Harlow Tories question what happened to the Church Langley half-a-million pound fund?
News / Wed 16th May 2018 am31 09:29am
Church Langley Conservative councillors are asking the council where nearly half a million pounds left by developers has gone.
Cllr Andrew Johnson, leader of the Conservative group on the council said, “There were two pots of money left by the developers to improve Church Langley. One was a long term infrastructure fund of around £440,000 and the other was £60,000 for facilities for young people. So far as we can ascertain, these monies have never been spent but we can’t find out what happened to the money.”
Cllr Simon Carter added, “The Infrastructure Fund was added to the work plan of the Scrutiny Committee last October with a report due in March this year. By the time of the March meeting, the item had disappeared off the work plan. Despite questions at the committee, we have still received no word of explanation, two months later. The money disappeared once before, in 2008, when Labour took £400,000 to fill a black hole in their budget – even though it could only be spent in Church Langley. We were able to replace it when we took control of the council later in the year.
“We are hoping our letter to the Managing Director can shed some light on what the council has done, or intends to do, with the fund.”
Cllr Tony Hall continued, “The £60,000 was originally intended for playgrounds but residents at the time could not agree on sites. In 2003 it was earmarked for SEYSHA for a new youth and sports facility on the playing field, but that never came to anything. So we have launched a Freedom of Information enquiry about it, hoping to get a speedier answer than for the Infrastructure Fund.”
Cllr Johnson concluded, “These funds are intended exclusively for Church Langley. We are not aware of substantial sums being spent here and we, and the residents of Church Langley, have a legitimate right to know what the council has done with their money.”
A Harlow Council spokesperson said: “The funding remains in place within the Council’s reserves. Council officers are meeting with Councillor Simon Carter next week to discuss this.
“More information will follow after this meeting.”
MickyB77
2018-05-16 12:45:16
The REDS smoke and mirror department has been working overtime on this one. Socialism, a great way to spend other peoples money without actually improving anything. Two of their finest examples who perpetrated this particular scam, B&B. Socialism breeds P O V E R T Y.
MickyB77
2018-05-16 18:36:04
The silence is deafening !
JerryFromQueens
2018-05-16 20:25:11
As I suspected, someone on here is catastrophically lonely. Answering their own comments is a symptom. I suppose Bob used 25 grand of his own money to conduct his affair at the East India Club then, Micky? Oh wait. That was mine and yours. Where's your outrage at that? https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/22/robert-halfon-expensed-members-club-room-where-he-met-mistress
D.p.l
2018-05-16 21:29:13
This Labour administration party are well known for wasting the Harlow Taxpayers money. I would not trust them around a monopoly board never mind around a board of a local councils finances.
JerryFromQueens
2018-05-17 06:35:00
Freezing council tax, a £1 million pot for improvements to neighbourhoods, hundreds of thousands of pounds coming back into the town as a result of HTS being formed. So, that terrible record...
MickyB77
2018-05-17 09:44:54
They haven't produced any figures.............yet. On your assumptions jfq, they're just like New Labour, spend and tax. Privatisation is good then, opposes your previous opinions. As for all the rubbish and droning on about Bob's night out, I'd check the figures if I were you. Plagiarism can get you in trouble.
JerryFromQueens
2018-05-17 11:21:06
By your constant, if you read something then tell someone about it, it's plagiarism. That being the case, and I'm sure you're a man of principle, you'll never comment on here again because you learnt to read and write and sharing that by commenting means, by your admission, plagiarism. Your hero Bob used 25k of your money to conduct an affair and he admitted as much. Deal with it.
novoman
2018-05-18 12:28:22
The money plus another £22k has been "missing" for years under both Labour and Conservative administrations. It's reappearance now would be timely to support the development of the community, sports and youth social infrastructure in the area, namely the new Centre on Church Langley Field. Time for all parties to pull together for the sake of the these communities.
Brett Hawksbee
2018-05-18 14:06:43
D.p.l May 16, 2018 at 9:29 pm This Labour administration party are well known for wasting the Harlow Taxpayers money. I would not trust them around a monopoly board never mind around a board of a local councils finances. This really is quite an uninformed position. JFQ has touched on a very important refutation of your claim. Let me enlighten you further. Since HTS (Property & Environment) took over the Kier contract for council housing repairs, street cleaning, grass cutting and pest control etc., it has returned significant sums of money which was previously lost to the town, enriching Kier's global shareholders. HTS is owned by the council. Its residual income,or 'profit' has either been returned directly to the council as income, or retained as capital assets held by the wholly owned company. This year that income, amongst other positive fiscal outcomes negated any need for an increase in council tax (the Harlow Council element) This current year the profits reverting to council budgets is likely to exceed £1.2m ... £15 for every man woman and child in Harlow, recycling IN the local economy.
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