Many people have commented to Ferret, regarding the poor standard of maintenance and the deterioration of the condition of the facilities under the care of Hemsworth Town Council since Mr Jim Kenyon’s Independents took control in May 2019.
There was an initial burst of flowers at the Waterpark, then nothing but downhill since. The deterioration is clear for all to see and we have also heard about the decimation of the fishing stocks in both lakes at Hemsworth Waterpark.
Ferret being Ferret, decided to ignore Jim Kenyon’s excuses for obvious reasons, especially the one centred on the Covid pandemic, as we now know Independent Hemsworth Town Council actually benefited financially and as a result the facilities were used less and it should have been the ideal time for staff to undertake any maintenance, repair, or installation work.
Ferret was surprised to learn that all, with the exception of one, of the grounds maintenance staff employed by Hemsworth Town Council prior to May 2019, including the Service Provision Manager, have actually left for varying reasons.
This can only be described as an alarmingly high turnover of staff by any measurement.
Some may say “a new broom sweeps clean” and they have brought in fresh and better staff, unfortunately the end results do not support this.
We have seen the appointment of a new super duper “General Manager” apparently to remedy the situation but again no improvement and continued deterioration.
We have staff vacancies leading to the sports facilities at Sandygate being unmanned with users just being handed the keys, which in turn has led to damage on the premises.
Being unmanned has led the “Pay to Play” supervised sessions for our community’s children being suspended and sorely missed.
Chairman Mr Jim Kenyon, against all the rules; ordering staff from job to job, leading to unfinished appalling work, time and time again and the resulting loss of staff morale.
The Digger (driving itself presumably, as Mr Jim Kenyon says it wasn’t him, he didn’t do it, he’s not to blame, he must have a double etc.) wreaking havoc and laying waste to once beautiful areas, that Mr Jim Kenyon then considered were finished jobs and a work of beauty.
So what was the great business managers answer to these problems?
Mr Jim Kenyon the man who is incapable of failure, sorry success, he appointed his alleged friend into the newly created and well paid general manager’s role and eventually decided to advertise for a new apprentice.
The apprentice role wages are so pitiful that Hemsworth Town Council should be ashamed of itself and they decided along with this to cut the pay of the seasonally employed staff too.
As for the new General Manager, she now finds herself understaffed and having two employees that do not even have driving licenses, a skill that Ferret would have thought was essential in a job that covers our three towns/villages and multiple sites.
Still as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and seemingly the new “general Manager of everything” had to admit defeat, but not to worry – good old Jimmy had another cunning plan, but it needs to be kept quiet.
What is this cunning plan and why does it need to be kept quiet? you may ask Ferret.
Well wait for this one…
It is to employ the previous Service provision manager.
So why does this need to be kept quiet?
Well he was first employed by “them, the last lot, the previous Labour council”
Oh Mr Kenyon how that must have hurt you, having to admit they got some things right!
So why not also put back into place the planned Maintenance schemes and staff rosters to ensure facilities are manned and up to standard.
You could always try asking some of the other workers who left, if they would like to return too along with the office staff, so that they can prevent your dismal failures becoming a total disaster, but until the management changes Ferret gets the impression they won’t be interested.
Mr Jim Kenyon:
Shouldn’t you and your Council be asking why your new General Manager of everything was unable to fulfil her role to provide acceptable standards?
Hemsworth Town Council:
What have you put in place, if anything to prevent the Chair of the Council and poor management from bringing about such a public and dismal failure of standards ever happening again?
Beggars belief that so much damage both human and material and at such a high cost has been done by such people. Yes Kenyon is the mastermind so what does that say about those who contributed by putting their hands up like puppets every time he’s asked them to.
I purposely went out of my way to speak to some of those staff who were forced out, they didn’t leave through choice their lives were made a misery leaving them no alternative but to leave. Many of those very loyal hard working staff had given years of service many had started there straight from school. The way those local people were treat supposedly by local councillor’s local people themselves was nothing short of disgusting appalling. The first thing any incoming new administration should do if at all possible is to re-employ these workers I know that could be difficult but not so if some of the deadwood that these brought in were disposed of. Never in my life have I seen staff treated so badly by a crowd of Desperado’s who in all honesty should never ever have had a role to play in staff management thoroughly disgusting horrible nasty people.
I have visited the water park twice this week to walk my dog and how run down it is! Many of the foot paths are just mud as they have no top surface and the lake was green. There was music blaring out of the bar/cafe area around the park. I walked through Vale Head Park to get there and there is such a contrast in terms of charm. Vale Head is calm and serene and very pleasant and you walk through to the Water Park and it is the opposite! Why all the fencing and locked gate around the outside area of the cafe? Very disappointing to see.
I haven’t been in the water park since before covid. It was going down hill even then. The blaring music was there and inappropriate for family listening. The area outside the cafe bar was dirty, plates and food left to attract wasps. I can only imagine how it has deteriorated since.