Or may be not!
Ferret can confirm that Mr Alan Draper – Clerk, Independent Hemsworth Town Council has finally sent a response to a small number of questions which were originally submitted back in October 2021.
Readers of Ferret may recall, that at the meeting Mr Jim Kenyon – Chair, Independent Hemsworth Town Council stated that He hadn’t got time to answer all the questions, but that any submitted would receive a reply in writing. He later retracted this offer and refused to respond to the questions which had been submitted.
A member of our Parish subsequently submitted questions to Independent Hemsworth Town Council as part of a Freedom Of Information (F.O.I.) request.
Here is the reply from Mr Alan Draper:
Dear Mr Ferret,
Due to the volume of questions I will send the replies in several tranches.
Please see the responses below.
Kind regards,
Alan.
Will the Chair – Mr Jim Kenyon, provide written proof of his many claimed qualifications?
This is not a matter of council business. I would advise that you contact Cllr Kenyon directly.
Following the Frenkel report commissioned by this Council at a cost of £6000, that was only partially released following a Freedom of Information request, that found no reason for this Council not to sign off the previous accounts:
Will the Chair – Mr Jim Kenyon, now apologise publicly to all the people He has slandered and libelled over the last 10 years?
I would advise that you contact Cllr Kenyon directly.
Will Hemsworth Town Council now release the redacted part of the Frenkel report? If not, why not?
Yes, the unredacted report is attached.
Will the Chair – Mr Jim Kenyon now act with decency and morality and resign as a Councillor following the exposure of his lying?
I would advise that you contact Cllr Kenyon directly.
Why didn’t this Council keep its election pledge and refund £200000 to the precept payers in their first year in office?
This is a political pledge/matter so I would advise that you contact councillors directly.
During the Covid lockdown year, this Council suffered very little loss of income and it actually received more precept than in the previous year from the Community. Additionally, services were not provided and because of this, its finances became more stable following the losses in the first year. Why then did you again not use this money to refund the £200000 outstanding election pledge you made to the precept payers?
As per above.
You must have read the legal advice by a specialist Queens Counsel, given to the previous council regarding the former Sports Complex off Kirkby Road, as the now Town Clerk – Mr Draper was a councillor then and is fully aware of it, having voted to follow it. So, why are you pursuing the litigation with Saul construction when you are very unlikely to win?
The litigation has ended and the matter resolved.
I believe, even your recent legal advice has given you very little chance of winning the case. Your costs for the hearing will amount to £105,000 not including the costs you have already paid to Richard Buxton Solicitors for their services so far. Do you believe this is the real reason they would like the litigation to continue?
I would advise that if you wish to know the motivation of Richard Buxton Solicitors then you should contact Richard Buxton Solicitors.
Even if you win in the first instance, can you share with us the predicted costs that will fall on this Community should the highly probable restitution be awarded by the Court, payable to Saul Construction Limited?
The litigation has ended and the matter resolved.
Ferret is not at all surprised at the lack of answers and the disdain shown towards the Precept payers of the Township with the lack of detail in the answers provided from Mr Draper.
Mr Draper passing the buck onto the Councillors and expecting a member of the parish to submit the questions once again directly to them is simply not acceptable.
However, Ferret can confirm the questions now have been sent directly to Mr Jim Kenyon via email and also followed up by text message.
To date, no acknowledgment or reply has been received from Mr Kenyon.
Ferret has to wonder if he deals with emails in the same way as Mr Ian Womersley – District Councillor, ignore and delete…
Mr Draper may believe its all over but its far from that. As a former councillor and aware of the legal advice given to the previous council what advice did he give to this council. A FOI would seem appropriate. It looks to me like they are all equally to blame and all should go and face investigation and prosecution and be made to reimburse this community in full
This matter and others are far from resolved, its only a matter of time and the net is closing.
Draper should never have been employed as Town clerk. He isn’t an impartial employee, and fully complicit in the Kenyon con.
On the subject of unanswered questions,I have just had a meeting with Mr Draper Hemsworth Town Council clerk regarding residents questions on LP21 that were submitted in writing and on agenda and put forward at the Public meeting held on 13/1/22.The questions have been resubmitted as not one residents question was answered at the Public meeting which was the fourth meeting we as residents had attended and still no answers.
I have also confirmed that Mr Draper did take the minutes from the meeting held on13/1/22 and have asked for the questions to be replied to in writing so residents will get their answers .
if a council decides of a course of action and it voted in favour of then pretty any thing goes as long as its not illegal and i think there will be no redress against any coucillors. if there is then all councillors will face it including those who voted against as the minutes will not say who voted what way. lets be fair here the main culprit Kenyon could not care less because he is a registered bankrupt and has no assets that could be taken from him. so basically he is the 1 who would not have to pay a penny even if there were cases against them.
lets just get this dictator out as soon as possible as in now along with his close followers.
Alan Draper is the councills responsible officer and he alone is responsible for every penny spent. monies cannot be spent without his authorisation