It has come to the attention of Ferret, that a supporter of the cabal Independents, that currently control Hemsworth Town Council, has made a feeble attempt to defend their financial record, by saying “at least they haven’t raised the precept for the last 3 years”.
Like everything else that comes from their mouths, this too must be questioned and not taken at face value as it is yet another lie told to this community.
On Investigation the precept has risen that is levied on this community from 2019.
The last Labour council levied a precept of: £730,000
The Precept levied in 2020 under the Independents: £749,386
The Precept levied in 2021 under the Independents: £758,888
The Precept levied in 2022 under the Independents: £758,888
What can’t speak can’t lie as the saying goes, Ferret wishes the same could be applied to the Independents on Hemsworth Town Council.
Fortunately for us, the increase in houses has had a beneficial effect in that the increase in the precept levied per home has remained static.
But the precept levied by the Independents, money that is taken out of our pockets, has definitely risen.
So that’s the lie of no increase in the precept busted, worse still, we have all seen or heard about the neglect that has occurred to virtually all Hemsworth Town Council assets over the last 3 years that we will need to be remedied and that won’t come cheap.
On top of this we have had all the damage that was done by the infamous digger, that now apparently, we are told, was driving itself around our Township!
To date, none of these costs have been included in the yearly budgets, not even dangerous damage to the pathways at the Waterpark, that the Town Council were fully aware about, has been budget for.
By not budgeting for these costs and their effect they would have on the precept, Hemsworth Town Council have kept them secret to avoid the obvious bad publicity that would expose yet more of their financial mismanagement.
We have seen and had to bear the cost of a “super manager” position being created, again in reportedly dubious circumstances, to say the least.
Unfortunately, this person does not seem able to grab even the basics of effective management.
For example, why haven’t most of the remedial works required been done in house?
What has happened to the planned maintenance schemes?
The damage to the pathways and grounds certainly could, with the majority of the work being undertaken in the quiet winter period when the Waterpark is little used?
The only costs to us would have been materials and in total, only a fraction of the estimated cost of tendering this work out to private companies.
This work could and should still be done in house and planned and scheduled and it could even start before the consultation and tendering process is completed.
Any urgent work will require doing whether by our staff or contractors as soon as necessary.
Ferret wonders why the senior management position created and those in higher positions, are not utilising our workforce, which means we are in effect paying twice if this work is put out to outside companies.
Ferret also wonders whose those companies will be?
Ferret barely dares to mention that with all this talk of our precept actually rising, this Township was promised a reduction in the precept of £200,000 from the first year, by the cabal Independents.
As the child said to the parent “do all fairy tales begin with once upon a time?”
and the parent answered
“No, many of them begin “If I am elected I promise…………”
