21/02/2015

TAMESIDE WHERE SCRUTINY REMAINS A WISH, NOT A REALITY.


Cllr John Taylor, AKA The Day-Glo- Kid 
In this world of ‘austerity’; at a time when the councillors tell us they are trying to do more with less and with the countdown to the elections well under way, we are hearing from a growing host of local career councillors, in particular those who may suspect that serious efforts to unseat them are gaining pace, on how the cuts to their budgets have prompted reductions in services and how they have had to amend their budgets, change systems and close all sorts of front line services in order to keep the wheels on the wagon.

In fact, so desperate were these councillors that they latched on to a (LGA) Local Government Association scheme, and introduced a ‘budget simulator’ in order to help them justify service changes by claiming ‘that’s what the voters wanted!’ – but more on that subject to follow.

One of the most prominent and vociferous voices in the current blame game, has been that of council ‘poster boy’ Cllr John Taylor, who is regularly seen, adorned in his best day-glow bib and tucker, elbowing his way to prominence in every photo-op he can find, to tell us about Ashton Market, especially the Christmas Market.

We could use this for a 'SPOT THE SHOPPER' competition!
Now least we all forget, not knowing whether the market would be the hoped for success or the farce it turned out to be, instead of dipping their toes in the water, those who must be obeyed, dismissed outright the sensible idea hiring the Christmas log cabins for a little over £7000, instead they allotted £69,500 of the annual budget to build the pseudo German cabins which became the mainstay of the themed market.

The council tried to justify this rash expenditure by saying that the money would be spread over 10 years and therefore would be money well spent. (No mention of maintenance costs, transportation or storage, nor any extra for ‘running the event or advertising and promotion!) Thus committing  themselves to 10 years of extra expenditure!

The problem is that although the Christmas Market may look pretty, for two years now, since its inception, the Christmas Market has been a financial disaster with very few people actually spending any money there.

Two expectant retailers, confined to solitary confinement 



But of course, being a man renowned for being economical with facts and selective with derogative details (unless they’re someone else’s) Cllr Taylor won’t tell you about the ‘extra’ money the council has, and will continue to spend, to try to put a shiny spin on this continuing festive folly.

If one visits - www.tameside.gov/transparency just take a look at the paid invoice list and you will see that a firm called New Images received two payments in December,  one was for £44,257.30 for ‘public entertainment’ and the other was for £34,726.60 also for ‘public entertainment’ now considering the time of year, one can only assume one was for the Ashton Christmas Market parade and stage events and the other perhaps the Pride of Tameside awards.

 Whatever it was for, when one considers the ‘cuts’ and all the excuses given by ‘our councillors’ as to why there’s no money to spend, another £78.983.90 is an awful lot of money for public entertainment.

If you have never visited the council’s website and studied the payments section, where the council are required by law to publish anything spent over £500, I strongly suggest you do.

It’s a sure fire way to discover just were our money is being spent, ostensibly for our benefit!

Now, if this current council gets its way and if the people of Tameside don’t wake up and get these ’gravy trainers’ off the council where they continue to recklessly spend our money, we can look to another 8 years of similar undisclosed amounts being thrown at trying to breathe new life into the long dead cadaver of Ashton’s Christmas Market, which at the current rate would be around £640,000.

No caption needed. ...The picture says it all!

Another interesting payment that you may also find of significance is a payment of £2,062, to a company called Leisure Skate Ltd, which one can only assume was for the ice rink.

Although I seem to remember, being told the ‘Ice Rink’ was sponsored?


Over to you Cllr Taylor, the taxpayers await your explanations.

15 comments:

  1. According to the Hippodrome Ltd Facebook ,and their principal spokesman Keith -Dalby -Oldham,John Taylor was the real saviour of the Hippodrome.

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    1. He'll lend his name to anything to get some attention.

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  2. A little bird has whispered in my ear "check claims for breakfast allowances". I am a little under the weather so some one else may like to check?

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  3. Would that be an 'italian' breakfast? On a handwritten receipt perhaps. Surely even wag can't eat 2 bacon and sausage baps and drink a cappuccino and 2 hot chocolates with cream at one sitting. Perhaps it was an exec meeting

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  4. Tameside Christmas Markets for Tamesiders in Ashton. Droylsden Easter Markets for the people of Droylsden. A payment was also made for £12k in April last year to PR company New Image. It is the same for 2015. With Susan Quinn up for election last year and Kieran Quinn this year, is it a coincidence that TMBC are lavishing money on a single event in Droylsden. I think not !!!

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    1. The Xmas market was a complete flop people who booked the cabin with New Image lost a great deal of money, because of how it was organized which was crap not one of them at new image could give you a proper answer to anything you ask them. How and where the log cabins were put was so stupid they all should of been put facing the market and where the food cabins were also put nobody knew they were there behind the indoor market, what's that all about those traders lost a great deal of money. I THINK THEY SHOULD GET ALL THERE MONEY BACK FOR BAD ORGANIZATION AND GIVE THEM COMPENSATION.

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  5. Amazing that the "poster boy" has been allowed to get away with bullying and foul language rants on public media recently aimed at a number of people who dare to disagree with "Vision Ashton" !!! When will the voters see through this current bunch of self serving, corrupt and obnoxious councillors ??? With a past history such as his, he would do well to be VERY careful in his comments to others !!!

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  6. Just tried to follow the link to http://www.tameside.gov/transparency ..... it seems to have been taken down ...... how convenient !!!! obviously no transparency as far as this Council is concerned !!

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    1. Try opening the Tameside council website. look to the ABC... at the top and hit 'C'- Scroll down to 'Council Spend' - Look to December and open the file. The invoices in question are numbered 265 & 327.

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  7. Tameside's like Austin Mitchell MP's description of Grimsby, the cretins round here vote Labour regardless of reason or consideration.

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  8. Tameside Council meeting 24th Feb
    Taylor implies 100,000 votes for Ashton Market, fact is the total number of votes cast for all categories was 100,000. Yet again misleading the public.

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  9. The Christmas market stalls that this year had the wheelchair accessible parking area for wheelchair users next to the town hall ( which is paid for a special key fob to access £20) closed permanently to make room for a couple more cabins and a Ferris wheel !! and after for 're development' , with no refund or replacement to said spaces whilst redeveloping or in the projected plans . very nice and thoughtful of those less able to access the town center !!!

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  10. Which Labour councillor put a Tameside property he owns as his home address on his nomination papers, when he actually lives in Oldham! He can stand on the basis that he has a business in Tameside, but he obviously doesn't that that is enough to get the locals on side. I have no problem with him standing for Tameside - but why lie?

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    1. craftyofmossley5/07/2015 11:02 am

      I've heard this too. Disappointing if it's true

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  11. http://www.tameside.gov.uk/transparency

    the above link is missing the .uk

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