WHAT IS THE RUSH?
WHY IS THE LEADER OF THE PARISH HISTORY SOCIETY CHAIRING PARISH
COUNCIL SESSIONS WHEN THAT SOCIETY WANTS TO TRANSFER A POTENTIAL LIABILITY TO
THE PUBLIC PURSE?
DID STRELCZENIE GO TO THE
COUNCIL SOLICITOR AS THE PARISH CHAIRMAN OR THE PARISH HISTORY SOCIETY DIRECTOR, OR
BOTH?
WHY DID THE CLERK ALLOW THIS TO
HAPPEN?
WHY DIDN’T THE VICE-CHAIR TAKE OVER
THE CHAIR FOR THE DISCUSSIONS?
THE COUNCIL NEEDS PROFESSIONAL
AND LEGAL ADVICE, NOW!
Highlighted Comment
from Council Discussions. A full
recording is available.
Chairman Jan Strelczenie. Memorial Garden. I went to see Solicitors with Julie (the
Parish Clerk)
Parish Clerk. The
Solicitor was happy to proceed with the transfer. She sent me a letter detailing the charges
which were a bit more than Jan anticipated. The fee for them to do the transfer from PHHHS
to the Council ….
Cllr. Terry. Should we be concerned, we’ve already voted, …. I’ve read there are ongoing issues with the
diesel tanks, the three diesel tanks, they still haven’t been fully rendered,
Are we prepared as a Parish Council to cover the costs. Is
there are a certain amount of work to properly fill these tanks if they need
doing? What sort of issues are we
letting ourselves in for? We are
effectively taking on the responsibility of these three tanks. Do we have to
insure the site for public liability if something collapses
Parish Clerk. Yes,
we would have to add it on to our insurance policy.
Cllr. Terry. Do we need to let them know (Insurers) there
are ongoing issues with these tanks? Will it be exorbitant costs?
Chairman Strelczenie
(talking on behalf of the Parish History Society
while chairing the Parish Council) When
it’s handed over to the Parish Council, when it’s teken over, the insurance
will be negligible, I believe, but she (Parish Clerk) needs to mek enquiries
about that.
The Society are still in the process of filling up putting
concrete slurry into the tanks but it’s just a bit awkward at the moment. There won’t be any costs to the Parish Council
with regards to filling the tanks.
Cllr. Terry. So, can we actually look into what the cost
are likely to be? Has anybody done any
real investigation?
Chairman Strelczenie.
We are working on the assumption (garbled) … petrol tank when that was
filled, it was £3,400. There are three,
ten thousand diesel litre tanks.
Vice-chairman Bob Procter. The tanks are completely safe and it’s unlikely there will be any deterioration in them for forty years and beyond, but it was suggested …..
Cllr. Chilvers. Mr. Chairman, The danger is of water now getting
in through the tank tops and lifting the whole tank into the Garden. The last
day I was there, … lifted a manhole
about a yard square and it was full of water and we put a pole down it and
couldn’t reach the bottom and we concluded it was from the run-off from the
site before it ran into the Town Drain.
So what they did, the guys …. they said were going to leave it and cover
it up, So, that’s there as well. We
ought to be looking at sites plans.
Chairman Strelczenie. You have had an email (getting hot under the collar) from the Society. You will see there that the site was bought after
it was teken in escheat (The power of the
State to acquire title to property for which there is no owner, maybe bankruptcy, for example). There is no record of the tanks or anything. When
we purchased it, WE, as a Society did all the necessary searches, so when we
talked about transferring the register over to the Parish Council, ….. …. she (the Solicitor) did say the searches
were out of date.
Cllr. Chilvers. Mr. Chairman, There must be some plans at
Selby District Council. I know there
were plans. I worked to them.
Cllr. Harrison. My concern is if we take it over we are
spending money of The Village People. It’s
not our money. It’s the village. How many people in the
village know whether it’s safe or not? If
something goes wrong in ten years and we’ve got a great big bill, who then says
to them, the people, the money’s spent because this society has totally gone
wrong? People say it look nice, which is
fair enough. I have got to admit I did
not know this site was going to be passed over to the Parish Council. I don’t particularly agree with it, because I
don’t know enough what’s underneath …..
Cllr. Drew.
The thing is, the Parish Council
has already taken over this plan.
Chairman Strelczenie. The fact is last month the Parish Council
agreed to tek on the site. The Solicitor
is in the process of transferring the site to the Parish Council
COUNCILLOR CHILVERS
THEN FORMALLY OBJECTED TO THAT STATEMENT, SAYING HIS BELIEVE WAS THE COUNCIL
DID NOT DISCUSS THE PROPOSAL AN AGENDA ITEM (FOR WHICH COUNCILLORS HAVE A
STATUTORY RIGHT TO THREE DAYS TO PREPARE FOR THE DISCUSSION), IT CAME UP ONLY IN “CORRESPONDENCE” AND THE COUNCIL AGREED TO
TAKE ON THE SITE IN PRINCIPLE
ONLY! (PRESUMABLY AFTER DUE DILIGENCE IS COMPLETED AND DISCUSSED)
HIS VIEW IS CONFIRMED
BY THE PARISH CLERK WHO WRITES IN THE MINUTES:
“ Approved Minutes. It was proposed by Councillor F Davidson,
seconded by Councillor J Sedman and agreed with one abstention that the Parish
Council would (NOT WILL) take over the site and cover any costs incurred
with regards to the transfer of ownership.“
