Council puts ban on projects

A parish council has put a halt on all projects after its finance officer claimed ‘it’s in a bit of a mess’.

Holbeach is looking to refocus on projects for ‘two months max’, Coun Rick Stevens told its latest meeting.
“I think we’re in a bit of a mess at the moment and not concentrating on the right areas where we should be,” he said. “My suggestion is we need to refocus on what’s right for the parish and not what’s right for the council.
“We need to ensure projects are achievable, it’s value for money and we’re getting the right thing for the parishioners.”
He said the ‘normal monthly spend’ would continue, as would plans for a new sandpit and slide costing £11,544.
Other project spends were afterwards ratified in the meeting though including buying a new phone system and going with what some councillors felt was a more expensive option for where to site a new toilet aimed at people with mobility issues (see page one story).
New chairman Clive Turner, said: “Normal hygiene factors will continue but anything else we’ll have a closer look to see whether it’s still valuable or not.
“For some works there’s no clear plans and timescales. The whole concept of how we deliver something needs to change.
“Some projects might not be relevant and are quite old in the timescale.
“We need to go back and think about them.”
It comes just months into the financial year and after the council voted an extra £1.35 a year per household council tax rise to go to projects.
Councillors were told they could still work on projects, but Coun Sophie Hutchinson claimed she’d wanted to discuss one at the meeting but was told she couldn’t put it on the agenda.
“I can’t support a blanket ban at the beginning of the financial year,” she said. “I agree we need to review projects and decide which is best.
“If something is ready to go ahead and we can show reasons for it and the money is available there are some smaller projects we can do.
“We need to go through the correct steps and then you wouldn’t be spending unnecessary money anyway.”
Coun Mark Murfet said of a bid to fit an inclusive trampoline in the town: “We were given a figure of £4,500 but the cost of actually having it installed was significantly more on top of that.
“That’s the due diligence we need so we’re not saying ‘we’re going to have a trampoline that’s cost £4,500, oh dear, it’s actually £9,000, never mind we’ll find the money elsewhere.’ It’s that scope we need to show.”
Coun Hutchinson argued it had been decided at a recent meeting to get more quotes.
“We need to have a specification for every project and get like for like,” Coun Tim Wiltshire said.
“It’s happened time and again. It’s happened with the sandpit and definitely happened with the vehicle access to Carter’s Park.
“It’s always something to bounce us into making a decision.”
With regards to Carter’s Park, new gates are needed in time for the Holbeach Food Festival on September 3.
The meeting was told there was a large discrepancy between two quotes possibly due to one company quoting for one gate and another two.
There was also worries drop curbs could provide an extra cost.
It was claimed that district councillor Nick Worth was looking to fund it but it wasn’t sure what to degree, so the item was deferred to July’s meeting.