There is a Town Council meeting to be held tonight at the Community Centre on Bullenshaw Road, starting at 7pm.
Ferret has noticed some interesting items have appeared on this week’s Hemsworth Town Council agenda:
Item 10 CEMETERY ROAD FOOTBALL FIELDS – LONG TERM FUTURE
To consider a request from Hemsworth Terriers FC to secure exclusive use of the site for the long term to enable them to obtain external funding.
Readers may wonder why this item is of interest, in itself it seems simple enough request however, Ferret has reservations and believes this should be given a lot of thought for the following reasons:
A recent request for temporary use of a playing field for a local junior rugby team, Hemsworth Dragons, who had been forced out of Hemsworth Rugby Union Club was turned down flat by Jim Kenyon, with no thought and an instant response given.
Hemsworth Town Council facilities are paid for by the whole township.
Given this, should their use be restricted to only one club, with the wider public excluded?
Ferret would hope a public consultation is held, if Hemsworth Town Council is minded to approve this very likely highly divisive issue.
Ferret also understands that the Cemetery Road playing field land is actually leased from Wakefield Council and does not see how a guarantee of exclusive use by Hemsworth Town Council could assist the access to funding grants for the club, as these are usually dependent on guaranteed length of lease, usually 20 or 30 years.
Hemsworth Town Council are the lease holders and Ferret has no doubts that sub letting is not allowed by Wakefield Council.
The length of the lease would need to be agreed by Wakefield Council.
It is highly unlikely that Wakefield Council would agree to such an arrangement. Then again, if Kenyon is supporting this proposal legalities have never been a bother to him.
Ferret also understands that the Cemetery Road playing field land is actually leased from Wakefield Council and does not see how a guarantee of exclusive use by Hemsworth Town Council could assist the access to funding grants for the club, as these are usually dependent on guaranteed length of lease, usually 20 or 30 years.
Hemsworth Town Council are the lease holders and Ferret has no doubts that sub letting is not allowed by Wakefield Council.
The length of the lease would need to be agreed by Wakefield Council.
It is highly unlikely that Wakefield Council would agree to such an arrangement. Then again, if Kenyon is supporting this proposal legalities have never been a bother to him.
Item 13 EXTERNAL AUDIT
To consider and/or review the following:
a) Option to opt out of the Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments to appoint an external auditor.
b) External audit report 2021-22.
This one should have the alarm bells ringing throughout the township.
Obviously they won’t be ringing at the Waterpark where they don’t seem to work when needed!
Ferret hopes our decent and good councillors take this opportunity to strengthen the audit process at Hemsworth Town Council and not agree to anything to decrease the standards any further.
As for the external audit report for 2021-22, Ferret does not expect much to be reported due to its lack of investigative scope and the public eye being focused on the financial affairs at Hemsworth Town Council this last year, but you never know pigs may fly and one day we will get that Forensic audit that the Councillors actually voted for.
Exclusion of press and public
Item 21 BURGLARY
The town clerk to report accordingly
Once again why is this item in exclusion?
The reporting of the burglary and what is stolen, the time and date of when it happened and position of the police investigation should be reported to the whole community.
Item 23 SOCIAL MEDIA ABUSE – POTENTIAL LEGAL ACTION
To consider potential legal action in respect of social media abuse.
More legal action, does it never end?
Probably involving more costly legal advice, unless Jim Kenyon has already authorised it again, paid for with our money, not theirs again of course.
Ferret wonders if Jimmy, sorry Janet Bower will be included or perhaps (s)he could give them a first hand report, straight from the donkey’s mouth as they say.
Perhaps councillors could pursue this avenue as some of them, along with members of the public have been targeted by Jimmy whilst wearing Janet’s dress.
Item 26 SANDYGATE FOOTBALL FACILITY
To consider and/or review the following:
a) Steve Wells’ report.
b) Contractual agreement
The Steve Wells report, yes that right, the one that’s about 12 years old, again.
Raised in all probability by Jim Kenyon when he usually wants something or to divert attention from themselves.
This is the report that was authorised by the then Town Council as a snagging report for the Sandygate Facilities.
The issues were dealt with and remedied to the satisfaction of WMDC planning, Hemsworth Town Council and most importantly Sport England.
Sport England agreed the site met and/or exceeded the E4 clause for replacing the facilities that were lost at the derelict Kirkby Road site.
Of course the only one that didn’t agree was Jim Kenyon, as usual the “expert” knew best.
He was mainly responsible for the teams having to play at the derelict site of Kirkby road for 2 years longer than was necessary.
He has already tried once to rewrite history using this report, but as we know he never learns and here we go again.
What is it he wants this time? Is he still after those floodlights buying that he may be storing somewhere? Or perhaps he wants a Grandstand Building? The “Kenyon stand” of course, in illuminated lights for the entire world to see.
If it is floodlights, perhaps someone needs to remind him how expensive flood lights are to run and even football league clubs are taking action to avoid having to use them.
Ferret thinks, hey hold on a minute, the section 106 money that Kenyon has just lost from the Kirkby Road site of £350,000 was the athletics replacement provision money and guess what was part of that athletics provision total ……..FLOODLIGHTS that covered the running track.
Well done again Jim.
Whatever it is that Kenyon is after this time, Ferret hopes that the good councillors move “Next Business” and don’t allow any more time and money to be wasted by Kenyon and the Cabal.
Item 27 GRIEVANCE To review the cost of a grievance.
This one really is a shocking, why oh why is reviewing the cost of the grievance held in exclusion of press and public?
Ferret understands this costs us over £16,000.
It is what it is, unacceptable of course but Draper appears to have authorised it.
The Questions that should be asked are:
Why the Town Council did not follow its own internal Grievance Procedure?
It is up to the complainant to provide their own case and the council to defend it: so why did the council pay for a barrister to investigate on behalf of the employee against themselves?
The case should have been presented by the complainant, brought to a grievance panel of councillors to adjudicate, an appeal process allowed if necessary and if the complainant is not satisfied, it is up to them to pursue it further, to employment tribunal or other legal avenue, if necessary.
Ferret can only raise the questions:
Was this because of who the employee was and their alleged relationship with a councillor?
To prevent discrimination, is this defence process of barrister level that was paid for out of the precept, now available to every Hemsworth Town Council employee or just to the “special case ones”.
Ferret wonders if Mr Draper will be posting the full unedited version of the meeting this time, or “his” personal edited low lights…
Members of the public can attend in person.
If you are unable to attend in person you can view the meeting via zoom:
To remotely attend via the Zoom app:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84432193615?pwd=dThXbDUrYllidnYrNVJQTE5qS1l2Zz09
Meeting ID: 844 3219 3615
Passcode: 736069