Falmouth Council anger at 'unelected' body vying to run town's attractions 'for profit'

6:50am Friday 21st September 2012 in Falmouth/Penryn

PLANS to create a ‘Community Interest Company’ (CIC) in Falmouth could lead to an unelected body running all of Falmouth’s main attractions for profit, town councillors have warned.

The claim was made during a heated debate at a meeting of the finance and general purposes committee on Monday evening.

The CIC has been created to bid for the right to run entertainment on the Prince of Wales Pier on behalf of Cornwall Council .

The authority had told New County Hall they were not happy with the CIC being set up and wanted to discuss the situation before deciding whether to bid to run the pier themselves.

However, they have been told no discussions would take place until the tendering process has been completed.

Councillor Diana Merrett said the CIC was being set up by members of Falmouth’s Town Forum.

She said: “It is all the same people on there. They are already working with Tim Light, and will be taking over the pier before looking at the Church Street car park and then onto the docks .”

Councillor Marie Ryan said: “I wrote to Eric Pickles about the CIC and was told that they can write to Cornwall Council and ask how much they are willing to give up and they can buy whatever they want if they have the money.”

Councillor Merrett added: “We have a Cornwall councillor who does not set a foot in this chamber to tell us what is going on, but he goes to the forum.

“They are unelected but get more information about what is going on than we do and that situation should be stopped.”

Councillor David Sterratt agreed, saying: “The forum has somehow mutated into a second council for this town.”

Comments(26)

steve eva says...
8:43am Fri 21 Sep 12

I have to declare an interest on this as i sit on the Steering Group of the CIC.
To me it seems that if a group of residents wants to set up a CIC to improve Falmouth where is the harm.
As a CIC you can apply for grants that Councils can not and there is scope for match funding where there is not through Councils. On that note can i add because of this there will be no Councillors on the CIC once it is set up the Steering group will desolve and be left to those who become Directors.
Why is it that some people on the Town Council think you have to be elected to accept responsibility. Should we ban Rotary,Football Clubs,Cricket Clubs,Ect Also the likes of Falmouth Bay Residents,Lama,Tresc
obeas Residents,Beacon Ect. None of these are elected but all work to improve the future of the Town.
Any help is good help and i will support it all the way and so should the Town Council.

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Gill Zella Martin says...
10:21am Fri 21 Sep 12

I believe it will be good for Falmouth as the groups entire input will be unrestricted in the way town councillors are. Groups of this nature have worked well in other villages/towns. This additionally leaves the town council more time to spend addressing issues more relevant to their position.

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DCI Jen says...
10:58am Fri 21 Sep 12

I think the running of anything for the benefit of Falmouth is best left to a group whose members will always be available to run it. Not the town council.

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steve eva says...
1:59pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Both comments of support for a CIC is much appreciated. How can it not be good for Falmouth if other group wish to improve their town. Why have some people believe they have to run everything.

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ucsweb says...
6:20pm Fri 21 Sep 12

I don't care who runs what, so long as they are answerable to the residents of Falmouth for their plans and actions. The last thing we need is a dictatorship working their way through the town telling everyone that they know whats best and carrying on regardless of the effect they have.

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DCI Jen says...
11:28am Sat 22 Sep 12

ucsweb wrote:
I don't care who runs what, so long as they are answerable to the residents of Falmouth for their plans and actions. The last thing we need is a dictatorship working their way through the town telling everyone that they know whats best and carrying on regardless of the effect they have.
Cllr Merrett states "they are unelected but get more information about what is going on than we do and that situation should be stopped". I think that is a ridiculous statement, anyone can find out infomation if they put themselves out, any voluntary group is entitled to evolve and get involved with community events. Churches have unelected people that work for the church and the community. If Cllr Merrett wants to get more involved she could go and help clean some seaweed up, or the discarded beer cans around the town, instead of sitting around moaning.

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DCI Jen says...
2:25pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Apologies to ucsweb i had no idea i had quoted your post, i must have clicked on it by mistake.

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falmouthborn says...
11:33am Sun 23 Sep 12

Councillor Eva you have got it wrong , residents association members are elected in most cases. .
But the point is they do not control publicly owned assets.Why should the people of Falmouth hand over control of the pier to a group who we don't know and have appointed themselves.How long before we will be charged to go on it?
By the way haven't looked at much today. Did you answer my question about you standing in Boslowick at the next election?

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Gill Zella Martin says...
12:36pm Sun 23 Sep 12

No residents associations I have ever been involved with had elected members. The only criteria was that people were local residents. Only tenants management companies whereby social rented tenants work in conjuction with a local authority had paid management, however, they were still not elected, they were employed by a local authority.

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Gill Zella Martin says...
2:55pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Even if you have a residents association or any other association/club/ that has elected directors and an AGM, it does mean all the members are elected.

The Methodist Church has members that are unelected, they work for the community and members run community events which can be profit making.

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falmouthborn says...
2:55pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Gill the ones I have dealings with all had elected members.A lot are registered charities and could not operate without formal structures

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Gill Zella Martin says...
3:03pm Sun 23 Sep 12

My previous post should have read 'does NOT mean all the members are elected.'

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Gill Zella Martin says...
3:36pm Sun 23 Sep 12

I believe a group as a seperate entity from the town council would be better placed at running a scheme such as this as they will be able to apply for funding, in much the same way as a town manager can. Additionally, if there becomes an exigency to attend, members will likely be more readily available than town councillors that have other obvious town council commitments. Unelected groups in various areas run things for the community and these include profit making events.

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ucsweb says...
9:46am Mon 24 Sep 12

As falmouthborn says they will "control publicly owned assets". They will also try to obtain funding to buy public / council property. It does not seem that they will be answerable to anyone for any of their plans or actions.
An argument I had with a Councilor a few years ago, when he was applying for as many grants as he could, was that just because you can get money to do something doesn't mean that you should do it!
This will be a business and will do what is commercially best for them not necessarily what is best for Falmouth.

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Poldark says...
11:15am Mon 24 Sep 12

That's about the gist of it Falmouthborn all these assets belong to Falmouth, but where under Carrick district council who looked after them, then the district councils were turned over to the CCand all districts assets went with them.

Now the CC can't afford them and are bringing in this CIC, unfortunately it is not democratic because two of Falmouth's CC are sitting on the steering group, who will elect directors to run this company, and most of the people interested are businessmen not your ordinary man in the street.

I read in the Packet that they can club together and raise money to buy assets also they can ask the CC which other assets are going to become available to bid for.

But of course with the two CC it's a bit like insider dealing they will already have that advantage of knowing.

You are also right regarding the buying of an asset, once that is done who says they won't charge for what rightfully belongs to Falmouth and it's people?

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Gill Zella Martin says...
12:39pm Mon 24 Sep 12

There is nothing preventing the town council from submitting a bid, any more than for the public toilets. If toilets are passed over to a private company, the private company cannot charge for the use of them, so I would be surprised if they could charge for entry to the pier etc.

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steve eva says...
1:42pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Although i and Cllr Varney sit on the steering group niether of us will have a say on who will become Directors niether will Cllr Ayres who chairs the group

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Poldark says...
10:30pm Tue 25 Sep 12

Cllr Eva you need to get your facts right, Cllr Ayres was not elected chairman by Falmouth Town council, but by the Community officer, as I understand it, FtC does not not recognize him a such.
as they do not accept the
CIC in it's present form. Falmouth assets should come back to Falmouth they should not be for sale to the highest bidder,.
.

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Poldark says...
10:36pm Tue 25 Sep 12

Gill Zella Martin wrote:
There is nothing preventing the town council from submitting a bid, any more than for the public toilets. If toilets are passed over to a private company, the private company cannot charge for the use of them, so I would be surprised if they could charge for entry to the pier etc.
The town counci lhas expressed an interest in bidding but were told they couldn't bid until the tendering from the CC led bid has been completed. Now you tell me why is that Gill ? something not quite right there .
I would not be surprised at charges in the future, what businessman isn't looking to make a profit! especially if they have bought it.

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steve eva says...
7:13am Wed 26 Sep 12

Poldark not once did i mention that Cllr Ayres was selected or backed by Falmouth Town Council but he has a mind of his own and can see the merit of a CIC. The CIC will be a not for profit company if given the go ahead and all profits put back into the town.
As for companies for profit was it not the Town Council who gave the TIC to the King Harry Ferry Company and are they not a company who has share holders and are a for profits company. All this took place behind closed doors where was your loyalty then.
I will continue to support any person or group who helps to improve Falmouth whether elected or not.
There is nothing stopping the Town Council setting up a CIC and who ever told you that they could not whilst the other bid was being looked into is wrong.

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Poldark says...
12:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12

I suggest you contact the town council Cllr Eva and find out why they didn't submit a bid, but I suspect you already know they didn't have the funds such as Cll Varney who is using Taxpayers money.from the highways budget he was allotted over the three years to improve the Boslowick ward

Profit springs to mind. and is certainly not in towns best interests.
All assets should come back t
o the town to be invested in the towns future.
Lord knows they payed enough over the years in rates and taxes to keep and maintain the pier and all other assets..

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steve eva says...
6:30pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Poldark make up your mind either they tried to submit a bit or they could not afford too.
What is in the best interest is for anyone offering to improve Falmouth whether elected or not to be allowed to do so.
If you have a gripe with Cllr Varney then talk too him and stop sniping from a hidden position

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Gill Zella Martin says...
7:29pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Many alloted pots of money such as Highways are held over one or more years to enable bigger projects to take place. This happened I believe for the crossing on the Porthleven Road.

Anything that benefits Falmouth as a whole is good, it dosn't matter what ward it is in. If the pier happens to be one ward it still benefits the town as a whole, the same as the Christmas lights, and they have to be financed. Repairs on and around the pier also have to be financed.

If the town council cannot afford to submit a bid then why on earth make a fuss about a group that does want to do something for the benefit of Falmouth.

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Gill Zella Martin says...
8:31pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Hypothetically, what would happen anyway if the town council did submit a bid and was successful, and at a future date new councillors were elected and those councillors decided they had neither the time or inclination to carry on with the running of it.
Helston has several groups working for the benefit of the town in different ways, the onus for everything is not left to the town council.

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steve eva says...
8:43pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Gill you make a good point as May draws forward the council finds some Councillors tend to spend more time trying to get elected than doing what their elected for so an independent group who will be there after May has come and gone is a good thing.
I hear through the grapevine that a group such as this are in the final stages of a grant worth £100,000 in Helston i hope they are suceessful. I also hear they have the backing of their town council.

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Gill Zella Martin says...
7:24pm Fri 28 Sep 12

Well Helston town council are not busy burying their heads in the sand. They acknowledge the fact that acheivements and investment for the town cannot entirely be brought about by the town council alone. They are willing to listen to any new ideas that may help improve their town.

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