sounded like the questioner was being questioned not the other way round and very intimidating.

  2. The worrying thing here is it was not clear exactly how much it would cost to cancel, is it only deposits lost? Because there’s been a contract signed here, they could end up in a legal battle was my understanding. They’ve not taken out any insurance to cover them if ticket sales are a flop.

  3. Hi Alice 😉

    Was this the meeting from the 12th? If so it was myself who was asked to state my name, I didn’t notice it happen again, you are right though it’s a very odd thing to happen

  4. Whatever it Costs it can’t be more than being allowed to take place.
    Probably real reason they want it running is to scam money for themselves from the side stalls etc burger vans and the community won’t see a penny of this

  5. Yes it was Donna and I congratulate you on your persistence and temerity in not allowing yourself to be put off in what was clearly an attempt a crude one at that to intimidate you. May I suggest contacting the the town clerk to establish what the reasoning behind this is and if it is uniform policy of HTC or does it apply to any questioner clearly on last night’s observations I saw it only as a poor attempt at fishing a very poor one indeed

  6. You would expect HTC would have the contracts to hand and be able to actually tell us the truth and give us an accurate figure wouldn’t you? Anything less than the projected loss of 80k would be a bonus.

  7. Alice, I wasn’t asked for my name at Tuesday meeting. But when attending meetings for the first couple of times I was asked from my name which I only gave my Christian name.
    I was the lady that said I could have been anyone attending the meeting – which I was then told I know who you are. So they obviously want to know who’s attending meetings for some reason. Why I don’t know.

  8. Venga boys old boys more like it whoever’s was this insane idea. Yeah they’ll fill the place up if they let me all in for nowt but as for parting with thirty quid of your hard earned sixty for a couple I very much doubt it. Lots of kids around here for one don’t have that kind of money and two the venga boys for heaven’s sake they set sail with the ark these kids have probably never heard of them. So your target market is probably an age groups of forty plus I’m sure a lot of forty pluses will be glad to forget their venga boys days going to Ibiza is well out of date.

  9. On Tuesday night, did I hear Cllr Kenyon tell us that this Music Festival was a simple operation – nothing to get all worked up about (trust in me, I know what I’m doing, – is it Shaun or Shane, as your leader). Well, I don’t agree – it’s a significant project which really needs to be overseen by a Project Manager to ensure all the ducks are in order and the Ts are crossed eg a sound business case, a proper communications plan, stakeholder engagement, a full risk assessment with mitigating actions ~(what if the ducks decide to attack?), logistics planning, sound contracts with protection clauses…..etc Instead, I don’t think we even have a working party – so maybe it’s all still work in progress? Fingers are crossed we survive without too much damage.

  10. Although the “Mercury” tribute does not appear to be included in the latest line-up, its clear J*mmy loves a bit of “Freddie”. They have been booked before to appear as a “turn” at the Lakeside. I would hope this did not too come with the hefty pay packet of a few thousand that was quoted for the VB concert. Read the lyrics for one of Freddies big hits…it could have been personally written for King J*mmy…. Great Pretender

    Song by Freddie Mercury
    Lyrics
    Oh yes I’m the great pretender (ooh ooh)
    Pretending I’m doing well (ooh ooh)
    My need is such I pretend too much
    I’m lonely but no one can tell

    Oh yes I’m the great pretender (ooh ooh)
    Adrift in a world of my own (ooh ooh)
    I play the game but to my real shame
    You’ve left me to dream all alone

    Too real is this feeling of make believe
    Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal

    Ooh ooh yes I’m the great pretender (ooh ooh)
    Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh)
    I seem to be what I’m not (you see)
    I’m wearing my heart like a crown
    Pretending that you’re still around

    Yeah ooh hoo
    Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal

    Oh yes I’m the great pretender
    Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh)
    I seem to be what I’m not you see
    I’m wearing my heart like a crown
    Pretending that you’re
    Pretending that you’re still around !

  11. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
    To
    Coin a phrase………………
    It’s Magic
    Spot on Donald love it

  12. just short of 72,000 will be spent on this event was on face book the costs but taken down …for breach naming acts …more money will be needed to spend ..parking clean up …ect i was wondering if people will be putting tents up to sleep in lol ..

  13. I’ve just seen an ad for the latest madness tour. Support act squeeze. Yes not necessarily something the younger people would be interested in. But as a comparison Sheffield or Leeds arena around £45 a ticket. There are more expensive ones but venga £30 the nutty boys £45??

  14. It is still up. £76,400 plus VAT where applicable
    If its 20%VAT on everything that’s another £15,280 on top of the figure listed.
    That takes it to £92K and I expect it to climb as those figures aren’t accurate more of a rounded cost

  15. Absolutely ridiculous. Nearly 100k when the precept is just under 800k. Welcome to Jimmy land. 😡

  16. Precisely. There is one person and one person only who is exited for the V bus and that’s Pinocchio Kenyon. Wonder what his fancy dress be for the day. 🤡

  17. Hemsworth news and views, survey on the venga controversy.

  18. Really for the life of me I can’t understand why a small town council even considered such a venture for crying out loud you were elected to manage local affairs not organise pop concerts of past their sell by dates aged zz listed entertainment I can’t call them a band because they don’t even play instruments. Such ventures as this are exceptionally very high risk they’re outdoors for one and your target audience is very limited even when you widen the scope. If these were on at the pit club next week and it was free to get in the place would be packed out now put a sign on the door saying thirty quid in then see what the response would be empty. If everything thing went to plan and you took HTC at face value and they broke even it would still be too much of a gamble you don’t go to the races to break even and if breaking even is being given consideration then you need to stop and think because breaking even is odds in reality of fifty fifty either way. They are gambling with the precept payers credit card and folk don’t elect councils to gamble they expect and deserve prudent and sound financial management of the funds they provide through their taxes and precepts. Do you see similar authorities engaging in this type of venture? Or larger authority no you don’t. Things such as this are best left to those who have vast experience of managing such things and who edge their bets with insurances and whose backers are private investors not the precept payers of a deprived former mining town

  19. Well those betting odds are virtually the same their legal eagles have given them in beating Saul’s in the high court case, so if nothing else they are consistent in their idiotic recklessness. Only millions at stake here and all our community assetts in reality.

  20. Well I’ve been having a good look at venues advertising these same or similar acts and the prices being charged. I’m not going into detail because I would prefer people to Google search for themselves and see just how much this community appears to be being overcharged. So Mr Kenyon can you explain these discrepancies in pricing and tell us in detail whose pockets our money will end up in.

  21. This will be interesting if he answers, one more point and declare what relationships there are between you and these people, friends, family, business, personal etc.

  22. The first link on Google shows Southend on Sea: Vengaboys, 911 and S Club all major artists back in the’90s. Tickets including booking fee are £16.50.

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