As readers of Ferret will no doubt recall, one of the first decisions taken by Mr Jim Kenyon, Mr Ian Womersley and their “Independent” cabal was to convert the Lakeside Café into a 1960s pub “at whatever the cost” – their words not Ferrets.
This venture would create such huge profits it would solve all our financial worries and give us back £200,000 per year in a precept reduction.
Money would be abundant; enough to pay for all our community’s needs.
The very finest business brains of Kenyon, Womersley and Eccles thought this would be an excellent idea even though hundreds of pubs and clubs had shut down nationally and even some of Gordon Eccles’ establishments had gone up in smoke, quite literally.
They were unable to accept that it hadn’t been commercially viable as The Windsurfer and the previous Labour led Town Council took action a decade earlier to ensure it was no longer a financial drain on our Community.
Many times, over the last 3 years we have heard Kenyon and Eccles boast of the record income being brought in.
Everyone with a semblance of a brain questioned these statements because there was never a mention of the most vital figures, expenditure and profit.
Profit that had been boasted about to finance whatever we needed, when it was needed.
Yet what did we get, facilities declining by the day and reserve funds being used seemingly on a day to day basis.
Ferret offered a lesson in simple Business Economics to Jim Kenyon and co.
TOTAL REVENUE – TOTAL EXPENDITURE = GROSS PROFIT
They decided they knew better and ignored the advice.
Well, Ferret can now reveal that the total losses for the Lakeside Café Bar from May 2019 until June 2022 are a staggering £415,017
£613134 – £1028151 = MINUS £415017
These are not Ferret’s figures but officially recently released by Independent Hemsworth Town Council
Ferret must also point out that this may not include the £63,224.64 that it cost to convert it to a 1960’s pub.
So, in reality we could be looking at a figure totalling over £478,241.64 Ferret has to wonder whose pockets benefitted from this, and it’s certainly not us the precept payers…
They should be ashamed of themselves, all of them that voted for this, madness utter madness. I bet it’s like winning the lottery every week for a select few, paid out with our money.
OMG nearly half a million pounds gone totally unbelievable,how as this been allowed to happen and why as it not been put out to the public till now.Surely the auditors should have been aware and now it is time to do a full investigation as to exactly what the Independant run council as caused with the communities money.Nearly half a million pounds completely wasted and they wanted to spend and waste another £100.000 on a 1 day Vengaboys boys concert at the communities cost and charge the community £32 a ticket .Surely now they need to face the public and address what the public are reading on a daily basis and it’s time the community were given more question time at HTC meetings 15 minutes is no where near enough time to get answers to so so many questions but then of course we can always email them in to the Town Clerk who on his own admission doesn’t have time to read them,so attending the meetings and challenging the councillors responsible for the total financial mess is the communities rights to ask questions and get the answers as to how such losses have continued for so long.Our community deserves better.
After looking at the budget for June, I was amazed by all the food/ drink that was purchased for the little old lakeside cafe! A quick total of the money spent comes to well over £15600…wow..in one month…the place must be busier than we all know…or is it?…just sayin!! Also in the same month steps up Malcolm Fox again! ..to mend the fridge again! Buying all this food in bulk, when the fridge is unreliable, makes no sense at all…but when did that ever matter!
Is there a business plan for the cafe? , If so what is it , does it involve recouping the losses so far , if so what year? If a plan exist can this be viewed by the public?.
If this was a private business I’m sure an accountant would be very worried at the losses
And any individual putting money in (private venture) would certainly want to know when it would be in profit