From the very beginning there was nothing “Independent” about the cabal members, they all promoted themselves using identical election leaflets and all were members of the “Hemsworth Community Forum”.
A group based at the Top Hat public house in Hemsworth. The Community Forum also funded their election expenses.
Their manifesto was created on the back of Brexit, with the people of Hemsworth Kinsley and Fitzwilliam voting resoundingly to leave the European Union and feeling somewhat dismayed about the lack of action by the political parties in Westminster.
Blame Labour may as well have been their motto and they did.
Here are the major pledges, they are copied directly from their leaflets, including all the spelling and grammar mistakes – so don’t blame Ferret!
What were their promises?
Pledge – “When elected we will reduce your precept by over £200,000”
Well, we’re still waiting and unfortunately as we have heard, the precept has actually risen. They have been able to hide this fact due, to the number of extra homes that have been built in Hemsworth Kinsley and Fitzwilliam. However, we must also remember they have plundered the reserves left to them by the previous Labour Town Council (once again) this year due to being unable to provide a balanced budget.
Moving forward, any new Council from 2023, may well actually need to raise the precept just to remedy all the neglect the Cabal have inflicted, by misuse of allocated funds from facilities or alternatively a reduction in jobs or services or the sale of major assets may be necessary.
We all know who could well benefit from any sales, don’t we Jean?
Pledge- “We will conduct a Scientific Audit of this LABOUR Council and former Town Clerk to see where your money has GONE over the last 15 years.”
Once again that spectacularly backfired on them, their specialist forensic experts Frenkel’s, investigated and reported back.
They even asked for more “evidence” to be supplied and a separate internal investigation was instructed to be undertaken by Mr Jim Kenyon, but found nothing to provide to them.
Frenkel’s report found nothing amiss with the previous Labour led Town Council.
The Independent Cabal’s response was to choose not to publish the report and not to apologise to both the electorate they had lied to and the previous Town Council and staff but to hide the outcome of the report for nearly 2 years before being forced to disclose the outcome.
To this day no apologies have been made and no resignations have been proffered for this gross and offensive allegation.
Pledge- “Allotments all available plots will be made safe clear and workable.”
What a disaster this has been, the “golden digger” appeared, driving itself out of Kenyon’s driveway and created havoc on so many areas of once beautiful land assets, worse still the cleared waste was dumped and buried in the Waterpark. Shall we mention the £26,000 loss to our Community now the machinery is to be sold?
Pledge- “Fight to stop the sale and planning on Your Hemsworth Market Place which will cause further Traffic, rat runs, pollution, noise and anti social behaviour to local residents.”
Once again the Cabal’s true colours and loyalties showed what this was really about. Jim Kenyon and Ian Womersley ferociously opposed a development creating much needed jobs, the Costa and KFC, but did not oppose another coffee bar being proposed at the same time nearby as part of a development scheme.
The reason, perhaps something to do with the other scheme being Councillor Eccles?
They failed to support our residents with opposition to the Woodlands development and even denied any knowledge of it yet threw countless hours of time and pots of money in what did interest them, the Kirkby Road complex.
Pledge- “Cemetery..ensure Wakefield Council maintain our cemetery equal to those in Wakefield, unlike this LABOUR council who do what LABOUR controlled Wakefield council say”
This was again a total distortion of reality, the previous Labour led Town Council had always been vocal and made it loud and clear to Wakefield Council on any issues they were dissatisfied with, more importantly what did the Cabal then do?
They oversaw further deterioration in service provision from Wakefield and bought machinery such as gritters to take on more WMDC responsibilities.
They even offered to undertake the uptake of the cemetery meaning more expense for us, for a service we already pay Wakefield to undertake.
Pledge: “…….Reintroduce the subsidised Community Dinner-Incorporate a Licensed Bar to the main room available for all your functions to turn around another white Elephant £100,000 a year loss.”
Once again that’s gone well, looks like Ferret needs to add another £300,000 to the Money Wasted O’Meter, to cover the last 3 years.
Pledge -“Valehead PARK – Make Wakefield accountable as they have a legal duty to provide and maintain this park facility for all our community”
Empty words once again, Ferret for one would love to see this happen, however it may be a long wait.
Pledge -“Rejuvenate YOUR Kinsley Water Park, run down for years, up date install a Licensed Bar available for all to celebrate-food vouchers for parking Summer pop Concerts Longer better opening hours to turn around £120,000 a year deficit to a profit. Restock the fishing ponds.”
Well we got a bar, a very expensive bar but a bar.
As for the rest, Ferret can add the non-existent £120,000 plus profit for the last 3 years to the Money Wasted O’Meter and the fishermen are still waiting for any signs of the fish being restocked.
Haven’t they actually reduced the opening times in an effort to reduce losses?
Ferret won’t mention Jimmy’s Venga Boy’s pop concert or the Eccles’ gate.
Pledge -“Regenerate YOUR Kirby Road Complex back to it’s former glory Club-House-football-rigby-pitches-basket-ball-Cycle-&-walking tracks- Restore protect the Woodland Deliberately ruined by Labour”.
What a fiasco, and a very expensive fiasco no less, rather than read all the information and legal advice available to them they pursued a disastrous course to attempt to rescind the sale.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of our money, thrown away to solicitors for futile legal advice that ultimately led to a humiliating defeat.
Ferret would love to have seen a “rigby” pitch, However when recently contacted for help with regards to accommodating rugby Independent Hemsworth Town Council refused.
Pledge -“Wakefield Council continues to laugh as this Labour Council continues to take on more and more Wakefield councils facilities…”
Ferret wonders, if Wakefield are laughing, who are they laughing at now?
There’s one thing for sure, this community are not laughing at this Independent Hemsworth Town Council.
The Independent “Cabal” Manifesto: A Council Created Out of lies?
Once again, you decide.