It has been brought to Ferret’s attention, that shortly after the money free for all, of the costly conversion of the Lakeside café into a 60’s style bar, that an eagle eyed person spotted there were more money receipt card machines in operation on the premises than Independent Hemsworth Town Council actually owned.
This is very alarming to say the least and it was reported to the Town Clerk, Alan Draper.
This is the same man that it was reported to about the dumping of the waste materials from the allotments and other places, at the Waterpark.
His action was then, along with the Chair of the Council at that time, Jim Kenyon, to instruct a firm to undertake a survey at the Waterpark.
Readers may remember that they gave specific instruction to the company which areas of the Waterpark to investigate and only to basically do a visual search and no excavation more than 6 inches deep.
The areas they checked were not the areas of concern and of course they found nothing.
When this very serious report about the number of card machines was given to Mr Draper, guess who he contacted and the action they took?
The police?
No don’t be silly, for some reason he decided not to contact the police to accompany him on site to what may well have been a very serious crime in progress.
Instead he contacted Jim Kenyon, and informed him he would be going on site, but not immediately but the following morning, to do an inspection.
So after a good night’s sleep and no doubt a hearty breakfast, he went to the Waterpark and lo and behold…………
He found nothing amiss!!!!!
Perhaps the mystic Queen Jean had foreseen the event?
Or perhaps there was a more simpler explanation!
Ferret has also noticed that there are card machines from more than one banking institute in use and has to wonder why?
Couldn’t a better deal have been negotiated if they had perhaps used only one company, then again going on the past history of this Independent Town Council, it may depend on who the actual owners of the companies are.
Kerr-Ching: well it’s only money, unfortunately it’s our money…again!
Surely this all as to be stopped,free for all spending,cover up after cover up,no explanations given when being challenged and questioned in HTC meetings the Independant councillors and the Town clerk should be made to provide full evidence ,full legal documents ,invoices into their spending remember this is our money and it seems the community are being taken for a massive ride and not on councillor Kenyon’s digger We must start to take a more active part into the running of this council ,show them that we are the community that does care what they are doing and not doing,challenge them question them demand answers and I am sure the decent councillors will take on board the communities anger as to what the Independant run HTC is doing and work together to get it stopped.We as a community need to see action being taken,auditors being brought in,full business plans before wasteful spending which as been brought up at several meetings all this can not be put right until our community say enough is enough support the true community councillors who are working hard serving the community and are making progress in changes but they need community support to put this community back to where it should be,change needs support we as residents need to continue to show HTC we will be listened to and votes will count.
The truth of the matter is this. The community has been asking questions of this council and its Clerk for years now. I personally spoke with people and put together a list of more than 20 questions for one of the number of meetings regarding a vote of no confidence. The councillors refused to answer anything about their conduct and allegations of financial mismanagement. The sad thing was that they couldn’t even answer questions about lp21, and the Chair in Waiting could not say how many proposed sites there is on and around the Hemsworth, Kinsley and Fitzwilliam localities.
They are ill prepared to answer questions and they constantly put up smoke screens to avoid them.
It does not surprise me that there are continuing concerns re cash machines and waste disposal. The old saying is Where there’s muck… There’s money. Well, we all know about the venerable Mucks. We all know about the shambolic former Chair, who always turns to dear old Alan for clarification. Who in turn tells everybody to put it in writing etc.
It has long got past the point about hoping this lot can put the community first, and it is clear they have no intention of following principles of honesty, transparency and integrity. They can pull in bully boys who accuse the public of acting like a lynch mob. They can threaten, cajole and manipulate. But, people are still going to put the awkward questions. Eventually, we might get honest answers…. But the again.