’We have earmarked reserves in the Council’s budget [of £50,000],’ the Town Council reports, ‘specifically set aside for this task, but the total cost of restoring the lake to something approaching its former glory will be enormous and the work will have to be spread over a number of years.’
The Town Council will have spent around £180,000 on the project by the end of this year.
’It has been suggested,’ the Newsletter continues, ‘that a “Friends of Canvey Lake” group should be formed. A public meeting will be arranged to discuss this, but in the meantime, anyone interested should contact the Town Council office by telephone or e-mail, or please call in during opening hours.’
The Town Council’s precarious financial position has already been reported on this Blog, and it is clear why CITC should now wish to follow Colin Letchford’s and Lea Swann’s leads to form a 'Friends of Canvey Lake’ fund. Out of every pound contributed by residents each year, 29p will have been spent on the lake’s regeneration (but that figure palls into insignificance when one realises that around 54p of every pound is spent on Town Hall administration). That leaves just 17% (around £47,000 a year) of the Town Council’s annual precept to be spent on other projects; but none of that is available when it plans to spend £100,000 on community events to increase its election year PR coverage.
The Town Council is virtually bankrupt and the ‘Friends of Canvey Lake’ plan seems to be a desperate attempt to avoid raising residents’ annual contributions from their council tax.
Islanders will ask themselves why the Town Council pressurised Castle Point Borough Council (CPBC) into releasing their responsibilities for Canvey Lake when the TC was not in a financial position to undertake its restoration and maintenance. Furthermore, why did the Town Council not ensure they obtained sufficient grant backing for its renovation project in order to preserve resident funds?
Instead of taking-over the lake, why did the Town Council not encourage CPBC to live-up to its own responsibilities for the asset – and perhaps offer to assist financially in the lake’s improvements?
As time goes on, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the TC should abandon its Canvey Lake ambitions and return the community asset to CPBC control.
Islanders cannot afford the Canvey Island Independent Party’s political and financial incompetence any longer.
… (16/08/2010, Methane, Mud and Memories) – Canvey Town Council, Unlucky Or Awful
This is a complete farce.
ReplyDeleteCanvey Lake was earmarked for improvement under CPBC's Canvey Town Centre regeneration plan but Blackwell's sole purpose has always been to wrench-back all Canvey assets from CPBC to reestablish the old Canvey District Council and create an empire for himself. He gave no thought to where all the money was going to have to come from and has now bankrupted the TC trying to pay for things that no other town council does.
This is all down to Blackwell and his desire to have Canvey separate from Castle Point but what he cannot understand is that would cost residents at least twice as much in council tax bills as it does now.
The man and his party are complete loonies.
And no I dont know anyone who attended the TC's Nostalgia Night Ted but if you read the Summer newsletter you'd believe the whole island attended!