Town council 'antics' are a threat to Eden Project Morecambe and other regeneration progress, MP claims
A Lancashire MP has raised concerns about 'extraordinary' events in Morecambe, and claims the 'antics' of the town council could threaten the town's lucrative regeneration projects, including the Eden Project Morecambe.
He also queried town council publicity which appeared to suggest some of its finances and/or a new fund could be used to build a £1million reserve fund to develop the former Frontierland theme park site in Morecambe. But the town council does not own the site, Mr Morris said. lancaster-city-council>Lancaster City Council owns it.
Mr Morris said most councillors at the February city council probably expected the Morecambe precept would remain at a similar level. However, the Morecambe increase was then rushed through at a subsequent town council meeting with little time for consideration, he suggested. He also said Mr Trevaskis and the chairperson of Morecambe Town Council appeared at Skipton County Court recently in a civil law case, where an auditor was owed fees by the town council.
The meeting was chaired by Stewart Hosie MP and attended by Lee Rowley MP, the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling-Up. It was video-streamed on the Parliament Live website and Mr Morris's comments also appear in the Hansard record of parliament. "My in-box has been flooded with messages from angry constituents who are paying an extra £100-plus—in some cases, even more—but have no idea for why or for what.
"The main controversy is that there have been copious reports in the press that Morecambe Town Council wants to buy the Frontierland area but it is already owned by the taxpayer. The city council, which owns it, states that it is not for sale and already has guidelines in place for development interests. Some town councillors who are also city councillors should already know that and make their declaration clear in their respective meetings.
"In plain English, the town council wants to have a separate £1 million from the reserves to borrow against, based on the consent of 1.3 per cent of residents. The taxpayer will inevitably be asked for more and more money over the ensuing years. That cannot be right." "I have been told by former town councillors that he has since drafted his own contract, and his part-time salary is now nearly £60,000. He has had to be named by law as he earns over £50,000. It is clearly a part-time position, contrary to claims that it is full time, as Mr Luke Trevaskis is a serial town parish clerk. he recently claimed that he is town parish clerk to five other parish councils.
"There are three new officers earning less than £50,000, who are unnamed. There are administration and projects officers, a public realm supervisor, and six public realm operatives, including two apprentices—for what services? "There have at times been accusations of impropriety and problems with financial matters involving the town council go back nearly a decade. Perhaps the [government] department can find out who those ten public officers are—we already know two—and whether they have links to other councillors or officers?
"Mr Trevaskis, the town council clerk, stated in the article: 'Morecambe Town Council will be considering the matters raised in the audit report and intend to publish the report alongside a statement on October 1. 2020.' “Mr Trevaskis also sits on the National Association of Local Councils for its local council award scheme, so has significant experience and knowledge of the requirements of auditing local authorities.”
"Mr Trevaskis was also a director of a company called the Cheshire Clerk Ltd. That company has had an application to strike it off, yet it has been stopped from being struck off, as somebody made a complaint to the Companies House registrar in January 2022. The town council is now advertising to hire a financial officer, salaried at £30,000-plus. Given the recent court appearances, previous record, and any advice given that has been the cause of this debate, Morecambe Town Council should seriously question the expensive level of service and supposed expertise that Mr Trevaskis is charging the taxpayers for."Mr Morris then moved to current events with the local elections due in May and campaigning underway.
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