Villagers furious as councillors take out loan in their name
GREAT Coates villagers are furious after parish councillors they didn't elect agreed to take out a £300,000 loan in their name – to fund a plan which residents had voted against.
In December last year, Great Coates Village Council asked members of the public to vote on taking out a £395,000 loan to build a new village hall – which they would have to pay for through a rise in precept charges.
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VILLAGE HALL FURY: Stephen Perkins, front, along with other residents of Great Coates are angry a village hall will be built on the junction of Cooks Lane and Station Road. Above, objecting to the plans, former parish councillor Alan Nesbitt. Picture: Jon Corken
It had already cost the council £38,000 to get to the stage when planning permission, which runs out next summer, was granted.
However, the repayments would have amounted to £919,000 and taken 49-and-a- half years to pay off, and the idea was dropped after residents voted a resounding "no" – with 137 votes against the plans and just 24 in favour.
Now, villagers are angered that at a meeting on November 15 the parish council revived the idea and has voted to take out a £300,000 loan to build the hall after all, without consulting with the public. The loan for the revised plan will cost £707,850 to repay and add £22 per year to the current £40.69 precept paid by the average Band D house, taking the total to £62 – one of the highest of all parish councils in North East Lincolnshire.
This precept is on top of council tax charged by North East Lincolnshire Council.
The parish councillors who made the decision all stood uncontested at the last parish council elections and so were "elected" without a public vote.
Stephen Perkins, 64, of Blackthorne Road, said: "It totally beggars belief – they asked us if we wanted the hall, we said no, and now they are doing it anyway."
In a letter to the council objecting to the plans, former parish councillor Alan Nesbitt said: "Coming within a year of such a resounding no vote in the referendum on a very similar proposal, this smacks of astounding arrogance and disregard for the views of the electorate you are supposed to represent."
A resident, who did not want to be named, said: "The village has already said no to this and they are obviously just representing themselves.
"We never voted for them and they are about to land the village with 50 years of debt, totally against our will."
Another resident, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: "I am rather disappointed as these people are supposed to represent us and we have already said no."
A statement on the parish council's website said a majority of councillors voted to proceed with the new hall "while the current planning permission is still in force".
Councillor Nicola Maasdam proposed the idea, but said it is council policy that individual councillors are not allowed to make statements to the press.
Council clerk Kathy Nunn said: "The building will cost up to £300,000 but could be less and we still have not taken the loan from the Government as yet.
"Only 25 per cent of the houses voted last time and residents put out untrue propaganda against the build which is already happening again.
"We cannot force every house to vote, so many councillors have questioned the validity of a public vote which is why we are not holding another."
She added that the council would also be seeking other sources of funding, but the hall would be financially self-sustaining. However, it would be unlikely to recoup the money required to build it.
81 Comments
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by DODDY2020
Saturday, December 03 2011, 7:25PM
“Butt out....no you butt out....no..YOU butt out.....muuuummmmm!!! Hahahaaaaaa ...ace.isn't free speech brill.joking aside folks, I understand we have the same problem in Healing with parish councillors only seeming to go with what suits them.( double yellows on oak rd and ave junction etc they know who they are )so much for representing the people.carry on bickering...this is better than x factor”
by HALLYT
Friday, December 02 2011, 4:34PM
“Blimey chimcheree have i touched a nerve or something? My aunt sal does indeed live near to the butterworths - same close, and what she said is perfectly true!. I don't know why you'd vehemently deny it.? My point was that the 'chairwoman' did not live in the village when she was in the position - she lived in new waltham since june 2010. There I rest my case. No need to 'report' and delete my post for pointing that out surely....? I don't know what the matter is with some people, I really don't.....”
by porcelainblak
Thursday, December 01 2011, 9:06PM
“Note to Great Coates residents:
Ballot papers in Egyptian elections contained 129 names of people standing for election - in other words, if you didn't want the Parish Council to act on your behalf why didn't you stand in opposition?
Those who can, do, and those who can't (or can't be bothered) do nothing but moan!”
by KBS71
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 9:00PM
“This is the opposite of democracy! It does not matter if you live in Great Coates or not - there is a strong principle at stake here that could easily be repeated anywhere in our borough if this act sets a precident. It is in every way wrong for the council to push ahead with this - criminal, even!”
by romeogolf
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 8:08PM
“chimcheree
This is an open forum, therefore I believe ANYBODY can comment on ANY thread on it. So perhaps YOU should "BUTT OUT."
I'm surprised that Josephine White/valvissy/lizzydrip hasn't already told you this.”
by Banned
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 1:51PM
“Ahh, that explains it. The coffers will be bulging from coffee mornings, scouts, brownies, youth clubs, WI, private parties, etc.
Butt out? Sorry, I didn't realise that Great Coates was an independent nation. I'm sure most of us know someone or have relatives in the 'village' of Great Coates. It amazes me that anybody could discount a public vote so easily. It seems to me that this is more like a pet project of the Great Coates Glitterati, who want a nice new building to lord over, and damn the expense to the taxpayer.”
by chimchereeGC
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 1:29PM
“OK so to all you who dont even live in the village, BUTT OUT!!!! Nowt to do with you!
HALLYT, you know nothing and can spout all you like about pretend Old Aunt Sal's or anything else,but you are wrong. End of!
Banned.......YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN
Coffee mornings by themselves clearly dont generate much info, but when you have people HIRING a hall to hold coffee mornings, scouts, brownies, youth clubs, WI, private parties etc etc etc it generates an income.
I aint commenting no more cos you are all sooooooooooooooooooboring old whatnots on here that need to get a life/job/woman. Its being built, enjoy it. Im not gloryfying your daft unknowledgable comments with a reply anymore. Sayonara!!”
by kittycloe
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 11:33AM
“just a couple of points chimcheree GC Councillor Prest and Cannon Peter Mullins with 2 residents organised the Service on Rememberance Sunday, the Village Councill gave Councillor Prest a vote of thanks for what he had done, I think I can say all the work involded was done equally by those 4,
One resident of the Village said to " expect no more then a dozen people" on the day, had we known it would have been such a great turnout we could have done teas and coffee at the church,
And I dont consider myself blinded by the RR, my only thoughts were that it should be up to the Village to decide if THEY want to spend that much money on a new hall, and not just the VILLAGE council......... now all this is old news now, as so many know me perhaps you could give me your views in the Sreet .......Stewart”
by Banned
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 9:08AM
“chimchereeGC, firstly, Council Clerk Kathy Nunn has already stated that they will not recoup the cost of the new building. That is why the residents are seeing their precept increase by 50%.
I would be interested to hear how the councillors foresee the village hall to be financially self sufficient? I'm not sure how much money coffee mornings generate.
The residents have already voted 137-24 against saddling the village with a HUGE debt. Slightly reducing the amount borrowed does not change anything.”
by chimchereeGC
Tuesday, November 29 2011, 10:58PM
“Banned, its not going to cost the residents that much, dont you understand that??!!! If it was built and sat there never being used Id understand your point, but it will be making money, so the cost to the villagers will not be that much!”