In a Town Council Meeting on 11 July 2019:
129 BUDGETARY MATTERS
Resolved that a virement be authorised to transfer earmarked reserves to the Lakeside in respect of capital expenditure expended thereat.
What is virement in accounting?
The process of transferring items from one financial account to another.
So, having taken over only a matter of months earlier, Independent Hemsworth Town Council raided your reserves to pay for their extensive refurbishment and subsequent losses.
Ferret wonders what the reserves were originally earmarked for, before Independent Hemsworth Town Council tore up the previous budget?
What is now going to suffer by not receiving the planned expenditure / maintenance?
How do they intend to replace the funds they have taken?
And how much, if anything, is left of the very healthy reserves they inherited from the former Labour led Hemsworth Town Council?
Not certain ferret but I heard they had taken the funds earmarked for maintenance and repair/ replacement at all the sports facilities, starting to look like Ayr all over again. The Lakeside going to go the same way as the beeches and Jubilee clubs, the allotments at Fitzwilliam sold off and the waterpark heading to Eccles. Jobs being created for the boys and girls, if some of these people even exist I’ll be surprised but their wages will go to someone no doubt about it. Quads stolen to order, equipment purchased cash, repairs paid for yes in cash, Kenyon Womersley Eccles Wilson and all their lackeys should be spat on if they show their faces amongst the decent folk the should be representing and not stealing from
By taking money that has been identified as being needed from other accounts to finance madcap business ventures and the huge legal fees being incurred it goes to follow that those other things are going to suffer. Don’t forget that they pledged a reduction of £200000 to our precept in the first year that never happened, it didn’t happen the second year when because of lockdown they actually made money, they still took in the precept, couldn’t lose money as they shut services to the community but still no reduction given as was promised. Looking bad for our community as it looks like funds and all reserves are earmarked for themselves
The problem with parish councils is they are not accountable to anyone, there’s no real level of seniority in decision making.
I actually had to do something similar to this at work yesterday, I needed more money so it needed to be moved from one pot to another (in simple terms) to do this I had to present to 3 directors why I needed the Money, ie why what I’d originally been allocated wasn’t enough, then they had to check that there was no detriment of moving the money that had been allocated to something else. It was signed off by directors from each area plus the finance director. I’m explaining this to show how in business these things work, and I’m talking a couple hundred thousand pounds (but it would be the same process for say ten thousand) in a multi million budget.
The process in HTC seems to be that the chair wants to move money, he gets the clerk to add it to an agenda, the councillors, of which more than 50% are in his pocket vote.
The difference in governance is staggering really. Especially if those making the decisions aren’t doing so with the communities best interests at heart.
It is my understanding that councils have to keep a minimum amount in the bank for certain reason’s… I think unexpected planning or events – such as a pandemic
Oh I do wish you’d all leave me oh I mean Jimmy alone, think of all the good he’s done, wonderful guy, who could really object to your money being spent on presents for staff or free drinks for councillors and their cronies oops I mean friends. Then there’s the supporting of local business, just look at all the wealth he spread to deserving people who have supplied some fantastic equipment and services instead of throwing it all away on the township. Then there’s the quad bikes that went to deserving causes and not wasted being used by our grounds maintenance. My hero I mean Jimmy, once even broke a leg playing football, and went without treatment while he could get to work doing his pub deliveries and do you know what he fell again and broke it in exactly the same place and had to make a claim against the brewery……. as I said what a guy.
Can anyone say what was in reserve when they took over? Clearly all this spending of huge amounts of money is forced to leave a gaping HOLE somewhere it’s bound to show up in the end no amount of creative accountancy can hide it forever. The sale of the allotments at Fitzwilliam will bring in a huge amount of capital but by the looks of things it’s going to be needed to balance the books and replace what’s gone which in reality is another reserve plus the cash. If they’re banking on winning the pending legal case and looking to recoup their costs they need to think long and hard for if the judge decided in their favour it does not necessarily follow that he would award full costs or any at all if he were of the opinion there was merrit in the other side’s case and they had no alternative but to defend it. If he decides against HTC well I’m afraid that’s when the brown stuff will hit the fan
At our Parish meeting on 26th May 21 (the one before the Extraordinary, and memorable, Council Meeting on the same day) I asked the council what plans it had to spend the massive reserves they told us about (I have the figure written down somewhere!). Cllrs at the meeting confirmed that they had nothing actually written down to show us, but they had ideas in their heads. Cllr J Eccles then went on to tell me that the reserves would act as a contingency pot, to cover unexpected events – implying/indicating that they would not be touched, so no strategic Planning for 2021/22 was required, as the agreed (and Published) NET Budget was to cover business as usual expenses. I’m waiting for Alan Draper to draft up the minutes of this meeting, which he promised to do next week. I’ve not seen or heard of a Strategic Plan being discussed by any of the Councillors either, so additional expenditure from the reserves should be made transparent to the electorate before any spending takes place = transparency, as per their Code of Conduct. I’m deeply concerned that our Councillors are conducting Council business as though it is their own.
From your email it appears as though Hemsworth Town Council may be developing proposals to be considered. The Town Council is separate to the District Council. There is no guarantee that projects proposed by the Town Council will receive a share of this fund. However there are also other District Council funds such as the planning community infrastructure levy and ward based capital funds so they may be considering a proposal to those in addition…i asked monitoring officer if they could touch the Town Centre Regeneration Capital Fund agreed by Wakefield Council in March 2020.The report made it clear that this fund would supplement existing investment and activity in town centres across the District and assist town centres in being able to offer what local residents and businesses need so they are effectively able to compete with out of town and out of District offers. Connectivity through public transport links, fit for purpose retail, quality public realm, sustainable urban living and community facilities and activities were also directly referenced.
It has since been agreed that South Elmsall, South Kirkby, Moorthorpe and Hemsworth will be in the first group of plans that are being developed. Project delivery groups have been established with District Councillor Steering Groups. Proposed projects will be considered by the Wakefield Council Regeneration Board.
The Town Council owns and operates the Water Park and is responsible for the expenditure you refer to. If you have concerns about how that Council operates you should direct those to the Clerk or to the Chair of the Council. as if they would listen to me lol..back to the main man to answer questions that he wount answer lol