The former and disgraced of the Chair of Hemsworth Town council, Jim Kenyon has emerged from his latest spell of hibernation, bolstered by his preferred “non-forensic” audit report, that was undertaken by his and Alan Draper’s choice of none forensically trained local accountants.
This was always to be expected by this community, well nearly all of this community anyway, as a result of this non-forensic audit being allowed to take place.
The man that claims not to use Social Media, posted on another councillor’s Facebook page, (Maxine Hird), in a discussion that Maxine was having with a well respected and intelligent member of this community, to try not only “prove” that his cabal led council had not only done anything wrong but in actual fact they were financially sound.
Unfortunately it didn’t end there and he went on to, as usual to try to rewrite history.
Did you know, because Jim Kenyon does, that he didn’t now suffer a humiliating defeat at the final meeting with Saul Construction regarding the sale of the Kirkby road site?
Far from it, he even negotiated a settlement totalling £535,000!
Well this may cover the expected total losses from his Lakeside Café Bar, if only it were true.
Of course, this is only true in Kenyon land and with Kenyon’s way of adding sums up.
He has even used this as an excuse for another attempt to rewrite history right back to 2012.
He stated that they had never embarked on an unwinnable legal battle with Saul Construction in 2019 and wasted thousands of pounds of our money but they had saved the day at the eleventh hour after following legal advice, very expensive legal advice.
Obviously another one of their cunning plans.
However, even to this day they are refusing to release the legal advice he has referred to.
By their actions alone they had secured the final payment of £1.4 million pounds that was payable to Wakefield, to be split amongst the other residual body partners.
The real truth is the payment of this money had never been in doubt and Saul construction had made 3 attempts to settle the deal with Kenyon and his not so Independent cabal since 2019.
All of which had been refused by Kenyon’s Independent Hemsworth Town Council, as they had started their plans for their “Duel” in the crown to be created on the site and had even spent at least £25000 pounds on plans being drawn up.
A project that would have cost this community millions of pounds to create with ongoing yearly costs comparable with the existing Waterpark and football facilities combined.
Thankfully they did not get their jewel in the crown but they did get a duel with Saul construction, a duel they lost badly with Jim Kenyon being told by his own legal advisors to shut up and say nothing in the meeting.
How that must have hurt him, reports from those present say Kenyon was visibly seething with anger at being effectively gagged and no longer the big man as those representing him tried to salvage something from the mess he had made.
He even bragged that they had retained the £50,000 pounds advance section 106 sports payment and that Wakefield were going to give them £300,000 out of the £1.4million pounds final payment.
Ferret thinks, hold on a minute Jimmy, we all know how bad you and your colleagues are with money by now, but your statement actually confirms you have lost the outstanding payment of £300,000 section 106 sports money.
The section 106 money was never part of the final payment, but an additional planning requirement imposed originally after being agreed with Planning, Saul Construction and your arch enemies, the last Labour Hemsworth Town Council in 2016.
This was the main reason the last Town council had not rushed to complete the contract as they would be removed from any new negotiations regarding the section 106, as they would not be the land owners anymore, as you now appear to have found out.
If Wakefield is now funding this the way Kenyon claims, it actually means that they are using money, real money of £300,000 that would have been originally available for use in the Wakefield district and not the money from the schemes section 106.
Worse still it would also appear to confirm the loss of the affordable housing section 106 money.
Great negotiating skills not shown once again by Jim and what a costly way to realise that the last lot actually followed advice and got it right.
Kenyon’s desperation gets even worse as he tries to lay the blame back to 2012 on the Labour led Town Council for not completing the deal then. As you would expect this does not stand up to scrutiny. There was a delay period of 15 months allowed in the contract for the final payment to be made to allow the developer to build some houses and start to recoup some of their substantial outlay involved.
The economic situation had been bleak in this area for a number of years with jobs being lost along with people’s homes.
Saul had been unable to utilise the agreed 15 months delay in final payment, to build some houses to help finance the deal and keep his workforce from being unemployed, due to court action being taken, court action that went on until 2019.
Ferret would like to ask:
Who was the person fundamental to causing all those delays for all those years?
Yes that’s right none other than JIM KENYON.
The great mastermind and expert mathematician no less.
Kenyon even had the gall to tell the resident to “get his facts right” well Jim, there is only one person who need to get their facts right once again.
Ferret would have thought that you would have realised by now, that you have been well and truly exposed to this community as the liar you are and you still don’t seem to realise that no matter how many times you repeat your lies they are still lies.
From Ayr to Hemsworth, and all before and in between, lies and destruction of communities and people lives have been part of your lifestyle.
Ferret would like to thank Councillor Maxine Hird for removing the offending and offensive post that was nothing but a further attempt to hoodwink this community and attack decent and good people who have dared to challenge him or who he sees as standing in his way.
One last thing Mr Kenyon and Hemsworth Town Council as a whole:
Isn’t it time to release the legal advice you received?
Let this community and some of the councillors who were excluded from any decisions taken; see for themselves whether or not you followed it.
After all the “last lot” have, it’s in the public domain, in full and unredacted, so why don’t you do the same or have you something to hide?
Maxine had to remind you she was present at that final mediation meeting with Saul and she had the paper work to disprove your allegations.
How short or selective your memory is.
Once a disgrace always a disgrace should be your motto.
Kenyon: The Hibernation Ends And The Pantomime Re-Election Campaign Begins.
Get ready for more of the same…until May.
Well, that’s interesting isn’t it. A rhetorical question as we both know the answer already. As the kindly referred to intelligent community member pointed out in reply to Mr Kenyon’s rather polite but exceedingly flawed rebuttal, why in previous public forums has he and other councillors refused to answer questions regarding financial decision making and (equally as important) Councillor conduct? What is of concern is that it now appears that the non forensic audit is going to be used to browbeat HTC critics. Now its my turn to say Mr Kenyon YOU get your facts right and stop telling only half of the story. All I have ever done is to try to say that this community deserves truth, transparency and councillors who care about it over and above self interest. And the difference between me and you Mr Kenyon (and also between other critics and you) is that we don’t have political ambitions. I am very happy to put my trust in councillors with a proven track record of showing community spirit and actually working to improve it. I know you will argue that you have delivered meals on wheels, and you wanted to create sports and leisure facilities to benefit the community. Now, I would applaud that… If only you had a proven track record of improving things for the community as a whole. But the only track I can see is one covered in dirt and tears) public) in Ayr. Now Jim, tell me again to get my facts right? Better still, become the Councillor you claim to be. Bring honesty, transparency and above all else integrity in to local politics in 2023. Can he do it people? Oh yes he can… Oh no… The jury (no pun intended) is out. Regards and seasonal wishes to all (including you Jim.. And I sincerely mean that).
I don’t believe he can as he and his cronies are so bent that they can’t lay straight in bed I’m afraid!