1

19th May 2012

 Question: Why did the Blue Flash Music Trust submit a sealed bid?

Answer: Only part of the Trust's bid was sealed and this part was originally declared irrelevant by the Council. The text pointing to the details of our re-submission was actually declared in an open letter to one of the appointed Agents, Crickmay. The role of the Agent in this process is also questionable therefore. The District Auditor had also advised the Council that their process would not sufficiently guard against bias and fraud in a letter to the Council of December 2010 and recommended a sealed bid process. The Council ignored this advice. 

Question: Were the Blue Flash Music Trust disappointed to be excluded from the process by the Council?

Answer: No, we had no expectation that the Council would seriously entertain any bid except from Bill's Produce. There is a long history of bias in favour of Bill's Produce. It started with the 'under the table' negotiations with Bill's in 2006 and was followed by the well-proven, biased selection of Bill's Produce over Ask Ltd (submitted by Gondola) in 2006, costing the Horsham taxpayer £250,000. Bill's did not bid in the re-marketing exercise of July 2011 either, so no bids were entertained at that stage (including the Trust). Already there is a Freedom of Information Request submitted by a local businessman to ascertain the detailed scorings from the latest exercise.

Question: Why did the BFMT re-submit its bid at all then?

Answer: We had to nominally enter the process in order to contest it in the High Court. The Court requires that you have to have an interest. Unfortunately, the lack of a temporary injunction means that such a Court hearing could not be realistically arranged before a deal with Bill's is signed. However, the lack of transparency and lack of fairness in the process, in our view, remains a real threat to the ongoing credibility of the BIll's Produce brand. We were not disappointed to be excluded from the process because we tacitly felt that we could support and work with the bid from W J KIng on behalf of the community. However, because of the proven bias towards Bill's, we felt that the W J KIng bid would not be seriously entertained by the Council either.

Question: if push came to shove and with the limited options the Trust could work with W J King.

The 200 year tradition of brewing by W J King fitted in well with the Folk Arts Centre community proposal based on Horsham's unique folk history, a plan that could bring the necessary tourism benefits to the town.

In keeping with the history of the building as a courthouse and community centre, WJ King had made a commitment to make a private meeting room available at discounted rates to local community groups and establish a similar Heritage Centre idea to our own. This would have also involved contribution from the local community in terms of music, art and dance. WJ King have also regularly supported and sponsored community groups from the Horsham District. As we understand it however, Bills Produce is now owned by a large international private equity group which is based in the secret off shore tax haven of Jersey. People often confuse Bill's 'seasonal produce' with 'local produce'. Spanish oranges, Italian tomatoes in jars; the seasonal aspect of Bill's appears to be that sometime, somewhere in the world, the produce was seasonal. WJ King on the other hand is a local producer with a commitment to using local produce like ourselves. 

Question: How come the Council decided that Bill's Produce was the answer then?

Answer: Nobody knows - especially as Bill's voluntarily walked away from Horsham based on its

Reading profits in 2009. In spite of the claims in the press, Bill Collison obviously did not love the town that much! The Evaluation Criteria, although originally declared to be advisory only, was set by just one Cabinet Member and favoured Bill's Produce. The recent Localism Act that was designed to benefit communities effectively died in Francis Maude's back yard at that point. Horsham District Council gave a 70% weighting to financial measures and a mere 30% to the suitability of the proposals and potential benefit to the local economy. The difference to the taxpayer between Bill's Produce and W J King was just £62.50 per week over the 20 year lease it seems. However, HDC apparently gave more weighting to a large multi-national restaurant group based in the off-shore tax haven of Jersey over a family run local business based in Horsham. Even then, we do not know that the proposals were scored fairly in the latest process, as those scorings were not made transparent in the Council report. We know from the past that the scorings in favour of Bill's were fiddled by the Council against Gondola (Ask Ltd.) and that the vastly superior revised Gondola bid was unfairly not declared and considered in the 2009 decision. It took the District Auditor to eventually prise the existence of the revised Gondola bid out of the Council.   

Question: Why do the Council detest the BFMT so much?

Answer: Because over the past six years we have painstakingly gathered the evidence of their unethical behaviour. We therefore remain a threat to the reputation of the Council and any body that joins them in their unethical actions.  However, this is a principled position by the Trust, an organisation that has worked well with HDC in the past. We believe that organisations and residents in the area ignore the question of Council ethics at their peril. History shows that things have got progressively worse. 

Question: Why do the Liberal Democrats not support you any more?

Answer: Because they would seemingly rather speak out against the Trust than speak out about the Council's unethical behaviour, details of which have been made known to them. The three Liberal Democrats on the Council's Old Town Hall Advisory Group once supported the Folk Arts Centre proposal facilitated by us. To us, if the LIb Dems are not part of the solution, they remain part of the problem.

Question: Why does the local press not support you either?

Answer: As with the Liberal Democrats, the local press does not want to admit to known unethical behaviour and bias by the Council. However, HDC also provides income to parts of the local press through statutory advertising so they understandably have to be careful. 

Question: Why does the local press wax lyrical about Bill's Produce as the answer then?

Answer: They perhaps think, misguidedly in our view, that it is the easiest way to gloss over things and finally lance the boil that has been grown by HDC's bad bahaviour over the Old Town Hall and other related issues in the past six years. However, the truth has a habit of coming out and the strategy may prove disastrous in the not-so-long term. In our opinion, Bill's Produce embracing the Council's behaviour might prove equally disastrous for the company's brand.    

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22 May 2012

What did Bill’s Produce have to do to have their original verbal offer of £72,000 per annum reduced to £54,000 per annum?

Answer one:

We don't know what Bill's Produce had to do to get their initial verbal offer of £75,000 per annum down to £54,000. All we know is that Heads of Terms for the initial contract with Bill's three years ago were negotiated at the heavily reduced rate two weeks IN ADVANCE of the biased decision against Gondola (Ask Ltd) being made.

How did Bill’s Produce know to increase their offer to £60,000 in order to match WJ King?

Answer two:

We don't know why the Bill's Produce offer went back up to £60,000 in the recent exercise other than it co-incidentally matched the offer from W J King. Bill's Produce also shaved a bit off from the rent free period and one wonders whether the Council shared the details of the W J King bid with Bill's before the latest Bill's bid was made, or perhaps revised. The audit trail is currently lacking. This is why the District Auditor advised sealed bids after the last Bill's v Gondola fiasco. At that time the Bill's bid was unsigned, undated and not on headed paper. People doubted that it had been written by Bill's at all. The bid three years ago may have been written by the Council themselves or the agent, Davis Coffer Lyons. However, the agent should have been independent. The whole point about appointing an independent agent is that they can negotiate the best deal and recommend it to the client. The independence of an appointed agent necessarily guards against the possibility of bias, corruption and fraud. The role of Crickmay in this latest process was pretty non-existent. They did not engage us concerning our own bid at all and freely admitted that they simply "passed on interested parties to the Council." There would appear nothing to have stopped the Council improperly passing on information about rival bids to a favoured bidder. W J KIng congratulated Bill's in the press, but presumably, they were not aware of the history of bias in favour of Bill's Produce and that this latest process was also as sub-standard as the last one.    

3

24 May 2012

Question: OK, there is no doubt that the scoring against Gondola (Ask Ltd) and in favour of Bill's Produce was unfairly manipulated by Horsham District Council three years ago. However, were the scores unfairly manipulated against W J King similarly this time around? 

Answer: We currently do not know for sure. However, there is considerable circumstantial evidence to suggest that it was. Bill Collison claimed recently in the West Sussex County Times that he would not change the building. However, it appears that he was not telling the truth. The Bill's Produce proposal this time around was still said to be subject to the Council's own improperly approved listed building planning application DC/08/2321. This would see the custom designed acoustics of the building (as a former Courtroom and old style Council Chamber) decimated by cutting a large hole between the floors. The planning application also saw Bill's desire to knock out the unique architectural feature of the deliberately designed in-filled arches on the front elevation (designed to stop people looking in on historical Court proceedings) and put modern glass in instead. There will still be a need for the Council to approve the writing of Bill's Produce on the glass and the hoisting of a Bill's Produce flag - and we will oppose this in the Courts, arguing that the changes are based on the improperly approved previous applications of DC/08/2317 and DC/08/2321 by the Council. Bill's should have scored worse on changes to the building than W J King. As one resident put it "I can't even put a skydish on my Grade II listed building, yet Bill's Produce can get away anything as far as the Council is concerned".

Bill's Produce should have also scored worse than W J King for its adverse impact on a Conservation Area. Bill's require an unsightly and smelly bin store on the right hand side of the building as you look down the Causeway towards St. Mary's Church.

Bill's should also have scored worse than W J King in regard to the King proposal for the Heritage Centre idea (similar to ourselves).

Thus we believe that the current Freedom of Information request by a local businessman will ultimately reveal that the scores were fiddled by the Council in favour of Bill's Produce once again. Last time it was the superior bid of Gondola that unfairly lost out, this time it was the superior bid of W J King that similarly suffered at the hands of Council bias (which also had the same financial value).  

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28 May 2012

Question; "What proof does the Trust have that Bill's walked away voluntarily from Horsham last time around and that the Trust was not to blame for the OTH lying empty for the last two and a half years?"

Answer; A request was made by a Horsham trader under the FOI Act for details related to the Trading Condition between HDC and Bill’s Produce, and eventually the letter below was received.

5

29 May 2012

Question marks over the role of Davis Coffer Lyons as agents for the Old Town Hall.

People have often wondered how Bill's Produce came to be recommended above Gondola in the previous bidding exercise for Horsham Old Town Hall three years ago, given that Gondola on behalf of Ask Ltd made a vastly superior bid. They similarly wondered how Davis Coffer Lyons was seemingly prepared to accept a commission of £5,400 against a commission of £7,250 from Gondola. The District Auditor apparently commented on a possible conflict of interest. The Council claimed that Davis Coffer Lyons recommended Bill's Produce above Gondola but there was no evidence in the District Auditor's file to support this claim.

This was a press release 15 June 2010 ......

"The Sussex-based restaurant/grocer group, is to open its first outlet in London, with the launch of a 120-cover site at St Martin's Courtyard in Covent Garden.

The company, which currently has two sites in Lewes and Brighton, will open the new restaurant in November. It will be housed in a 3,304 sq ft space spread over two floors accommodating up to 120 covers.

"We've been looking to come to London for some time and feel very lucky to have secured this site," owner Bill Collison told Caterersearch...... Davis Coffer Lyons is the sole restaurant agent for the scheme. " (our underlining)

Nobody knows how Davis Coffer Lyons came to be accepted as agents for the Horsham deal and got on the shortlist either. What appeared to be the best Agent's bid against an anticipated market value for the Old Town Hall of £75,000 (also the Bill's Produce initial verbal offer) came from Carr Priddle of Brighton. This apparently superior bid from Carr Priddle was summarily dismissed by Horsham District Council. The District Auditor commented that reasons for dismissing a bid should be duly noted in writing and this was seemingly not done. Davis Coffer Lyons were duly appointed and the terms of the Invitation To Tender (ITT) were extended without apparent reference to the Chief Executive. This would be against HDC Financial Regulations. The extension to the ITT was that Davis Coffer Lyons were also appointed as consultants to HDC at a cost to the taxpayer of £5,000. This would appear, in theory, to have compromised the role of Davis Coffer Lyons as independent marketing agents.

Davis Coffer Lyons are said (please see elsewhere on this site) to have previously worked with the Strada people who moved on to Cote, who were handpicked by Richard Caring. These people from Cote went on to manage the Bill's Produce bid for Horsham Old Town Hall. Co-incidentally, Cote opened up in Horsham's East Street just before the Bill's Produce v Gondola issue concerning the Old Town Hall hit the fan. 

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10 July 2012
Question: What other reasons might there be for the 'two-times' biased selection
of Bill's Produce by HDC, first over Gondola and then over W J King?

Answer: We currently can't say for sure, but it might simply be a case of the Horsham Tories having a liking for big business over and above the Horsham community. The 'man with the cash' behind the vigorous Bill's expansion programme is Richard Caring. Like many from big business - he knows which side his bread is buttered - both sides!

He once 'cosied up' to the Blair regime by lending 2m to the Labour Party for their general election campaign in 2005. However, in February 2008, Caring attended the Conservative Parties 'Black and White Ball' in Battersea Park at which he donated an auction prize of an evening’s hire of one of his clubs, 'Annabels'. It is currently not known which, if any, of HDC's Cabinet attended these particular events.

The second and most recent biased selection of Bill's Produce was timed to beat the Localism Act and in our view, demonstrated HDC contempt for both community wishes and it's own national project, Cameron's 'Big Society'. 

The Blue Flash Music Trust is of course, non-political. Therefore we should say that not all Conservative administrations behave in this way. The new Conservative Town Council of nearby East Grinstead would appear to be a case in point. They have fully embraced the Localism Act and are currently carrying out a significant consultation towards a widely supported Neighbourhood Plan. The difference would be that they have not been unduly influenced by a long period of unaccountable power. As a Town Council, in East Grinstead, there is a direct link between those that elect them and the power and influence that they wield. By contrast, HDC has consistently denied the opportunity for a Community Governance Review in an effort to hang onto disproportionate power. No matter who the people in Horsham town vote for, the 'out-of-town' HDC Cabinet 'gets in' and 'Lords it over' the town. Significantly, we don't see any of the Council public buildings in the rural areas being rented out to become restaurants. The benefits of Bill's in the Old Town Hall are marginal. People, will visit a Bill's Produce in their own area rather than travel to Horsham, that is, if they are not inclined to go anywhere different in their own locality anyway. Couple this with the risk. With the likes of Richard Caring behind them Bill's would be likely to have the financial clout to walk away when it suited them - having decimated this historical building and made it unsuitable for community uses. This is why a local businessman has recently requested the proposed terms for the unsigned lease under Freedom of Information. More news of this soon.

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6 June 2012
Question: Is the Old Town Hall issue all over?

Answer: No it will never be over until the Council settles to the satisfaction of the Trust. Any further application for this Grade II listed building by Bill's Produce (or anybody else) will be based upon the previous applications DC/08/2317 and DC/08/2321. This is where the Council failed to declare it's own applications (as confirmed by the District Auditor) to the High Court. The Court therefore wrongly concluded this was an individual application from a Mr. Josh Leon. Therefore, the granting of any further planning application by HDC will allow us to return to the High Court once more in order to correct the situation.

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13 July 2012
Question: So we have a despotic, poor performing and badly behaving Council.
What can we do about it?

Answer: Quite a lot. However, it is important to direct attention to the real culprits i.e. the unaccountable Horsham District Council Cabinet. The key problem is that the HDC officers and employees are not being permitted to do their jobs objectively. The Cabinet says "jump" and the staff say "how high?" So what can you do ....?

1) Spread the word of our website by Facebook and Twitter. We are encouraged by the increased traffic to the real facts, particularly from Facebook, but also from other Council's such as Portsmouth recently. Our intervention into the recent Localism Act conference at East Grinstead has obviously had an effect. Further sinking the Council's 'bad boy' reputation amongst its peers is key. So too, is further sinking HDC's reputation (until it changes its ways) with it's own Government and Govt. departments. Our intervention into the Localism Act consultation has undoubtedly had an effect similarly. Prime Minister, David Cameron's office also pledged us a letter from Frances Maude's Cabinet Office a couple of years ago. We are still waiting!

2) If Bill's signs the tenancy agreement - support our launch a boycott of Bill's Produce and its sister company COTE via Facebook and Twitter. The existing folk, arts and music networks that we are part of, are 'bang on' with Bill's target demographic. Sure, the HDC Cabinet are the main villains, but Bill's have played their part. As an ethical company, Bill's should have walked away 'for good' in our view, once the details of the fiddled scoring of their selection over Gondola was revealed by the District Auditor a couple of years ago. Mr Nice Guy, Bill Collison himself, was 'wheeled out' to the local press recently but it seems he spoke with 'forked tongue'. Mr. Collison gave the impression that Bill's will be opening at a time when it clearly won't. He also gave the impression that the historic building wouldn't be touched. In fact, the plans show that the historic, custom designed acoustics will be decimated by a large hole cut between the floors. The unique architectural design of the solid arches on the front elevation will also be destroyed and glazed. Bill gave the impression he loves Horsham, but he walked away two years ago voluntarily (the clause in the agreement could have been waived). Bill's is, in our opinion, an offshore financed, big business venture of 'chain' restaurants. Other branches, such as Covent Garden in the past, continue to take precedence over Horsham. If the tenancy agreement goes ahead, then Bill's Produce and COTE will deserve everything that is coming to them.

3) Support our forthcoming objection to the District Auditor. We can make this objection on the 8th August 2012. The expected investigation (the third in as many years) will cost the taxpayer money (a few thousands) - but it will be worth it. If suppliers to HDC cannot have confidence in the fairness of the Council's procurement process they will not bid. This will lead to a lack of competition and a resultant decline in quality. It will also lead to an increase in cost of bids that are made; as potential suppliers try to offset the risks associated with a perceivably unfair process. Such a situation could cost the taxpayer millions of pounds in forthcoming years. On the plus side, lots of the evidence from the previous two investigations of the Council bad behaviour and the role of others like Davis Coffer Lyons and Bill's Produce can be revisited. This should help to reduce the cost of any further investigation. The Council are currently struggling to disclose the detailed scorings of the latest bids under Freedom of Information. However, another District Auditor investigation will lay the facts bare. In our opinion, such an investigation would show a selection process of 'Libor rate fixing proportions'. The District Auditor called for a transparent and accountable process at the Council's Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee. The fact is; Ms Thompson (District Auditor) didn't get what she asked for. As we will explain in a further update - the selection process (at the expense of W J King) was actually worse than the fiddled one last time around - the one that saw Gondola similarly lose out unfairly to Bill's.  

4) Support our interventions at the High Court. In our opinion, the Council 'got away with it' on the last two occasions. First time around, they failed to declare to the Court that the planning application for the Old Town Hall was their own. Second time around, when we applied for the injunction, the Council failed to serve their response on us properly i.e. it was only served by e-mail. It meant that we did not have the opportunity to counter the Council's submission before the Court made its necessarily quick decision. Next time, there will be no mistakes however. 

Spread the word!

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14 June 2012

Question: What is the most recent question put to the council under the FOIA regarding
the bidding for the Town Hall?

Answer;This is the text of the latest FOIA request from a local businessman;

Thank you very much for the information on the latest Old Town Hall bids and the speed it was provided, which was much appreciated. However, there does not appear to be sufficient detail in the response for me to ascertain whether the bids were evaluated fairly. Please could you supply the details of the actual bids as they were considered therefore? I believe these details were exhibited to a group of Councillors at one stage. Please could you supply the detailed scorings of each bid too? The figures appear to come from score multiplied by weighting - but at the moment I cannot verify whether the scores that were accumulated in each category were justified.

As an example, the bid of Bill's Produce scores better than W J King for having less impact on this Grade II Listed Building. However, Bill's Produce is set to cut a large hole between the two floors and decimate the custom-designed acoustics of both levels. This hole would also severely adversely affect the historic raised stage and panelling on the upper floor one would imagine. Bill's Produce also plans to knock out the uniquely designed, in-filled arches, that were consistent with the OTH's historical use as a Courtroom. It seems to me that W J King would have had to have plans to virtually demolish parts of the building in order score lower than Bill's Produce in this respect therefore. However, I thought that the Blue Flash Music Trust and W J King proposals incorporated minimal changes to the building.

I would be grateful for the further level of information mentioned above therefore.

Many thanks for your assistance in this matter.

10

16 June 2012

Question: What other fiddles might there have been to give Bill's as the answer in the latest Old Town Hall evaluation process?   

Answer: The Council's website says "Bill’s will pay for the building’s ongoing maintenance, running costs and spend £750,000 on renovations and improvements."

However, this is not true. Most of Bill's money would not be spent on renovations and improvements to the building, it would be spent on re-fitting the Old Town Hall for restaurant use. W J King may have been unfairly penalised for not needing to spend as much on conversion, yet King's committed spend on true 'renovations and improvements' would probably have been about the same.

Much of the Bill's Produce spend would also seemingly be committed to un-improving the building. Once Bill's cuts a large hole between the two floors, the qualities of this building and it's history as a Courtroom and old style Council chamber will be lost forever, so will the uniquely designed solid arches when, according to the plans, Bill's knocks these out too.

These changes to the building are obviously high risk too. The Council's website boasts:

"The addition of Bill’s to Horsham is set to further enhance the gastronomic reputation and private investment the town continues to achieve thanks to Horsham District Council’s proactive work in supporting the local economy by attracting inward investment into the town’s East Street and nearby areas."

However, nothing can be further from the truth. The Council is bringing little demand to the area. In fact, with big employers such as Novartis, RSA and the RSPCA shedding jobs, demand is falling. This is why the community proposal for the OTH based on tourism was so important to the businesses of the area as a whole. At best, the opening of Bill's in the Old Town Hall will simply spread existing demand more thinly around the various restaurant outlets in the area as a whole. Perhaps we are likely to see more Horsham restaurants reducing their opening hours or reducing the days they are open in the near future.

If Bill's were to fail in the Old Town Hall as a restaurant, or be allowed to walk away (as no-one knows the terms of the proposed lease), given the gaping hole, Horsham would be left with an unusable building for other purposes. This historical building's wonderful acoustic properties would have been destroyed for nothing.

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21 June 2012

Question: Is Councillor Burgess’s statement true, in his letter WSCT 7 June 2012 re future development of the Town Hall, that “The only contender is Blue Flash Music Trust and its website infers this is actually one member acting by himself?”

In the minutes for the council meeting 15 May 2012, when the future of the Town Hall was being debated, it is recorded that Ms Jeanette Stone asked the following question:

“I would like to know why we need yet another restaurant & market at Horsham Town Hall? We already have enough restaurants & the existing markets are far superior to Bills Produce. Please give Blue Flash Music Trust a chance to show what they can do in the Town Hall.”

Ms Stone asked a supplementary question, as to how a restaurant in this location would affect the other restaurants in the town.

Councillor Arthur replied, referring to his earlier reply, indicating that this business would be different from and complementary to the existing restaurants in the town.

The Trust is very grateful for these questions from Ms Jeanette Stone, who is one of the many people who have come to the support of the Trust, over many years, as can be found on numerous
occasions in letters to the local press.

12

23 June 2012
Question: Why has Horsham District Council been so evidently

biased towards Bill's Produce over the years?

Answer: We do not know for sure as yet. However, it may be something to do with the relationship between Horsham District Council and Bill Produce's sister company COTE that opened up in Horsham's East Street four years ago. The project managers for Bill's Old Town Hall project were from COTE and many involved in Bill's Produce had COTE e-mail addresses. COTE may also have had a lot to do with Davis Coffer Lyons being on the shortlist as Agent for the Old Town Hall. Davis Coffer Lyons were ultimately selected as both Agent and consultant to the Council and many thought this was an obvious conflict of interest. Perhaps the 'cosy' relationship between COTE and Horsham District Council is demonstrated by the East Street trader’s meeting held at the COTE restaurant. 

13

27 June 2012

Question: What other options are there for opposing this travesty of justice
i.e. Bill's Produce in the Old Town Hall?

Answer: We still have an option of yet another objection to the District Auditor. This time we feel that it is unlikely that she will be able to resist issuing a Public Interest Report against the Council. As the current Chairman of the Council put it at the last Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee "What you are telling us is that we have sinned two years in a row and we should not sin again." However the Council has very much sinned again.

HDC used exactly the same sub-standard procurement process for the Old Town Hall once more - after giving assurances to the District Auditor that they would get it right this time. The District Auditor said that such a process could not eliminate the possibility of allegations of bias - so unsurprisingly - a repeat of the process, again in the hands of just one Cabinet member, produced another biased decision in favour of Bill's over the W J King proposal. Last time of course it was a biased decision in favour of Bill's over Gondola. The appointment of Crickmay as joint agent was another waste of taxpayers' money it seems. Crickmay had no independent role and simply passed on enquiries. Their only role in our view, was to distract people from the possible conflict of interest issues concerning the other agent - Davis Coffer Lyons (as referred to by the District Auditor previously). 

The Council already realised that they are struggling to defend the latest OTH decision it seems. Last night they stopped us speaking at the Accounts Audit & Governance Committee (AAG) as we had previously agreed with the Chairman of AAG when we spoke at the December meeting. It is a constitutional necessity that this committee is chaired by an opposition Councillor. However, it seems that there is not an independent Chairman of this committee any more. He is, in our latest opinion, effectively a puppet of the Council Officers who are in turn, 'puppets' of the Council Cabinet. The District Auditor pointed out in the March AAG meeting that our comments from the December AAG had not been minuted and she had warned the Council about the quality of minutes before. Rather than minute our comments this time around, they simply prevented us from speaking. There is still no local democracy in Horsham it seems.

The Council are also making up other criteria to boost their latest biased decision in favour of Bill's Produce over W J King. Councillor Crosbie said that he was worried about the security of the pub business. However, W J King wasn't proposing a pub. It seems that the low level of understanding of his HDC Cabinet colleagues is rubbing off on him as Chairman. We would also take a long-standing local company like W J King, with community ties, community history, and community loyalty over an offshore-financed restaurant chain like Bill's Produce anyway. With Bill's branches opening up here there and everywhere, who would need to travel to Horsham to go there? There will be little new demand - and Bill's in the OTH will only take business away from existing restaurants in East Street who are already finding it tough. The existing lack of demand is already demonstrated in the fact that many of them are not open seven days a week. Don't take our word for it though - listen to the Council's restaurant consultant who was also the Agent (joint Agent last time around) and the sole Agent when Bill's went into Covent Garden. There is no certainty in business and Bill's will be as vulnerable as anybody else. A source from inside Bill's recently said that he wasn't going into the Old Town hall yet because he was concentrating on two other branches. If things go wrong then Bill's will undoubtedly have the clout to walk away. If so, having cut a large hole between the floors, Bill's will leave the Horsham community with a useless building. The risks are high.

The District Auditor can't make the Council listen to her recommendations. The Council is free to ignore her advice. However, the public, shareholders, indeed anybody, can reasonably expect that any advice from an external auditor will be followed. The public must therefore be urgently made aware of the Council's arrogance and irresponsible behaviour via a Public Interest Report.

In the meantime, we will also challenge the latest biased Council decision in favour of Bill's in the High Court. The previously fiddled Gondola scorings will undoubtedly boost our case. We have until August 15th 2012 to get the paperwork together. 

14

3 July 2012
Question: Is Bill's Produce still serious about going into the Old Town Hall?

Answer: So there is an application for licensing on the front of the Old Town Hall. People should not be fooled by this. Three years ago Bill's Produce 'poached' Horsham District Council like an already dead kipper. The fact is, that Bill's Produce voluntarily 'walked away' from the previously signed Agreement with the Council. It remains a possibility that they strung HDC along in order to delay any competition with their sister company Cote in Horsham's East Street, while they concentrated on new Bill's Produce branches in other areas. There was a new marketing exercise last year costing the taxpayer £3,000. We expressed an interest in that exercise; as our proposal was not a million miles from the Bill's Produce offering - except for an accountability and service to the local community. However, both the Council and the Agent (previously linked to Bill's) declined to send us the details.

It seems to us that the licensing application is simply to reassure the Council and the public that 'something is happening'. However, as a recent application from a local businessman under the Freedom of Information Act reveals, even two months on from the decision, there is still no signed tenancy agreement between the Council and Bill's Produce.

There is no doubt in our minds that Bill Collison was 'wheeled out' in the local press as the 'acceptable face of big business'. How this benefits the people of Horsham, nobody in our view really knows. There appears to us to be no real difference between the 'offshore antics' of comedian Jimmy Carr to that of Bill's Produce. Bill Collison was quoted as saying in the West Sussex County Times on 10th May 2012;

'He hopes Bill's Horsham will be open for business (in the Old Town Hall) by late summer, in time for this year's Harvest Festival.'

In our opinion, the natural response is "All pigs are serviced and ready to fly!"

P.S. We have just heard back from the District Auditor about our proposed objection to last year's accounts and the alleged lack of 'value for money'; and the sham process that was destined to be, once again, biased in favour of Bill's. More news of this to follow." 

15

17 July 2012

Question: The recent refusal of Horsham District Council to release the terms
of the proposed lease with Bill's Produce sounds a bit dodgy. Why is this?

Answer: Because it will be likely to compound the allegation of HDC bias in favour of Bill's. It is an almost certain fact that Bill's Produce was already unfairly selected by the Council over Gondola (three years ago) and W J King (recently). If the terms of the proposed lease with Bill's Produce were to be disclosed to the public, the other tenants of HDC on much less favourable terms, would be likely to object. The question, in our view, is really: "Why didn't Bill's walk away for good?" The answer probably lies in the fortunes of its sister company COTE in East Street. COTE wants its table and chairs in East Street at the expense of other traders such as the small independents and the charity shops. The Council may therefore have exerted its leverage over Bill's to (perhaps unwisely) re-enter the frame on the Old Town Hall. It looks to us from the East Street plans that COTE are indeed 'gainers'; over 'losers' such as Pizza Express. Conversely, and in response, Bill's Produce may be 'dragging out' negotiations over the lease until the COTE 'tables and chairs' issue is finalised. Once COTE have fulfilled their 'tables and chairs' objectives then 'Bill's Produce' will then be able to 'walk away' from the Old Town Hall 'for good'. In such an event, we will wish them well for the success of their other branches, and concentrate on our own proposal in partnership with the Council; one that will bring the necessary tourism benefits to Horsham town.  

16

19 July 2012
Question:  Is there no way that we can get our hands on the proposed lease with Bill's Produce?

Answer: Yes, but it will take a bit of time. The requester will first need to ask for a review under Freedom of Information Act and the Council will have 21 days to respond. After that, it will most likely be a decision by the Information Commissioner. There is a precedent in the publics' favour with the release of the clause under the last aborted agreement between Bill's and the Council previously. It showed that the last deal faltered as a result of a lack of expected profits at Bill's Reading Branch in the early weeks. This was another example of Council Cabinet stupidity over the OTH in our opinion. The commercially sensitive information was redacted (blanked out) which of course was accepted. It is thought to be likely that the Information Commissioner will find in the requester's favour therefore. In any case, the proposed agreement may also be revealed in any forthcoming investigation by the District Auditor. Unfortunately, we cannot make this application until 8th August.

17

25 July 2012

Question: Is the opposition to Bill's really the work of a tiny minority?

Answer: Such was the claim in last week's Resident article. (See Press Release update 20 July 2012) Once again, 'Mr. Nice Guy', Bill Collison was 'trotted out' in order to try and persuade us that we will all love Bill's.

Firstly, you can rely on the less sizeable pool of experienced journalists at The Resident to push such an unbalanced, 'non-story'. Secondly, you can rely on the fact that an increasingly cynical, down-trodden population of Horsham town will not be fooled any further by a despotic Council. Presumably, the West Sussex Council Times (WSCT) - sorry, West Sussex County Times - was given the same 'non-story'; and if they were; chose not to report it. The reason may be that Editor in Chief, Gary Shipton, has been quietly canvassing opinion on Bill's going into the Old Own Hall, on his travels; and has been receiving some 'short and sharp' answers that are not in favour. That said, Mr Shipton obviously has to tread a fine line publicly. For one thing, he is Chairman of the largely ineffective, Council led local 'quango' that is the Horsham Community Development Partnership.

The other answer lies in the local competition between the two newspapers. Normally competition is favourable and healthy. However, the Council places a large amount of statutory advertising and may be using its usual 'bullying tactics' - playing one paper off against another - in order to keep the two papers 'in-line'. Accountability of Councils via the local press was one issue that featured in the Twelfth Inquiry of the Committee of Standards in Public Life - to which the Trust gave evidence. Unfortunately, the inquiry was 'pulled' due to the MP Expenses scandal. 

Make no mistake, Bill Collison is indeed a 'nice guy made good'. He got a good break with the Lewes floods, but has now, in our view, lost his way - 'selling out' to offshore financiers. In our opinion, in spite of his claims, he has as many links with the Horsham community as penguins have with polar bears! He is also not a 'safe pair of hands' when talking to the press it seems. Rumour has it that the Horsham Branch was going to break with the national brand and call itself 'Bill's Porkie Pies'.

'Porkie Pie' number one: Bill's would be open in late summer. Did we believe him? No! It seemed that Bill's advertised some senior jobs in the Horsham branch and they were then inexplicably 'no longer available'.  

‘Porkie Pie’ number two: Who'd want to touch the building? Answer: Bill would; by cutting a large hole between the two floors (decimating the historical, custom designed acoustics) and trashing the historical feature of the solid arches on the front elevation.  (See cartoon above)

One would ask how these particular adjustments (trashing an historical and iconic Grade II listed building) would fulfil the Council tourism strategy based on arts, heritage and leisure? As one Horsham resident put it "I can't even put a Sky dish on my Grade II listed house!".

There was once a second Council Old Town Hall Advisory Group (after the zero-cost community proposal for the Old Town Hall and its place in the tourism strategy from the Trust was 'stabbed in the back' from the first one) formed to pursue the goal. This 2nd Council Advisory Group 'disappeared up its own backside' in a usual display of Council incompetence - hence the desperation to get Bill's back in the frame. A saying springs to mind:

"If you can't run the monkey enclosure; then it is unlikely that you will be able to run the whole zoo". We are not sure, but the saying is rumoured to be inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm. That is, the book where "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". However, the pigs were firmly in charge.

However, the aforementioned rumour turned out to be untrue and the Horsham Branch in the Old Town Hall was indeed going to be called 'Bill's Produce'; like all the others in this offshore-financed chain. In the recent article Bill Collison therefore 'produced' two corrections:

1) Bill's will be open later in the year.

2) We will all love the decimation of this historic building (that we might be left with in an unusable form, if the Bill's chain, rich backers were to subsequently seek its fortune elsewhere).

If we are a tiny minority why would Bill be trotted out in such a press release to take us on? If we are a tiny minority, why has Gary Shipton of the WSCT not got the answers from the public he wanted? Why does someone feel motivated enough to speak at a Council meeting opposing Bill's when they have no connection with the Trust - and do this without our knowledge? Why do the Facebook and Twitter co-ordinators urge visits to our site when they have no connection with the Trust?

Over a thousand column inches of hostility in the local press in the last five years say that Bill is wrong. From our 'You the Jury' consultation, not one person says that the Council has behaved properly and all believe that Bill's should have walked away permanently whilst the "going was good".

However, the 'proof of the pudding will be in the eating'. As one Horsham resident put it "Let's hope that it won't be dinner for two at The White Elephant".    

18

1st August 2012

Question: Who won the competition for the 'Boycott Bill's & sister co. COTE' logo?

Answer: Indeed, the successful entry was a late one - right up to the wire - and based on our Bill's Porkie Pies update. However, the proud winner says he wishes to remain anonymous.  Therefore we will refer to him by his alias, ‘Bill Stickers’ in future. So, congratulations to Mr. Stickers for his 'Bill's Produces Porkie Pies' logo which will go on the posters, leaflets, T-shirts and stickers. We expect to have these produced in the next couple of weeks. HDC are undoubtedly still the bad boys too, but in the absence of any democratic power for the townspeople (because the largely out-of-town despotic Cabinet still 'gets in') - then 'consumer power rules OK!' (Winning entry below.)

19

7 August 2012

Question: Is the application for tables and chairs for Bill's in Market Square a problem?

Answer: No it's an opportunity. It means we can delay bringing a further legal case while we build up the 'Boycott Bill's Produce & sister co. COTE' campaign. Contesting the inevitable, positive decision from HDC in favour of Bill's (at the expense of neighbouring businesses) will enable us to bring in the dodgy planning issues of the past, as well as the bias towards Bill's over Gondola, and the subsequent bias towards Bill's over W J King. It is preferable to contesting the Council decision in May. We can also potentially use any evidence thrown up in a District Auditor investigation (window of opportunity opens 8 August 2012) - as well as gain disclosure on things like the Council efforts to appease Bill's in 2006 (in contravention of Council policy at the time).The Council currently won't give up details of the proposed lease with Bill's, probably because the lease is likely to be on ridiculously favourable terms to Bill's, over and above the Council's other tenants. On planning, the taxpayer paid for the plans and the application fee, before the plans were promptly handed over to Bill's. The Council then failed to declare its own planning application to the High Court leading to an erroneous decision by the Judge. The Chief Executive offered us a meeting during the period in which we could make a Court Appeal - and then withdrew the offer when the Appeal period closed! This is a very badly behaving Council that will seemingly stoop to any level to appease Bill's Produce and its sister company COTE. 

That isn't to say that we shouldn't object to the application for the tables and chairs in Market Square and urge the neighbouring businesses to do the same. We have evidence that Market Square has been regularly used for community activities for centuries. Also the Trust has held community events there in the past.

One thing about the application for Market Square is that it is invalid. It quotes the application as being from Bill's, Old Town Hall Building, Market Square Horsham. As far as we know, Bill's Produce has not signed the lease yet. The application for Market Square is therefore from an invalid address.

20

10 August 2012

Question: Why did the West Sussex County Times break cover this week and
produce another un-balanced pro-Bill's article?

Answer: Seems to us that the bully-boys of the Council Cabinet have been at work in order to to bring them back into the fold - and become the mouthpiece of the West Sussex Council Times once more. Interestingly, The Resident stayed quiet on the OTH this week. The article in the WSCT (reproduced on our Press Release page) might have given itself the pretence of balance with the "What do you think?" caption at the bottom, but of course, that doesn't mean any opposing views will get printed. We think that the Council would be on the phone to Editor-In-Chief Gary Shipton in an instant if that were to be the case.

The truth is however, that both the WSCT and the Council are terrified that Bill's hasn't signed the lease yet. It is a little detail that invalidates the application for Bill's tables, chairs and umbrellas in Market Square. Bill's (or perhaps, sister company COTE on their behalf) can't legitimately apply to dominate Market Square from the Old Town Hall address. However, this will not be the main ground on which we will contest the application in Court once its approved. The Council has a long history of provable bias in favour of Bill's and therefore cannot independently make an objective Save OTH Market Square decision. The application will also be at the expense of neighbouring businesses, as the plans on our '' page on this site shows. But don't take our word for it - i.e. about the effect on other local businesses - listen to the word of the Council's consultant, who just happened to be the 'so called' independent marketing agent - the same exclusive agent for Bill's branch in Covent Garden. It reminds us of the old joke: "A charge of nepotism at HDC was denied by a Council spokesman's daughter!"

Analysis of the WSCT article this week shows that the campaign of 'Boycott Bill's Produce and its sister company COTE' (around the caption and cartoon of 'Bill's Produces Porky Pies') is very apt. If Bill has been reported accurately by the WSCT - then the previous 'Porky Pies' about opening in the summer (when the Council recently stated that there was "no timetable") and not touching the building, have been added to below. "Bill has had his heart set upon opening a restaurant in the Grade II listed building at the top of the Causeway for more than seven years."

Porkie Pie 'Number 3' then - Fact: Bill's voluntarily walked away from Horsham in 2010. He could have waived the clause about his Reading profits in the signed Agreement with HDC but he chose not to. It seems that Bill did not love us as much as he would like to make out.

Porkie Pie 'Number 4' - Fact: Bill did not announce any bid in the further marketing exercise of June/July 2011, which cost the taxpayer another £3,000. Once again, it seems that Bill did not love us as much as he would like to make out. The Trust wanted to make a bid at that time - but the Council declined to send us the details. Nothing except Bill's would ever be entertained it seems.

Bill's tables, chairs and umbrella's would give us a 'Mediterranean feel' we are told. We're sure that other local businesses might secretly think that we in Horsham can all become a bit like Greece. While the odd 'fat-cat' in Greece will undoubtedly survive, the rest will have to suffer.

In May Bill said "We'll bring some lovely products you can buy, and we'll offer a place where you can meet as a community." So where the Horsham Community once met and performed in Market Square for free, or met cheaply in the Old Town Hall, you can now pay through the nose and further line the pockets of Bill's backers such as billionaire Richard Caring. That is of course, if you don't want to visit Bill's sister company COTE down the road in East Street and do the same. There you can get in the way (along with tables and chairs and umbrellas) of the disabled and necessary deliveries to other shops what has become the Council's chaotic East Street project. It seems that COTE put their tables and chairs up a bit prematurely this week until someone objected. However, once again, with this wayward Council, approval will be a foregone conclusion. Such is the leverage that Bill's and COTE have we feel. We've been trying to think of a suitable metaphor. Pretend for example that the Council has a 5 litre tin of paint and the Bill's/COTE alliance have the same. While Bill's/COTE have two, big, fat screwdrivers to open the tin, the Council Cabinet are trying to open theirs with a lolly stick. This is no doubt why the Council won't publish the details of the proposed OTH lease - as it will cause outright rebellion from their other tenants we believe. The Council are hiding behind 'commercial sensitivity' of course, but as per precedent, any (truly) commercially sensitive information can be redacted (blanked out). 

One absolutely truthful thing about the Bill's article this week is that the mess has been going on for seven years. Bill's was involved in 'under the table' negotiations with the Council Cabinet (against Council policy at the time) in order to try and block the winning community bid. The HDC Cabinet behaviour has got steadily worse since. Scrutiny Committee and Accounts, Audit & Governance do not have the courage to stand up for what is right. So the people, via 'consumer power' will have to do the job.     

Making progress? We don't think so! Or maybe it can be argued that the Titanic made good progress to the bottom of the Atlantic!  

21

16 August 2012

Question: Is the sycophantic 'Meet Bill' article in The Resident glossy magazine this month a problem?

Answer: No, its another opportunity. Indeed, the Council, COTE, local press alliance 'propaganda machine' was working overtime this week with a considerable amount of huffing and puffing. However, Peter Gabriel (of Genesis fame) once wrote a song about fairness and justice including the words:

"You can blow a candle out; but you can't blow out a fire;

When the flames begin to catch; the wind will blow them higher."

So the message to 'the alliance' is "Keep on huffing and puffing and you will burn (rather than blow) your own house down." Thanks to the unethical behaviour of the Council on the Old Town Hall , your house is also made of straw.

And so to The Resident article 'Meet Bill ...'

Bill is clearly passionate about burgers and beers (though more passionate about Harvey's from Lewes; than Kings, Weltons or Hepworths from Horsham it seems). It reminds us of when David Cameron's PR machine was so keen to put 'Our Dave' amongst 'the ordinary people' by eating a pasty. Bill Collison is no David Cameron of course, but they do have two things in common:

1) They are both backed by billionaire Richard Caring (at least whilst there is a 'fair wind');

2) Like 'Our Dave', when he talks to the press, Bill Collison 'puts his foot in it' (rather than a burger). You may remember that David Cameron forgot to check that the branch he allegedly bought his delicious pasty from was still in operation at the time.    

The Resident claims that Bill owns 10 Bill's restaurants. However, this is not the case. Bill has lost control of the business. More accurately, there are currently 10 Bill's restaurants bearing Bill's first name as part of a 'Mr Nice Guy' brand project managed by COTE .

Make no mistake, Bill Collison is a 'Nice Guy'. The Trust's Business Advisor and one of the Trustees once met him at his Lewes base. Like most businessmen Bill had a big slice of luck in his 25 year journey. The Lewes floods helped him to majorly develop and refurbish his Lewes operation. To paraphrase an old saying "It's an ill flood-water that swamps nobody no good". However, nobody (including us) would deny a nice guy like Bill his fortune.

Bill talks about the early days and the early idea. It is indeed a noble past but the reality is somewhat different now. At the end of the day his financiers and COTE masters will call the shots. Times are tough for the restaurant industry and the COTE managers are likely to want to lever as much economies of scale as possible from a joint supply chain. Bill will perhaps stock and sell things accordingly, no matter what the early idea. Those economies of scale will likely come from centralised sources and will therefore be for the most part 'non-local'. Consequently, there will be little benefit to the local economy from the supply of goods, as there would have been with the Trust or W J King proposals. The economies of scale will also put greater competitive pressures on the smaller independent, local restaurant owners in Horsham.

"At many Bill's sites there is also a produce store where you can buy Bill's own brand goods." This begs two questions:

1) How many - and which of the Bill's stores - don't have a produce store attached to them?

2) Will Horsham have a produce store attached to it at the Old Town Hall , or will it maximise profit from restaurant covers (including the unfair domination of Market Square )? Speaking of Horsham profits; those profits are likely to be used to expand the COTE/Bill's empire elsewhere; rather than be re-invested in Horsham. This again makes the Bill's proposal less attractive than the Trust or W J King proposals - or indeed any other independent local operation. The lack of uniqueness (in that Bill's is a 'chain') will also not draw people to the town from elsewhere as much as some of the established independents. The Trust proposal on the other hand, had a major tourism benefit to all local businesses and residents. 

"Many of the staff Bill hired 25 years ago are still with him today."

A quick look around Bill's branches will tell you that many of his staff were barely born (if at all) 25 years ago. However, this is not unusual in the catering industry. In all probability too, Bill probably doesn't much get more than the average couple of years. The payroll system (perhaps likely shared with COTE ) will tell the true story.

It is claimed that Bill's in the Old Town Hall will create 50 jobs in Horsham. It is highly unlikely that these are 50 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) jobs. In catering, the jobs that are created, are often part-time and casual, and the pay is often poor. Again, the payroll system would tell you what the average wage and hours at Bill's were. Not much will perhaps be re-invested in the local economy by the workers therefore; and again, the total investment would probably be much less than the Trust and W J King proposals.

"These days, Bill works with his business partners on the expansion of the company". The Bill's Produce project is managed by COTE .

"Thankfully I have a business partner who has complimented my skills, driving the business forward. I think of her as the Dr Watson to my Sherlock Holmes." Bill doesn't seem to be sure how many business partners he has! Sherlock Holmes could count we think. However, given Bill's loss of control of the business perhaps he can be forgiven.

"Horsham will love the end result of their restaurant"

Bill declines to mention the Old Town Hall specifically. The Horsham people are unlikely in our view to accept the large-scale destruction of this historic Grade II Listed Building by cutting a large hole between the floors and trashing the unique arches. The controversy (past, present and future) would likely keep customers away.

"Bill gives back to others whenever he has the opportunity too. He says he likes to support local business wherever possible ... "

Bill clearly doesn't have the opportunity to support local business any more. The greedy application to dominate Market Square at the expense of other local businesses, or disproportionate to opportunities afforded to other local businesses; the likely ridiculously favourable terms of the Old Town Hall lease; and the lack of winning the Old Town Hall bid on merit - is all a big "screw you" to other Horsham businesses in our opinion. However, we realise that this unfair situation is being perpetrated by others acting on Bill's behalf. 

Why was there such a sycophantic article from The Resident? It’s not just Council bullying of course - or the pursuit of statutory advertising from the Council by the newspaper. It's also the pursuit of advertising revenue from Bill's itself.

  However, we have news for the Resident and the other local newspaper....

"There will never be a Bill's Produce operation in the Old Town Hall. "

Thanks largely to the stubborn Council Cabinet's unethical behaviour, there are far too many skeletons in the Old Town Hall  closet rattling to come out. The project managers of COTE and Richard Caring did not get where they are today by being stupid. To push ahead with the Old Town Hall Bill's Produce project would unnecessarily bring the 'Mr. Nice Guy' Bill's Produce brand 'crashing down'. COTE will be acutely aware that if things continue the way they are, it will not be long before a story that included someone with the profile of Richard Caring attracts the attention of the national press (large enough in scale and distribution to be more independent). Over the next month we will gradually be revealing the content of our forthcoming objection to the District Auditor (deadline the end of September). The Audit Commission has twisted and turned as the Council have ignored them in the past, but this time there is no 'wriggle room' left it seems. Only the project managers from COTE can determine whether we need to actually make the objection.

And so to the West Sussex County Times .....

We issued a press release about the planned boycott of Bill's and its sister company COTE  this week in response to last weeks appeal. A journalist from the WSCT got back to us and said that they could not report a boycott but could report our objection to the tables, chairs and umbrellas instead. We duly served the objection on the Council and revised our press release accordingly. Surprise surprise! The West Sussex Council Times didn't report the objection after all.

The text of our objection to the tables and chairs can be read on the link Save OTH Market Square

22

20 August 2012

Question: Who's who in Bill Collison's Sherlock Holmes analogy
(re-article from 'The Resident' magazine).

Answer: We think that Dr. Watson is Louise Neilson the COTE Projects and Development Manager. However, we think that Sherlock Holmes will be one of billionaire Richard Caring's right hand men (ex-Strada and Directors of COTE) either Andy Basadone or Chris Benians. This perhaps leaves Bill Collison more accurately described as Mrs Hudson in our view.

With the publication of the spoof article 'Story time with Bill', we realise that some people might think that we are being mean to Bill personally. However this is not the case. By doing what we are doing, we are light-heartedly attempting to preserve the COTE and Bill's Produce brands - not to destroy them. All COTE has to do, on Bill's behalf, is walk away once more. To that end, we generously did not add the false accusation that the Trust had caused the previous Bill's walk-out, as another Bill 'porkie pie' on our leaflets. In fact, a Freedom of Information Act request by local businessman David Brooks revealed that Bill's 'walked' as a result of less than anticipated profits at the Reading Branch in its early weeks. However, we are happy to take the blame once more! Alternatively, we are happy to stop at nothing, in conjunction with other arts and music organisations, to help protect arts venues such as the Old Town Hall for the future. Even if Horsham Old Town Hall became a Bill's Produce, we would still be certain to make an example of what can still happen to big business when they ride 'rough shod' over the community - in partnership with an unethically behaving Council as well in this case.  

COTE will be well aware of the many difficulties they still face in Horsham. We will challenge the licensing application for Market Square for starters. Other local businesses would no doubt like to openly challenge it too (perhaps not as far as Court like us), although they will have to be careful. This is a very 'toys out the pram', vindictive Council in our opinion and we think that many local businesses also realise this. We will also argue in Court that COTE will need a new Stopping Up Order to carry out the partial destruction of Old Town Hall. This is obviously a new Agreement and there has been considerable delay since the previous Stopping Up Order was granted. Circumstances have changed. In any case, it will be a good opportunity to highlight the previous false declaration to the Secretary of State by the developers. We think that is the trouble with this Council. The Council are not only happy to trash their own reputation, but they are quite happy to take down the reputation of others as well - just as long as they can get their own way like petulant little children. Until the Council changes its ways, all people thinking of dealing with this Council should be wary. Unfortunately for Bill's Produce, the previous history already means that they should sensibly walk away. Unfortunately, there are still many Council 'crimes' for us to reveal, my dear Watson.

23

22 August 2012
Question: What makes the Trust think that the Council indulges in bullying tactics and adversely affects other’s reputations?

Answer: There are loads of examples, but here are a couple of highlights.

1) In 2005 English Heritage indicated that the historic architectural feature of the solid arches should stay. In 2009, following the Council’s planning application that eventually saw the taxpayer funded plans handed over to Bill’s Produce, English Heritage had inexplicably switched their position to thinking that to trash the solid arches and glaze them was OK. We will provide more detail on this in the next couple of weeks. However, the reputation of English Heritage remains seriously undermined.

2) The local press recently dutifully reported ‘good progress’ on Bill’s in the Old Town Hall. However, Horsham residents are not stupid. Many are aware, including the press, that Bill’s advertised senior positions for Horsham Old Town hall and then withdrew them. That is not good progress, it’s ‘reverse gear.’ The credibility of the local press was seriously undermined as a result we think.

3) Having walked away in 2010, why on earth did COTE return with a Horsham Bill’s in 2012? Two possibilities exist in our opinion:

a) The Council has some kind of ‘hold’ over COTE and threatened to ‘blow the whistle’ if COTE did not bid (under the name of ‘Bill’s Produce’) for the Old Town Hall again. This sort of action might affect the Council’s reputation too perhaps, but history says they don’t really care. HDC regularly indulge in ‘slash and burn.’ Due to the lack of a Town Council, or conversion of the Neighborhood Councils to Parish Council’s (denied by the Council), the largely out-of-town Cabinet will always continue to rule the roost no matter what the damage. Their unaccountable arrogance knows no bounds and they will sacrifice anything to get their way it seems.

OR

b) Some, big, fat, disproportionate incentive (as compared to other businesses) was offered to COTE to put an Old Town Hall ‘Bill’s Produce’ back in the frame. Again, the Horsham District Council Cabinet (the bullies in the ‘school playground’ that is currently the HDC Council Chamber) need to get their way.

We will probably require the help of the District Auditor (alias Miss Marple) to find out which.  

The sad thing is, that Bill Collison is currently a major victim in all this in our view. Last year, after abandoning the Old Town Hall for the first time, he was cruising along. Now after a ‘long and successful tour of duty’ he has unjustly been put back in the ‘firing line’ by a combination of actions by Horsham District Council and his COTE masters. Here are some extracts from an article about Bill Collison in The Argus in 2011:       

“Although he’s rarely in the limelight himself, Collison’s tastes can be spotted in every corner of his stores, from the coloured raffia bundles that hang from the ceiling to the retro pin-up girls that adorn the menus. He has a particular person who writes the blackboards – he won’t use anyone else – and a tendency to obsess over the exact colours and arrangement of garnishes.

Born into a traveling family, Collison left Lewes Priory School without sitting his O Levels to join his father working on the land. A somewhat disruptive pupil, he was asked to leave before exams started. Last year, the head asked him back to present an award.

“I wish they’d make their minds up!” he grins.

His father gave him the Lewes High Street “shed” when he was 22, in an attempt to put his wayward son on track.

Collison junior quickly built up a loyal fan base for his groceries – Webb recalls him stocking ten types of mushroom, while in London she was struggling to find similar – but it was, at the end of the day, just a job.

The first Bill’s café opened in 2001, rising phoenix-like on the site where the shed had stood until being destroyed in the floods that devastated the town in 2000.

Customers were invited to sit down amongst the fresh produce – something of a novelty at the time. Collison stopped selling imported fruit and veg and started buying local, seasonal stuff – again, long before it became a foodie mantra.

“It was an easier way of doing things and something I could do with belief,” he says.

They won some awards, including the Observer Food Monthly’s Best Newcomer award in 2006, and started making their own chutneys and jams. They put fruit on pizzas, added roots and sprouts to salads and sold puddings that people would photograph before they ate (and still do).

“We wanted Bill’s to be somewhere that really celebrated food and was welcoming to everyone,”

Ten years down the line, the original Lewes store has been joined by one in Brighton and another in London ’s Covent Garden .

The fruit and veg side has all but disappeared.

Whatever people may claim, most don’t really want to scrub mud off misshapen potatoes. “If we’d stayed only a fresh produce store we wouldn’t be in business now. It’s the cafés that have carried it.”

He misses getting his hands dirty, but accepts change is inevitable.

Last year, Collison teamed up with millionaire businessman Richard Caring, whose portfolio includes London restaurants The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey. The millions Caring has put into Bill’s in the past 12 months means new stores are opening all over the country (Cambridge at the end of the month, with Oxford and Bristol looking set to follow).

Does he worry the brand will get diluted?

Although the new branches will remain under the control of the company’s directors, it’s surely hard to keep replicating something that has always felt quite unique.

 “Things have to keep getting better and certainly, the businesses are busier than they’ve ever been.

We’ve got a great team and Richard Caring doesn’t have anything that’s not good.”

Besides, Collison had to take a step back. He was worried he wasn’t seeing enough of his three sons growing up. It’s been hard, he says, trusting someone else with your baby – it took him long enough to let his store managers get on with managing – but things have to evolve.

After years of long hours and no holidays, he now wants to enjoy reaping the rewards.

The family live just outside Lewes, on a farm rented from a friend.

Despite all he has achieved, Collison would usually prefer to be putting his feet up than working – he insists he’s naturally lazy. But something changed when he founded Bill’s. “I became a martyr to the cause with Bill’s. I started thinking if I was going to do it, I had to be the best. I’ve been trying to achieve that ever since.”

We wish nothing but the best for Bill Collison - to see him enjoying his well deserved success - ‘dining out’ on past glories - once more, e.g. talking as ‘Lewes boy made good’ at his old school etc. However, it can only happen if his COTE masters can be persuaded by the Horsham people to give up Horsham Old Town Hall as the ‘bad ass’ project that it is.   

25                                                           27 August 2012

Question: Is the latest re-advertising of the Horsham Bill’s Produce Manager and Assistant Manager jobs a problem?

Answer: No. It's simply a weak attempt to appease a subservient local press as they chase the 'cash cow' of Bill's advertising. Having declared "it's all over" for the Old Town Hall a couple of times before - the press are desperately praying the poor cow doesn't end up as Bill's burgers! Only when the local press announces that COTE has signed the Old Town Hall lease for Bill's Produce will the gloves really come off as far as we are concerned.  

You would need quite a few more, different jobs, to be serious about opening in Horsham anytime soon. Any decent candidates that respond to the Horsham managers adverts can be diverted to other new openings nearby e.g. Chichester and Guildford . That said, we should mention that we didn't read "... able to deal with customer resistance and local opposition .... " in the job description.

Our postings last week caused quite a bit of debate it seems. We are particularly grateful to the local restaurant workers that contacted us (maybe as a result of us writing to the local businesses) and made some good points:

1) There is an increasing tendency to reduce costs by bringing in pre-prepared meals and heating them up to order. We initially thought that Bill Collison had covered off this route in The Resident article with:

"After all what's not to like about fresh food, prepared on the premises ..?"

On closer inspection however - this turns out to be a piece of narrative by the Resident reporter - and not a direct quote from Bill Collison. Rest assured, we will keep the operational side of both COTE and Bill's Produce under very close scrutiny if the Old Town Hall deal goes ahead.

'Prepared on the premises' is a difficult one of course. Are Bill's Produce cakes baked on the premises for example? Are they even baked locally? And what about the "absolute classics" such as the Bill's fish finger sandwich? Do you not simply get them out of the box (frozen rather than fresh) and lightly fry or grill them? Technically counts as 'prepared' I suppose. But perhaps Bill was talking about 'real fish fingers' - (literally) - caught locally, just off Dungeness nuclear power station. Dungeness is in Kent of course - but it's still sort of local.       

2) These days the restaurant business is all about driving down costs with a skeleton level of staff on flexible contracts. With so many Bill's branches opening - staff might be expected to cover other branches, or be brought in to cover from elsewhere. It is unlikely that a Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall would create anything like 50 Full Time equivalent jobs.

3) We do not currently know what the Horsham Bill's Produce opening times will be - and this would also affect the number of jobs. We know that Bill's will be open late on Fridays and Saturdays but what about the other evenings? Contribution to the 'Sunday to Thursday' Horsham evening economy may yet be another factor that made the W J King proposal superior to Bill's.

On Wednesday we will add a couple more points of our own before covering the District Auditor objection and English Heritage as previously promised.   

24                                                        24 August 2012

Question; What about this secret report by the council?

Answer; The West Sussex Council Times published the story about the internal Council report (23 August 2012) that suggests more of the townspeople's assets are 'up for grabs'. Once again the WSCT makes the claim that the Old Town Hall has been disposed of by the Council, when COTE (on behalf of Bill's Produce) have not, as far as we know, signed the lease yet and the proposed Horsham jobs for Bill's Produce have not been re-advertised. The WSCT story - based on the previously secret Council report - shows a bit more courage than of late. However, we still believe the WSCT would not have published if it was known that such a report came from a previously Council identified, alleged 'enemy of the state' like ourselves. The local press used to contact us for an alternative view on the OTH story as a matter of course but not any more! 

In fact, the threat to Horsham Museum is not new. It was previously cited as one of three locations offered to the Registrar's service when the HDC Cabinet were desperately trying (in contravention of both Council policy and the recommendation of the Old Town Hall Advisory Group at the time), to get Bill's Produce in the Old Town Hall in 2006 (in order to block the favoured community proposal). Unfortunately for HDC, West Sussex County Council (on behalf of the Registrar) turned them down. The people 'in the know'; such as the Council's Monitoring Officer, Director of Leisure Services and Head of Leisure Services were soon after 'put out to grass'. In our view, the Cabinet could not afford to have them around - as they might have been interviewed about the 'under the table' negotiations with Bill's Produce if the Local Government Ombudsman had decided to investigate after all. Three years later, HDC Cabinet remained so desperate to get Bill's in the Old Town Hall and gain their childish way - they gave up a bit of Park House to the registrar (something they were not previously prepared to do).

In our view the HDC Cabinet has sought revenge on the Museum ever since the Blue Flash Music Trust was involved in the joint project management of the successful Vaughan Williams celebrations. Similarly, we believe that the acclaimed annual Horsham Music Week was 'pulled' by the Cabinet, with unknown authority and unknown reasoning, because of our involvement. This is truly a vindictive and petty Council it seems. In fact, 'bang for buck', Horsham Music Week was HDC's most cost-effective festival at just £1,500 per year. 

Certain out-of-town Tory Councillors were shameless in the Old Town Hall debate about the possibility of using the proposed meagre revenue from Bill's (nearly £20,000 less a year than was offered by Gondola) to subsidise their own areas. The common factor in all of this is that it is the townspeople's assets that are up for disposal by a largely out-of-town Cabinet. Similarly we are not currently aware of any assets up for sale in the largely Conservative voting rural areas. The majority of the townspeople do not vote for the ruling party - so in advance of any Council organisational reforms to save cost (e.g. making a large Sussex County Council, with Town and Parish Council's underneath) - the Cabinet will 'strip' as many town assets as possible - whilst also denying the townspeople the right to form Parish Councils - or combining with a Horsham Town Council - in order to protect their interests. Even when the townspeople voluntarily paid the slight operational costs of the Old Town Hall through the Special Charge, the Council would not let them continue. The Cabinet also released the £205,814 reserved for the OTH back into general funds so they could spend it in other areas or subsidise their ongoing incompetence. There are not many well-handled projects we can think of and the 1.3 million overspend on the Acorn project (over two accounting years) was a particularly infamous example. 

The choice is now a simple one for the people of Horsham - given the absence of any democratic options; Boycott COTE (and Bill's Produce - if Bill's comes to the OTH) and ultimately save the Drill Hall, Museum and Capitol Theatre. 

Unfortunately it is too late for the campaigners of Broadbridge Heath who unfortunately played by the HDC Cabinet's 'golden rules'; "He who has the gold makes the rules". So - Use your consumer power to start boycotting COTE now - and save the OTH too. You cannot rely on the Neighbourhood Council's because the Council effectively tore up the Memorandum of Understanding with the NC's via a previous legal defence concerning their irrational antics over the OTH.

The West Sussex Council Times has a different spin on this of course when they say, "So we have to conclude that the voters of Horsham district back a low tax regime, even if it means sacrificing public facilities." More accurately, HDC Cabinet members and ruling party Councillors can, for the moment, attempt to appease their own voters by unjustly "sticking it" to the people of the town and making the townspeople pay for the Council's own widespread mis-management in recent years. However, fair minded voters, even in the rural areas, will eventually 'catch on'.

The people of the District are all currently capable of "sticking it" back to a despotic Council Cabinet by boycotting COTE and Bill's, whether in a pressure group or not. Eventually these pressure groups can combine to form an alliance of independents to unseat all the current coalition councillors - but unfortunately - not until May 2015. 

Nevertheless, boycotting the iconic symbol of the Council's bad behaviour (COTE & Bill's) now - will be a great start.

26                                                        30 August 2012

Question: who really thinks that Bill's in the Old Town Hall is a good idea?

Answer: no-one really!

COTE and Bill Collison don't think so because the Old Town Hall saga is a major threat to the Bill's Produce brand around the country. That is presumably why they are afraid to sign the deal and put the Council and the local press out of their misery. What Bill Collison refers to as "move the goalposts" - we refer to as Bill producing 'porkie pies'. We'll cover this in more detail tomorrow. However, COTE (as masters of Bill's Produce) might have been given an honourable lifeline to withdraw from Horsham once more - due to the rival bid for tables and chairs in Market Square from Artisan. Otherwise, if the Horsham District Council Licensing Committee were to unfairly 'do down' other local businesses in favour of Bill's domination of Market Square, it will further help our legal case when the time comes.

The District Auditor doesn't think it's a good idea because she has already singled out the Council's recent procurement exercise (where Bill's was irrationally selected over W J King) for special attention. Another investigation inevitably looms (on the back of the unfair selection of Bill's over Gondola).

The wider Council don't think it's a good idea (apart from the 'dinasour with it's head in the sand' HDC Cabinet) because of the widespread unethical behaviour and the currently unanswered questions that will be publicised and answered if the deal goes ahead. The Council's reputation will ultimately sink through the floor (along with others). 

English Heritage don't think it's a good idea because they can't explain how they came to support inappropriate changes to this Grade II listed building, including some specific changes that they previously highlighted and opposed.

The local press don't think it's a good idea because they obviously feel forced into attempting to herd the Horsham public like cattle towards Bill's 'burger machine'. The local press can't honestly think that Horsham residents are too stupid to remember that the Old Town Hall lay empty for six years because the Council, in a 'fit of pique', didn't allow the public to use it. That was after the HDC cabinet scuppered the winning community proposal in 2006 (at no cost to the taxpayer) - in favour of its secret negotiations with Bill's - also in contravention of Council policy at the time. We certainly don't think that Horsham residents are silly - and the local press will ultimately 'pay the price'. The public are also bright enough to spot the lack of balance and selectivity. Bill's application for Market Square domination with tables and chairs was heavily publicised in the West Sussex Council Times for example - although it also mentioned Artisan's current meagre allocation in passing. Similarly as far as we can spot, Artisan's recent submission for a much fairer allocation of tables and chairs (at the expense of Bill's domination) has not been publicised.

The Horsham Society don't think it's a good idea - in spite of John Steele being drafted in by the West Sussex Council Times as 'Chief Herder' this week. As we have read in the past, the Horsham Society have been long-standing critics of both East Street pedestrianisation and the antics of the Council over the Old Town Hall. We don't think that the Horsham public, or ordinary HS members, are silly enough to buy this 'road to Damuscus' type conversion either.

The Horsham residents don't think it's a good idea - and no recent propaganda offensive by those above - will convince them otherwise is our contention. The controversy has raged for too long and no-one thinks that the Council has handled this issue fairly or well already. The Horsham people, with a sense of  'British fair play' will avoid COTE and Bill's Produce in protest. We are constantly refining our draft publicity materials in the light of events - in order to raise the necessary awareness.

As we said, more on 'moving goalposts' tomorrow. In the meantime, here's another question: "How did Bill's initial verbal offer of £75,000 per annum become a meagre £54,000 in the first proposed 'Heads of Terms' contract?

Answer: "We don't currently know!"

And another question: "Has Bill's recent offer of £60,000 per annum (£15,000 below the original verbal offer) become less than this amount in the latest proposed Old Town Hall lease? (and consequently less than the £60,000 originally offered by W J King)"

Answer: We don't know because the Council refuses to release the terms of the lease. We therefore don't know about any other possible 'sweeteners' (possibly detrimental to other local businesses) offered by the Council to Bill's either."

28                                                    

4 September 2012

Question: Is it a problem that the Council refuses to release the details of the individual scoring sheets for the Bill's versus W J King bids?

Answer: No it is hardly a surprise as the Council got it's fingers burned previously when it released the scoring sheets for Bill's versus Gondola. It showed conclusively that the scorings were fundamentally fiddled in favour of Bill's over Gondola. Similarly the Council would understandably not like to risk the prospect of people deducing that the scorings for Bill's versus W J King were fiddled. The Council's defence under the Freedom of Information Act is ridiculous of course - commercial sensitivity! The scoring sheets are just a Council view of the bids and no commercial information is likely to be contained in them. If there was - the commercial information in question could simply be redacted (blanked out).

No matter. The District Auditor called for an accountable and transparent process and opted to put the recent process under scrutiny. There is no doubt that the latest process was even worse than the time before. Today we will start work on the objection that will trigger the Audit Commission's investigation. Relevant information and outstanding questions from the previous objections can also be used.

The current Chairman of the Council said at an Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee to the District Auditor:

"What you are telling us is that we (the Council) have sinned twice and must not sin a third time". It will soon be time for a few more confessions that will unfortunately, include others that have had the poor judgement to knowingly deal with this Council while it behaved so badly.

Also on another point, we have had some recent correspondence with English Heritage and it seems the latest English Heritage justification for its unexplained 'U-turn' on the Old Town Hall is fundamentally flawed. More information on this soon.   

29                                                     

6 September 2012
Question: When will the details of the District Auditor’s
objection  be published?

Answer: the details will be published on this site on Monday 10th September and the local press will be notified accordingly. In the meantime we wish all our readers a good weekend.

30                                                       10 September 2012

Question: What are the details of the latest objection to the District Auditor?

Answer: The details are as follows:

Objection to 2011/12 Horsham District Council accounts

 Introduction

1.  Firstly, thank you for selecting the recent procurement process for the Horsham Old Town Hall for special attention, as announced to the HDC Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee. I also welcome the fact that relevant, related items from previous objections and Audit Commission investigations can be considered. Thank you too for identifying that my previous objection was helpful.

2.   I very much regret having to make another formal objection. However, this is wholly necessary, in spite of the Council protesting about the expense. If potential suppliers and those already dealing with HDC cannot be confident that contracts and leases are not being determined fairly they will not bid. The lack of competition will inevitably drive up costs for the Horsham taxpayer and/or lower the quality of work. Alternatively, suppliers will offset the risk of losing a contract unfairly and having their time unnecessarily wasted by the Council in their pricing. The result will be the same. The Horsham taxpayer will stand to lose perhaps millions of pounds in value over a relatively short period of time. This consideration will obviously have a bearing on your annual ‘value for money’ judgement. Consequently, any investment in a further investigation by the Audit Commission will be ‘value for money’ for the Horsham taxpayer.

Specific outline of the objection

3.   The possible ‘conflict of interest’ identified in your 2010 letter about the previous process remained unresolved in the recent process too; in that Davis Coffer Lyons remained as joint agent. You will recall that the lowest flat rate bid that met the terms of the original Invitation To Tender (ITT) was from Carr Priddle (on a market valuation of £75,000 per annum for the Old Town Hall ). This was summarily dismissed by HDC without, as we understand it, reasons being noted. Davis Coffer Lyons had a history with the COTE directors (former Strada) and it remains a possibility that the COTE directors helped draw up the shortlist of agents for HDC. We are aware of the meetings between one of the COTE directors and the Council’s Head of Economic Development at the time. As you are probably aware, COTE are the managers of the Bill’s Produce project and Davis Coffer Lyons was also the sole agent in Bill’s Produce going into Covent garden. Davis Coffer Lyons was selected as agent, again as far as we know, without reasons being noted by HDC. The terms of the ITT were then improperly extended to appoint DCL as consultants to HDC without due process. This was in contravention of the Council’s financial regulations and further dismissed any possible role for Davis Coffer Lyons as an independent agent.

4.   The Council’s letter to you claimed that Davis Coffer Lyons recommended Bill’s Produce over and above, the vastly superior Gondola bid. There is no evidence to support this claim or otherwise at present, and I believe this needs checking out. If the Council claim turns out to be true, one would ask why Davis Coffer Lyons would be prepared to accept £5,400 in commission as opposed to the much greater £7,250 from the Gondola deal. The fact that the original verbal offer of £75,000 per annum from Bill’s Produce went down to £54,000 also remains unexplained.

5.   As you are aware, the original Bill’s Produce bid was not signed or dated and not on headed paper. It remains a possibility that this Bill’s Produce bid was improperly written by the Davis Coffer Lyons representative, who was also the consultant to the Council.

6.   I therefore object to the appointment of Crickmay as joint agent and any related spend in the recent exercise, as a possible ‘smokescreen’ by the Council to help mitigate their failure to consider the above issues. We are also unclear whether the departure from the existing contract with Davis Coffer Lyons (to appoint Crickmay as joint agent incurring unknown extra cost to the taxpayer) was properly authorised as per the Council’s financial regulations. As we know from our experience, Crickmay did not add any real value in the recent irrational selection of Bill’s Produce over W J King. By their own admission, Crickmay simply passed on any enquiries to the Council. Again, this is not the purpose that you previously identified of appointing an independent agent in order to protect the Council against allegations of bias and to minimise the risk of fraud. When we visited Crickmay, they were unaware of the evaluation matrix, although the Council claimed that this had been sent to them. The Council were unable to sustain the claim when challenged to produce the e-mail. The Council was additionally ‘confused’ over the process. They originally declared the evaluation matrix as advisory and then seemed to report its use as ‘absolute’ in informing the Council decision in May (although any rationale for the scoring was not declared). In any event, the appointment of Crickmay seemed a further waste of taxpayer’s money.  

7.   We are not currently sure whether the Bill’s Produce bid, or any of the other bids, went through Crickmay, Davis Coffer Lyons or direct to the Council. I believe this will need to be investigated.

8.   There is a long history of bias by the Council in favour of Bill’s Produce. As you are aware, the Council first started secretly negotiating with Bill’s in 2006. This was against Council policy at the time and the advice and recommendation of the Council’s own Old Town Hall Advisory Group. These secret negotiations with Bill’s were initially denied by the Council Leader at Council question time. However, following press revelations by Bill’s in January 2009, the Leader was replaced.

9.   Further evidence of bias in favour of Bill’s was demonstrated when, as already revealed by the Audit Commission, the Council paid for its own planning application and the Old Town Hall plans with taxpayer’s money (£300 for the application and £10,000 for the plans). Having approved its own plans, these were then handed over to an agent of COTE (for use in the Bill’s Produce project). This was undoubtedly an improper use of taxpayer’s money. Other Horsham businesses do not enjoy such benefits as far as we are aware. The Council avoided due independent scrutiny of the plans by the relevant Government Offices and the Court (in radical contravention of Grade II listed protection and policy guidance in force at the time) by claiming that their representative from Davis Coffer Lyons was an individual applicant. There was an obvious chance of a Court appeal, during which time, a meeting was offered by the Council’s Chief Executive. As soon as the appeal window had passed, the offer of the meeting was withdrawn.

10.   More evidence of bias in favour of Bill’s Produce by the Council is supplied by the zealous pursuit of the Stopping Up Order necessary to carry out the plans handed over to COTE, and on behalf of the COTE appointed developers. The Council’s former Project Officer falsely declared to the developers that the required notices had been posted around the Old Town Hall . Subsequently, a false declaration was made to the Secretary of State by the developers. It also appears that the Council failed to make the required legal checks on ownership of the sub-soil as advised by the relevant Government Office of the North East.  

11.   The most extreme evidence of bias in favour of Bill’s was demonstrated by the proven, biased selection of Bill’s Produce over Gondola. As you are aware, the revised offer of Gondola was not reported to the Council’s Assets & Management Sub-Committee. ‘Heads of Terms’ for the contract with Bill’s Produce were also negotiated in advance of the decision by the Cabinet Member. The scorings against the criteria were irrationally manipulated in favour of Bill’s at the expense of the Horsham taxpayer when the decision by the single Cabinet Member was subsequently taken.

12.   There is thus, overwhelming evidence to suggest that the Council approached the recent selection of Bill’s over W J King with a ‘closed mind’. This is contrary to the relevant section of the Localism Act for which we can supply relevant details on request. The Council currently refuses to release details of the individual scoring sheets of the recent Bill’s Produce and W J King bids under the Freedom of Information Act (even with redaction). This is a departure from the previous exercise that revealed the biased selection over Gondola as per your previous investigation. The Council also currently refuses to release details of the proposed contract with COTE on behalf of Bill’s produce similarly. The Horsham taxpayer can thus have no guarantees that the original terms of the recent Bill’s Produce bid are being honoured. Again, this is a departure from the previous precedent whereby it was revealed that Bill’s walked away from the previous deal as a result of a lack of anticipated profits at Reading and not as a result of the opposition from the Blue Flash Music Trust as claimed. It seems highly unlikely that the Council defence of ‘commercial sensitivity’ is a valid one. Presumably the scoring sheets contain the views of the Cabinet member and are unlikely to contain any commercially sensitive information. The fairness of the evaluation clearly needs to be determined by your investigation. The Council also claim that the third parties have been contacted and have objected. There is no current evidence to support this Council claim, particularly in respect of those bidders that  lost out. The Council’s procurement standards also warn bidders that information may be liable to Freedom of Information Act requests.

13.   I am therefore requesting a referral to the Court by the District Auditor for this recent selection, should the allegation of a ‘closed mind’ be further borne out by evidence obtained from your investigation.

14.   As District Auditor, you called for an “accountable and transparent process” at the Council’s Accounts, Audit and Governance Committee. We had ‘anything but’ in the recent process. According to the criteria set and the information currently available, it still looks to the public that there was a biased selection of Bill’s over W J King as there was with Bill’s over Gondola before.

15.   Furthermore, the recent process that you indicated to the AA&G Committee would be under scrutiny is undoubtedly ‘worse’ than the previous process that saw the biased selection of Bill’s over Gondola. In the previous process, the criteria was set by the Assets & Management Working Group. In this case, the criteria and their debatable weightings were set by a single Cabinet Member. In theory, the criteria and their weightings could therefore be biasedly set in advance in order to advantage a particular bidder. This looks to us to be the case on the limited evidence so far.

16.   The advice from you about ‘sealed bids’ to guard against allegations of bias and fraud was also ignored by the Council once more. We understood from you subsequently that the Council has the right to ignore the Audit Commission’s advice as their external auditor. However, we believe that the public has the right to know that this is consistently the case. We therefore request that the results of your investigations are published as a Public Interest Report.

17.   Further evidence of bias in favour of Bill’s might be determined in that the Council’s Licensing Committee looks set to authorise 12 tables and accompanying chairs in Market Square. This will give Bill’s disproportionate domination of Market Square at the expense of other neighbouring businesses.  

18.   You previously mentioned delay over the Old Town Hall project since 2006. There is still a lengthy delay in the signing of the lease.

19.   You mentioned previously, Council engagement with local groups. The Old Town Hall has remained unnecessarily barred to local groups for years. At the same time, a grant of £40,000 was given to Dial Post Village Hall by a single Cabinet Member without due process.

20.   There remains a democratic flaw in Horsham that was previously flagged up some years ago. Your former manager previously agreed with this and said that the denial by the Council of a Community Governance Review would feature in your ‘Direction of Travel Report’. Sadly, this pledge did not materialise and the report no longer exists. As we understand it, all the assets marked for possible disposal by a largely out-of-town HDC Cabinet are in the town – Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, the Old Town Hall, the Drill Hall, Horsham Museum etc. The reason for denying a CGR by the Council was taken on dubious cost grounds. For example, the cost was a tiny fraction of overspending on Council projects such as the Acorn recycling scheme.

21.   The voters of Horsham are powerless to prevent an out-of-town Cabinet selling their assets. No matter who they vote for, the out-of-town Cabinet will ‘get in’. The Memorandum of Understanding with the Neighbourhood Councils of the town (of little influence and without the powers afforded to Parish Councils) was effectively torn up by the Council when they successfully argued in Court that these were one off decisions and not policies of the Council. Again, the voters are rendered irrelevant on this basis. Ironically, it would seem in the interests of the town’s electorate to vote for the ruling party - in that they would at least have a remote influence in replacing the Council Leader (as happened in 2009). If the current trend is allowed by the Audit Commission to continue, any moves to a unitary authority on the grounds of cost, would see ruling party Town and Parish Council’s in other areas rich in assets, and any resulting Town and/or Parish Council’s in Horsham town with nothing much left to govern. This immoral and undemocratic discrepancy obviously needs to be urgently addressed by the Commission.

22.   The main item of expenditure that I object to is the further £3,000 expenditure on the additional marketing exercise last June/July. The Blue Flash Music Trust indicated a desire to make a bid and conveyed the qualifications and experience of its Business Adviser to set up and run a catering operation in the Old Town Hall . This catering operation had also been endorsed by the Council’s Old Town Hall Advisory Group when they conducted due-diligence against 6 procurement standards laid down. The Council declined to send the Trust the details (also declined by a separate request to the agent). We will provide the correspondence to your investigation in due course on request.

23.   Other bids were said to have been made and declined as a result of the June/July 2011 exercise, but we are unsure if the details for rejecting these bids were recorded as per your advice. This needs investigation, particularly as the Head of Scrutiny Committee seemed to indicate that this was a ‘sealed bid’ process. If true, we are not sure therefore why the recent exercise and biased selection of Bill’s might have become ‘un-sealed’ again. The reason for rejecting the June/July bids may have been that Bill’s Produce was not in a position to make a bid at that time. In any event, it seems that another £3,000 of taxpayers’ money was wasted and more delay incurred. We are also unclear whether the departure from the existing contract with Davis Coffer Lyons (i.e. the production of the brochure etc. by the other company) was properly authorised as per the Council’s financial regulations.

27                                                        

31 August 2012

Question: As a result of the Horsham propaganda offensive - can the nation really know what Bill’s Produce really stands for?

Answer: Not according to the evidence from the press and Horsham District Council’s magazine advertising feature for Bill’s (an advert for something that doesn’t exist until the lease is signed). In our considered view, as the COTE/ Council/local press alliance desperately attempts to serve up the unpalatable dish that is Bill’s in the Old Town Hall - to what they think is a highly gullible Horsham public – the evidence suggests that as a result of the Horsham project, it’s the ‘Bill’s Produce’ brand that is now ‘all over the place’ rather than the branches. Total confusion reigns and it is now getting very hard to believe a single word that Bill Collison says.  Such evidence is outlined below…..  

Bill Collison has been recently trotted out to sell the partial destruction of the Old Town Hall as an historically significant, publicly used Grade II listed building gifted to the people by the former Duke of Norfolk. The Council denied the people its use in order to try and put Bill’s in – unfairly, in terms of rival bids. At the same time the HDC Cabinet denied the townspeople the use of their own hall – when another rural hall, Dial Post Village Hall (near where Rt. Hon Frances Maude MP lives), was given £40,000 by a single cabinet Member without due process and without apparently fulfilling the conditions that were originally laid down. 

Step in Bill on behalf of COTE for the OTH ‘clean up’ - claiming to be a different kind of ‘specialist’!

“Wherever possible we take on disused or underused historic buildings, like the bus depot in Brighton or the former church house in Reading.” (Council advertisement).

This was echoed in Horsham Society John Steele’s apparent ‘conversion on the road to Damascus’ article in the West Sussex Council times this week:

“They (Bills) specialise in bringing new life to old historic buildings and the opportunity offered by our long empty Town hall was a key factor”.

However, a quick analysis of Bill’s openings around the country reveals that Bill’s will open in anything that can be acquired cheaply and will make money in our view.  The second store, Brighton, opened in the bus station and took place at the time the Lewes store operated on the original site. Bill was hardly a ‘specialist’ in this field then, and is perhaps unlikely to be a ‘specialist’ now.

“Our priority is to retain as many of the original features as possible and refurbish sympathetically.”

Yet, the original, unique feature of the solid arches (which English Heritage were once so keen to retain) are to be demolished and glazed according to the plans that were largely funded by the Horsham taxpayer and then handed over to Bill’s. Cutting a large hole between the floors and trashing the historically custom-designed acoustics is hardly ‘sympathetic’. A member of the responsible Government department for planning is also on record as saying that the Grade II status should have in theory, protected the building from such changes.

Has Bill altered his original passion in order to go into architecture? The Resident article claimed:

“But he says that his passion remains the same – great food, great service and giving the customer what they want.”

And …

“There’s even a cookbook so you can re-create the fantastic meals at home.”

One piece of missing information about the book was the cost:

“Bill’s The Cookbook: Cook Eat Smile by Bill Collison and Sheridan McCoid is out now, published by Saltyard Books, priced £25.” (Argus 2011).

Perhaps one thing that customers might want is a cheaper book?

Bill undoubtedly has other conflicting passions and priorities:

“I’ve always been one for not worrying if something makes money as long as it looks nice,” he says. (Argus 2011).

“Last year, Collison teamed up with millionaire businessman Richard Caring, whose portfolio includes London restaurants The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey. The millions Caring has put into Bill’s in the past 12 months means new stores are opening all over the country …..”

“Does he worry the brand will get diluted?

Although the new branches will remain under the control of the company’s directors, it’s surely hard to keep replicating something that has always felt unique.”

 “He misses getting his hands dirty, but accepts change is inevitable.”

“After years of long hours and no holidays, he now wants to enjoy reaping the rewards.”

“Besides Collison had to take a step back….” (also Argus 2011)

Yet in Horsham, for some unknown reason, Bill has been ‘stepping forward’ quite a lot recently. Like the Hokey Cokey – is he in, or is he out?

Another passion comes out as:

“After all what’s not to like about fresh food, prepared on the premises ….” (The Resident).

Which becomes ….

“Look after our customers well and serve them great, seasonal dishes at good prices.”  (Council advertisement).

Fresh? Seasonal? Which? Both? Although we are not sure where in the world a lot of the seasonal produce comes from at any given point in time.

The jury is also out on the pricing since COTE took over.

Then there’s the ‘produce’ element…

Where you can buy things and meet as a community. (WSCT article).

But will there be a Produce element in Horsham? It doesn’t seem so at the moment.

“The fruit and veg side has all but disappeared.”

“If we’d stayed only a fresh produce store we wouldn’t be in business now. It’s the café’s that have carried it.” (Argus 2011)

But is it a café or a restaurant?

“During the day, the place has the lively feel of a café and then, for the evening, we take the pace right down, to create a relaxing candle lit restaurant and drinks for dinner.”(Council advertisement).

All evenings? Seven days a week?

“We will also be creating 40 or so new local jobs”.(Council advertisement).

Creating 50 jobs (WSCT).

Part-time, casual or Full-time jobs? What is the Full Time Equivalent?

£750,000 invested (Council).

£800,000 invested (WSCT).

Or is a lot of this amount(s) really a ‘non-investment’? – i.e. the major structural work that represents the destructive alterations to the arches and the upper-floor/lower ceiling?

The disastrous Horsham saga has been a thorn in the side of the ‘Bill’s Produce’ brand from day 1 - and will always be so.

31                                                       12 September 2012

Question: What other means can we employ in the defence of the Old Town Hall and Market Square?

Answer: Seems like 'Story Time with Bill' was a bit of a hit with the readers, so here is another story to add to it - Big Billy-Cote Bluff. Beware all those that deny the curse of Dan Roberts. Horsham District Council have not fared too well since their unprincipled antics in 2006. We are similarly aware, that since then, all of the principle Council employees and Members involved with the Old Town Hall have also 'come a cropper' in some shape or form - or look likely to in the near future. Maybe its not just a story after all! 

32                                                      14 September 2012

Question: Is an essential taxpayer investment in an investigation of the Council's lack of ethics in procurement - and dodgy procurement procedures - news? You would have perhaps thought so. Especially as the District Auditor has identified this issue as a "major risk" - regularly expressing concerns over a number of years.

Answer: Yes it is news, that is if you are 'The Resident', the Horsham free paper that is distributed largely in the town.

Apparently, no it is not news, that is if you are the West Sussex County Times - even though the failings over the Old Town Hall (also potentially, seriously affecting the reputations of other parties) are well evidenced over a number of years - and have been handed to the newspaper 'on a plate'. It seems the WSCT is determined that the Horsham public should not be allowed to know the truth. However, there are other ways to surely and steadily get the truth "out there", especially if the ill-fated Bill's Produce project in the Old Town Hall goes ahead. In the end, the WSCT will have 'no choice'.

In the meantime, we are told what a great job Horsham District Council is doing in order to provide a smokescreen for the well-evidenced unethical Council behaviour. The reality about HDC performance is somewhat different. Overspending in all but one year over the last two terms. The consequential addiction to parking income that is hurting local businesses and the unfair disposal of TOWN assets (only town assets as far as we know), to try and make up the shortfall, yet still feather the Council nest. The ACORN overspend of £1.3 million pounds over two accounting years (a double mistake). The stubborn failure to review the financial, near useless disaster that is 'Park & Ride'. Many Council projects going seriously awry and needing expensive corrective action. The costly use of consultants with inneffective control and audit over their use and selection. And so on. The West Sussex Council Times once published a 'Cut Out & Keep' Guide to the next election. When the next election came around however, they quietly forgot about it. Many of the towns residents did keep it of course, but for reasons we have previously explained, their vote counts for very little. The largely out-of-town Cabinet continues to deny the townspeople the same kind of democracy that they like to afford to 'their own'.

Congratulations to The Resident too therefore, for putting a different kind of spin on the recent annual report from HDC - rather than the service provided by the WSCT web-site.

In truth, the Council publishes a lot of strategies and creates a lot of Council dominated quangos, but fails to deliver. How does trashing a unique iconic, historical building such as Horsham Old Town Hall, sit with an Arts & Heritage strategy for example? How did tearing up the unique answer to the main challenge that was set in the Tourism Strategy for Horsham District by LOCUM Destination Consulting help the Tourism Strategy? The alternative? The second Council Old Town Hall Advisory Group metaphorically disappearing up its own back-side and bringing back the ill-fated Bill's Produce project in desperation. A senior Council official was very diplomatic about the second Council Advisory Group when he said that "The trouble with the group, was that it's composition was too fluid." He had to be diplomatic of course because the HDC Cabinet only surround themselves with "yes men" (mostly men). Since the departure of the former Chief Executive any reasonable challenge is mostly not permitted - however rational. Perhaps the officer Council concerned should have blamed the "Seagull Cabinet Effect". This is where Cabinet Members swoop in, dump a load of sh*t and swoop out again." In this case, the sh*t was an unnecessarily empty Old Town Hall for six years and putting the 'wheeling and dealing' over Bill's under close scrutiny. It is also a very secretive Council as a result. Without publishing the details of the proposed lease with Bill's - the public cannot be assured that it even meets what was in the recent bid of £60,000 etc. (given that Bill's initial verbal offer was £75,000 per annum and inexplicably, first went down to £54,000) . An Audit Commission would solve question as well as the repeated, unfair bias. 

Is the Horsham taxpayer safe in HDC hands? We currently doubt it. So come on WSCT - please tell it like it is. You regularly appeal for what people think - and then don't print it. 

33                                                      18 September 2012

Question; is the purpose of English Heritage to preserve History or to rewrite it?

Answer; the statement from English Heritage in a recent letter about Horsham Old Town Hall said;

‘lt was not until the historical work was done that I was aware the interior had been entirely turned round after the court use departed.’

However, local people will know that to infer that the interior of the hall had been ‘entirely turned round’ is completely and totally preposterous. Whatever the version of the hall through the ages it has always faced into the Market Square, from the time when it housed the fire engine, through the period of the law courts until the sorry state the Town Hall presents at the present time, it has always faced North. We have photographs and drawings showing the grand face of the Town Hall overlooking the market square, and the main door stands slap bang in the middle arch. No one has known it any other way. Even the police sergeant who attended the Law Courts 1 and 2, located on the ground floor and the first floor respectively, in the 1960’s, can confirm that the way of access into the building was through those exact doors which makes complete nonsense to say that the interior of the hall was turned round after the court use departed! We thought history was about better understanding the past!

(Another point to consider is that in 1812, when the Duke of Norfolk rebuilt the Town Hall, he would naturally put the Royal Coat of Arms, the arms of Horsham Borough, and his own coat of arms in the best place possible; and this would have to be on the front of the Town Hall overlooking the market square. If that was considered to be the backside of the building there is no way he would have put them there!)

35                                                      

2nd October 2012

Question;  What’s next for the campaign?

Answer: It's 'Boycott Bill's and COTE time as expected. However, in the meantime - we take on planning application DC/12/1692 for change of use of Market Square. There are a number of grounds which will enable us to bring up the dodgy HDC planning history of the past. More detail on this site this week. However, the procedure for DC/12/1692 is probably additionally invalid because HDC didn't place the planning application notices in the vicinity of Market Square as required!

36                                                               

8th October 2012

Question: What is DC/12/1692?

Answer: DC/12/1692 is a planning application for 'change of use' of Market Square to allow Bill's Produce a large area of 'free space' at the expense of other local businesses. Confidence in acquiring this from their mates at HDC, probably finally persuaded the directors of COTE to 'go for it' in the Old Town Hall. The Trust have registered an objection of course and have contacted Estates and Highways at West Sussex County Council who 'own' the sub-soil. WSCC normally approve the accompanying licensing in cases such as these, but not normally in Horsham. We have requested a copy of the agreement between HDC and WSCC to see if there are any clauses about conflict of interest. As we know from history - HDC do not have the required independence to decide any application on behalf of Bill's Produce.  

Now the pressure is on HDC to deliver its restaurant utopia in East Street and Market Square, having been held to account all the way by the Trust. We always knew from our first Court action that no-one could stop a Council making decisions, only question the way those decisions were taken. This we have done - and are still doing - with aplomb. Thus, when it all goes wrong, there will be no 'moving the goalposts' as Bill Collison calls it.

On the plus side, there appears to be some concessions in the modified plans (DC/12/1794) won by the Trust for the Old Town Hall itself, particularly with the retention of the wooden cells and the reduced size of hole cut between the two floors. 

However, tomorrow we start publishing the 'roll of shame' - rather than the 'roll of honour' - to do with the Old Town Hall. The Trust is aware that circumstances change over time. Opportunities to make the Council pay for their unethical behaviour - and the people who have turned a blind eye to it - will come. The Trust's well-documented opposition, exposures of HDC unethical behaviour and sub-standard processes will eventually provide that platform for change.

37                                                               9 October 2012

Question: Are the Council trying too hard on the Bill's Produce claims?

Answer: Probably yes - and the public are hardly likely to be convinced. Here is what was issued by HDC a couple of weeks ago. 

"Great news for Horsham – Bill’s Café and Produce Store is coming to town

   HERALDED as the cherry on the cake for Horsham’s growing list of wonderful gastronomic offerings, it was confirmed on Friday (21 September) that Bill’s Café and Produce Store will open in the town by December. It will be full steam ahead for Bill’s to refurbish the historic Horsham Town Hall in the town’s Market Square . Bill’s has a unique offering of good quality flavoursome dishes and is already hugely successful in its birthplace of Lewes as well as Brighton, Cambridge, Exeter, Islington, Richmond, Soho, Wimbledon, Reading and Covent Garden. Horsham, especially East Street , has become renowned in the last few years for its cafe culture and its number of diverse restaurants and coffee shops and the arrival of Bill’s will see at least another £1million of private investment made to enhance that reputation.

In this case, enlivening a historically underused building and saving the Council Tax payer from having to renovate and maintain it over the coming years."

   In reality ....

   If Bill's is the 'cherry on the cake' (says who and why?) - then the cake is missing a lot of icing! £60,000 per annum is considerably less than the original £75,000 per annum verbal offer received from Bill's Produce four years ago. Has the taxpayer got a good deal therefore? - no! The amount is also much less than the £72,500 per annum from Gondola three years ago - but bizarrely rejected in favour of Bill's by HDC. 

   Bill's Produce (or rather COTE) will not 'refurbish' the Old Town Hall. It will refit it for restaurant use whilst cutting a hole in the floor and trashing the historical feature of the arches.

"Wonderful gastronomic offerings", "unique offering of good quality flavoursome dishes" and "already hugely successful in its birthplace of Lewes as well as Brighton, Cambridge, Exeter, Islington, Richmond, Soho, Wimbledon, Reading and Covent Garden." We think the lady (who has probably never eaten there) protests too much! As was previously revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, Bill's walked away from Horsham three years ago because of a lack of expected profits at its Reading Branch in the first few weeks.   

   East Street , has actually become renowned in the last few years for a monumental, pedestrianisation cock-up, symptomatic of most of HDC's other large projects. It has been dogged by the fudging of "shared use", problems with disabled access and deliveries, health and safety issues, expensive re-work (re-siting benches etc.), restaurant tables and chairs doing the 'hokey cokey' over licensing issues - and certain restaurants building barricades of flower tubs around their particular frontage. The HDC East Street restaurant project is certainly doomed to failure. For one thing, in terms of the general economy, it could not have been timed worse. As usual, HDC have an alternative, self-congratulatory, delusional view of their non-achievements.    

   "Bill’s will see at least another £1million (which started at £750,000 and then became £800,000) of private investment made to enhance that reputation." Whatever the real figure, Bill's will be the benefactor of such investment. The sub-standard rental to HDC will be at the opportunity cost of a major tourism boost that would have been derived from the community proposal for the Old Town Hall. The additional 'free space' offered to Bill's in Market Square will be at the expense of other local businesses. As a chain, Bill's will likely not boost tourism to the town to any significant degree. It will simply grab a share of the existing market at knock down costs and favourable terms that have been showered upon them by a petulant HDC.   

The community proposal, as recommended by the Council's own Old Town Hall Advisory Group, could have been implemented at no cost to the taxpayer six years ago. The building has been underused because - in fit of pique and with a misplaced sense of self-importance and power - HDC have not allowed the people to use it.  

So tomorrow .... we start analysing the various organisations that currently support the motto "never let the truth get in the way of a good story".

34                                                                        25th September 2012

Question; What was the reply to the District Auditor’s response
to our objection?

Answer; here is the reply:

Dear Ms Thompson,

Thank you for your letter of 17th September 2012. Mr Mayfield passed me the letter for reply as his representative. I apologise that I have not had time to respond on his behalf until now.

After due discussion with Mr. Mayfield, I will do my best to answer your points below.

Facts relied on for a public interest report:

·         Crickmay stated that their only role was to pass on expressions of interest to the Council.

·         The original verbal offer from Bill’s Produce for the Old Town Hall was £75,000 per annum. This inexplicably went down to £54,000 and was irrationally and improperly selected over Gondola at £72,500 per annum. There is thus a proven history of bias in favour of Bill’s.

·         The Commission previously highlighted a possible conflict of interest in the selection of Davis Coffer Lyons as agent and consultant to HDC. The Council claimed that Davis Coffer Lyons (also joint agents in the recent process in question) recommended the previous Bill’s Produce bid over Gondola. However, the rationale for accepting £5,400 in commission as opposed to £7,250 remains unexplained. Davis Coffer Lyons were the sole agents in Bill’s Covent Garden deal.

·         The Council paid for its own planning application and plans for restaurant use of the Old Town Hall that were promptly handed over for use by the agents of Bill’s Produce. There is thus, further significant evidence (in public law terms) of procedural impropriety and bias in favour of Bill’s by HDC. A Commission investigation into the latest process would confirm, or otherwise, whether the latest process breached the relevant term of the Localism Act.

·         Chameleon Refurbishments Ltd. (the current developers for Bill’s in the Old Town Hall ) made a false declaration to the Secretary of State that they had posted the required notices for the Stopping Up Order application. The declaration was signed by a Ms. Maude on behalf of Chameleon.

·         The Council currently refuse to release the scoring sheets for the recent bids of W J King and Bill’s Produce - or to release details of the proposed lease with Bill’s. The public can therefore have no assurance of the fairness of the recent scoring exercise, or that the terms of the original bid have been adhered to as a basis for the lease. The proposed domination of Market Square by Bill’s would seem to indicate a departure from the original bid which is subject to other forms of challenge. The Commission clearly needs to demonstrate detailed consideration of the process via a detailed investigation. It is not sufficient, in the light of previous history and the available evidence, for the commission to simply state “I have considered the process you followed for the disposal of the Old Town Hall . I am satisfied that the arrangements adopted were transparent and reasonable.” (AAG meeting for 27th September 2012). Such a conclusion in the face of the available evidence (much uncovered by your previous investigations) would seemingly open up the Commission to its own public law challenge. Much of the evidence in our joint possession (Commission and Mr. Mayfield) would seem extremely damaging both to HDC and the involved third parties. In my view, it would be better to have this evidence covered by the confidentiality of a Commission investigation than to be published in detail on the internet. Again, Mr. Mayfield is in a position to submit all the evidence you require once your investigation is scoped and defined. Sensibly, all of his allegations can be specifically evidenced - and as someone who lives outside the District, I have had personal sight of such evidence. In my opinion, if such evidence did not exist and was not possessed by him, Mr. Mayfield would have faced a law suit before now. I feel it would be unreasonable for the Commission to ask him to specifically evidence items that were subsequently not accepted by the Commission for investigation.

In summary, the process is clearly not transparent, nor does it seem rational and reasonable in the face of the available evidence.

·         The criteria for the previous selection were set by the Council’s Assets & Management Working Group. In the recent exercise, this fell to a single Cabinet Member. This is clearly worse than the previous process in terms of guarding against the possibility of fraud and allegations of bias (as per your previous advice).

·         In terms of value for money, the Audit Commission highlighted undue delay. There is still undue delay as far as we are aware. There was also unexplained resultant delay in the non-transparent abandonment of the June/July 2011 ‘further marketing’ exercise.

·         The additional £3,000 for the additional marketing exercise (June/July 2011) was wasted for the taxpayer in that nothing came of this. This exercise clearly needs investigation in the light of previous concerns over HDC procurement being expressed by the Commission. The Commission would seemingly need to satisfy itself in public law terms that the exercise was reasonable; reasonably conducted in accordance with your previous advice; and drew a rational result (in rejecting all bids or expressions of interest).

Further reasons for a detailed investigation and public interest report

You reasonably highlighted the latest procurement exercise as a major risk to HDC given the previous history;

“However, I wrote to you (HDC) with recommendations for

improving your processes.” (AAG meeting 27/9/12)

There is still no evidence to suggest that the processes have improved or that any of your advice was followed by HDC. The public need to know that the advice of the external auditor was summarily rejected in practice by HDC. Without a sealed bid process as advised in your letter of December 2010 there would be nothing to stop members of the Council passing details from one bidder to an already preferred, rival bidder. There is sufficient evidence from your previous investigation to suggest that Bill’s Produce was already a preferred bidder (given the improper and irrational selection over the superior Gondola bid). For example, if W J King submitted their bid first - and there was no Non-Disclosure Agreement in place (unknown at present and to be determined by your investigation), there would be nothing to stop the details of the W J King bid being passed to Bill’s Produce and for them to pitch their bid accordingly. There is possibly no independent verification of the relative merits of the bids and their content – or any subsequent amendments to the bid and their drivers - because of the multi-agency route and the departure from the normal agency role.

Your proposed investigation clearly needs to trace the routes of the W J King and Bill’s Produce bids in the recent exercise. It remains a possibility that the Bill’s Produce bid went via Davis Coffer Lyons once more – where conflict of issues had already been referred to as a result of your previous investigative activity. It remains a possibility that the original unsigned, undated Bill’s Produce bid was improperly written by the original agent, Davis Coffer Lyons. The W J King bid (as seems likely) could have gone via Crickmay.

“You (HDC) appointed two marketing agents for this exercise.”

It is not currently clear that the multi-agency decision (in departing from the original contract with DCL) was taken properly - in accordance with the Council’s financial regulations. This would be subsequent to the original breach where DCL were paid £5,000 for consultancy in extension to the terms of the published Invitation To Tender. The validity of the new multi-agency deal needs to be determined by your investigation. There is also currently no transparency over the financial implications and/or merits of this multi-agency arrangement for the taxpayer (especially given the reservations expressed above). There is no transparency over the rewards that might be paid to Davis Coffer Lyons and/or Crickmay as a result of the highly questionable Bill’s Produce selection. Presumably, DCL would not want to drop below their original 10% of £54,000 in commission from the previous deal? Were the terms of the revised agreements (including a non-transparent agreement with Crickmay) sensible and properly executed? Was Crickmay selected with due process depending on the expected rewards? We would expect that you would want to verify these things given the previous reservations about the selection of DCL and the improperly authorised extension of the DCL contract to include consultancy previously.  There is no current evidence that the rationale for selecting Crickmay was properly recorded as per your 2010 advice.

In the absence of detailed scorings, there is considerable circumstantial evidence to suggest that the W J King and Bill’s Produce bids were biasedly mis-scored against the criteria c.f. Bill’s v Gondola before. For example, there is a tiny margin of difference in the financials which does not seem to be borne out in the overall scores. Similarly the impact of W J King was much less on this historic building in a Conservation Area. Indeed, the W J King bid would logically seem to score much higher in a number of areas. The scorings clearly need to be verified by an independent Audit Commission investigation.

Answering the specific points of your letter:

“In respect of matters that relate to prior period of accounts the audit of which have been certified as complete;”

As you will be aware, relevant items previously raised with the Commission can be considered. You will simply need to decide on their relevancy in relation to the 2011/12 objection. However, I would add my observation that the previously identified shortcomings seem to be persistent behaviours by the Council in stark contravention of your previous advice.

“matters in respect of events that post date the year of audit and potential future events;”

I’m not exactly sure what is meant here. It would be up to yourself as District Auditor to scope the objection reasonably. I would add however that the recent procurement process commenced within the year of audit, yet concluded out of it. Sensibly, it would seem reasonable to consider the whole process and its conclusion (May 2012), rather than have a separate objection next year (covering April and May 2012). You appear to have reasonably reached this conclusion also in the AAG papers for Thursday.

“assertions concerning an item of account of £3,000 without any details of why you believe the item of account to be contrary to law;”

As we understand it, there is nothing available in the public domain, to record that the departure from the original contract with DCL (re. marketing of the OTH), and further expense to the taxpayer, was reasonably justified; was properly authorised; and complied with the Council’s financial regulations. That said we believe that the contract with DCL should have been properly voided due to the aforementioned ‘conflict of interest’ issues. The expensive use of consultants by HDC, employed without apparent due process and with seemingly little benefit, has been previously raised with the Commission. As far as we are aware, there is no recorded due process or authorisation for this further marketing move, or final selection of the company in question. We were not provided with the further marketing materials that were allegedly produced by HDC and requested by us. Similarly, there is no recorded rationale for the rejection of the Blue Flash Music Trust’s expression of interest by HDC or DCL as per your previous advice. Consequently, there are potential public law issues surrounding procedural impropriety; possible bias and lack of fair hearing against the Trust; as well as the aforementioned rationality issues. There is seemingly no recorded rationale for the rejection of any other bids that might have been procured as a result of this exercise similarly. The apparently unjustified abandonment of this further marketing exercise might have resulted in additional delay and cost, plus deferred benefits for the taxpayer. This exercise (clearly in scope of the audit) seemed like a sealed bid process as per your previous advice; one that was subsequently abandoned (when Bill’s Produce was back in the frame) in the latest process. These concerns clearly need detailed investigation, given the previous history.

The public interest report should reasonably include detailed considerations of the above based on the available evidence, your previously expressed concerns that have seemingly been ignored by HDC, and the results of your further fact-finding. The public clearly needs to be reassured that HDC is operating properly in their interests.

“concerns about matters which are outside the scope of my audit, such as the operation of the electoral system; and

We note your views on this, although the remit of the Commission would appear to go well beyond what you suggest. The areas of ‘value for money’ and ‘good governance’ would immediately spring to mind. I note that the Commission produced a report into Doncaster where the essential issue appeared to be the same – the unaccountable and irrational actions of an ‘out of control’ Cabinet. The difference between Doncaster and HDC would only appear to be that HDC has a ‘Leader’ rather than an elected Mayor. That said, Mr. Mayfield has reasonably agreed that this issue might be left out of scope of your pending investigation.

“requests that I consider matters on the basis that you have concerns for which you present no evidence;”

Please see above comments on specific evidence. Any specific evidence which is held by Mr. Mayfield and is required for your investigation will be provided on request.

I hope this is of help. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require any further details.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Jeremiah, MBA

Mr. Mayfield’s representative and Business Adviser to the Blue Flash Music Trust

38                                                            10th October 2012

Question: What do the 'would-be regulators' (like the BBC) 
of Jimmy Savile, and Horsham District Council have in common?

Answer: Turning a blind eye; first in the frame, as far as the 'out-of-control' Horsham Council is concerned, is the Audit Commission. Three years ago the Trust withdrew an objection to the HDC accounts because the Audit Commission was going to be abolished by the incoming Conservative Government for being an ineffectual quango. The Trust believed that the Audit Commission therefore no longer had the required authority or respect to determine the detailed objection (largely borne out by the Commission's investigation at the time) and therefore withdrew it in the face of the Government announcement.

Furthermore, in the face of minor criticism from the District Auditor, the previous HDC Leader went to the local press and lambasted the Audit Commission. Cabinet Minister and Horsham MP Francis Maude was supposed to be in the driving seat of abolition. Three years later, in line with 50 other government U-turns, this ineffectual quango is still sanitising unethical behaviour by Councils - particularly HDC.

The District Auditor recently refused to entertain an objection to this years HDC accounts - on detailed grounds, printed elsewhere on this site (see item dated 10th September further down this page). This featured the age-old failure of HDC where procurement is concerned that had previously been identified by the Commission - an issue that could potentially cost the taxpayer millions in a short space of time. There are no guarantees that contracts are being allocated by HDC fairly; according to quality and cost, and indeed there is much actual and circumstantial evidence to suggest otherwise. The proven Old Town Hall bias in favour of Bill's Produce is perhaps likely to be the tip-of-the-iceberg. The District Auditor gave advice on procurement in 2010 and this was comprehensively ignored by HDC. When challenged by the Trust, the AC said that they had no power to make the Council follow their advice. The Trust replied saying that the failure to follow recommendations of the external auditor should be reported to the public via a 'public interest report'. This was also declined.

The District Auditor quotes 'the rules' (whatever these are meant to be), just like the civil service says that there is no procedure to strip Jimmy Savile of his knighthood after his death. However:

1) The Trust can't see any difference in the format of this year's objection - as compared to previous objections that were actually investigated.

2) The District Auditor reported that the recent process of selecting Bill's Produce over W J King was accountable and transparent to the Council's ‘Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee’ - before the objection was re-cast - and without any detailed scrutiny by the Commission. The Council refuses to reveal details of the selection under the Freedom of Information Act - so to say that the process is accountable and transparent is clearly irrational. 

The words "rolling over and getting your tummy tickled" spring to mind!

The existence of the Audit Commission is clearly a false reassurance to the public - and a barrier to the public taking control of its own interests. Therefore, the Commission's abolition - as a counter-productive waste of taxpayer's money - can't come soon enough. However, with the protection afforded by the Commission to an unethical HDC, perhaps Horsham's MP has changed his mind completely. 

Tomorrow we will feature other shortcomings in the system that sees HDC clearly 'out of control'.

39                                                                 11th October 2012

Question: What do Horsham District Council and Justine Greening have in common?

Answer: In her recently departed job at Transport, Justine Greening made a right 'pigs ear' of the West Coast rail franchise. She, or her civil servants, got all the figures wrong and awarded the franchise wrongly to First-Group instead of Virgin. Many suspect that she has also been moonlighting as an adviser to Horsham District Council Cabinet on procurement. How else could Bill's Produce have been selected over W J King for the Old Town Hall - or selected over Gondola previously?

How we could have done therefore with Richard Branson's expensive lawyers, instead of having to turn to a cowardly, self-interested bureaucracy like the Audit Commission. The Courts will also naturally favour public bodies like the Council against litigants in person like the Trust. However even then, the Council failed to disclose the DC/08/2317 & DC/08/2321 planning applications as their own (or rather, paid for by you, the taxpayer) - in order to metaphorically 'stay out of jail'. HDC also failed to serve their documents properly in order to avoid a later injunction. It meant that the Trust didn't get to reply to the Council evidence before the judge made the decision. At the risk of blowing our own trumpet, the Trust showed tremendous courage in standing up for what was 'right' and bringing the Court actions. The moral case was no doubt reflected in the meagre costs awards against us. It is a shame that Horsham District councillors lack the same courage and moral compass.  

Tomorrow we look at the role of West Sussex County Council - or lack of role (as it is in Horsham).

40

13th october 2012

Question: What do most of the accusers of Jimmy Savile and
Horsham District Council have in common?

Answer: Staying silent when it counted. In the case of Horsham District Council it still counts. No doubt when everything starts going truly 'down the pan' in Horsham, Councillors will be similarly coming forward to criticise - but only when it's too late. They'll say "this is just how it was in those days" , "everybody knew it was going on" etc. The Trust Business Adviser has had conversations with individual Councillors in the past - detailing the specifics of unethical behaviour at HDC over the Old Town Hall. In each case he was told "it probably isn't any different in any other Council". This is exactly the kind of defence mounted by senior managers, producers, presenters and other stars at the BBC.

The truth is, it probably is different at other Councils. Other Councils may not have the cushion of being a predominantly middle-class area such as Horsham (however, this cushion might now be nearly flat). The ruling party at another Council might not have enjoyed continuous, unaccountable power that has seen them slip into complacency and the petty, petulant antics of the playground that constitutes the Horsham Council Chamber. Other Councils probably have to think well, and struggle in the interests of their area, making rational decisions, identifying opportunities and making them count. Other Councils probably have a truly accountable, directly elected, democratic structure and do not deny their residents the option to form Parish or Town Councils i.e. they are not ruled by a largely 'out-of-town', 'out-of-touch', unaccountable Cabinet. Other District Councils particularly, may not enjoy the same kind of disproportionate power that is enjoyed by HDC e.g. on licensing.

The truth is that, probably for the above reasons, other neighbouring Councils have got 'the drop' on HDC - at a key time in our economic history. The doomed East Street/Market Square (the Horsham 'restaurant quarter') was driven by a petty HDC need to 'lord it over' the community and put Bill's into the Old Town Hall, rather than by virtue of any rational thought. Unfortunately, it is the businesses and residents of Horsham that will ultimately pay the price and miss out on the opportunities for tourism that has been denied by HDC.

The truth is that HDC, in addition to its lack of vision, is a poor performing Council. It's hard to think of a major Council project that has not gone seriously awry - and needed expensive re-work. The Acorn scheme was one such example. In fact, it was doubly incompetent because the £1.3 million overspend occurred over two accounting years. The Council has overspent and dipped into reserves for nearly all of its recent years. Now the cupboard is bare when there is a real need for investment. HDC is consequently now 'addicted' to hiking parking income at the expense of local businesses and residents just to stay afloat. At the same time the Council has wasted over a million pounds on consultants for 'blue sky' thinking - thinking that was clearly 'pie in the sky' given this financial backdrop. HDC has achieved very little, whilst it has stubbornly and arrogantly persisted with projects like 'Park & Ride' at the cost of another wasted million. It has stubbornly persisted with putting Bill's Produce in the Old Town Hall for the last six years. Just think of the opportunities that could have been yielded in those years since the Advisory Group recommendation in 2006. No, HDC is not anything like other Councils.

HDC has so far got away with this because it has no-one to provide any 'check-and-balance' on its behaviour. We shall examine this in more detail in future updates.

For today's example, we will mention the recent planning application for Market Square on behalf of Bill's Produce. The Trust objected to West Sussex County Council (the owning authority for Market Square) that HDC did not have sufficient independence (given the proven history of bias in favour of Bill's Produce) to make the decision. The West Sussex County Council response was to forward the objection onto - you guessed it - Horsham District Council! The County Council is thus proved not to provide such a 'check-and-balance' (in addition to HDC Councillors and the useless quango that is the Audit Commission). 

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16 October 2012

Question: What do some national publications on Jimmy Savile in the past - and
the Horsham local press - have in common?

Answer: They failed to publish in the public interest. Specific details of unfair and unethical behaviour by Horsham District Council over the Old Town Hall were regularly provided by the Trust to the local press. Before the rise of The Resident the West Sussex County Times was pretty solid. It recognised the opportunities for Horsham afforded by the community proposal for the Old Town Hall and regularly sought and printed comment from the Trust. The WSCT also conducted the newspaper poll that saw the winning community proposal for the Old Town Hall gain 51% of the vote - an absolute majority over its two rivals. However, following the rise of the Resident and the formation of the under-achieving Council led quango, called the Community Development Partnership , the WSCT seemed to lose its way. The Council seemed able to play one newspaper off against the other in order to keep them in-line and consequently, keep the Horsham people in the dark about Council unethical antics.

Unfortunately, it is the people of Horsham that will ultimately suffer from this quiet abandonment of principle. The wide recognition that HDC does not operate its procurement processes fairly will lead to fewer bidders. Less competition will drive up prices and/or lower quality for the taxpayer. Those that do bid, will also be likely to weight the risk of dealing with such an unreliable Council in the price. Ultimately, a non-transparent and uncorrected Council will soon cost the taxpayer unnecessary millions. 

Next update - the role of HDC Councillors.

Below is the text of a letter dated 3 9 12 sent to WSCT, that was never published, a copy of which was handed to the Trust;

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS

I get very annoyed when reading interviews and articles reported by the press by and about Bill Collison founder of Bills Produce and Restaurant who are going to move into the Horsham Town Hall to open a restaurant.

Bill's Produce and Restaurant is not the one-man  band that we are being brainwashed into believing. They are part of the Cote group owned by millionaire businessman/restaurant tycoon Richard Caring who also has interests in the Ivy and Annabels in London which all the celebrities frequent. The proposals are to alter most of the historical features in the Town hall, making holes in the ceiling, taking out the blind arches etc.

I talk to a lot of people in the town and I'm amazed by the fact they they are not aware that it is a big conglomerate that is setting up in our once community building- “not another chain firm” they groan when I enlighten them.

Quite a few readers have written to the letters page of the WSCT in recent weeks worried that certain issues have not been handled openly by Horsham District Council.

The leasing or even selling of the Town Hall was probably the most long running of these issues and with recent exposes on these other situations it must start people thinking.

W Morris

42

18th October 2012

Question: What other evidence is there to suggest that the local press is
no longer independent of the influence of Horsham District Council? 

Answer: For the 2007 local elections the West Sussex County Times published a 'cut-out-and-keep' guide to the winning manifesto. This way, they could analyse whether promises were kept. After four years in office - at the next local elections in 2011- the only noticeable achievement of HDC was to continue to empty the bins. The Old Town Hall remained a fiasco. The WSCT therefore discarded its own 'cut-out-and-keep' guide to avoid embarrassment to HDC. 

Tomorrow we will get around to the role of HDC councillors as promised.

43

19th October 2012

Question: Do politicians, local or national, deserve any credibility in 

modern Britain? - or in modern Horsham?

Answer: No, not really. Check out local MP Francis Maude on the freedom of the press in the Daily Telegraph 18 October 2012..

“A free and independent press has always been the keystone of an open society. Liberal democracies can only exist with informed citizens."

Mr Maude says that far from trying to limit the media’s access to information, the Coalition is trying to make public large amounts of data about government business including detailed accounts of public spending.

In this “new age”, the Government is pushing out information and inviting the media to hold ministers to account.

“Journalists everywhere need to engage with this data to expose waste, incompetence and corruption wherever they see it,” Mr Maude writes.

“Far better to work under the knowledge that what you do will be scrutinised, analysed, picked over — that will make people at every level in Government think twice about how they spend taxpayers’ money.”

This is meant to apply everywhere presumably - except of course in Francis Maude's backyard. Here, Horsham District Council is allowed to deny Freedom of Information requests on questionable grounds, avoid the scrutiny of the Audit Commission as to what they got for their money (e.g. on last years additional marketing exercise for the Old Town Hall) and spend public money facilitating and self-approving planning applications; plans that are then promptly handed over to multi-million businesses such as Bill's Produce. The local press are 'tamed' to stay silent. 

The West Sussex Council Times reported yesterday:

"Amid concern from County Times readers, Horsham District Council has assured residents this week that all works were agreed in January 2009"

In fact, the Council approved its own planning applications for the Old Town Hall to be enacted by Bill's Produce. This cost the taxpayer £300 for the application and £10,000 for the plans. Independent scrutiny of the HDC plans by the Government Offices was avoided by claiming that this was an individual application from a Mr. Josh Leon (who just happened to be a consultant to the Council and from the HDC appointed marketing agents - Davis Coffer Lyons. Davis Coffer Lyons were also the sole agents in Bill's Produce Covent Garden deal). HDC also failed to declare that DC/08/2317 and 2321 were its own planning applications to the High Court.

The Stopping Up Order to carry out the work on the Old Town Hall was not properly published around the Old Town Hall as required by the relevant Act. Instead, the Council's former Project Officer falsely persuaded the developers that she had put these notices up and the developers subsequently made a false declaration.

The local press have failed so far to inform Horsham residents of these facts.

Bill Collison recently waxed lyrical in the local press about treating the Old Town Hall sensitively. In fact, Bill's Produce are implementing the radical and inappropriate plans that were self-agreed and handed to them by Horsham District Council. The more sensitive plans DC/12/1794 that were subsequently submitted never saw the light of day it seems (perhaps because the Horsham people would have then had the opportunity to further comment on them).

The local press have failed so far to correct the original claim by Bill Collison for the benefit of Horsham residents.

The West Sussex Council Times also claimed yesterday that the building was sold to the town by the Duke of Norfolk for £25. However, this would have been way below market value. The evidence from the three available documents suggests that the building was gifted to the town and that the £25 was to settle another matter. 

The radical U-turn by English Heritage on the preservation of the historic blind arches on the front of the Old Town Hall (now to be destroyed and glazed) currently remains unexplained.

The people of Horsham informed? We don't think so! We believe that HDC and the local press would rather prefer to treat Horsham citizens like mushrooms. Keep them in the dark and feed them manure. 

Next update: The role of HDC Councillors.

44

23rd October 2012

Question: Couldn't the LIberal Democrat Councillors have done

something about the Old Town Hall?

Answer: No, they were just as responsible for Horsham District Council handing the Old Town Hall over to big business as the Conservatives - apart from throwing the occasional, well publicised 'hissy fit' in the Council chamber to try and appease their voters. In terms of protecting the towns interests the Lib Dems have been about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. You might even consider the metaphorical biker to be a non-smoker too.

The Lib Dem representatives on the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group disappeared around in circles with the rest of them, Rather than insisting on finishing the job they were charged with in 2007 (a community solution for the OTH), they allowed the sub-standard, 'give-up-due-to-lack-of-competence' report of the Advisory Group to be bounced through. This was what effectively put the restaurant proposal back on the table. At the same time the Lib Dems failed to challenge an alleged expert report from consultant architects HMDW, falsely claiming that it would cost £750,000 for a community solution. In fact, the Trust official estimates tallied with the Councils estimates previously. Consequently, there was £205,814 reserved in the Council accounts at the time. HDC squandered this with a lot of other reserves over the years both before and after. There is still no evidence to suggest that HMDW wrote this report, in fact, much evidence to the contrary. HMDW were only paid £2,000 for the contracted £9,000 worth of work.

The Coalition nationally shows how easily the Lib Dems are 'bought' in terms of abandoning principles. They like their (self-) importance as junior partners bur without responsibility. This is perhaps why locally, the Lib Dems do not petition for the Localism equivalent of a Community Governance Review and the chance of a Town Council or further town Parish Councils. It seems to us that the Lib Dem Councillors locally see themselves as part of the 'Council Club' first; important people second; and representatives of the townspeople third. They do not like to upset the ruling group. The local Conservative Councillors have been quite clever in appointing a Liberal Chairman too. When the Council indulged in seriously unethical behaviour over the OTH the Lib Dem Chairmen of Accounts, Audit & Governance and Scrutiny Committees refused to act - in spite of detailed objections from the Trust. The Conservative contempt for Scrutiny was witnessed by us in October 2007. When the Lib Dem Chairman of Scrutiny got up to give his report the Conservative Councillors nearly all walked out of the Council chamber in order to get a coffee. 

It will be a small consolation to the townspeople that the Lib Dems will be all but wiped out for their lack of principle in the 2015 General and local elections (if the national Coalition lasts that long).

The Horsham people will therefore have to wake up to the fact that there will be effectively, no current democratic option available to them in order to protect their interests and preserve their assets. Only a well-organised and well-funded coalition of independent candidates standing in every seat can do this. As a non-political charity, we would welcome this.

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26th October 2012

Question: What of the role of Conservative Horsham District Councillors;

their MP and their Prime Minister?

Answer: Let's start at the top and work down. David Cameron has been under fire lately for a lack of conviction and lack of authority. The Government has failed to follow through on a huge number of announcements (getting rid of the useless Audit Commission being just one). On top of that, there have been over 50 straight U-turns by this Government. Plus the numerous cock-ups e.g. the recent Virgin trains issue and the poor judgement over the 'cops are plebs' row.

David Cameron's office wrote to the Trust on 18 April 2011(Promises item 4) after we had raised well-evidenced concerns about HDC behaviour and performance. The promised response from Francis Maude's (Horsham MP) Cabinet Office never came. Previously Francis Maude had written to the Trust 21 November 2006 (Promises item 2) saying that he was assured of a community solution for the Old Town Hall by the HDC Leader. When HDC reneged on the commitment, Horsham's MP fell silent. Then prior to the 2010 General Election Mr Maude said “It needs to be for community use,” when interviewed by Sussex Life (full quote Promises item 3). However during the election he was unable to comment on the OTH, when he had previously 'dined out' in the local press on painting a community centre in Bournemouth (Promises item 1 for extract from the WSCT). Cameron's 'Big Society' (on which Francis Maude was a leading light) effectively lay in tatters from the very start. The HDC 'tail' clearly 'wagged the Parliamentary dog'!  

The vast majority of HDC Conservative Councillors clearly lack honesty, integrity and a sense of honour. The local Conservative Party also lacks the courage to face the electorate in Town and/or Parish Council elections in the unparished part of the town. Instead, they cling to disproportionate, unaccountable and undemocratic power via their largely 'out-of-town' Cabinet.

God bless Horsham town and all who live and work in her!

Next update: How easily are local and national bodies 'bought' by HDC.  

46

30th October 2012

Question: What makes you think that organisations are easily bullied by Horsham District Council?

Answer: The first example might be English Heritage (guardians of the nations heritage). The destruction of the solid arches at the Old Town Hall was featured in last weeks West Sussex Council Times.

This is what English Heritage said about the Old Town Hall arches in 2004;

"...that the two arches either side of the main entrance, as shown on the enclosed photographs and described in the listing as "blind Romanesque arcade arches with mould soffits, nook shafts and cushion capitals," should not be knocked out to form window openings, as this would have been deliberate construction to stop people looking at a court proceedings, and as a feature of the past should remain.”

Prompted by this, the Council made us change the community proposal to preserve them accordingly. However, Bill's Produce did not subsequently have to play by the same rules.

This is what English Heritage said about the arches in 2009 when faced with the Council's own application on behalf of Bill's Produce (paid for by the Horsham taxpayer);

"The most visible change that is sought is the opening of the arches of the north front. Although startling at first, this could be seen as the continuation of a process begun some time ago, since the central arch was not a doorway until perhaps the twentieth century, when the building was finally turned round. The most dramatic change, the opening up of the first floor at this end to create a sense of space in the interior, would not affect fabric of importance (so far as we know) and the two rooms are now undistinquished. These changes therefore could be acceptable in themselves."

We have asked English Heritage to explain the difference but have, so far, received no satisfactory answer.

47

5th November 2012

Question: What other evidence is there to suggest that local societies are bullied
by Horsham District Council?

Answer: What about the Horsham Society? In June 2006 they wrote in their Newsletter:

"Ideas such as creating a street cafe environment have been floated, but it has rightly been pointed out that because of East Street's orientation, there really is 'no sunny side of the street.' "

And then in April 2008 re East St; "The experimental core-time pedestrianisation of East St is going ahead despite the Society's reservations.  

Contrast this with the latest comments by John Steele on the West Sussex County Times website:

“East Street pedestrianisation is a success and must stay.”

Enough said we think.

Tomorrow's update: Has the Horsham public been conned and the original Bill's brand 'thrown out of the window' (or should that be a glazed archway?) in the face of Horsham's opposition?

48

7th October 2012

Question: What are Bill's intentions for Horsham?

Answer: As the 'joker card' on Stephen Fry's QI programme says: "Nobody Knows."All the previous Billy-COTE bluff - based on the original Bill's Produce brand and additional bullsh*t dutifully reported in the local press - seems to have gone 'out of the window' as expected. It appears we are now talking about 'Bill's Restaurant'. According to one of the latest adverts, Horsham can expect "...freshly prepared dishes". What does this mean? Heated up in a microwave? Will the freshly prepared dishes be prepared on the Town Hall site or elsewhere?

Time will tell.

Next update: Horsham District Council's insecurity.

49

9th November 2012

Question: How is the Bill's project doing?

Answer: Very well according to Bill. This weeks West Sussex Council Times website carried the following. (However, the Billy-Gloat Bluff went so over the top that it didn't get into the paper!) The web-site said:  
"Published on Wednesday 7 November 2012 17:15
Two Union Jacks were installed over Horsham Town Hall today (Wednesday November 7), as work was confirmed to be on schedule.
Work started on the grade II* listed building in Market Square in late summer.
Bill Collison, founder of Bill’s Produce restaurant chain, told the County Times today: “It’s all on schedule, it’s coming together very nicely. Its definitely going to be open before Christmas.
We are very pleased with it, and I’m very excited.”
Bill’s Produce, which started in Lewes and now has several stores around the country, was selected by Horsham District Council as the preferred bidder for the historic Horsham building in May 2012."

First things first. The building is not Grade II star listed. The Department of Communities and Local Government said that the Old Town Hall's Grade II status should protect it from the kind of changes that were proposed. However, they didn't count on Horsham District Council approving its own application and handing the designs over to Bill's. Also, falsely claiming that it was an individual application from a Mr. Josh Leon (representative of the agents Davis Coffer Lyons and consultant to the Council at a cost of £5,000) in order to fool the Government Office of the South East and the High Court.

Secondly, we are now talking about Bill's Restaurant. All the original Billy-COTE guff about 'produce' etc. has gone out of the window.  

With this favouritism by Horsham District Council, we predict that when Bill's opens; at least two other nearby restaurants will close within a year. So much for the HDC restaurant strategy. Don't take our word for it though, these are the thoughts of the Council's own restaurant consultant from Davis Coffer Lyons - also the so called independent agents.  

Next update: The ghost of Dan Roberts strikes.

50

12th November 2012

Question: Is there any truth in the rumour about the ghost of Dan Roberts

taking revenge over the Old Town Hall?

Answer: Nobody knows, but it is perhaps a remarkable co-incidence that most of the people involved in the demise of the Old Town Hall have 'come a cropper' within a couple of years. Key staff at Horsham District Council who reneged on the community deal back in 2006 were made redundant and the Leader lost her post and returned to the back-benches. The following Leader who was in charge of putting the restaurant proposal back on the table got into business difficulties and had to resign from the Council. Last week, Richard Caring, the billionaire backer of Bill's was stung for £10 million in a Ponzi scheme. The evidence is stacking up. In the next couple of years we will see what happens to the likes of Bill's, COTE and the Audit Commission - as well as those individuals that give support to the Bill's cause, like those attending the opening, diners etc. Perhaps we can review the evidence annually, starting in a years time. 
However, as far as we are concerned, may all those that choose to dine elsewhere be blessed with good fortune!  

Next update: Council insecurity

51

15th November 2012

Question: What characterises Horsham District Council?

Answer: As well as a lack of honour, honesty and integrity - insecurity! Since the last Chief Executive left, the Council has surrounded itself with 'yes men' (yes, mostly men!), either within the Council, or without. This insecurity drives a thirst for unaccountable power (hence the denial of a Community Governance review) - mainly due to a lack of tangible delivery in the interests of the District. Horsham Council has regularly overspent in the last ten years on its self-serving bureaucracy. What have residents got for their money? Answer - very little!

Two examples of Council insecurity immediately spring to mind;

In 2006 the Council's Old Town Hall Advisory Group recommended a viable community solution for the Old Town Hall. Rather than work in a genuine partnership with the community the Cabinet conducted secret negotiations with Bill's Produce to undermine it. The message was simple - we are the (self-) important people around here and we will call the shots - no matter how destructive and unworkable. When the Council's own incompetent attempt at a community solution for the Old Town Hall went 'tits-up' they brought the restaurant proposal back to the table in desperation. Of course, it had to be Bill's at any cost to the taxpayer - as like the schoolchildren they are - they had to get their way. Hence the turning down of the superior Gondola offer. The Horsham people were barred from using their hall for years, whilst £40,000 was handed to Dial Post Village Hall without due process.

The second example is the unexplained termination of Horsham Music Week. Working with the community it was the most cost-effective festival going - just £3,000 over two years - and bringing much kudos to the town. It was replaced with much more expensive, exclusively Council-run options. Only criticism from the Blue Flash Music Trust gradually brought others back into the frame and corrected the Council hostility to Arts & Heritage from a couple of years ago. However, those 'others' had to be 'Cabinet approved' persons it seems. This insecure Council seems totally incapable of working in genuine partnership with any organisation that won't dance entirely to its tune.

The Council have learned a lot from their own Government - or is it vice versa? Appease the public by constantly announcing various initiatives that have no real prospect of delivery. This might involve the creation of Council-led quango's, with well-flattered hand picked 'puppets' to talk things around in circles, while they hope that the public forgets the original objective. These announcements are always dutifully reported by the local press; kept under control with a 'divide and rule' approach to the two newspapers. We remember well the West Sussex Council Times' 'Cut out and keep guide to the next election'. Due to a total lack of delivery and betrayal on the Old Town Hall, the WSCT declined to 'keep' its own guide when the next election came around.  

However, the Horsham public are not stupid. One day soon, the residents of Horsham will join us in saying that 'The HDC Emperor is wearing no clothes'!      

52

21st November 2012

Question: What standard of workmanship should one expect when work is being done on an iconic Grade 2 listed building such as Horsham Town Hall?

Answer: Valued heritage deserves high quality workmanship, but from the following observation made by a resident of Horsham this appears not to be so;

“Has anyone noticed what to the naked eye seems to be a badly constructed wall in front of Horsham Town Hall replacing the previous wall. The new wall is now constructed from stones from the blind arches and these have not been properly dressed as befits an historic Grade 2 listed building. If this is the standard of workmanship outside the Town Hall what is the workmanship like inside?”

53

23rd November 2012

Question: Does anybody in their right mind in Horsham want to work for Bill's after reading the advertisement in The Resident?

Answer: We don't know. The Bill's branding seems unusual. Now then, now then, where have we seen pictures, in this case full-page, of a jolly old git with what appears to be a cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth recently? We think that some Resident readers may have found the advertisement ill-judged and offensive in the current situation. Is smoking popular and healthy? Probably not! - especially after the Stoptober campaign in October. We'll see what happens when Bill's tries to recruit for the Horsham branch at the weekend since he plans to open 10th December 2012. We can soon expect the branding to change at significant expense perhaps - but a lot more damage is probably done in our opinion.

Future updates: For a while, we will be concentrating on all the good reasons to boycott Bill's and COTE once the Horsham branch opens on 10th December. 

54

26th November 2012

Question: What is behind Bill's ill-judged Horsham branding?

Answer: It seems that the recent post has caused a lot of debate amongst our supporters. Many think that the 'Billy-COTE-bluff' has become the 'Billy-GLOAT-Gruff' - and that this is an attempt at 'rubbing it in' to the overwhelming Horsham majority who supported community use of the historic Old Town Hall - and opposed restaurant use. There may be a lot of mileage in this view. Check out the condescending, downward looking smile on the 'old git' in the picture in the current edition of The Resident. The cigar might also be a symbol of victory as per Churchill (the cigar is often associated with 'the rich' too - such as Bill's backer, billionaire Richard Caring perhaps). Both Bill's and Horsham District Council certainly gave a big 'V' sign to the people of Horsham when they first secretly negotiated together (against Council policy) back in 2006 - and ever since.

Bill's was out recruiting at the weekend with the cigar smoking 'old git' stuck on some apples. However, the original 'produce' ethos of the pioneering Bill's Produce brand has increasingly disappeared with Bill Collison's shares and influence in the business. The Bill's brand is now 'all over the place' - perhaps more so than its many locations.

With its prematurely 'triumphant' Horsham branding, Bill (or rather the guys from COTE), seem to have forgotten about the Horsham people as potential customers on which they will ultimately depend. Bill's and HDC may have won a battle, but they have far from won the war. There are many battles to come.

With the last update, we said we would look at the reasons why people should boycott Bill's and COTE.

Reason one: If Horsham residents eat at Bill's they will be betraying the other hard working businesses of Horsham.

To use the magnificent quote from 'crafty cockney' Eric Bristow on 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here', those other Horsham businesses were not 'born with a golden spoon up their ass'. These other local businesses did not benefit from Horsham District Council (with Horsham taxpayer’s money) paying for their planning application and accompanying designs. They did not benefit from being given the overwhelming bit of 'free extra space' given to Bill's in the form of Market Square. They did not benefit from significantly 'knocked down' rent. Horsham's other businesses had to fight their corner on merit. They did not have the benefit of the favouritism applied to Bill's that saw Ask Ltd. (and the taxpayer) unfairly 'lose out' - even though Ask offered significantly more per annum for the Old Town Hall. The evidence strongly suggests that local business W J King unfairly lost out in the following bid process for the Old Town Hall too. 

Established businesses in Horsham did not have the benefit of the their Council approving totally inappropriate plans for a Grade II listed building and benefit from the resultant Council 'duplicity' in order to avoid due scrutiny i.e. pretending to the Government Offices and the High Court that it was an individual planning application. The alleged individual application (paid for by the Horsham taxpayer) just happened to be from the Council appointed marketing agent (after a dodgy bidding process) - that was also consultant to the Council - and the sole agent in Bill's Covent Garden deal. Other Horsham businesses didn't get the same kind of assistance from the Council such as with the Old Town Hall 'Stopping Up Order' that saw a false declaration to the Secretary of State either.

The Trust, like any reasonable person or body, believes in FAIR COMPETITION. To eat at Bill’s or COTE would betray this essential principal, we feel. We therefore ask that Horsham residents and beyond heed our call to boycott Bill's and COTE from 10th December inclusive.

Tomorrows update: The second good reason to Boycott Bill's and COTE.

55

27th November 2012

Question: What is the second good reason to Boycott Bill's and COTE?

Answer: First things first - as a result of yesterday's posting - one of our readers pointed out that the local press is also responsible for betraying Horsham's other hard working businesses. Agreed - there is no doubt in our minds that standards of journalism have dropped as a result of the Bill's fiasco. Where counter-comments by opponents were once reported, giving proper balance to the articles, Horsham District Council and Bill's have been mostly afforded 'open goals' in recent times.

In short, the local press have desperately tried to sell the project while they have glossed over serious unethical behaviour by the Council. 

Furthermore, check out the photo of the temporary 'banner' over the front door of the Old Town Hall in the West Sussex County Times a few weeks ago. This banner was quickly removed after the photo opportunity. We think that the result of this kind of free publicity and the favouritism showed to Bill's by the Council - if it goes unchecked -  is that other hard working businesses in Horsham will close in the next year. The 'restaurant consultant' and 'marketing agent' for the Council concurred with this view. Only a successful boycott of Bill's and COTE will rectify this unfair situation.

A WSCT editorial also praised the Council for a good job on the Old Town Hall. Who are they trying to kid? Even the tiny minority of 'restaurant use' supporters think it has been a wasteful, seven year farce. At the very least, how is cheating the Horsham taxpayer out of half a million pounds plus other benefits by irrationally turning down the Ask bid three years ago, a good deal for the taxpayer? The local press also talks about an underused and empty Old Town Hall building for the last three years as a justification, when they know full well that HDC unnecessarily banned the public from using it (as a result of the Council Cabinet 'throwing its toys out of the pram'). 

One explanation for the attitude of the press is that Bill's/COTE and HDC might be playing 'divide and rule' with local newspapers as they court statutory and other advertising from the Council - and further advertising revenue from Bill's/COTE. Nevertheless, we believe that the local press has an over-arching public duty to properly hold the Council to account in the long-term interests of their Horsham readers. In our opinion, it would currently 'serve them right' if other 'hard done by' local businesses - those not granted the blatant favouritism afforded to Bill's by HDC - got together and witheld their own future advertising from any 'sub-servient' papers. Furthermore, there is the option for Horsham people not to buy local newspapers in protest.  

Back to the question then. Bill's, the COTE 'puppetmasters', HDC and the local press seem to think that the Horsham public are stupid. They think that Horsham residents can't tell the difference between what they have been told - and what is actually delivered.

In our view, Bill's articles implied healthy, local, seasonal produce. The available evidence suggests anything but. Without commenting too much further how is cigar smoking a healthy image?

Bill's talked about sensitive changes to the historic building as specialists in the field. In fact Bill's broadly implemented the inappropriate, self-approved plans that were handed to them by HDC (unwillingly and improperly paid for by the taxpayer). Already, the wall in front of the building has had to be rebuilt. It doesn't bode well for the inside.

Bill's say they love Horsham - but they voluntarily walked away once before.

Other 'Porkie Pies' are featured elsewhere on this site. Bill's new house (improperly gained from the Horsham public against their will) is clearly not made of straw. However, it is currently a house that is built on sand!     

We firmly believe that the Horsham public are not as stupid as others seem to think they are. To emphatically demonstrate this as a fact; the second good reason for Horsham's residents and beyond, to Boycott Bill's and COTE! 

56

29th November 2012

Question: What's the third good reason for Horsham residents
and beyond to boycott Bill's and COTE?

Answer: To eat at Bill's or COTE would be to endorse dishonest, unethical and incompetent behaviour by our Council (Horsham District Council).

Dodgy procurement practices against the advice of the District Auditor; misleading the High Court and the Government Offices that it was not the Council's own Old Town Hall planning application (unwillingly paid for by the taxpayer); biasedly selecting Bill's and handing them the plans; informing a developer that notices had been put up around the Old Town Hall when they hadn't - causing them to make a false declaration to the Secretary of State. It doesn't get much worse!

Then there is secretly negotiating with Bill's in contravention of Council policy as far back as 2006 in order to scupper the approved community solution. When this skullduggery went wrong, the Council's second Old Town Hall Advisory Group charged with implementing a community solution, collapsed in a heap of incompetence. The resultant six year delay cost the taxpayer a fortune. 

The people of Horsham don't deserve this bunch of wasters. However, they can't do much about it because the HDC Cabinet clings to disproportionate power by denying a Community Governance review. Send HDC the appropriate message by justifiably boycotting Bill's and COTE.

57

4th December 2012

Question: What's the fourth good reason to boycott Bill's and COTE?

Answer: Because the favouritism towards Bill's by Horsham District Council stole the opportunity to provide tourism benefits to local businesses and residents as a result of the winning Old Town Hall community proposal. In recent years, HDC has wasted over a million pounds on consultants for little practical benefit - and with no real prospect of implementation. What they referred to as 'blue sky' thinking was really 'pie in the sky'. However, back in 2003 there was a good consultants report on tourism commissioned by HDC. It was called the 'Tourism Strategy for Horsham District'. However, HDC didn't really act on the report and other Councils 'stole the march' in implementing some of the ideas. One of the challenges set by the tourism report however, was to find a unique tourism selling point for Horsham, capable of regional, national, even international recognition. The winning Old Town Hall community proposal answered that challenge in 2006 - and was endorsed by the Council's first Old Town Hall Advisory Group. Instead, HDC secretly pursued Bill's - choosing to dishonourably waste everybodies time, effort and money - along with a significant chunk of taxpayer's money. They carried on unnecessarily squandering taxpayer’s cash for another six years. We're not sure about 'blue sky' - but it seems that 'the sky is the limit' when it comes to the wastefulness of HDC.

Not only does this Council waste taxpayer's money therefore - it squanders opportunities that would benefit the District. The townspeople have no electoral hope of changing this situation because HDC does not properly embrace democracy and denies residents a change to the currently rotten system.

Residents do have consumer power however.  Boycotting Bill's and COTE will send a clear message to the wasteful, self-serving bureaucracy that is their Council - a Council they reluctantly have to pay for.  

Next update: More on this 'out of control' Council.

58

9th December 2012

Question: What are the kind of thoughts of many Horsham residents
about the loss of their Town Hall, their community centre?

Answer: Perhaps one of the best ways to gather how many people feel is by reading the letter below published in the Wsct  6 December 2012....

59

12th December 2012

Question: How can we get the Boycott Bill's and COTE arguments across in simple form?

Answer: The Trust has put together the following summary leaflet (please see below).

Boycott Bill’s and its managing company COTE

Reason one: If Horsham residents eat at Bill's they will be betraying other hard working businesses of Horsham. Those other businesses have not benefited from similar favouritism in terms of trading conditions by Horsham District Council (HDC).

Reason two:  To eat at Bill’s would particularly betray the principle of ‘fair competition’ and Ask Ltd. who bid considerably more for the Old Town Hall. HDC’s bias towards Bill’s cost the Horsham taxpayer half a million pounds.

Reason three: To eat at Bill's or COTE would be to endorse wasteful, unethical and incompetent behaviour by our Council (Horsham District Council) e.g. the Horsham taxpayer improperly and unwillingly funding Bill’s planning application and designs.

Reason four: To eat at Bill’s would be to betray the Horsham community - who put forward an approved plan for the Old Town Hall – a plan that would have brought considerable tourism benefits to all residents and businesses in the District. Instead HDC handed our building (donated by the former Duke of Norfolk) to just one arm of ‘big business’ (Bill’s) on a plate.

With an ‘out of town’ HDC Council Cabinet we may not have any electoral power, but we do have consumer power – BOYCOTT BILL’S & COTE www.blueflashmusictrust.org.uk

60

16th December 2012

Question: What do we think of the West Sussex County Times editorial this week?

Answer: Yes it seems that the WSCT was reprimanded for the content of the critical Old Town Hall letter that got into the newspaper the previous week. Seems it slipped in under the editorial radar. It appears to us that this weeks Editorial was necessary to appease the reported wrath of the Council and Bill's therefore. Nevertheless, we don't see any excuse for the WSCT to become a sub-servient, unchallenged mouthpiece of HDC. We have therefore had our Business Consultant prepare this reply:

Dear Sir,

I understand that the purpose of an Editorial is to comment on topical issues from the newspapers perspective. However, without a right of reply to last weeks piece on the Old Town Hall and related issues, there would be a danger that the West Sussex County Times would be seen to be using its privileged position in order to 'rewrite history'.

The Editorial claimed "Despite initially supporting action to retain the building (the Old Town Hall) for community use, it became clear to us that there was simply not enough grass roots public support for such course".

Yet the paper is fully aware that that there have been over one thousand column inches devoted to the Old Town Hall in local newspapers since 2006. In that time, analysis shows that the 'inches' supporting community use have outnumbered those devoted to restaurant use by more than twenty to one. West Sussex County Times reporters also witnessed two packed public galleries in support of the Advisory Group approved and recommended community solution, one that would have brought major national, even international tourism to the district. Such public numbers did not appear at a Horsham District Council (HDC) meeting until the 'out-of-town' Council Cabinet unfairly recommended to sell another of the towns assets i.e. Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre. The detailed 2006 'feasibility study' supporting the winning community proposal for the Old Town Hall, a study called for by the Council's Old Town Hall Advisory Group, was also validated by the Faculty of Social & Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool. Public support for the approved community solution was never in doubt therefore. Indeed, it would have seemed irrational in terms of the town's likely prosperity, for both the public and your newspaper not to support the recommended community plan, particularly as the proposal, at zero-cost to the taxpayer, also gained overall majority support in your own WSCT poll.

Unfortunately, the insecure HDC Cabinet could not cope with an idea that it was not its own; and could not cope with a project that was not exclusively under its own control. At the meeting of September 2006 the Council therefore crushed the popular community proposal. Instead HDC vowed to facilitate its own community use for the Old Town Hall. Unfortunately, the Council's own efforts via the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group collapsed in an incompetent heap in 2007. Resurrecting restaurant use was thought to be the only way to detract from this failure.

Even then, things were incompetently and unethically handled by the Council. In 2009 Bill's was, for some reason, to be handed the Old Town Hall at £54,000 per annum (£20,000 below market value) when Ask Ltd. were irrationally turned down at a much higher £72,500 per annum. There were also many other benefits to the Ask Ltd bid. Even now, the Bill's rental is £15,000 less than their original verbal offer of £75,000.

In the meantime, like all bullies that are driven by their own insecurity and shortcomings, the Council unnecessarily frustrated and prevented the public from using their beloved building. The fabric of this historic building has not been "preserved" by eventual commercial use as claimed in your editorial piece. Unique historic features such as the blind arches have actually been destroyed by Bill's, having been handed plans by the Council that were improperly funded by the Horsham taxpayer. 

I therefore feel that the WSCT is simply not being honest with itself, let alone the public. The evidence suggests that your newspaper is simply trying to distract Horsham residents from the irrational, costly and wasteful actions of their Council. Indeed, I am personally grateful that they are my Council no longer. 

Last weeks Editorial appears to lack evidence of its own. For example, I'm not sure that Horsham's shopping centre enjoys "vitality" over and above its neighbours as claimed. Indeed, in terms of the likely economic outlook until 2015, creating an alfresco 'dining quarter' is probably one of the worst options in terms of town centre sustainability in my opinion. Furthermore, as once pointed out by the Horsham Society, creating it in the East of the town, in a relatively narrow street, also one with limited access, is equally suspect. 

Many existing, non-restaurant businesses might be forced out of East Street as a result of the pedestrianised space being offered to the eateries. However there is no guarantee, particularly in the current financial climate, that more restaurants will take their place. I'm not aware of any evidence to suggest that restaurant demand has increased in Horsham. Indeed, anecdotal evidence, staffing numbers and overall opening hours might indicate it is actually falling.

I am similarly not aware of any individual or body in the South East expressing a view of being "deeply envious" as claimed in the Editorial. In fact, I'm not aware that HDC has actively had much to do with restaurants going into East Street at all; although it has metaphorically moved heaven and earth to get 'Bill's into the Old Town Hall' on disproportionately favourable terms. The WSCT is perhaps right to trust that Bill's will "thrive"  therefore. Unfortunately it is likely to thrive at the expense of others according to the Council's own restaurant consultant. That is, unless the Horsham people rightly turn the tables on their obviously biased and despotic Council; stay loyal to the hardworking existing Horsham businesses that do not enjoy such desperately favourable terms; and stay away from dining at Bill's and their sister chain COTE.

Before the Bill's anomaly, the Council might have simply announced a 'dining quarter' in Horsham to give the illusion that it actually had a strategy and that HDC was making a difference. However, I'm not aware of any evidence to support the assertion that visitors to Horsham have increased as a result of the Council's 'dining quarter' announcement; or indeed that visitors to Horsham have increased at all. The 'dining quarter' publicity might also continue to unfairly deter custom from those Horsham eateries that exist outside of the 'quarter' perhaps. 

The one thing that may have slightly bolstered a Council 'restaurant strategy' is if individual businesses with a small number of locations, and not chain restaurants like Bill's and COTE, could have been attracted and retained. Such restaurants such as Wabi could be a unique reason for people making the trip. However, the businesses that have come and gone in recent years shows that the Council has largely failed to 'get lucky' in this respect. Why should people that live in Lewes, Brighton, Guildford come to shop and eat at a Bill's in Horsham when thay have a Bill's at home for example?

In just one respect I agree with your editorial. The Horsham market place will ultimately "determine whether there is enough local custom to support many outlets." However, with the correct use of the words "local custom", your Editorial appears to be contradicting itself. In the next breath it claims "We now have a real reason for many visitors to choose Horsham over neighbouring shopping centres".

For all the above reasons, I remain unconvinced that visitors have actually chosen Horsham over neighbouring shopping centres in the recent past; or indeed, that they ever will.

Martin Jeremiah MBA

Business Consultant to the Blue Flash Music Trust

Don't hold your breath that it will get printed though.

61

20th December 2012

Question: Does the local press protect the Council?

Answer: yes, it seems so. As things stand, it appears the local press can even print - allegedly - unfounded claims of its own in order to try and protect the Council's incompetent ass. When we submitted the 1,200 word counter argument (please see previous update) to the West Sussex County Times Editorial we were not expecting any chance of publication. We thought the WSCT would rely on its powerful position of being able to pick and choose its content. However, we received the following e-mail from the Content Editor:

"Thank you for the letter you have submitted with a view to publication in the West Sussex County Times.

It runs to more 1,200 words, a length we are not able to accommodate in the letters section of the newspaper (we are now including a panel at the top of our letters pages asking correspondents to confine their submissions to no more than 350 words).

If you would care to submit a revised version of your letter, bearing in mind our word count criteria, we will consider it for publication."

Having gone to the effort of a short revised version as requested (342 words below) - and finding further newspaper editing of our letters in the past perfectly acceptable and understandable - it still didn't get printed in this week's WSCT (bearing in mind that we were replying to an Editorial of last week). The sad fact is that the 'truth hurts' we feel. Neither the Council or the local press seem to be able to counter what we write/say with any reasoned argument and evidence of their own. This is undoubtedly why Horsham District Council's decision making is generally so poor.

It appears to us that the local press now prefers to hide in the same unaccountable 'bunker' as the Council; occasionally popping out to manipulate public opinion without any basis - in order to cover up the Council's irrational and incompetent actions (well documented on this site). So not only is HDC responsible for its own trail of carnage; somehow it seems to have driven down the standards of local journalism. Government departments, the Audit Commission, English Heritage and the Local Government Ombudsman have all gone the same way - having come into contact with the Council's extreme actions over the Old Town Hall. Is the Blue Flash Music Trust truly the only organisation with the principles and courage to say that 'the HDC Emperor is wearing no clothes' and explain why? The reason that these bodies appear to be so frightened of the Council is unexplained; that is, above those renumerated by the public sector 'sticking together' and the local press relying to some extent on Council co-operation and advertising. Even so, we think that any trusted organisation with honesty and integrity should be able to 'draw the line'. It seems that this 'line' has still yet to be drawn.        

They can all 'hide', but they cannot run from the truth. In the 'long and steady game' the truth will 'out'. Meanwhile here is a copy of the requested WSCT letter that was within the word limit. We've also thought of a new marketing strap-line for the WSCT to suggest to the Editor-in-Chief:

"Never let the truth get in the way of a good story" - or should that be "Never let the truth get in the way of a bad Editorial?" - or is it both?  

Dear Sir,

I understand that the purpose of an Editorial is to comment on topical issues from the newspapers perspective; rather than to 'rewrite history' in stark contrast to the available evidence.

Last week’s WSCT Editorial interestingly claimed "Despite initially supporting action to retain the building (the Old Town Hall) for community use, it became clear to us that there was simply not enough grass roots public support for such course".

Yet in 2006 WSCT reporters witnessed two packed public galleries in support of the recommended community solution, one that would have brought major national, even international tourism to the district. The detailed 2006 'feasibility study' was also validated by the Faculty of Social & Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool . Public support for the approved community solution was never in doubt therefore. Indeed, it would have seemed irrational in terms of the town's likely prosperity, for both the public and your newspaper not to support the recommended community plan for the OTH, particularly as the proposal, at zero-cost to the taxpayer also gained overall majority public support in your own WSCT poll.

Unfortunately, Horsham District Council Councillors have always been extremely capable of irrational decision making, of which there are too many examples to list here. A number of ‘wayward’ Council projects, including their own failed attempt at a community solution for the OTH in 2007, would suggest they are not capable of much else either.

Last weeks Editorial appears to lack any foundation therefore. I'm not aware of any actual evidence to suggest that that Horsham's shopping centre enjoys "vitality" over and above its neighbours; that announcing East Street as a 'dining quarter' has brought more visitors to the town; or that restaurant demand has increased in Horsham. Indeed, anecdotal evidence, staffing numbers and overall opening hours appear to indicate the opposite.

I am similarly not aware of any individual or body in the South East expressing a view of being "deeply envious" as claimed.

Perhaps your next Editorial comment would care to expand and enlighten us all.

(342 words)

Martin Jeremiah MBA

Business Consultant to the Blue Flash Music Trust

62

31st December 2012

Question: What can we expect - or rather, not expect, of Horsham District Council in 2013?

Answer: As usual, in our considered opinion, Horsham District Council will fail to deliver anything meaningful or tangible towards the prosperity of the District. There are a number of reasons for this which we will examine in detail in future updates - but the first one we will mention is complacency. In the latest article entitled 'Really positive achievements in the life of our district' the Council Leader says for example:

"Meanwhile in East St, Horsham, Tristan restaurant was awarded a prestigious Michelin star award. This reinforced the fantastic eating experience that East Street has become through a variety of high quality restaurants and then, at very long last after years of disuse, the Old Town Hall was transformed back into life when Bills opened just in time for Christmas. No wonder that during the year Horsham District was ranked in the top five best places to live in the UK!"  

However, one might observe that Tristans well deserved achievement was the result of its own hard work and desire for quality. It was little to do with HDC. Particularly, it was HDC who unnecessarily ordered that the Town Hall could not be used since 2007 while it waited for Bill's. In that time it turned down a far superior offer from Gondola three years ago, squandering half a million pounds of taxpayers money as a result.

The reason Horsham has previously been ranked in the top five best places to live in the UK is sensibly, little or nothing to do with Tristan's award; or the fact that Bill's finally opened in the Town Hall. It is similarly very little to do with Horsham District Council - who in terms of local government - are about as calamitous as 'The Keystone Cops'. Look no further than the £1.3 million overspend on the Acorn Scheme over two accounting years as evidence of this. No, being ranked in the 'Top 5' best places to live is much more to do with Horsham being a predominantly middle class area that continued to thrive in the prolonged boom times that were artificially upheld by the Labour Government. 

These conditions no longer exist and we feel it likely - for rational and well-argued reasoning - that Horsham will steadily slide down the league table in the next few years - that is - unless there is radical change. Again, we will advance those reasons in detail in due course. Not only that - we will be positive and identify possible solutions to the District's well-identified problems. Unfortunately, due to an appalling organisational culture that exists at HDC, those potential solutions are likely to go unheeded - just as they went unheeded on the Old Town Hall.  

Having been challenged to back up its pro-Council claims with any meaningful evidence - and failing badly to do so - the West Sussex Council Times already seems to be making the HDC excuses for 2013. To paraphrase the latest WSHDCT Editorial "It's not our fault it's the recession". In addition, HDC regularly uses other excuses and tactics to cover its inadequacies and lack of achievement which we will examine in future updates too. In 2013, as above, HDC will also be likely to desperately bask in the reflected glory of other’s achievements similarly.

However, after a well-earned Christmas rest, we will do our best to make it a Happy New Year for our readers. 

63

3rd January 2013

Question: What did the West Sussex County Times and Horsham District Council
do over Christmas?

Answer: People will notice that the usual Horsham District Council pantomime was replaced by a Christmas Broadcast by HDC Leader Ray Dawe; Scriptwriter for the 'panto' over the last ten years. The West Sussex Council Times, also played a starring role as the mouth of the pantomime horse while the HDC Cabinet played the ass. The audience of Horsham Residents was always in tears as the hapless animal lurched from crisis project to crisis project, overspending the budget and dipping into reserves for a drink. By last year, when expensive consultants had previously done the event planning for the 'Old Mother Hubbard' show - and the Horsham public really needed something special from HDC - unfortunately,'the cupboard was bare'.

Never mind, the Horsham public will always affectionately remember the last production of 'The Emperors New Clothes' where a small member of the Blue Flash Music Trust popped up and said "The HDC Emperor isn't wearing any clothes!" Once again, residents were in tears.

Anyway - back to the Christmas broadcast by HDC - directed by the West Sussex Council Times. The change to the Christmas programme was prompted by the letter to the WSHDCT from the Trust's business adviser within the 350 word limit. There was delay of a week in the schedule though - as the Director secured the 'twice as long script' from the HDC Leader to publish in the same edition as the Trust letter. Rather like pressing the 'red button' on the TV, you could also turn to the 'special feature' of a further WSHDCT editorial talking about the "superb cafe culture" in Horsham. Again however, there was no evidence to back the claims. How often have ordinary Horsham people criticised "too many restaurants" in the paper? - we've lost count.

And so to a review of the Christmas broadcast entitled 'Ray Dawe: really positive achievements in the life of our district' which we can all enjoy as a repeat again in December 2013 - just as a little taster for the next one.

On the closure of Broadbridge Heath that prompted unprecedented demonstrations in Horsham and a quick U-turn by the Council Cabinet.

"As a result a new £7.3 million leisure center funded by HDC will be rebuilt to replace the old building. In addition, a replacement athletics track for the district will be built at Tanbridge House School."

Like all HDC projects we will believe it when we see it and whether it actually cost £7.3 million. We will assess its range and quality as compared to the old facilities - as with the athletics track similarly.

"Virtually all councils in the country work on a mini-Westminster cabinet style scheme ....."

However, this system is widely discredited - particularly where there is a lack of an effective opposition party. The Twelfth Inquiry of the Committee on Standards in Public Life was supposed to sort this issue out - but the Inquiry was 'pulled' to deal with the MP Expenses scandal. The Trust’s evidence to this aborted 'cabinet style government' inquiry - citing the Horsham excesses - was favourably received. Doncaster, was another 'out-of-control Cabinet' example that springs to mind.

Piazza Italia festival

How was the alleged "15 per cent more people visiting" measured? Visiting where, compared to what? Who reliably measured this and were they independent of the Council? HDC do not have a very good reputation for measuring things. For example the Council doesn't reliably track expenditure on specific projects and simply 'buries' unspecified project costs in departmental budgets. No-one generally knows whether an HDC project is value for money or not. That said, actual HDC effort in the Pizza Italia festival was probably minimal.

"A record number of people took part in a real ale trail as part of the 'Big Nibble' weekend..."

Similarly, was this a record of ten people? - up from eight last year? How many was it?

"Horsham District has the highest number of start-up businesses in West Sussex with the best record of long-term success...?"

Again, who measured this and how? Is this the number of start-up businesses beginning trading in the last year or since the 'dawn of time'? What is the time period? How does Horsham compare with other District Councils outside of West Sussex? Does Horsham's small businesses stay in business longer than those outside of the area? If not, why not? If so, what has HDC done specifically to help them?

"It (Microbiz) proved to be a hugely successful event.."

Is 40 exhibitors good, as compared to similar events in other areas? Similarly, is 500 visitors good? Did a survey of those attending conclude that the event was "hugely successful" as claimed?

"The council's 'Horsham District News' magazine was awarded the national silver award for best publication at the Local Government Communications Reputation Awards 2012."

 At last, some real evidence - and fair play to HDC on this. However, this is largely an army of local government employees patting themselves on the back. A national award from readers of these Council publications up and down the country would have been much more impressive.

"Horsham Museum Art Gallery had a strong summer of art ..."

The Council Cabinet had the museum under threat when it secretly negotiated with Bill's Produce against council policy in 2006. The museum was again under threat in a secret cabinet discussion paper recently. We judge HDC by its actions and results - not its words.

Tristan, East Street 'cafe culture' and the Old Town Hall

This is covered in the previous update. We would add that the public inquiry re. East Street is in our view, a silent recognition by the council that the 'restaurant quarter' idea is doomed to go visibly 'tits up' in the near future. More on this in a future update.

The council 'day job'

Big number stats in themselves - but how do these numbers measure up against other councils against the expenditure on these activities? The jury is still out on value for money for the Horsham taxpayer. Don't look to the ineffective and useless Audit Commission for any meaningful answer however (although the AC rating is less than it was previously we think).

"Finally there was the Olympic torch .... "

No there wasn't. The Olympic torch went on an elaborate journey that avoided Horsham we seem to recall. It was a shame - because if the Trust's plans for the Cultural Olympiad were adopted by HDC, we might have had it visit Horsham. The Paralympic torch did come after a lot of wingeing in high places about the Olympic torch however.

"...the Olympic stadium Grenada sprinter Kirani James won his country’s first ever gold medal for the 400m sprint. His chosen training ground? - our own Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre!"

Is that the Leisure Centre that the Cabinet wanted to close down without any kind of replacement plans? Is it the Leisure Centre that will still close down - and may or may not get replaced to the same quality of facility? Funny that HDC should choose to mention this, but good to see that the Cabinet hasn't lost its touch for calamitous comedy - finely honed after years of 'panto' experience no doubt! 

64

7th January 2013

Question: What do you think about Howard Smith's letter in the WSCT (03/01/2013)?

Answer:  Not much really. The mistake that Mr. Smith makes is this; that all this is simply an issue about the Old Town Hall. In our view, the Old Town Hall was only one symptom of the disease that is demonstrated in Horsham District Council's wayward behaviour and general lack of performance. The Trust will not flinch from its on-going public duty to hold Horsham District Council to account across the board. As taxpayers, and as an organisation within the Horsham District area, this is both right and essential. It is why the Trust previously contested the Council's Annual Governance Statement and gave written evidence to the Twelfth Inquiry on Standards in Public Life. The evidence to the latter was well received until the inquiry was aborted in order to deal with the MP expenses scandal.

We were not aware that Mr. Jeremiah was "content to rely on anecdotal evidence" to contest the claims about the East Street 'restaurant quarter', but used it in corroboration of other evidence such as declining staffing numbers and overall opening hours.    

Mr. Smith also makes the mistake that our business consultant Mr. Jeremiah has a personal interest in the above quest. He is not a Horsham District resident and is simply an adviser to the Trust. As a qualified person in such matters we value his opinion and find that his observations of Council performance are always very astute when asked of him.

Next update: more on the reasons why HDC performance is sub-standard.

65

9th January 2013

Question: Is it that it is Horsham District Council's reputation on the line and not the Trust's?

Answer: Indeed so. Horsham District Council's reputation will continue to hang by a thread. The reaction to Bill's in the Old Town Hall has been mixed since it's opening (in spite of local press claims to the contrary). We will detail some of the reviews in future updates. The Council will continue to worry that if Bill's profitability drops, then Bill's will 'walk'. How easy this will be, is down to the terms of the lease - but we think it will be quite easy. There is no doubt in our minds that HDC had to desperately concede lots in order to childishly and wastefully get its way. This might be why the Council refuses to publish the terms of the lease under Freedom of Information. If Bill's does walk - the public will be left with an unusable building - or the significant cost of restoring it. In addition, rumour has it, that billionaire Richard Caring has sold COTE (Bill's 'puppetmasters') for example. The Council's reputation will rightly be in tatters if Bill's 'ups sticks' in the next few years. However, that said, HDC has already 'trashed' its reputation nationally with its Old Town Hall antics. We will cover this in detail in future updates. It's not just about the Old Town Hall though; for good reasons previously stated, the 'restaurant quarter' in general is set to go 'down the pan' in the near future.

Our updates seem to have got off to a good start in 2013. There has been widespread debate amongst readers of our site as to whether the letter in the West Sussex Council Times last week was the work of a 'Council stooge'. Readers particularly question whether the author Howard Smith, has any connection to the local Conservative Party. The answer is - we don't know. However, one might observe:

1. •Mr. Smith's accusation that our business adviser, Martin Jeremiah was indulging in the latest outpouring of "sour grapes" with his questioning of the 'success' of East Street's 'restaurant quarter'. However, Martin hasn't been in the press about the Old Town Hall for some considerable time. He privately feels that he had a "lucky escape" when the Council Cabinet reneged on the agreement for the recommended community solution back in 2006 (after unnecessarily putting him to significant extra work to make it happen). The Trust feels that it ultimately 'lost' the Old Town Hall 'battle' (temporarily) in 2007 when the Council's own childish efforts for a community solution collapsed in a heap of incompetence (“it's my ball and I'm going home!”). For the last six years we have been confined to holding the Council to account. There is no way we could have actually stopped such an irrational, stubborn, dishonourable, unethical and 'toys out the pram' Council from finally putting Bill's in the OTH for a while. The Horsham taxpayer has been the only loser, particularly when HDC turned down the £17,000 per annum superior offer from Ask Ltd in 2009. Even then, this was significantly less than the potential tourism benefits for all from the community proposal. Thus, there is no way that any sensible supplier would work with HDC if they were acutely aware of this history. This reputation will be likely to result in 'knock on' costs for the taxpayer as well. As our business adviser put it "it is the only time that I have shaken hands on a business deal (referring to the recommended community solution for the Old Town Hall ) and had it reneged on". Had Mr Smith been given a selective Council briefing on their view of history before writing his letter therefore?
   

1. •Mr Smith also gets hung up on our business adviser’s MBA (Masters of Business Administration degree). Martin had to declare this qualification during the Council process that recommended our solution for the Old Town Hall back in 2006 - in order to help satisfy the procurement criteria that was laid down for Councils. A higher degree is rare (less than 7% of the population) and not many people know what an MBA stands for. Mr Smith is either very knowledgeable; he was motivated enough to Google it; or he was briefed by someone connected with the Council. We would be interested to know the answer from anyone 'in the know'.
   

1. •Mr. Smith says that he holds no sway with Councillors but he does not say whether Councillors hold any sway with him. Is this a future HDC Councillor in the making people wonder?
   

Next update: more detail on why HDC's performance is so poor and why it is 'heading for a fall'. 

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12th January 2013

Question: What else is there to suggest that Horsham District Council is complacent?

Answer: Recently HDC was boasting about Horsham being ranked in the top five of best places to live. This was echoed in the letter to the West Sussex Council Times by Howard Smith. In the poll conducted by Experian for the Sunday Times recently Horsham was actually FIFTH. Why did they put it this way - i.e. a positive spin about being in the top 5? Answer - to cover the fact that six years ago Horsham was ranked as the second best place to live, just behind Winchester in a poll conducted for Channel Four. So - as we previously stated - Horsham will continue to slip down the ratings at the hands of a complacent Council. HDC can cover up the truth due to a subservient local press that no longer balances its articles with comment from those that might criticise the Council like the Trust. We think the WSHDCT must have been well aware of the poll six years ago. It was probably well aware that the Council was now complacently boasting about being three places lower than six years ago - but unfortunately - the paper chose to keep quiet.

As we previously stated also - because the Council achieves very little for itself - it will try and claim the credit for things that are not the direct result of HDC actions. The 'best place to live' polls measure things like life expectancy for example. Therefore the polls are thus influenced by actors overwhelmingly little to do with HDC. 

Only the Trust has the courage to speak up - tell it like it is - and say that 'the HDC Emperor is wearing no clothes' it seems.

Next update: In spite of local press reports and Council claims - How is Bill's Restaurant in the Old Town Hall really doing?

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15th January 2013

Question: How is Bill’s restaurant in the Old Town Hall really doing?

Answer: If you believe the local press and Horsham District Council you would think that Bill’s was doing great. However, here is a selection of comments drawn from published reviews in order to balance things up a bit:

“Ok, so it was the 2nd of Jan and maybe food deliveries weren't yet up to speed but to be told that five menu items were unavailable at lunchtime was not a good start (no haddock and chips, fishfinger sandwich, cod cheeks, moules, kids' fishfingers). As a fish-lover this considerably reduced my options. The meal we did opt for was nothing to rave about. The highlight was the crabcake starter which was good but on the flip side the tuna nicoise salad was extremely poor, containing very little else but leaves and a few extremely dry, tasteless tuna flakes. The burger was fine although difficult to eat as it was served in a hunk of ciabatta bread rather than the advertised sesame seed bun. The kids' meals need some consistency when it comes to portion sizes. The kids' burger was huge but unfortunately it was overcooked and a challenge to eat due to the ciabatta bread. By contrast the grilled chicken portion was so small it took five mouthfuls to polish it off. The sausage and mash portion was spot on in size but again it was so incredibly dry it did not make for a pleasant eating experience. The service was fine, although not once were we asked how our meal was and nobody questioned the piles of food left on our plates. The atmosphere was good but the poor standard of food left us feeling that we had completely wasted our money. With so many restaurants now to choose from in Horsham, I can't say that we will be rushing to return.”

“Only comments would be it was so dark upstairs that my wife and I had to use our phones to read the menu!!, and its not haute cuisine, more like a really good pub / bistro meal.”

“The familiar produce and wares are still present, although not in the abundance to be found in the other “stores”."

“Unfortunately my beetroot tortellini was delicious but far too few, two pieces of medium sized tortellini made me thanks the stars I had eaten a starter.”

“To finish I had the warm chocolate brownie which, although adequate, was nothing more.”

“Despite enjoying the evening I admit to being a little confused by Bills Horsham, it is clearly a restaurant but seems to struggle with the evening weekend dining experience, and appears to be much more suited to the daytime meals and coffee brigade. The laid back Lewes/Brighton vibe is replaced by a slightly awkward muddle of formal evening and informal daytime dining.”

”The building, although beautiful and fantastically finished, was cold, and led to one of the staff bringing my wife a blanket, which is fine outside a pub, but in a restaurant where the bill for two easily reaches £50?”

“However despite a plethora of staff there seemed to be an air of disorganisation - and people were kept waiting around while staff appeared to dither. Surprised that upper floor was not opened up to allow customers to use tables there.”

Future updates: Why Horsham District Council's restaurant strategy is doomed and the part that Bill’s will play in this. Also more on why Bill’s is struggling with the Old Town Hall .

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Posted 17th January 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council's East Street 'restaurant quarter' doomed?

Answer: Amongst other things, HDC trashed its reputation amongst restaurateurs nationally when it unfairly turned down the far superior offer from Ask Ltd. in 2009. This had a knock-on effect on Bill's reputation too. No new restaurants are going to easily enter the frame in Horsham's East Street therefore. Also - combine this with the difficulties that are impacting the non-restaurant businesses in East Street as a result of the Council's aspirations for the 'restaurant quarter'. As these non-restaurant businesses leave East Street they will be difficult to replace. East Street's overall image is likely to decline markedly - with an adverse effect on all businesses there.

In addition - many already resent Bill's locally because of the blatant favouritism show to them by the Horsham District Council. If Bill's adversely effects the viability of other eateries as a result of this HDC bias (by no means guaranteed, due to the problems that Bill's is experiencing at the Old Town hall) - then existing Horsham restaurants are perhaps likely to vote with their feet and pull away. Bill's already had an advantage in being a 'chain' restaurant which is underwritten by COTE. The only chance for HDC was to attract independent restaurants that didn't exist elsewhere in order to grow overall demand - and HDC has largely failed to achieve this. There is a lack of diversity in the resultant East Street restaurant offering. One reviewer recently called it an 'italian-fest' for example.

Couple this with the row over disabled access and the economic conditions that are due to exist for some time - and East Street is an accident waiting to happen. Horsham District Council and the local press will be eating 'humble pie'.

Next update: Bill's problems at the Old Town Hall in more detail.  

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Posted 18th January 2013

Question: Concerning Horsham District Council and Bill's - should Horsham
residents laugh or cry?

Answer: We'll get back to the serious stuff later - but first - many of our regular readers have alerted us to a further letter from Howard Smith in this week's West Sussex Council Times. It's perhaps unusual for the WSHDCT to allocate so much 'air space' to a single individual (two lengthy letters in quick succession) - or should that be 'hot air space'? - or 'hot under the collar' space?

The Trustees rise up above such things of course - but for Mr Smith's further amusement amongst the winter gloom - here is a prize comment:

"It looks like he (Mr Smith) is looking to replace the HDC Cabinet as the rear end of the pantomime horse (the ass) in the Horsham District Council panto" [a reference to our Christmas update below].

We couldn't possibly comment of course  - but the Trustees would like to point out that they have a 'legitimate interest' in matters relating to the Old Town Hall - courtesy of the honourable High Court Judge, Mr Justice Thornton (detailed text relating to the judgement elsewhere on this site).

In fulfillment of our aims and objectives:

1. •The Trust providing the winning, approved and recommended bid for Horsham's Old Town Hall - for the community solution that was called for by Horsham District Council in 2005. The resultant feasibility study (also requested by HDC) was further validated by the University of Liverpool. The proposal would have brought major tourism benefits to the District in line with the consultant’s document 'Tourism Strategy for Horsham District'. HDC reneged on the agreement and wasted the taxpayer’s investment.
   

2. •The Trust provided music workshops and concerts in the Old Town Hall - until HDC unnecessarily forbid the Horsham people to use the Hall from 2008 - 20012.
   

3. •The Trust jointly project managed the acclaimed Ralph Vaughan Williams commemoration concert at Horsham's St. Mary's Church in conjunction with Horsham Folk Club and HDC's Horsham Museum in 2008.
   

4. •The Trust project managed the Horsham Community Festival in September 2006. It was a successful, three-stage music festival - organised from inception to implementation in just one month. It remains an events management feat that will not be easily equaled anywhere in the world.
   

5. •The Trust worked with Horsham District Council on Horsham Music Week in 2006 and 2007 - organising The Forum stage and providing the artists. In spite of Horsham Music Week being Horsham's most cost-effective and kudos winning festival (just £3,000 over two years) it was inexplicably and irrationally discontinued by the HDC Cabinet.
   

Anyway, back to the business in hand....

   This week saw the West Sussex Council Times reporting (uncritically and without balancing comment - as is usual these days it seems) Horsham District Council's currently intended £500,000 investment in West Street. As with all HDC announcements - we will believe it - and analyze the success of it (or lack of success perhaps!) - when we actually see it. Many Council projects result in expensive re-work. The sorry stories of East Street, The Forum, Shelley's Ball etc. all spring to mind - to name but a few.

The announcement about the West Sussex County Council investment in West Street was made by Roger Paterson who was Chairman of the Council's second Old Town Hall Advisory Group. This was the group that was charged with the task of implementing the Council's own 'community solution' for Horsham's Old Town Hall back in 2007. Was this the advisory group that collapsed after six months in a heap of confusion and incompetence? Yes, we think it was! Does WSCC really trust HDC Councillors to spend the money on their behalf?

That said, £500,000 is only just over a third of the money that was incompetently overspent by HDC over two accounting years on the Acorn Scheme. It also represents about half of the money that was wasted by HDC in failing to properly review it's heavily under-used 'Park and Ride' scheme on a timely basis over the last ten years. To name but two examples!

Meanwhile, due to its incompetent overspending in recent years, Horsham District Council is currently addicted to parking income from fee rises that will help kill Horsham's town centre. This history of reckless and incompetent HDC budgeting is why West Sussex County Council has had to put up the money for West Street we think.

Mr. Paterson says "Major investments are being made - there will be announcements" - and "'several large’ players currently have their focus on units in the Bishopric area of Horsham." However, we remember that HDC once had £215,814 reserved in its accounts for a community upgrade to the Old Town Hall back in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. The money was released back into general funds in 2007/2008 - possibly partly as a result of the Council's consistent bad budgeting and overspending elsewhere. Furthermore, if investments are made by others, it will be little to do with HDC we believe. Nevertheless, it won't stop the Council desperately grasping at straws and claiming the credit.

Once again, we'll believe it all when we see it! Let's see HMV in West Street survive - or be replaced by something other than a 'pound shop' first perhaps.

Next update: We really will explain in more detail why Bill's is struggling in Horsham's Old Town Hall. Didn't we announce that at the end of the last update? Seems like HDC's disease is catching, doesn't it?!

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posted 21st January 2013

Question: Why is Bill's struggling in Horsham's  Old Town Hall ?

Answer: We'll get to that in a minute, but comments are still coming in about Howard Smith's letter in the West Sussex Council Times this week. We couldn't resist a little tit-ter at some, such as:

"Looks like he (Mr. Smith) is a bit of an Amy Childs with "it's all about me" “[reference to the popular TV programme 'The Only Way is Essex ' we think]. However, we rightly pointed out to this reader that Mr. Smith claims some similarly indulgent friends too - so maybe we are talking 'Made in Horsham' - sorry, 'Made in Chelsea'!

Anyway, back to business - why is Bill's struggling in Horsham’s Old Town Hall?

As independent observers have pointed out, Bill's is struggling with its 'split personality' brand:

"Despite enjoying the evening I admit to being a little confused by Bills Horsham, it is clearly a restaurant but seems to struggle with the evening weekend dining experience, and appears to be much more suited to the daytime meals and coffee brigade. The laid back Lewes/Brighton vibe is replaced by a slightly awkward muddle of formal evening and informal daytime dining. "

"... it’s not haute cuisine, more like a really good pub / bistro meal."

"This Horsham version wasn't quite the same - no greengrocery!"

"This Bills isn't quite the same decor wise. It's a bit more like a hybrid between Bill's and Cote (not that surprising as they now own Bill's)."

"...but has the one time independent now turned into just another chain?”   

"The familiar produce and wares are still present, although not in the abundance to be found in the other “stores”."

"...the café feel of the Bills Brighton is gone and replaced with a trendy London feel."

As we said on this site long ago, the Bill's brand is now 'all over the place'. One visitor told us “The place had an identity crisis, and the building did not look happy.” In trying to be 'all things to all people' – Bill’s risks pleasing no-one. The previous claims in the local press have largely not materialised too (please see elsewhere on this site).

Bill's is also struggling with the building itself. The Old Town Hall was not ideally suited to restaurant use, as pointed out to Horsham District Council by local marketing agents Crickmay back in 2006. The lack of useable floor space gives it a crowded feel we think - as Bill’s understandably tries to maximise its profitability. One of the reasons for the ‘identity crisis’ might be the volatility in Bill’s financial backers. We hear that an Italian company has ‘bought in’ to replace billionaire Richard Caring in the ‘offshore conglomerate’ (so far unconfirmed).

This photo shows the bags of rubbish on the rear external staircase (on a Sunday). By Monday morning there were far more bags. We think this external staircase also serves as the rear fire escape. Permission for the actual rubbish store (as can be seen is clearly of inadequate size) probably shouldn’t have been granted at all - as it was outside the ‘footprint’ of the building (the land actually registered with the Land Registry by HDC and given to the people by the former Duke of Norfolk). The formerly responsible Government Office advised HDC to get legal advice about ownership of the sub-soil that was outside the footprint of the building, but there is no evidence that HDC did this. Not a problem for Horsham District Council however - as they self-approved their own application (paid for by the taxpayer) and then claimed to the other Government Office that it wasn’t their application (thereby avoiding due scrutiny).  HDC then handed the £10,000 worth of Horsham taxpayer funded plans to Bill’s (gross profit for Bill’s is £7,405,445 we hear). Bill’s also said in the local press that they would make sensitive changes to the building – but in fact – they simply implemented the plans that were given to them by HDC.

Many think that these OTH plans have ‘gone all wrong’. The front elevation of the building was originally built to look like a castle – with deliberately blind arches. Now with these historic arches destroyed (based on old-style Court Room use) – the glazed windows are thought to make this once grand building, look stupid. One person said “It looks like a sad old Deputy Dawg!” (a reference to a sad looking cartoon character).This change to a Grade II Listed Building should never have been allowed according to the planning regulations in force at the time. It’s not a problem to an unethical Council approving its own application and pretending it is someone else’s individual application however!

Cutting a hole in the floor shouldn’t have been allowed for a Grade II Listed Building either. However, the hole still wasn’t big enough to provide enough light on the upper floor it seems – with reports of people using the light of their mobile phone to read the menu up there. The problem with ‘the hole’ is that it also creates a ‘chimney effect’ with some people reported as having asked for a blanket!

The removal of the sound buttle (barrier) just inside the front door (another historic architectural feature) means noise is a problem if the front door is open. One big ‘noise problem’ is the significant noise made by the extractor fans.

Horsham’s beloved Old Town Hall no longer seems to be a grand and happy building. However, the ghost of Dan Roberts isn’t finished yet!

The actual improvement that would have made a positive difference to the Old Town Hall was installing a disabled lift in the old stairwell. This was originally planned by both HDC and the Trust, but reneged on in the HDC plans – plans unknowingly paid for by the taxpayer on behalf of Bill’s. Horsham District Council’s ongoing neglect over disabled issues was well covered in a letter to the West Sussex Council Times by Pete Owles recently. Bill’s says a disabled lift wasn’t allowed because it is a Grade II Listed Building. As well as being another rubbish assertion by Bill's – it’s not a problem when you want to destroy unique historic architectural features like the blind arches!

One customer remarked on the ‘dark’ outlook of the building compared with its original appearance – “..dark windows in the front, black front door that always has to be kept closed, black flag hanging above the door, all the other doors are black, and the windows on both sides are backed by heavy wooden shuttering.”

Another customer told us “The extractor fans can be heard from inside the building too. Mind you the customers on the ground floor were making such a noise we could not originally hear the fans. However, the sound of the extractor fans became very obvious when we went up-stairs to have our coffee. When we got there it was like the Marie Celeste, not a soul to serve us and not a sign of life, except a plate showing an abandoned and unfinished breakfast. We waited to be served up there as promised but no one turned up, so we went.”

The good news is that the advertising bill-board signs bearing the cigar-smoking ‘old git’ (seen on Bill’s Horsham advertising [not exactly sensitive and not exactly ‘healthy eating’]) have disappeared. The sign previously outside Ask at the Kings Head was particularly provocative - as Ask unfairly lost out to Bill’s - when Ask promised £18,000 a year more than Bill’s for the Old Town Hall in 2009.

It is reported that Horsham District Council is currently putting about a rumour that Bill’s is to pay £35,000 for two years for the OTH (less than the £60,000 ‘evaluated’ when W J King also unfairly lost out to Bill’s last time around) and £70,000 a year, in two years time – perhaps in an effort to mitigate HDC’s unethical bias towards Bill’s. However, with HDC refusing to reveal the terms of the lease with Bill’s, no-one can verify this, or otherwise. In any case, £70,000 is still less than the £72,500 offered by Ask in 2009. 

The above problems and the volatility of Bill’s financial backers could see Bill’s ‘up sticks’ from Horsham in a jiffy we think. The Horsham people would be left with an un-useable building - until it is properly restored for the community. HDC’s restaurant strategy would also be in further tatters (please see previous update). However, until Horsham District Council ‘comes clean’ over the terms of the Old Town Hall lease, no-one will know just how 'major' is this scenario of Bill's quitting Horsham.

Next update: More on the reasons why Horsham District Council’s performance is so poor.

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posted 26th January 2013

Question: Who else is affected by Horsham District Council's shameless arrogance where
a lack of Council performance is concerned?

Answer: The Horsham taxpayers of course - but we'll detail the effects on them in due course. Amongst others, HDC even embarrasses its own Government.  A couple of years ago we commissioned a report by our Business Adviser into HDC performance. It went to the Audit Commission (incorporated into an investigation file), and HDC's Audit Accounts & Governance Committee and to government. With its usual arrogance, Horsham District Council determined that we had no right to question the Council. The Trustees being taxpayers in the District didn't seem to cut the mustard.

David Cameron’s office said that we would receive a reply from Francis Maude's Cabinet Office. The promised reply never came. The report identifying the specifics of HDC poor performance seemed to be unanswerable.

At another time, Francis Maude wrote to our Trust, pleased that the Leader of HDC had assured him of community use for Horsham's Old Town Hall. When the Leader reneged on this assurance in September 2006 our MP went quiet. The HDC tail clearly wagged the Parliamentary dog and Horsham's MP was forced into silence. To make things worse this happened after  Francis Maude had been waxing lyrical, in the local press, about the merits of painting the newly created Bourne Spring Community Centre in Bournemouth at a Conservative party conference!

Our Business Adviser also attended the Government's consultation on the Localism Bill at the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Originally, governmental staff thought that Horsham's Old Town Hall might have been a good project as a way of highlighting the potential benefits of the Localism Bill. Subsequently, after discussions with our Business adviser, they privately had to advise that the Bill would not stop a determined Council behaving irrationally and/or against the spirit of the Localism Bill. The next Leader of HDC went on to attack the Localism agenda in the local press.

Arrogant HDC Councillors only think of themselves it seems; they do not care who they embarrass along the way.

Next update: More victims of HDC's wayward behaviour.

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posted 23rd January 2013

Question: Where was English Heritage in protecting the Horsham Old Town Hall as
a Grade II Listed building, and what's the news on Bill's bins?

Answer: English Heritage (EH) was 'all over the place'. The Government's Department of Culture Media & Sport thought that Horsham's Old Town Hall would be protected from such changes by its Grade II status. They were wrong. English Heritage rolled over in the face of Council arrogance and stubbornness.

In 2005 English Heritage informed HDC that the solid, blind arches on the OTH needed to be retained as an architectural feature. Our own Business Consultant originally submitted designs with glazed arches (like Bill's) to the first HDC Old Town Hall Advisory Group and was advised this needed to be changed - which he readily did of course. However, when the Council submitted its own plans with the glazed arches for Bill's in 2009, English Heritage did a complete about turn.

Why do the regulatory bodies back down? Answer - because none of these regulatory bodies have the power to actually enforce proper behaviour at HDC - they can only advise. Horsham District Council is now known to be too extreme to advise. The regulatory bodies know that the Council will do what it likes irrespective of whether it is right or wrong - and whether it breaches any guidance. If there is a disagreement then HDC will go to the local newspapers and attack that particular regulatory body, such as they did with the Audit Commission. English Heritage was probably aware of this.

When English Heritage did its u-turn in 2009 it knew that the Government Offices had been lied to by HDC i.e. about it not being the Council's own planning application. The Trust kept EH fully informed of developments. The relevant Government Offices also knew that they had been lied to by HDC - also about it not being the Council's own application - but said that they "had no policing function" and could therefore do nothing about it.

Faced with this scenario, English Heritage probably decided that 'discretion was the better part of valour'. EH rolled over, u-turned and avoided being at odds with an obviously stubborn and arrogant HDC. EH abandoned its principles and its previous thoughts and irrationally supported the glazing of the arches (amongst other things) - probably as the 'least line of resistance'. EH probably hoped that the Blue Flash Music Trust did not have the same clout as the Council to attack them in the press i.e. to expose the irrational u-turn. It’s all understandable therefore - but it doesn't make it right. Horsham District Council clearly lacks integrity.

Interestingly, EH has always properly supported a disabled lift in Horsham's Old Town Hall in the site of the old stairwell. A representative of Bill's claimed that there was no disabled lift in the OTH because it was a Grade II Listed building and a disabled lift was therefore not allowed. As usual Bill's is talking 'rubbish' - as well as dumping rubbish on its rear steps! (please see previous update).

Bill's rubbish has got a whole lot worse over the weekend (much worse than our picture), but since Monday - no black bags! One reader remarked that since our intervention things seemed to have improved with regard to the rubbish piles; but maybe some rubbish was now being retained within the building instead; with possible potential health hazards involved? The answer is we don't know. Maybe extra rubbish collections have been arranged by Bill's from their mates at HDC for example? One to look into and thanks for the observation. 

Next update: More on why HDC performs so poorly.

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posted 28 January 2013

Question: What's the news on Bills?

Answer: Seems that poor Old Bill's doesn't know what to do with the rubbish any more since the situation has been highlighted

in our updates. The bags are spewing out from the back steps onto the pavement big time today as the inserted picture shows! Indeed, the rubbish has been doing the Hokey Cokey this week - in out, in out, shake it all about. If Bill's keeps the rubbish inside the building, it might be a health hazard. If Bill's stashes the rubbish up outside, there might be other hazards. The inadequate bin store (which shouldn't really have been allowed at all in the first place) seems to be an ongoing problem.

Seems that Bill's is having problems with a couple of people in another location too, and here below are the views of individual reviewers of course:

“Bills deteriorating as it becomes a national chain/franchise” Reviewed 19 October 2012

We first tried a Bills in Lewis a few years ago and enjoyed the innovative menu and ingredients. When we were in London we used the Bills near Covent Garden and again it hit the spot. Naturally when Bills arrived in Exeter we tried it. We were disappointed. As other reviewers have said the menu is uninspiring, portions are small compared to other restaurants and other Bills in the past, but worst of all the food is unappetising. I tried again and popped in for breakfast and chose the bacon sandwich. It was awful. A few thin strips of overcooked, flavourless, streaky bacon between two pieces of long life bread masquerading as seeded bread. I felt cheated.

The coffee was fine.

“Pretentious, over-priced, noisy, poor food and poor service.” Reviewed 17 October 2012

This is absolutely one of those places aimed at the masses who unfortunately don't know better. Groups show up as birthdays or works do's, everyone is too polite to complain, so get stung with small "trendy" portions, basic food, and 10% gratuity built into the bill.

I had the sea bream. For £12 I was expecting a nice fish dish, something to fill me up, Instead it was like a starter - a bookmark sized slither of fish, on a small bed of very basic tagliatelle, drenched in oil. Some spinach and basil dropped on top to make it look fancy - but it really wasn't. My friends burger was basic, small, and the fries were served in one of those mini-buckets which are smaller than you would get with a small fries at McDs.

I really regret paying the 10% built in gratuity, because I don't believe in the practice of automatically adding it. The customer should be allowed to choose, without having to ask to have it removed.

This is a terrible restaurant, and its a shame because Exeter deserves better. I'm amazed places like this don't quickly go out of business from bad word of mouth, but like I say their target market are usually too polite to do or say anything about it. This is what we're expected to tolerate now. Visited October 2012

The Trustees have only been to the original Lewes store and it was fine in those days.

Rumour has it that Bill's is going for franchise (currently unconfirmed). It would be a disaster for Horsham District Council if true. The Trust has always pointed, in the past, to the more stable financial models of Ask Ltd (inexplicably turned down in favour of Bill's by HDC in 2009) and W J King (inexplicably turned down in favour of Bill's two years later). If true, Horsham District Council will be 'bricking it' so to speak. If true:

1. •  Bill's might have some reason to disclose the controversy over Horsham's Old Town Hall to any potential frachisees nationally. Anybody doing thorough due dilligence would probably hit our site anyway.
   

2. •  Bill's would definitely have to disclose to any potential Horsham franchisee however. It would be likely to drive down the price - and it would still be a very brave franchisee to take on Horsham's Old Town Hall anyway. Horsham District Council could well be stuck with an unusuable Old Town Hall building, or alternatively the costs of restoring it to how it should have remained. How often did we warn them about this? Lots! All HDC' 'guff' about rental (much lower than it should have been if they rationally went with Ask Ltd in 2009) would be up in smoke. We don't know what the true anticipated value of that rental is anyway because HDC refuse to let anyone know. That way, people can't track any reductions and hold the Council to account. 
   

An unusable building, no rental, the lost opportunities from the community solution - on past form - HDC would just shrug it off - and hand the taxpayer the bill (no pun intended). However, the Trust turning out to be right for good rational reasons? Now that would be Horsham District Council's worst nightmare!

On another issue, some readers asked whether Bill's is another Starbucks or Jimmy Carr when it comes to tax? The answer is that we don't know, but we'll look into it.

Next update: More on why HDC's performance is so poor.

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posted 30th January 2013

Question: Is Bill still talking rubbish?

Answer: Yes he is! We interrupt our planned update to bring you news of a notice just at the top of the refuse bin at Horsham's Old Town Hall. The notice requests the bin men to let them know when they arrive because there are 30+ extra bags to be collected.

So Bill's is storing rubbish inside the building. For how long and where? - we currently do not know! Readers have asked where Horsham District Council's Environmental Health department is in all this? Probably nowhere! - like all other HDC Departments on past form. Horsham District Council staff are generally not left to do their jobs objectively according to their knowledge, skills and experience; we feel - and instead - are there simply to serve the whims of a despotic HDC Cabinet. For any doubters, we'll cover some examples in due course. People privately talk about a 'fear culture' at HDC.

Next update: back to HDC.

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Posted 6th February 2013

Question: What's the news from the last week?

Answer: Quite a lot really. In response to our updates about Bill's talking rubbish, we heard from a reader that it seems that the notice about the rubbish being held somewhere inside Bill's at Horsham Old Town Hall has been taken down. Another reader contacted us to say that we were right about the "icy blast" resulting from the inappropriate changes to the Grade II Listed building. "Even with the door shut you could still feel the icy blast through the restaurant," they said.

We haven't had had time to look at Bill's tax history yet, but a reader did send in some info that definitely makes a look at this worthwhile. More news soon.

Chris Huhne has put the perceived lack of integrity of MP's back in the news. However it doesn't stop at national government it seems. In our view, Horsham District Council showed the same lack of integrity when they failed to disclose their own planning applications, paid for by the Horsham taxpayer, to the High Court. Whether it amounted to "perverting the course of justice", time will tell. One thing is for sure; HDC can't simply sit in its unaccountable position in the long term.

Horsham District Council is still all "smoke and mirrors" it seems - or is it "all mouth and no trousers" - or "all fur coat and no knickers" - or perhaps "all tweed jackets and no underpants". Last weeks 'guff' in the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) about John Lewis and the 'West End' of Horsham was predominantly covering up any possible move of Waitrose from the Town Centre in our opinion. Any redistribution of Horsham's supermarket trade would be unlikely to benefit the town much we think. Waitrose pulling away from the town centre may also affect the Council's parking income - which it has become addicted to - mostly as a result of its historically poor efforts to balance the books it seems. These parking charges will not help other town centre businesses of course.

Another supermarket catering for the other end of the market like Lidl might go into the town centre premises if it’s vacated by Waitrose, but it's unlikely to help much either we feel. Horsham still needs a unique proposition as discussed in the Tourism Strategy for Horsham District document from years ago.

Given some obvious constraints - we believe that it’s no use Horsham trying to 'out shopping centre' other shopping centres. We'll discuss this more in future updates. As for a John Lewis store in Horsham's 'West End'. Like with all Council announcements, we'll believe it - particularly the size of it - when we see it. We remember all the hype about Beales in The Forum before. We feel that Beale's expectations have been far from fulfilled.

We believe that Horsham District Council has to put away the desperate PR and show some rational thinking with a bit of talent thrown in. On past and present form - we all might have a long wait!

Next update: More detail on sub-standard performance at HDC.

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posted 9 February 2013

Question: What's gone wrong at Bill's, HDC and its mouthpiece the
West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT)?

Answer: Since our last update about the likelihood of Waitrose moving out of the town centre it seems that the Horsham Society has 'woke up and smelled the coffee'. Quoted in this weeks WSHDCT John Steele on behalf of the society said;

"First there is no evidence that John Lewis plans a Horsham store. It is however an open secret that Waitrose is looking to relocate to a much larger site and it is far more likely it is the hoped for tenant".

When the going gets tough the tough get going, but Horsham District Council, as usual, runs for the hills. Does anybody remember the debacle of the Horsham Christmas lights (or lack of them) that made the national news? Back then, it was 'exit' Councillor Roger Paterson and 'enter' the ineffective, Council inspired quango, Horsham Unlimited. The Christmas lights as we knew them were then no more. This week, as the flak was flying about Waitrose and Roger Paterson's hugely 'spun' announcement in last weeks WSHDCT, it was exit Roger Paterson and enter Gill Buchanan of - you guessed it - Horsham Unlimited. Deja vu or what?

Gill's quotes were the usual Council inspired mix of hyperbole, inane comment and lack of evidence:

"Additional retail brands (like who?) will provide a new dynamic to the western end of the town centre and we hope (because everything happens around us - and we just bask in the reflected glory when it’s good news - but keep quiet and pretend it didn't happen when it’s bad news) that this will lead to further inward investment in the town, particularly with the news that the £500,000 upgrade scheduled for West Street will proceed this year (using West Sussex County Council funds because HDC wasted theirs - the poor old Horsham taxpayer is effectively paying twice)."

"East Street is a prime example of how some infrastructure investment and the arrival of new brands (brands, rather than the niche independents that it needs - and what about those that look set to leave?) leads to the regeneration of an area and results in the jewel (does Gill, have rose quartz tinted glasses on?) that we have today (is rose quartz a mineral rather than a jewel?)."

"We look forward to seeing the same positive aspects (what are these aspects and how quantified?) Mirrored in West Street and Bishopric in the future (when in the future?)"

"Our fabulous (what makes it fabulous? - it may be true - but does Gill know the answer?) and successful (what makes it successful and how do we measure this success?) town centre must continue to evolve ...." blah, blah.

It looks to us that Gill might have attended a PR course at Horsham District Council and they taught her all she knows! On the current evidence, both have clearly never heard of an 'evidence-based approach'.

Due to the usual lack of substance it was time to call in the big guns to further 'big up' the Council as they cowered in their foxhole. Cue Editor-in-Chief, Gary Shipton of the WSHDCT - and one-time Chairman of an even bigger Council inspired quango, the Community Development Partnership. We don't know if he is still Chairman of the CDP, or whether it still exists, because as far as we are aware, the CDP is just as ineffective and inconspicuous as Horsham Unlimited. Tangible deliveries from either quango seems to have been very small, if at all, and few and far between.

Gary Shipton says:

"This is why Horsham District Council was absolutely spot on several years ago in seeking to make the run-down East Street a dining quarter of regional excellence."

Gary Shipton wasn't on the same HDC PR course of course - he's a good journalist - and so everything has a caveat. Spot the key word 'seeking' as a 'get out of jail free card - should East Street fail and one or two restaurants leave in the near future. A more accurate word for Horsham District Council however is 'hoping' rather than seeking. The Council generally 'hopes' that things will happen as they clearly do not have the aptitude to do anything else. As far as East Street is concerned, a few restaurants (many of them 'chains' that you can find in any town) came to the part of town where rents were cheaper. The Council rode on the bandwagon and badged it as a 'dining quarter' in an effort to pretend that they had something to do with it - and it was part of a conscious strategy. The restaurants were initially excited about the Council's plans for pedestrianisation of East Street, but have been largely disappointed with the protracted debacle that ensued (the usual HDC fare when it comes to a project).

"It's why I support efforts to pedestrianise it sensibly." Another journalistic 'get out of jail free card' perhaps. Was Gary Shipton implying that the Council's pedestrianisation project had not been handled sensibly? - or was it to diplomatically appease opponents of pedestrianisation?

"And why, too, despite the poor way the council handled public consultation five years ago, the transformation of the Old Town hall into Bill's is entirely appropriate - endorsed by its current popularity."

Here however, Gary Shipton is forced to adopt the Horsham District Council 'school of PR' and go out on a limb for HDC, presumably as the WSHDC Content Editor has previously nailed the West Sussex Council Times' colours to the Bill's/Council mast. It seems to us that the WSHDCT and HDC are now terrified that Bill's will fail in the OTH. We think that Gary Shipton doth protest Bill's 'popularity' too much.

Firstly, Bill's originally pulled out of Horsham because it didn't make the expected profits at its Reading branch. There is no evidence to suggest that its Horsham profits are any higher than they were at Reading. Secondly, readers of this site and other reviewers familiar with the original Lewes store, generally say that Bill's as a chain is a disappointment and that independents such as Artisan are increasingly benefiting from this disillusionment (perhaps this is why Gary Shipton put the word 'current' in as a caveat to the non-evidenced 'popularity' claim). One reader contacted us this week and said that the coffee at Bill's in Horsham was very poor in his opinion. One thing is for sure however - the Bill's brand is now just about as diluted as a piddly orange-squash.

Gary Shipton employs the other editor’s weapon - selectivity. By quoting the "poor way the council handled public consultation" he is omitting to mention that the whole Old Town Hall project was an expensive, protracted disaster for the taxpayer. At the very least, HDC could have had £18,000 a year more from Gondola (if it wasn't for the unexplained bias towards Bill's).

"The JL Partnership has a superb reputation both as an employer and a provider of quality goods competitively priced. Let's hope they agree with HDC's vision."

Sorry Gary - isn't a superb reputation as an employer and providing quality goods at competitive prices JL's vision? The only HDC vision that HDC has had in advance of somebody else making something happen that we can recall is with Horsham's Old Town Hall. Here it had a blinkered vision of putting Bill's in there at all costs; whilst squandering the alternative vision to bring much needed tourism to the town; even irrationally turning down superior offerings from other businesses in the process.

When you want to get in the newspaper, it helps to be Editor in Chief of course - and you don't have to limit yourself to 350 words. The rest of Gary Shipton's article is a rambling - is it this? or is it that?

"Is the involvement of John Lewis a realistic prospect or just pie in the sky? What would replace Waitrose at Piries Place if it moved? Couldn't the town attract some other top end retailers like the White Company?"

The answer is nobody knows because apart from putting Bill's in the Old Town Hall, Horsham District Council doesn't have a strategy to make what it wants to happen, happen. HDC therefore doesn't have any SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based) strategic objectives to know whether it is succeeding in what it wants to happen or not. It therefore doesn't actively divert resources into achieving a strategy; it just 'hopes' that more good things will happen than bad.

"This is really good news for the town and district". No it isn't. A lot of 'ifs and buts' is not news, it is speculation. At least the title of Gary Shipton's article was an amusing one "Horsham never knowingly undersold". We think we have a better title though:

"What does an editor do when a desperate and sub-standard bunch like HDC goes off half-cock in the press?"   

Next update: More on what doesn't make HDC tick.

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posted 12 February 2013

Question: Any more news on Bill's?

Answer: One reader sent us an article which does indeed describe Bill's as a franchise. The article said: 

New ‘Bill’s’ restaurant announce for Chequer Street, St Albans, Monique Hall Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:52 PM

THE FORMER Baroque site on Chequer Street, St Albans, is to become a restaurant backed by the owner of the Ivy in London.

Billionaire businessman Richard Caring’s ‘Bill’s’ franchise is moving in to the old Cross Keys site and is set to open later this year.

The 14-strong chain offers a cross between a restaurant, café and store.

Just three months ago the city witnessed the mysterious departure of Baroque, which had only been open around two months.

Staff were apparently only given several hours notice before the bar and grill closed. The operators, Heritage Inns, reportedly went into administration in October. 

There are a few things to consider here:

   Did Horsham District Council know that Bill's was going to be franchised when the latest bid evaluation took place? If so, the selection of Bill's over WJ King would seemingly have been irrational, according to HDC's declared financial criteria, as well as other things. Nobody will know just how irrational - because HDC won't disclose the scoresheets. This council has never heard of public accountability it seems.

   The ongoing controversy over Bill's selection for Horsham's Old Town Hall is likely to affect the price of the Horsham franchise and the viability/potential profitability of the Horsham operation. Horsham District Council might find itself bending over backwards to keep a Bill's at the Old Town Hall. There is no guarantee that the terms of the lease contains "upwards only" rent reviews or a minimum rent, as the Council refuses to disclose the contents of the lease also. The taxpayer might end up the loser against the original announcement; and the loser against the more secure and superior offers for the Old Town Hall from others in the past. If Bill's 'walks' other offers are going to be unlikely given HDC's selection process history.

   We don't currently know if the Horsham operation has been franchised yet or at what price. If so, has the terms of the Bill's lease with HDC been affected? If not, will it be affected if a franchisee can be found in the near future? If a franchisee can't be found for Horsham, what happens then? What are the exit clauses in the lease? The prospect of an empty Old Town Hall, that has now been vandalised for other uses by HDC planning applications, is looking more and more likely we believe.

   In our view, Bill's at Horsham Old Town Hall doesn't look a very attractive franchise prospect - and may no longer be an attractive prospect anywhere. The reasoning is that Bill's is no longer a strong and meaningful brand compared to say, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Go into any KFC and you know exactly what you are going to get, with a very distinct, uniform look and feel. It's simply not the case with the Bill's chain. One would question what a franchisee would be getting for their money.

   The other thing about a franchise for Horsham is that Bill Collison marketed the Horsham project with the personal touch. How personal a franchise operation actually is - is debatable. As far as HDC is concerned, how long-term secure a franchise operation is - is frightening - especially without the anchor of a strong brand.

   Another bit of 'guff' from Bill Collison was about specialising in the conversion of old buildings. In St. Albans he has specialised in converting a bar and grill vacated by Baroque. In fact, with Horsham Old Town Hall, Bill's simply mostly implemented the plans that were handed to him by HDC, paid for by a reluctant taxpayer. This would have probably remained non-transparent if it hadn't been exposed by the Trust.

   Indeed, Horsham District Council and its mouthpiece - the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) must be 'bricking it'

Next update: More on HDC.

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posted 14th February 2013

Question: What might the Francis Report into the horrors of Mid-Staffordshire
and HDC/Bill's have in common?

Answer: Quite a lot really. The Mid-Staffs disaster was a question of culture - and as we see from other scandals like the abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View - culture will always trump training, policies and procedures.

But dodgy culture is not just a health service problem, as we see from HDC, it also affects areas of local government too.

  The culture at Mid-Staffs was to 'talk up the good news' - and 'bury the bad news'. HDC does the same. When things go wrong, Horsham District Council will resort to its secretive culture; and go into closed session on some bogus grounds such as "commercial sensitivity". HDC Councillors are too arrogant to consider that they would make any mistakes and therefore, they will never learn from them. Consequently, they will make the same mistakes over and over again. Even if they get to hear about things, the public will not be allowed to know how the mistakes were made - and so can provide no input into how they might be rectified either. Freedom of Information Requests are often refused also.

Prevention is better than cure of course. Most organisations will measure things in order to flag up any potential pitfalls - so that they can deal with these issues - and/or mitigate risk on a timely basis. HDC however, doesn't want to hear any bad news - so will meaningfully measure very little. Consequently they will come to their mistakes late in the day; and those mistakes will be bigger and more spectacular as a result. The case of a 1.3 million pound overspend on the Acorn project over two different accounting years would spring to mind. Mid-Staffs had to consider the dreadful mortality stats of course - but dismissed them as 'coding errors'.

  The Mid-Staffs disaster was not really a case of poor regulation. Patients and families complained bitterly but were ignored. The Healthcare Commission (the fore-runner of the Care Quality Commission) expressed concerns as regulator too. However, no regulator can influence a body that simply refuses to listen, very like HDC. The Audit Commission raised various concerns about HDC and its antics over the Old Town Hall particularly. The Leader of HDC simply went into the press and attacked the Commission. The Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee of HDC then 'skipped over' the detailed concerns of the Commission a year later (too late in the day). When our Business Adviser produced his detailed report into HDC's sub-standard performance, we were simply informed that we were not allowed to question the Council. In the face of the Council's refusal to listen to anybody, the Audit Commission 'backed down' and irrationally endorsed HDC's second bidding process (which was worse than the first bidding process that the Commission had previously criticised).

  The Francis report highlighted a culture that was all too familiar to us - Horsham District Council is therefore an 'accident waiting to happen'. HDC might not necessarily cause deaths on a grand scale, but we predict on the basis of good reasoning that, if the current culture continues, there will be a major scandal at HDC in the next couple of years. In the meantime the welfare of the District and particularly Horsham town, will steadily 'slide down the pan'.   

The people of Horsham have no realistic electoral prospect of changing the situation - due to the Council's refusal to give up the currently unfair system - and so give up their disproportionate power. The only way for the people of Horsham District to force a change in Council behaviour is by 'teaching HDC a lesson' with consumer power i.e. a boycott of Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall. Don't feel sorry for Bill's either - they didn't deserve to be there. Ask Gondola if you don't believe us. Also it is worth remembering that on the front page of the WSHDCT, 10th May 2012, the paper carried the headline Restaurateur declares love for town hall, and in the article below Bill Collison is quoted as saying; "It is beautiful the way it is - who would want to touch it?" The ‘restaurateur’ then went onto vandalise the Grade 2 Listed Building according to HDC plans paid for by a reluctant Horsham taxpayer. For a number of reasons detailed elsewhere on this site - Bill's specialises in 'porkie pies'.

Latest news on Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall - the visit from the fire officer about its rubbish situation.

Next update: more details on why HDC is a poor performing council.

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posted 18th February 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council generally OK at the operational stuff
and so generally useless at projects?

Answer: A number of reasons really. The major reason is that HDC staff are generally left to get on with the operational stuff - like emptying the bins for example. However, when it comes to projects, staff are micro-managed and manipulated by a talentless HDC Cabinet. The projects generally get off to a bad start too - because the Horsham District Council decision making process is hi-jacked by the Cabinet in the first place. Rather than have the staff do the research and recommend the right option for sound reasoning, the Cabinet effectively says:

'Here's what we want to do for our own political agenda, so produce me a report that will recommend such an answer no matter how irrational.'

Project expenditure (including staff resources) at Horsham District Council is not generally tracked against the project, but disappears into a 'pit' of departmental expenditure. After going round in circles for a while - nobody knows what the original success criteria were. A lot of the time, Critical Success Factors for the project are not even set (presumably as it would be too embarrassing to know that they haven't been met).                   

Horsham's MP Francis Maude is in the news at the moment because the Government is looking to let members of the Cabinet hire their own 20-strong staff to drive through radical reforms.

"With relations between Whitehall mandarins and senior Coalition figures said to be at a new low, beefed up ministerial private offices is one of a range of ideas being considered by Francis Maude, the minister spearheading the Coalition’s civil service modernisation programme. Ministers blame civil servants for slowing the pace of key reform to cut red tape and kick-start the economic recovery."

However, our MP only needs to look to his own backyard for the lessons we think. At a local level, the problem clearly lies with the HDC Cabinet and not the staff. However, when things go visibly 'tits up' at Horsham District Council they announce that it is everybody else’s fault - the staff, the suppliers, etc. However, no-one gets to defend themselves because the Council goes into closed session on the dubious grounds of staff disciplinary matters, or commercial sensitivity. However, it's usually just a cover - as we are not aware of any staff ever being disciplined for failure in a project for example. If they were, they would be more than likely able to turn around and point the finger at Cabinet interference. According to a Senior Officer at HDC the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group failed because of its 'fluid composition' involving Cabinet members. In other words the HDC Cabinet operate a 'seagull style' of management i.e. ‘swoop in, dump a lot of sh*t and swoop out again’.

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posted 25th February 2013

Question: What was the news on HDC and Bill's this week and why is your site on holiday until March 12th 2013?

Answer: It's been a busy week as the response to our recent update on the Francis Report into the Mid-Staffs scandal and its link to HDC behaviour and culture continues to be massive. We didn't get every update right apparently though - as there is an emerging trait amongst our readership that thinks that our Boycott Bill's call is the wrong call. To summarise - they say - encourage people to go to Bill's at the Old Town Hall in Horsham once - and after that they will voluntarily want to boycott Bill's for themselves. So ok folks - give it a go.

News on Bill's this week is that its rubbish was piled up in bags on the steps outside again on Monday, 18th February, so we are not sure that the Fire Officer has called yet. More news on this when we have it.

One saving grace for the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) this week was an article by a Nik Butler ‘Put voices of the community into the Council Chamber'. However, the odd smattering of independent voices in HBC will have little effect we think. The largely out of town Cabinet would still have the real power. The Lib Dems would still be 'swanning about' in a beauty contest to be Chairman with the blessing of the Conservatives - so no risk of the Lib dems standing up for the people of Horsham against the Cabinet onslaught either. The only real solution is for an alliance of fair-minded independents to contest every seat in Horsham District Council and win a majority. It's a 'big ask' - but in our opinion - even the rural majority have a sense of British 'fair play' - and are increasingly sick of HDC behaviour.

Next update: HDC and Bill's provide us with so much material that the guy that does our technical support and posts the updates has become exhausted. He is therefore taking a well-earned holiday and so our next update will be March 12th when we will be back to our twice weekly updates as usual. See you all then.       

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updated 12th March 2013

Question: Are you back yet, and what's the latest on Bill's?

Answer: Yes, our tech support is now well rested and we're all raring to go. We start this week by reporting a 'SPOT THE DIFFERENCE COMPETITION'. Apparently you have to spot the difference between the following two reviews below. Our own entry for the competition is:

The first review looks like an independent, spontaneous, heartfelt review based on experience - written by a disappointed punter. 

The second review looks like a partisan piece of journalism courting a share of Bill's advertising spend and at the same time, partly attempting (sometimes ludicrously) to take the sting out of some of the criticisms of Bill's reported on this site.

We think we must be in with a good chance of winning!

“Food was ok when you finally got it!!” Reviewed 2 March 2013

A group of 9 of us went here last night for a birthday celebration and were very disappointed. Starters were good quality but nothing to write home about but the fact that we waited about an hour for them to arrive didn't impress us much. Then onto the main, after 45mins of waiting we asked how long it would be before the food arrived, our server said it wouldn't be long then the manager came over and told us our meals were just being plated and wouldn't be long then gave us bowls of olives to try to pacify us. Main meals came and once again were good quality but nothing to write home about. Only a few of us ordered desserts, these came out really quite quickly and everyone enjoyed them..

We asked for the bill and as we were a table of 9 a service charge was automatically added, this we deducted and then added a small amount for out server who had tried his hardest. He took away the money only to return to tell us that we had under paid. We informed him why we had under paid to which he told us that it wasn't how long it took to cook the food but how long it took to plate up 9 meals to be served all at the same time!! To which we told him that they shouldn't take booking from large groups if they don't have the available kitchen space to cope with this amount of orders. It's a restaurant at the end of the day and they will have big parties from time to time, but probably not this party ever again!! 

No wonder they very rarely have table available when it take this long to serve.. Think their kitchen space needs to be planned as there is no point in having lots of covers if you can't service them!!

******

Review below is taken from AAHorsham (March). Owing to the length of the article we have cut out the middle section.

There was a sketch in the comedy show ‘Harry and Paul’ in which Harry Enfield ran a shop called ‘I Saw You Coming’. The shop owner would sell useless junk and torn up furniture taken from skips at vastly inflated prices to wealthy women who dabble in interior design and are always on the lookout for ‘rustic’ and ‘authentic’ items. In all honesty, it can occasionally feel like Bill’s Restaurant in Horsham has an element of that same deliberate, Shabby Chic quirkiness. There’s the rustic tables, the second-hand church chairs with back slats, the large olive oil cans being used as ice buckets and string bags, which may lack convenience but make up for it by being ethically sound, for sale at just £2.40.

Those waiting for a table can sit down on two armchairs which in a previous life had presumably been coated in Pedigree Chum and dragged through a puppy farm.

Whatever your thoughts on Shabby Chic, you must take your hat off to Bill Collison. Bill started his first restaurant in Lewes a little more than a decade ago and now has 14 bearing his name. It takes some skill to create a restaurant that appeals to customers seeking a unique experience, and yet can potentially seat 200 people..

In years to come, Horsham may well be listed amongst Bill’s most rewarding ventures. Opening at the Old Town Hall in Market Square was a long and no doubt exhausting road, with many well reported stumbling blocks along the way. These were mostly presented by an opposition group who wanted to retain the building for community use.

Now it is open, the people in Horsham have demonstrated their support to the idea of a restaurant occupying the town’s most historic building by flocking to Bill’s in their droves.

Pedro Martins, Assistant Manager at the restaurant, said: “I know that before we opened there were some people who wanted the building to be used for the public and I know there were problems. But since we opened we have not had complaints and most people praise what we have done to the building. You can see that they have paid a lot of attention to maintaining the features of the Town Hall.

“Many people come in just to see the inside, without even buying a drink, and we show them around. Of course, lots of people were married in the Town Hall so there is a lot of emotional attachment to the building and so we show them our Wedding Room.

“And in terms of bookings, we were busy from the moment we opened. Even on Monday nights, we are full.”

Clearly, Bill has created a successful recipe and over the years has added a little seasoning here and there to ensure everything is just perfect. It may be contrived, but of course that matters not a jot if people are having fun and eating good food in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Looking around, this is clearly the case here in Horsham.

The appearance of the building, whilst impressive, will not be to everybody’s liking. Two large windows either side of the entrance look on to Market Place, and you enter to a small waiting area and small shop selling a range of Bill’s branded produce.

These include chutney, Earl Grey tea, raspberry jam, jelly babies, freshly-pressed apple juice, lemon curd, elderflower cordial, grapefruit and lime marmalade, aprons and orange flavour buttons, as well as branded produce including Nunez de Prado olive oils and Amaretti biscuits.

Rustic shutters, hanging swarms of dried chillies and exposed ventilation shafts all contribute to the conflicting yet colourful décor, which carries character if not charm, whilst a wooden plaque of former council chairman serves as reminder of the past.

There is seating for about 100 upstairs, with a third of that number in what is known as the Wedding Room, because of course it was a Registry Office for many years. Add that to the downstairs area and the tables (in good weather) and you have about 200 diners at capacity. But as Pedro explains, it is important that everybody feels welcome and at home.

“You’ll see there are some blankets near the entrance. If someone doesn’t take their jacket off, we ask them if they are cold and offer them a blanket. When it was snowing recently it was cold in here as it is hard to maintain warmth in this old building. So we were handing out blankets.

“One lady was having a birthday and it was her first visit here. She told me that she was impressed because the waiter had approached her and asked if she wanted a blanket. It wasn’t the food or the building that had most impressed her; it was the fact that we had gone the extra mile and she appreciated that.

“People love the fact that we provide really great food with a casual service with a quirky twist in everything we do. That’s what Bill’s is all about. Everything is planned by Bill. He was here a lot during the building process and he comes in regularly to direct us in terms of the visual appearance. If you see something in a certain position, it is because Bill has decided it should be there.”

But it does feel like there’s more work to be done. The upstairs dining area doesn’t quite benefit from the vibrancy of the lower level, and it is a building that needs to be somewhere near capacity to generate warmth and atmosphere.

Another problem is that the quirky dishes which caused such a stir when Bill set out only a few years ago are now not such a rarity. The surge of cooking shows on television has created an insatiable appetite for better food, driving standards higher at home, on the high street and in our restaurants.

You need to be a little more innovative for people to take photos of your puddings now…

For now, Bill’s warrants attention. Go there, you’ll have a good night and you’ll enjoy your food. But it might not be too long before the tried and tested Bill’s formula needs refreshing.

82

posted 15th March 2013

Question: Why are certain sections of the Horsham local press so keen to 'big up' Bill's?

Answer: On one level, certain local press publications have an ongoing interest in courting Bill's advertising. On another level, in our view, they are keen to try and save Horsham District Council's ass over their irrational decisions; to firstly dismiss the wider benefits of the favoured community solution for the Old Town Hall; and then to irrationally select Bill's over Gondola; and then to irrationally select Bill's over W J King. Nevertheless, we are sure that it is all going to end in tears for Horsham's talentless, despotic and biased Council Cabinet. The common denominator between certain local press publications is that they seem to think that the Horsham public will be so easily 'brainwashed'. Therefore as we say elsewhere on this site - go and see for yourself! However, don't forget to dress up warm, unless you want to risk having a blanket draped over your legs like a granny of more mature years (no disrespect to grannys).

Thanks goes to the reader who sent us this particular review below. Keep those Bill's reviews - good or bad - coming (although we haven't yet been notified of any independent 'glowing' ones!) 

“Not a good first impression” Reviewed 9 February 2013

I regularly visit Bill's in Lewes and have been very happy with the food and atmosphere. Unfortunately Horsham's restaurant didn't deliver the same.

I had to use the gents and while I was washing my hands one of the chef came out of a cubicle and went straight to the kitchen without washing his hands. Concerned about this I made the manager aware of this and was given a very strange explanation, the best solution would have been to go in the kitchen and stop everyone from what they were doing and wash their hands. The restaurant wasn't very busy so it wouldn’t have slowed the service for anyone. Despite this incident we ordered our burgers and we were served the wrong meat I got a medium rare which was meant for my wife and the well done which I requested went to my wife. It's a real pity as the restaurant is very funky. I think they should send the staff to Lewes for some training. Will give it a go again!

Next update: Back to HDC - or more independent Bill's reviews if we get them in.

84

posted 22nd March 2013

Question: Do you have a future in Horsham?

Answer: Yes, eventually! According to the Times Horsham is a great place to retire. Perhaps this scenario is a reflection the average age of Horsham District Councillors.

Meanwhile, here is another review of Bill's that was sent on to us by a reader ....

“You can't judge a book by the cover” Reviewed 15 February 2013 NEW via mobile

Very impressive building and the interior decor is good too but all in all this place did not live up to its promise. The service whilst friendly was somewhat amateurish. The food was okay but okay really isn't good enough. The portions were a bit on the small side and the absence of any sides was also a bit of a let down. Would be happy to give in another try ...sometime

Our comment: What a waste of an impressive building and its tourist potential that would have otherwise benefited all Horsham residents.

Next update: We will definitely get around to the trouble in Francis Maude's back yard.

85

posted 27th March 2013

Question: Does Bill's have a future in Horsham?

Answer: We keep trying to get around to an update about Francis Maude's 'open government' (ha, ha! - as regards Horsham!) and back onto the shambles that is Horsham District Council, but people keep sending us Bill's reviews. Here is the latest review we have been sent to keep you going for the next couple of days.

Seriously though - keep those Bill's reviews coming - and thanks to all those who have contributed so far.

“Unwelcoming” Reviewed 19 March 2013 NEW

We didn't get to eat here, met by quiet an abrupt waitress who told us that they were fully booked, (only about 6 eating) and to come back in half an hour. We went elsewhere, but looked in later and it was still empty, wonder why?

86

posted 29th March 2013

Question: Is Horsham's Bill's in the Old Town Hall in trouble?

Answer: Yes, we think so. First, we have the apology for the rubbish build-up on the steps in this weeks West Sussex Council Times. In our view, the WSHDCT sort of falsely claimed the credit for the apology ("It followed a complaint to the County Times") but as readers know, the issue has been regularly featured on our site for weeks. We are also aware that there were public complaints to HDC and the Fire Officer about the rubbish going back some weeks. The content of the article in the West Sussex Council Times is also rubbish.

The WSHDCT says "The bin store at the back of the building had to be kept small to comply with planning permission and listed building consent..."

However, no bin store should have been granted permission at all - as it was outside the jurisdiction of HDC - a jurisdiction that only extended as far as the footprint of the building. According to Bill's owners Cote, the extra rubbish will now be retained inside the building while collections are sorted out. We are not sure what health and safety implications might arise from this.

The main reason we think that Bill's in Horsham might be in trouble though - is Gary Shipton's article in this weeks WSHDCT - a close resemblance perhaps to the recent article in All About Horsham magazine. We think that the local press 'protesteth Bill's (alleged) success too much'. After the AAH article that claimed Bill's was full, even on a Monday, we checked out Bill's on the following Monday night and it was virtually empty, for example. The local press have a vested interest in Bill's potential advertising of course - and Gary Shipton was 'in bed' with Horsham District Council as a result of the Council's quango (one of many), the ineffectual Community Development Partnership. So here, by contrast, is the latest independent review that has been sent in by a reader:

“Different and a bit surreal” Reviewed 25 March 2013 NEW

We arrived early on a Friday evening and were seated quickly. However, it was freezing outside and not much warmer inside. We looked around for a radiator to sit next to but couldn't find any. When the waitress came over I told her how cold I was and she brought me a blanket! The service went down from then on, although another waitress did bring me a hot water bottle! I did use both all evening.

We had some olives and bread to start while we were choosing, the olives were nice but the bread was dry and tasteless. I had squid to start from the specials menu, which was fine, I have had better and had worse. Then I had the chicken skewers for main, the chicken was well cooked, nicely moist, but the garnish was almost non existent, had to look hard to find it!

The place itself is very nice, rustic, although not sure about the exposed pipes. If they sorted out their heating, had more polite waiting staff and increased their portion size we would go back. Visited March 2013

Reviews apart - we believe that Bill's in the Old Town Hall and the long-standing controversy is fast becoming an embarrassment to Cote - and that it risks having an adverse effect on the Bill's franchise model nationally. We are confident therefore that Cote will cut Bill's loose from Horsham in the next year. We think that the local press are therefore making desperate attempts to stave off this prospect which would be a huge embarrassment for HDC. However, we believe that such newspaper features will further only antagonise the other hard-working Horsham businesses that have to pay for their advertising. These other businesses were also not the recipients of Council bias that saw Bill's enter the OTH at £15,000 per annum below market value and saw them granted a vastly disproportionate share of Market Square (at the expense of another community space). On the back of all this, we feel that these other local Horsham restaurants (that were not born with a golden HDC spoon), will work even more creatively and harder to justifiably drive Bill's out of town.  

Next update: A full response to the WSHDCT article by Gary Shipton. Update after that - HDC secrecy and Francis Maude's laughable 'openness' agenda.

A Happy Easter to all our readers.

87

posted 1st April 2013

Question: Why is Editor-in-chief Gary Shipton of the West Sussex Council Times
(WSHDCT) talking rubbish about Bill's?

  Answer: It's a good question. In his latest article, Gary Shipton extols the virtues of the private sector. However, to us the private sector is all about 'fair competition'. Mr. Shipton would have to explain how using his position in this way to talk up Bill's is fair to the other hard working Horsham restaurants, many of which didn't start with the backing of billionaire backing and finance from an offshore consortium.

  Our question is: If Bill's is so successful as claimed - why does Mr Shipton need to take the risk and write such an article? We can only conclude that Bill's, as HDC's flagpole project, is in trouble.

Last weekend the Bluebell Railway steamed into East Grinstead. You could sense the excitement as the town turned out in force to support. Many people in the East Grinstead community had been working hard as volunteers and dreaming of the day for years. The conductor had a tremble in his voice as he jokingly, but accurately, announced on the way from Sheffield Park "Change at East Grinstead for connections to London". The landmark success of this project will be a unique attraction to East Grinstead town, and so boost tourism and benefit local, businesses. The Bluebell Railway has received unstinting support from successive town councils of different political persuasions over the years (Conservatives most recently).

  The challenge of finding a unique attraction for Horsham similarly was laid down by consultants to HDC (Locum Destination Consulting Ltd) in 2003. The community came up with the answer based on Horsham's unique, nationally recognised, folk history and it's connection with the great composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams. Like the Bluebell railway, there was local enthusiasm behind the Horsham project based at the Old Town Hall, with packed public gatherings and a demonstration of expertise through the staging of the Horsham Community Festival in September 2006. The project was unfortunately destroyed by a despotic Cabinet who felt threatened by the community taking the initiative. The more destructive and irrational the decision to pursue a restaurant solution for the Old Town Hall, the more it underlined their misplaced sense of power and self-importance. It is Horsham's tourism potential and benefits to local residents and businesses that has paid the heavy price.

The challenge still goes out to HDC and the HDC led quango - the Community Development Partnership (chaired by Gary Shipton) - to come up with the unique attraction for Horsham, similar to the one that was destroyed by HDC. As far as we know, they haven't a clue. Certainly, another chain restaurant - one that doesn't even seem to have the acclaim of Lewes and Brighton - is not going to 'cut the mustard'. 

  As increasingly usual, HDC's Orwellian 'Ministry of Truth' (the WSHDCT) rewrites history. "Horsham District Council, while at first enthused by such suggestions, ultimately determined that a more commercial route was the only way of underpinning the future of the landmark." However, the sequence of events was:

(i) February 2006 - Council Old Town Hall Advisory Group selects and recommends 'folk arts' community bid after due diligence.

(ii) February 2006 - In an effort to 'see off' the community bid, HDC Cabinet sanctions secret negotiations with Bill's in contravention of Council policy for community use of the Old Town Hall.

(iii) August 2006 - Bill's pulls out because it feels they cannot co-exist with the Registrar. Leisure Services have been ordered to find alternatives but none of the three locations are acceptable to the County Council.

(iv) August 2006 - Winning community bidders are asked by HDC to slightly amend plans to co-exist with the Registrar which they gladly do.                 

(v) September 2006 - Council reneges on the agreement and decides it wants to do its own community solution via a second Old Town Hall Advisory Group.

(vi) October 2007 - Second Old Town Hall Advisory Group collapses in a confused and incompetent heap. Council reaches for Bill's once more in desperation - having given up Park House to the Registrar (which they could have done previously and had Bill's in the Old Town Hall in early 2007 [six years earlier]). The rental would have probably been much higher at the time with a market value of £75,000 (as valued by Crickmay). The taxpayer lost out on nearly half a million pounds simply because the Cabinet did not want to give up their 'creature comforts' at Park House therefore.

  In contrast to the facts, Gary Shipton writes "The final outcome with Bill's now in charge is a remarkable triumph for all involved, not least HDC." Planet Earth to Mr Shipton "We don't think so!"

The taxpayer lost out on another half million pounds when Bill's was biasedly selected by HDC over Gondola in 2009 (Gondola offering a vastly superior £72,500 per annum). Turning down Gondola also created another three and a half years of delay. Contrary to Council procurement guidelines, there was never any restaurant solution; there was only Bill's in the minds of HDC.

"But last year, HDC finally had its way. Bill's was chosen as the new custodian and they moved swiftly to open it in time for Christmas with a speed and efficiency that continues to mark the difference between the public and private sectors".

We are not public sector but third sector. In September 2006 the community supporters of the preferred 'folk arts' solution staged a major three stage music festival in just one month, from inception to completion. It is a feat that will not be easily replicated anywhere, any time in the world - not even with paid employees as opposed to volunteers. Bill's opened because it had pots of money to pay contractors to do it for them. However, the Horsham community had the passion, the heart and the talent that money can't buy.   

"HDC was right. Bills is a huge success.  Virtually every day it is packed".

However, we immediately checked out 'All About Horsham’ magazine's reported claim of 'even on a Monday'. Bill's was virtually empty on that Monday night. Bill's pulled out of the Horsham deal in 2010 because it didn't make the expected profits at its Reading branch in the first six weeks. In business, turnover is not a recognised measure of success - net profits are.

"They are youthful, polite, good looking, enthusiastic, cheerful and give the impression that they are genuinely pleased to see you."   

All we can say is that this does not seem to match the description in the independent reviews that have been sent into us.

"Objectors to a restaurant plan felt the County Times had rather sold out when it switched sides in the debate - but that was simply because I took an hour to chat to shoppers in the street to find out what they thought."

Gary Shipton seems to have developed a rather selective memory. We are aware that he canvassed opinion in much more relevant contexts and got answers in opposition to Bill's.

"...extraordinarily popular..", "....huge success... "...prime weekend dining..." "remarkable triumph..." "..far better than anyone could have imagined ..." leaves us asking ourselves - "Is this journalism, or an exercise in hyperbole?" It sure smacks of desperation.

By the way, Horsham did not feature at all in the recent table by the Times for food; best foodies were, Shoreditch, Mayfair, Brighton, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Marlow, Padstow, St Ives and Whitstable.

Next update: The secrecy and insecurity of a despotic HDC Cabinet.

88

posted 3rd April 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council so secretive and insecure?

Answer: Because, in our view, they are power mad and on the basis of the available evidence - useless with it.

Francis Maude, Horsham's MP, wrote an interesting article recently 'Openness can be transformational'.

"Transparency is one of those things - rather like motherhood and apple pie - of which everyone says they are in favour. But genuine openness can be transformational. Transparency gives citizens the tools they need to hold governments to account".

Wise words, but unfortunately, the principle doesn't extend to local government in his own back yard.

Theo Cronin wrote an interesting article in the week's West Sussex Council Times (28th March 2013) 'Gagged by bureaucratic and myopic over-controlling  district council'. Mr Cronin was apparently denied the opportunity to interview Horsham's town centre manager with; "It is a policy that Cabinet Members speak to the media". He writes: "Do they (the HDC Cabinet) no longer trust what their staff might say? Must we now discuss this with a politician in the cabinet, who by definition is an amateur with a party political agenda rather than an impartial officer. Such a policy is more akin to a one-party Third World state ....." And so on.

At least it seems that the reporters of the Council Times (rather than the Editor-in-chief perhaps) have woken up and smelled the coffee. The tendency of the HDC Cabinet to micro-manage its staff - often with catastrophic results - has long been featured on this site. We also remember when a former Leader of the Council crashed the Horsham Societies 'Question time with Tom Crowley' (Tom Crowley is HDC's Chief Executive). The Leader crassly justified the move as "He works for me".

Yet, when things go 'tits up' such as the Acorn Project overspend (over two accounting years) the Cabinet is quick to point the finger - opting not to comment because of dubiously applied 'possible staff disciplinary matters' and 'commercial sensitivity'. However, the real picture is that HDC is too arrogant to admit a mistake and learn from it. The taxpayer therefore ends up the loser. The HDC Cabinet is also just too arrogant to trust their staff and listen to the staff's expert advice, leading to more and bigger mistakes. In the HDC Cabinet - a blinkered sense of their own power and self-importance is underpinned by 'delusions of adequacy'.

The only way out of this of course, is secrecy and control. For example, HDC is thought to be in 'the premier league' when it comes to the refusal of Freedom of Information Act requests on the alleged grounds of 'commercial sensitivity'. Hence the public cannot know about how Bill's was dubiously selected over W J King for the Old Town Hall (as HDC refused to give up the individual scoring sheets). The public cannot know the terms of the Bill's lease and how easily they might walk away from Horsham. The public cannot even know if Bill's is to pay what was in their bid (£15,000 less than market value and £12,000 less than what was previously offered by Gondola) and if there is provision for 'upwards only' rent reviews. These are just a few examples. It is hard to see how such things could be construed as 'commercially sensitive', especially when weighed up against the 'public interest' (and taxpayer’s interest).

Content of next update? We haven't currently decided. However, due to the lack of HDC performance and the refusal of HDC to change it's ways - we are never short of material!

89

posted 6th April 3013

Question: Given the current fall out between Horsham District Councillors,
what does the Council have in common?

Answer: Yes it's true, according to the West Sussex Council Times, Horsham District Councillors are squabbling about national party politics when in our view they should be getting on with righting all their wrongs and restoring the fortunes of the district. However, what does the Council (particularly the HDC Cabinet) have in common? The answer is simple - poor performance; a despotic rule that includes the micro-management of their staff; and turning a blind eye to unethical behaviour (please see elsewhere on this site for details). When the majority defect to the obscurity of the political wilderness Horsham residents will be so much better off.

Next update: More on HDC performance (or lack of!) and how it costs the taxpayer.

90

posted 9th April 2013

Question: Will Bill's really get away with a porch at Horsham Old Town Hall?

Answer: We had this interesting review sent on to us by a reader.....

“Lovely Food but wrap up warm!” Reviewed 2 April 2013 NEW

We had booked for Easter Saturday a week in advance, but when we arrived they did not have our booking although I had given my telephone number when booking. We were seated near the door as there were no other tables and it was very cold. We are told that this problem is being addressed by the addition of a porch. (our emphasis).The food was good, although a bit pricey, and the service a bit slow, but we were catching up with friends so time wasn't really an issue. Overcharged on the bill and had to be corrected twice, BUT overall, very pleasant staff and would go again, and would request to be seated upstairs as we were told it was warmer. 

A porch at the Old Town Hall would be a highly inappropriate change for a Grade II listed building of course. As another reader put it "I can't even put a sky dish on my Grade II." If the claim is accurate, we will object to any planning application of course. However, we think that Horsham District Council's historical bias towards Bill's would prevail in any event. The 'bin store' was thought to be inappropriate because it was outside the footprint of the building. We see that Bill's rubbish is still spilling out from this store even after the latest apology. We believe that granting the lion’s share of Market Square to Bill's at the expense of a community space and other local businesses was also inappropriate. Cutting a hole in the floor between the two levels was against planning guidance and it stupidly created the 'chimney effect' causing the draft and cold. As we understand it, people continue to complain about the noisy fans and the smelly fumes that come spilling out of the vents. English Heritage also 'rolled over' to HDC on the inappropriate removal of the historical solid arches (a total reversal of their 2005 position). We expect them to 'roll over' again. We feel that Bill's could demolish the bandstand and open a new purple and yellow spotted building in the middle of the Carfax and HDC would let them.              

Another sharp-eyed reader apparently spotted that Gary Shipton's (Editor in Chief of the West Sussex Council Times [WSHDCT]) article was sponsored (the article summarily dismissed elsewhere on this site). If this is true, the article might have been even less independent than we first thought. The reader questioned whether there was any connection, financial or otherwise, between Bill's and the sponsor. The answer is - we don't currently know.

Next update: More on HDC - or more reviews on Bill's if we get them in. 

91

posted 12th April 2013

Question: How is Bill's doing in the Old Town Hall after a few months?

Answer: As previously posted, we think they are struggling with the issues covered elsewhere on this site - and predict that COTE will 'pull the plug' in the next year. We were going to cover a bit more on HDC - but got two Bill's reviews forwarded on to us:

"It was ok but not great" Reviewed 9 April 2013

Having dined at Bills in Lewes we were expecting great things and although the staff were fab the food was mediocre and at £70 for 2 pax 2 courses and a shared dessert it was a little steep price wise. My macaroni cheese had mushrooms that were inedible and when this was pointed out the staff simply apologised. I will go back but not quickly......sadly.

“Too clever by half” Reviewed 28 March 2013

Clever use of much loved building and terribly 'on trend' decor. Shame the coffee is like syrup and the seats uncomfortable.

Next update: More on HDC

92

posted 17th April 2013

Question: Are Bill's apologies a lot of hot air?

Answer: We think so - yes! - as much hot air as emerging from the vent in question. On the 28th February 2013 the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) published an article "Neighbours who vented frustration get a result". However, eye witness reports - and nose witness reports - appear to disagree. On the basis of information received, it seems to us that nothing is resolved. Apparently, even after Editor-in-chief Gary Shipton's fawning (and perhaps less than independent) recent article supporting Bill's - the problems at Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall remain the same. It appears rubbish is reported as still regularly spilling out of the bin-store beside the building and unpleasant smells are still spilling out of the vent. Here is a reminder.....

"People working in nearby offices  have complained about unpleasant smells  and, on at least one occasion, greasy smoke. There was also a problem with unsightly bin bags being left beside the building."

   Project manager for Bill's parent company Cote apologised and said that something would be done. It appears to us that this has not happened - or at least - has not happened adequately. The people are asking - where was Horsham District Council's planning, environmental and conservation officers in all this? We feel that the answer is - nowhere! That is not to say that the Council officers are not up to the job. The overwhelming evidence suggests that they are simply micro-managed and dictated to by a despotic Council Cabinet. We feel that HDC's historical bias towards Bill's smells is as much as the controversial vent in question.

   HDC described Bill's at Horsham Old Town hall as the "Cherry on the cake". The cake appears to be crumbling - very apt - considering the difference between a cake and a biscuit. A cake goes hard and a biscuit goes soft as it ages. In the short term we think there will be a cherry (somewhat discoloured) and no cake! We read with dismay that the nearby River Kwai (not a big chain) lease may be up for sale. Will it be replaced by another restaurant? - we don't know. However, it seems likely - as we predicted elsewhere on this site - that more restaurants will leave than come (particularly the almost unique, or unique, ones) - and will leave the Council's restaurant strategy in tatters.

   We feel that Horsham District Council's double standards towards Bill's are just as reportedly smelly as Bill's vent. We hear that another person made an application to widen a door on their Grade II house to make for disabled access and that this was initially resisted by HDC before others supported the cause. Watch out therefore, for a fawning, smell ridden, granting of an inappropriate possible Bill's porch by HDC (on a Grade II listed Old Town Hall) in order to solve its draught problem. Or was this application (none observed so far) just another bit of Bill's 'hot air'? 

   The bin-store, however small, was still outside the footprint of the building - and in our contention - should not have been granted at all. In our opinion, the Old Town Hall's Bill's bin-store could have taken the whole of the Carfax as far as the biased HDC was concerned (courtesy of a disproportionate latitude granted to HDC by their political mates at West Sussex County Council.

Overall, we feel that Bill's in Horsham's Old Town Hall is just an increasing embarrassment and that the COTE masters, as we predicted, will cut it loose within a year. We don't expect that HDC will be able to stop them - due to HDC's (so far undeclared) blinkered and biased lease negotiations. In any event, what a mess!

   In the meantime - here is another Bill's review that we have been forwarded (an independent one) below....

“Lovely location and atmosphere but food disappointing” Reviewed April 13, 2013 NEW

Last night I ate in Biil's for the second time and although the old Town Hall has been beautifully transformed into a restaurant the food did not live up to the surroundings. We had the pork terrine to start which was totally tasteless - on advising the waiter he was very apologetic and when he took away our plates said we would not be charged for it (much appreciated). I was really looking forward to my main course which sounded great on the menu - again a complete disappointment. The base ingredients were good quality but the food again had no taste and was extremely boring to eat - the chef needs to season his food. My husband had the steak which although good quality again lacked any inspiration.  

Staff were very helpful and attentive but food was boring and tasteless - I will not be returning.

Next update: More on HDC (honest!)

93

posted 19th April 2013

Question: Is Horsham District Council in meltdown?

Answer: Yes, by the looks of it. However, the real point of interest this week was Waitrose and the other local businesses (including a restaurant) complaining about the evening charges at selected Horsham car parks. The Council's addiction to parking income due to its financial mismanagement over the last ten years has long been featured on this site. It also formed part of our detailed submission on HDC mismanagement to the District Auditor three years ago and was copied to government. David Cameron's office promised a response from Francis Maude's Cabinet Office but it never came. It seemed that the truth hurt and it was all too hot to handle.

HDC is a self-serving bureaucracy, full of self-important Councillors who couldn't run an ice cream cart. They are all focused on their petty squabbles about national policy or the state of the coalition. They 'fiddle', while Horsham 'burns'. Local residents and local businesses are the unfortunate losers.

Next update: More on HDC

94

posted 24th April 2013

Question: What makes you think that Horsham District Council Councillors are talentless?

Answer: In our view, they are focused on petty politics, power and self-importance (underpinned by the need to childishly 'get their way') - when they really need to be focused on restoring, or at least maintaining the prosperity of Horsham District.

  Attending meetings and drawing their allowance simply won't 'cut the mustard' and substitute for creative thinking in this respect. When others do the creative thinking for them, rather than embrace and join with the initiative, they crush it out of insecurity and that sense of powerful self-importance. As far as the HDC Cabinet is concerned, we also think that there may be a more sinister political motive i.e. bleed Horsham Town dry and divert resources to their own areas - before on the grounds of cost, the Government decrees a big unitary authority like the Cornwall model. It would leave the distinct possibility of a non-Conservative Horsham Town Council with nothing to play with.

  The Lib Dem Leader suddenly woke up this week and complained that too many meetings were being cancelled. But leader of the council Ray Dawe said in each case there was a legitimate reason for canceling the meeting. “There did not seem any point in holding a meeting where there is nothing to discuss.” Enough said! It just so happens that there are County Council elections going on - and they are out campaigning for votes. We believe that as far as the public is concerned, there is not much of a choice. Horsham badly needs a competent coalition of independent candidates to gain power in the Horsham District Council elections of 2015 in order to save us from a painful, lingering decline.

  What makes us really think that HDC Councillors are talentless however, is that they think they can ignore the contents of this site and sit permanently in an unaccountable position. Sooner or later, another Governmental Inquiry was going to come along as is now the case! Soon therefore, HDC's unethical behaviour will be laid bare nationally.

Next update: More on HDC unless we get any more Bill's reviews in.

95

posted 26th April 2013

Question: What happened to Horsham District Council's
‘Cherry on the cake,’ Bill's Restaurant?

Answer: It seems that the cherry is sinking down through the cake. Out of 92, TripAdvisor put Artisan at 3rd, Cote (Bill's masters) came 11th and Bill's (backed by heavy Council bias) came 22nd. In another apparent victory for this site, it seems to us that Bill's decided to 'back off' from the idea of an external porch and there has now been a reported attempt to sort out the draughts from the 'chimney effect' (resulting from the 'vandalism' of the Grade II floor) with an internal 'porch'. Furthermore, it seems that in response to other criticisms levelled on our site, the Council has backed off from further disproportionate bias towards Bill's - i.e. in granting similarly disproportionate 'free space' to Bill's tables and chairs in Market Square. Artisan at least, is getting a 'look in', we observed recently - although it is still at the loss of a former community space. As stated previously, we think that the Horsham Bill's is ultimately doomed to be 'cut loose' by COTE within a year.

HDC is similarly struggling with its East Street project, particularly on disabled issues. Having identified the need for the Old Town Hall to be Disability Discrimination Act compliant in 2005 (forming part of the selected and recommended community proposal) it dropped a disabled lift from the plans. These plans were unsuitably paid for by the taxpayer and improperly 'self-approved' by the Council - before being handed over to Bill's (unethically selected by HDC over Gondola). The overall 'stink' metaphorically goes beyond that which was reported as emerging from Bill's vent at the Old Town Hall.

Next update: More on the forthcoming Public Administration select Committee inquiry.

96

posted 30th April 2013

Question: What are the details of the Public Administration Select Committee's latest Inquiry?

Answer: It's called 'Complaints: Do they make a difference?' In the case of bodies like the Mid-Staff's Board or Horsham District Council the answer is an emphatic no! If a public body is determined to act immorally or unethically then ultimately, regulators of services and Ombudsmen will simply 'get in the way' (please see our previous update on the Francis Report). It could also be argued that the very existence of quango's like the Audit Commission give people a false sense of assurance and deter the electorate from properly scrutinising the actions of public bodies. The existence of the Local Government Ombudsman further prevents proper scrutiny and redress by the Courts. On the basis of much legal precedent, Ombudsman have an almost absolute discretion in whether they will investigate and how they will investigate - no matter how irrational the exercising of that discretion might seem to be. We will lay out the evidence of this to the Committee in respect of HDC. Also, the evidence of how bodies like the Audit Commission and English Heritage ultimately 'ran away' when faced with HDC intransigence over ethics; and arrogant denial of their poor performance.

Next update: More on HDC.                  

97

posted 2nd May 2013

Question: What else makes you think that Horsham District Council is poor performing?

Answer: Wow - where do we start? This weekend it is the Broadwood Day of Dance. Horsham has one of the highest concentrations of folk dance sides in the country and some fantastic local musicians in all genres. Coupled with its folk connections to the great composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Horsham is a nationally recognised bastion of 'English culture', which is why we wanted to exploit this tourist potential with the community Old Town Hall project - ably demonstrating that potential with the Horsham Community Festival in 2006 and the Vaughan Williams '50 year' commemoration celebrations in 2008. One of the Councils officers (one that is not allowed to speak to the local press apparently) quietly took on the idea and attempted to develop the Broadwood Day of Dance into an English Culture Festival. HDC even put the domain name on the internet. Three years later - we are back to the Day of Dance again. HDC simply cannot 'cut the mustard' on a sustainable basis. Why?

   The answer is a despotic and destructive HDC Cabinet. They demobilised the folk and artistic community over the Old Town Hall in 2006. They alienated many local musicians with the stopping of Horsham Music Week which was Horsham's most cost-effective, kudos winning festival. The HDC Cabinet will apparently crush anything that is not their idea, and crush anything that they do not have exclusive control over; so much for Francis Maude's 'Big Society' agenda in his own backyard. To cover their tracks (because they have no ideas and ability to deliver on them of their own) HDC forms hand-picked 'quango's to abdicate their responsibility for Horsham town's slow, lingering death (like the Horsham Christmas lights fading over the years). A fawning West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) is only going to be able to protect the Council to a certain point.

   Another parking 'fine mess' has hit the headlines and the internet (on top of our own site) this week. Not only does HDC's financial mismanagement over ten years addict them to parking income from the meters, it means that they seem to be further addicted to income from parking fines too. You can't drop off your child, or a patient, or even your dry cleaning; without emerging to find a nasty HDC ‘stormtrooper’ (HDC parking enforcement officer) swarming over your car in a metaphorical second. Contrast this bad publicity with other Councils that have hit the headlines for boosting the fortunes of their towns by doing the opposite; like Braintree (parking 10p after 3pm) and Altrincham (parking 10p per hour). The Cabinet's answer to the bad publicity; abdicate responsibility and blame it on their own staff in their usual cowardly way. So it's nothing to do with any possible commission pay on the fines issued then? Nothing to do with the fact that the Council banks the income then? One organisation has the motto 'Death before dishonour'. The HDC Cabinet's suggested motto is 'Dishonour before a slow lingering death for Horsham town'.

   Horsham District Council's message about Horsham town gets worse when you consider the recent Waitrose complaints about the recently introduced evening parking charge - the charge that has significantly reduced takings. Waitrose looks set to pull out of Piries Place when the current lease expires in 2015. This is a poor message to any new potential occupier that might take over from Waitrose. However, HDC's Chief Executive has explained to the Horsham Society:

   "Tom (Crowley) has confirmed that the Council is in touch with the owners of Piries Place and has offered its support and advice in finding a new occupier."

   Our comment: With support like that - who needs enemies? The largely 'out-of-town' HDC Cabinet is slowly killing the town centre and Piries Place along with it. Any new superstore complex west of Albion Way will not help the town's ailing fortunes either. 'Seagull style' shoppers to the new out-of-town- centre site will swoop in; shop; and swoop out again. Throw in the mess that is their East Street project and the evidence of Horsham District Council incompetence (and the likely results) is overwhelming. However, with the proper resistance, it doesn't have to be this way. We'll cover the various options in future updates.

Meanwhile, a Happy Bank Holiday to all our readers.

P.S. It's also worth pointing out that the Horsham Day of Dance was a folk community initiative that existed anyway. Although HDC sponsorship is no doubt very welcome, HDC still can't sustainably launch and manage anything of their own it seems.

Next update: Why does Bill's former owner Bill Collison reportedly meet at Esquires Coffee Shop rather than the Old Town Hall?

98

posted 6th May 2013

Question: Is Bill's in Horsham's Old Town Hall hanging by a thread?

Answer: Yes we think so - the financial position is thought to be just too volatile. COTE looks set to be sold to Bridgepoint which will see Andy Bassadone (project manager for Bill's) part company with COTE - and put COTE in direct competition with Bill's. COTE outperformed Bill's by some 11 places in a recent TripAdvisor rating. Additionally, we believe that Bill's in Horsham has become an ever increasing embarrassment to the brand and will have to go. Andy Bassadone ( of  Billionaire Richard Caring's Caprice Holdings and Strada fame) didn't get where he was by being silly we feel - and think he will likely cut Horsham loose in the near future.

   This might also help explain reports (on two separate occasions) why Bill Collison was allegedly meeting up with persons unknown in Esquires Coffee House at Horsham's forum. Why would he not meet up on the Bill's premises? Is there something he did not want his staff to know? The answer is - if the reports of the sightings are true - we don't know either. Whatever the situation - in our opinion, Bill's in Horsham is not going to easily woo potential franchisees at an attractive price and also, potentially deter other possible franchisees around the country too. 

   This is why we feel Horsham District Council was stupid (as they were with the previously superior Gondola bid) to go for Bill's over W J King, who had a local loyalty as well as matching the Bill's financial offer (radically reduced from the initial verbal offer and market value of £75,000; and below the £72,500 offered by Gondola). No-one can currently know for sure whether HDC fiddled the scoring of the bids for a second time in order to give Bill's as the answer once more - as HDC refuse to give up the scoring sheets for Bill's v W J King under the Freedom of Information Act. It seems likely however. By contrast to the local W J King, Bill's had already walked away from Horsham twice:

   i) In 2006 when HDC couldn't move the Registrar, and when the Council didn't initially want to give up their 'creature comforts' at Park House.

   ii) In 2010 when Bill's didn't make as much profit as it would have liked at its Reading Branch in the first six weeks.

   Oh dear then - it seems that it is all going to end in tears soon for HDC and the West Sussex Council Times newspaper (WSHDCT).

Meanwhile, here is another recent Bill's review forwarded by a reader........

 “Was hoping for something a bit better” Reviewed May 4, 2013

Went on a Monday evening with a friend and I had tuna which was on the specials list. The flavours were very good but the tuna was overcooked and dry my friend had a salmon dish that was similarly over cooked. We were also disappointed with the quantity. For dessert I had the Eton mess which was delicious while my friends pecan pie was ok but again not a large portion. So with just one glass of wine and 2 coffees between us I would have expected better quality for our £55 meal

   On the bright side, Bill's pulling out of Horsham will be the one thing that the cowardly HDC Cabinet won't be able to blame on the staff. We have had an unusual amount of sympathy in e-mails received for HDC's parking enforcement officers after the fawning West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) gave them a metaphorical kicking on behalf of the Cabinet in the paper last week. Thank goodness for the internet's power to eat into what we see as HDC's Ministry of Truth (WSHDCT) and give two sides of the story then (what used to be called 'balanced journalism'). 'The people' rightly asked: As well as bank the money, isn't HDC responsible for training these people? Isn't HDC responsible for supervising these wardens and issuing their guidelines, patches and rotas etc? Good questions we think. Whatever the situation, we believe that HDC must be a terrible place to work if you are constantly under threat of being metaphorically 'stabbed in the back by the Cabinet' all the time.

Next update: More news on Bill's and/or our Select Committee submission..  

99

posted 10th May 2013

Question: Are people waking up to Horsham District Council's
'Ministry of Truth' (West Sussex County Times)?

Answer: At least one person seems to have done that in this weeks paper. .."in over 30 years of living in Horsham I have never seen such a sycophantic, biased and badly researched comment piece by an Editor as that following the county elections on May 2nd. That the County Times can now be recognised for what it is, an entirely partisan, right wing media outlet, is a pity for the people and District and for democracy."

   From the recent, sponsored article by Editor-in-Chief, Gary Shipton on Bill's (please see our recent update on this site) we would comment:

Sycophantic, biased (or at least non-independent), badly researched, partisan - definitely!

Right wing? We're not so sure. We think that:

   a) Gary Shipton was all too easily flattered by chairing the Council led quango - the ineffective, Community Development Partnership.

   b) Gary Shipton simply 'sucks up' to the party in charge in order to retain Council advertising.  In the days before competition from 'The Resident' (now District Post) we were used to balanced articles where opponents of the Council view (like ourselves) were routinely approached to give their side of the story. These days, the Council view is mostly an 'open goal' that is often further supported by the Editorial comment. There used to be debates in the paper with equal space being given to the opposing sides to make their case. No more however! The people are spoon-fed one side of the story and no longer enabled to make up their own minds on an informed basis.  

   Meanwhile, we had another Bill's review forwarded to us:

'Was hoping for something better' Reviewed May 3, 2013

Nice use of the old Town Hall building and décor quite nice. Service ok but slow (waited an hour for main). Food average and unfortunately mine wasn't very warm. Puddings ok, not bad but nothing special. Food is also too expensive for what it is! Bill's overall just isn't what it used to be since it changed hands. It's basically been changed into an upmarket burger joint. Just not as special as it was and food is average - just nothing like how it was. Such a shame! As for this restaurant, it's ok, but to be honest, I prefer the Lewes one.

100

updated 13th May 2013

Question: Can HDC always 'get away with it' in Court?

Answer: It seems not; a Henfield couple have been awarded more than £18,000 in a High Court challenge over two enforcement notices issued by Horsham District Council.

Our reading of this is that the Council refused in its usual arrogant way to admit a simple mistake. The enforcement notices in question came into effect on January 4 2012, but in order for that to be the case, the rules required them to have been served to the Claimant on December 6 2011. The enforcement notices were sent by first class post December 6, but not received until December 9. It all seems a bit silly.

   In our view, the Council may have got a misplaced sense of immunity from the Courts via our own case over the Old Town Hall. There was an obviously erroneous judgement in our case because the Council had failed to disclose its own Old Town Hall planning application paid for by the taxpayer (£10,000 for the plans and £300 for the application, as confirmed by the District Auditor). The plans were subsequently handed over to Bill's  (revealed to us under Freedom of Information). All planning applicants would like to have their plans paid for by the Council of course, but unless you are the inexplicably favoured Bill's, it is unlikely to happen. With its usual lack of honour, HDC offered us a meeting during the week that we could lodge an Appeal. After the Appeal period (1 week) had passed, the offer of a meeting was withdrawn by HDC.

Meanwhile, thanks to the reader that forwarded us another Bill's review:

“wouldn't go again” Reviewed May 7, 2013

  Overcooked and cold steak, nothing special and not very tasty, no better than basic pub grub with a hefty price tag. Waiter was very sweet but service was dreadfully slow. After all the hype i was really looking forward to our visit.... but sorry Bills, I won't be back.

101

posted 15th May 2013

Question: What's the news on Bill's, West Sussex Council Times and
Horsham District Council this week?

Answer: Firstly, we had another review on Bill's forwarded onto us as follows:

“Lunch 10th May 2013” Reviewed 10 May 2013

 Thought my Husband and I would treat ourselves to lunch and on a good friends recommendation went to Bill's. Felt rushed into making a decision about our drinks and food choices. Wine was warm, food mediocre. Not sure if the wrong shift was on duty but we will not be returning, enjoy!!

The particular reader also reported that Bill's seemed to have slipped from 22nd to 24th to 26th in the TripAdviser ratings in just a couple of weeks.

It appears that the Editor in Chief of the West Sussex Council Times (the one who allegedly used his position to write a less than independent article about Bill's recently) put up a defence to the 'political bias' allegations in the letter that was mentioned in our recent update:

"It (the newspaper) does seek to reflect the mood of the local community - who in these elections voted overwhelmingly for the two right wing parties, the Conservatives and UKIP. It would be very odd if we failed to acknowledge that fact and extraordinarily bad form if I omitted to congratulate them on their success. It is the Lib Dems who appear to have abandoned the local debate in these pages....The Lib Dems should treat these results as a wake-up call and up their game."

We didn't actually agree  with the allegation - more that the WSHDCT is sucking up to those in power. However, to us, the response simply proves how much Mr. Shipton has been sucked into the 'political world' since being seduced by the chairmanship of the ineffectual Community Development Partnership - the Council led quango. He can no longer see past the political parties it seems. The WSCT now uses its own dodgy political analysis re, 'mood of the local community', when it once used to give a direct voice to non-political community organisations such as our own. For example, our authority to speak on Old Town Hall issues was granted by a High Court Judge and the WSHDCT knows that. Yet we haven't had an approach from the paper in recent years like we used to. It's up to Mr. Shipton to explain why.

People predominantly voted for Tories and UKIP in winning 'low-numbers' because they don't have any real choice. Most people are clearly dis-illusioned with all of the parties. He is right about the Lib Dems though. Lib Dem Councillors are very like the Tories on HDC in our opinion:

1) Self-importance

2) Being part of the Council 'Club'

3) The interests of the District (which they have no real ideas about and make a hash of)

The only difference is that with the Tories you can throw 'getting off' on unaccountable power into the mix - and with the Liberals, 'getting off' on the fact that one day they might be 'thrown a bone' and being given a turn at Chairman for a year. It seems to us that the Lib Dems have abandoned the debate (along with their principles) unless they upset the Tory bone throwers.

It's all a bit of a sad state of affairs as far as the voters are concerned however. Add in the lack of a Town Council (with the out-of-town Tories denying the opportunity of this) and the picture is complete. Under the current system, even if every single voter in Horsham town voted non-Tory, the town would still see itself dictated to by a largely out-of-town Cabinet - and probably further see it's assets sold to the benefit of Tory voting areas.

The only answer is a coalition of independents contesting every seat based on a 'District wide interests' manifesto.

Horsham District Council's answer to this disillusionment is more 'window dressing' to further fool the electorate of course. Town Hall surgeries that will (if things run to form) ; give the appearance of listening ; whilst instantly forgetting ; and doing nothing. What have been the achievements of all the Council quangos for example? We think that you could write it on the back of the proverbial fag packet and still leave room for a name and address.

On the plus side, a woman Councillor is actually running with these surgeries in response to the criticisms levelled on our site. Unfortunately, it is non-political organisations such as the Trust - and other community groups and campaigns - that have had to stand up for the town (rather than the Lib Dems).

No doubt, when the Lib Dems are rightly wiped out at the next local elections for their lack of principle and performance - Mr. Shipton can give the Tories and UKIP an even bigger 'pat on the back'. It will be a bit of a hollow sounding 'pat' however, as unless things change radically, Horsham's prosperity and potential will have further declined markedly in the meantime. We feel that not even HDC's Ministry of Truth (the WSHDCT) will be able to put sufficient gloss on it.

Next update: More news, including our submission to the Public Administration Select Committee on HDC.

102

posted 17th May 2013

Question: What else makes you think the West Sussex County Times

has got it all wrong, particularly about Bill's?

Answer: The anecdotal evidence is stashing up. Here are two more 'appalling' reviews for Bill's that have been forwarded to us .....

“Not worth the money” Reviewed 12 May 2013

Portion sizes small, food nothing special but that's about it. Service was pleasant but slow. Ambiance and shabby chic decor best part about the restaurant. With so many other great restaurants in Horsham we will not be rushing back.

“Extremely disappointing - overpriced - poor quality food.”  Reviewed 12 May 2013

There are plenty of other restaurants in Horsham - my tip would be to give most of them a try before you bother with this one. - It's like opening an expensively wrapped present to find a cheap bauble inside.

Visited this restaurant on Saturday in a group of 9. Anticipation was high because the outside of the building (the old Horsham town hall) is fabulous and full of character. It's a shame we couldn't say the same thing about the food - when it eventually arrived - the service was appallingly slow.

The starters (served over an hour after we had ordered them) were average - and the 'special' scallops dish was extortionately overpriced at £9.95 for 4 small scallops.

Whilst we were waiting for our mains to arrive the waiter kept apologizing for the delay and asking if we wanted drinks etc. But of course, passing the time away by drinking, at £4.50 for a small bottle of beer, adds a hefty chunk to your bill.

A full 45 minutes after they had taken our starter dishes away we received our mains.

Chicken skewers on a bed of couscous - those who had this said the kebabs tasted suspiciously like the ready made ones you can buy from M & S and the couscous was courtesy of an Ainsley Harriott packet.

The beer battered haddock was, quite frankly, disgusting with a thick. hard brown batter and grey flesh.

I had the fish pie. This cost £14.95. It was bland, dry, and the potato topping tasted like it had been made with Smash - again pretty disgusting.

On the plus side, the waitress who was obviously embarrassed by the long wait we endured, offered us two bottles of wine on the house. (See underlined section above for this customer’s last comment).

This stuff is obviously in stark contrast to the West Sussex Council Times' Editor in Chief's fawning article about Bill's a month ago.

It's not the first time the Editor has written a load of tosh. We seem to recall him writing previously, that Horsham District Council refused a Community Governance Review (and hence the possibility of forming a Horsham Town Council) on financial grounds alone. Proper democracy costs a little bit of money of course (not much in this case), but sensibly, it represented for example, just one twentieth of the Council's incompetent overspend on the Acorn Project over two accounting years.

So why does the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) want the HDC Conservative Cabinet to hang on to disproportionate power? Our  answer - it makes life simple for the Sussex Newspaper Group, who then won't have to adjust their WSCT Editorial policy for Horsham town. They can 'suck up' to the Tories 'across the board' i.e. across the County (simply on the basis of the fact that they are in power).

Incidentally, we once said that the Bill's brand was 'all over the place'. Now it seems that Bill's has become an Italian restaurant as well - sponsoring a hamper for Piazza Italia and consequently getting an Old Town Hall location picture courtesy of the 'Weekend' freebie (instead of something actually to do with Piazza Italia).

Talking to other hard-working and hard-earning restaurants in Horsham (often independents); they have privately and understandably become increasingly sick of the HDC and West Sussex County Times bias towards Bill's.

In our view, the WSHDCT is guilty of rank hypocrisy. Check out its 'Power to the People' piece this week - about the power of social media and the internet ...

But many people who have viewed it have understandably expressed their outrage online.

plus...

HDC must demonstrate that it understands just how frustrated parts of the community are becoming - and respond fully and explicitly, explaining the action it is taking.

Firstly, this is a piece about parking enforcement, which was an issue recently covered on our site. Before our posting, the WSHDCT was seemingly content to 'toe the usual HDC Cabinet line' of 'blame it on the specific staff' (although perhaps recruited, trained and incentivised by HDC). Now, internet power has forced a partial rethink at the WSHDCT it seems.

Of course, the proper response of any accountable body would be:

1) Provide a reasoned argument as to why things are the way they are, OR;

2) Apologise and communicate the actual implementation of corrective action.

But this is HDC. Not a chance we think. By experience, they are far too arrogant and unaccountable to admit any mistakes and therefore, there will be nothing to correct. Why are HDC this way? Because the WSHDCT has in recent years, 'propped up' HDC's unaccountable, bad behaviour. Look no further than the unethical selection of Bill's over Gondola at a projected cost of half a million pounds to the taxpayer. The WSHDCT remained silent (as did the Lib Dems). Why should HDC change its ways therefore?

The WSHDCT are also hypocrites in our view, because they seem to rely on the same unaccountable power as HDC. Rather than answer the criticisms on our "online" site, or change their ways, they appear to remain silent (same as HDC). As we understand it, when people write in to complain about the County Times Editor allegedly (ab)using his position, the WSHDCT doesn't print the letter etc.

Perhaps, the highest ranking piece of hypocrisy by the WSHDCT - is to get fully behind 'Independents Day' to celebrate the independent businesses in Horsham. Yet, the WSHDCT supported (and continues to support) a big business backed chain restaurant in the Old Town Hall (i.e. Bill's). Furthermore, in our view, the WSHDCT has been unfairly disadvantaging independent restaurants in Horsham on a regular basis in recent months with its fawning over Bill's on behalf of their HDC masters.

The power of the internet? In spite of its high and mighty words, the WSHDCT clearly doesn't 'get it' either. People say that for every bad experience, the customer tells ten others. In the internet age they tell more like 100. Add up the bad reviews - even just the ones that we have been alerted to - and it follows that thousands of people may have already been put off of Bill's. We believe that as things stand, the more that the WSHDCT biasedly hypes Bill's, the more people are going to be disappointed. Also, we feel that even more residents are going to wake up to the fact that the WSHDCT has 'lost its way' and 'sold its soul'; regularly spouting a load of tosh as the Ministry of Truth on behalf of its HDC masters. In one respect, we believe that the WSHDCT is right though: due to the power and potential power of the internet - the likes of HDC, Bill's and the West Sussex County Times will soon all sink together. 

Next update: Our submission to the Public Administration Select Committee (honest).  

103

posted 21st May 2013

Question: Did you get your Public Administration Select Committee submission
on 'Complaints: Do they make a difference?' away?

Answer: Yes. Unfortunately however, once you submit it, it becomes the property of the Select Committee and cannot be published elsewhere. Submissions are generally published on-line by the Committee, as well as selected people being invited to give oral evidence / answer questions at hearings broadcast over the net. Following this - the final report is published.

   Due to the content of our submission (true, reasonable and well argued, but probably 'too hot to handle' in terms of content) we do not expect to be invited to a hearing. The jury's out on whether our submission will be published over the net for the same reasons.

   The benefits of our submission will be however, that more people in powerful circles (both unelected and elected) will become aware of Horsham District Council's unethical behaviour and poor performance. We expect that invisible fingers will set to work correcting the situation - 'behind the scenes' - in the interests of the District.

   Coincidentally, HDC have just had a report on complaints discussed by their toothless, useless Scrutiny Committee. Ensuring the integrity of the Council is so important to the ruling group and Cabinet of HDC (sarcasm intended), that when the Lib-Dem Chairman of Scrutiny Committee got up to give his report they walked out of the Council Chamber to get a coffee. The recent report to Scrutiny also forgot to mention that HDC departs from the published complaints procedure when it suits them (as they did in our case).

   Another laughable report discussed by Scrutiny was on Freedom of Information. HDC is very secretive and had six requests for an internal review last year - with only a bit of information in just one of the six cases being released after a review. However, people did not appeal to the Information Commissioner in these six cases it seems. We think this is the right tactic because the absence of information is often as powerful as the information itself.

   For example, nobody will reasonably believe that the HDC scoring and selection of Bill's Restaurant over W J King for the Old Town Hall wasn't fiddled - just like it actually was for Bill's over Gondola - that is, while the Council refuses to release the Bill's v WJ King scoring sheets.

   Similarly, other restaurants and residents will likely remain even more critical of the widely perceived favouritism shown towards Bill's by the Council until the details of the Bill's Old Town Hall lease are published as requested. Currently, residents can't even guarantee that they are getting the £60,000 per annum that was announced (although, bizarrely £12,250 less than what was offered by Gondola). Could Bill's walk away once more and leave a trashed Grade II listed Old Town Hall without penalty? - probably in our view. Without the details we'll never know - but it's HDC's reputation that will suffer while we rightly spread the word in the public interest.

Next update: HDC 'smoke and mirrors'.               

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posted 24th May 2013

Question: What else makes you think Horsham District Council
is all smoke and mirrors?

Answer: We've repeatedly challenged HDC to list any major achievements which have been down to their implementation. So far - no response, other than to say that effectively, we have no right to question the Council (a view not supported by a High Court judge). The big wheel of HDC keeps expensively turning - but the hamsters are well and truly dead it seems. Those staff that could potentially help do the job - are kept out in the cold by a despotic HDC Cabinet.

To cap it all, this week, we had the announcement of the new Chairman's charity (Chairman's Trust Fund) under Chairman Phillip Circus. In spite of the West Sussex Council Times' (WSHDCT) fawning, this man is controversial yes! - but a charismatic figure like Boris Johnson he is not!

This new charity sums up the culture of HDC perfectly: Under the noble facade it is all about self-importance, power and the subservience of others. Why?

As we understand it:

1) People in need are meant to plead with their Councillor for a chance to subserviently eat the crumbs from the table of the powerful. This will boost the self-importance of the Councillor and provide some nice publicity opportunities in their bid to get re-elected having achieved very little.

2) This will keep the individual Councillors 'in-line' and provide an incentive to please their predominantly 'ruling party' masters (assuming that people like the Chief Executive as Trustees are in the ruling parties' pocket- which of course he is!). How many people remember the former Tory Leaders crass comment "He (the Chief Executive) works for me" at the Horsham Society meeting for example?

"... without a hint of party politics ...  (WSHDCT)..." Do us a favour!   

There are many charities that work hard, day-in-day-out - to both benefit and campaign for the interests of the vulnerable. We believe that people in the District will continue to support and give to these established charities; see through the facade; and boycott this self-serving Chairman's Charity. Unlike some others it seems, we don't think that the Horsham people are stupid.

To quote from the WSHDCT: He (Phillip Circus) says he hopes the new charity will have the additional advantage of helping to foster a sense of District awareness and thereby help contribute to genuine localism."

Yet at the government consultation on the Localism Act, government aides once identified the community solution for Horsham's Old Town Hall as a potential model for the benefits of the Localism Bill. However, after consultation with our Business Adviser, they had to ditch the idea - and concede that the Act would not prevent a Council from acting irrationally. HDC then rushed through the selection process of Bill's over WJ King for the Old Town Hall in order to beat the provisions of the Localism Bill. Has Mr. Circus experienced a sudden 'conversion on the road to Damascus'? - we somewhat doubt it!           

The WSHDCT fawning editorial is once again, less than independent of course. Their Editor-in-Chief Gary Shipton is also a Trustee of the new charity. We expect that Mr Shipton will soon announce his leaving journalism and entering the world of politics with the ruling party (you heard it here first folks). We believe that because his journalists do not have the heart to write fawning rubbish, he is recently having to fill up the paper with his own articles. We also feel this is why the WSHDCT is appealing to people to write for the paper and will be selected if they 'fit the mould'.

A Happy Bank Holiday to all our readers.

Tuesday's update: more on HDC 'smoke and mirrors'.

105

posted 28th May 2013

Question: What is the Horsham taxpayer getting for their money
as far as HDC is concerned?

Answer: Very little except a lot of 'hot air', smoke and mirrors.

Horsham District Council's 'Ministry of Truth', the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) recently wrote:

As we all continue to endure the seemingly end-less financial downturn, we need to bang the drum for where we live, what we do, and what makes us special as a nation and a district.
Wrong! What we really need to do is analyse what is going wrong; and fix it. We shouldn't be afraid to say "The HDC Emperor is wearing no clothes!"

Problem: Horsham has an ageing population and according to a recent analysis of towns in the Sunday Times is "A great place to retire". Is this really what we want for our District? The facts support this - 1 in 5 of us is over 65 years old. What are the Council doing about this? The 250,000 square feet of empty office space around Horsham would seem to indicate - nothing! The answer my friend is that the Council blows in the wind!

In recent years the Council has spent over 1.5 million pounds of taxpayers cash on consultants to help them find the answer. However, the briefings have been poor and the results negligible. How many of us remember the much heralded 'pie in the sky' consultants visions for Albion Way for example? These have been recently replaced by much heralded visions of 'West of Horsham' simply because Waitrose might be moving there to the detriment of the town centre. With HDC, everything happens by accident and they - and their mouthpiece (the WSHDCT) - try to put a positive spin on it. The Council just cannot get-it-together to influence events positively, according to a set strategy and plan. Many consultants caught on quickly to the 'HDC game'. Throw in a bit of unjustified flattery for HDC in their report and job done; take the money and run. By contrast, there was a really good report by consultants 'Tourism Strategy for Horsham District' ten years ago. However, HDC failed to implement it; lost the initiative; and lost the opportunities.

The HDC answer to their ineptitude is to throw a few inane slogans about e.g. 'Time well spent'. Why is it well spent as compared to any other town? We have regularly posed this question, but have received no answer. Bill's restaurant is apparently the 'cherry on the cake' but there appears to be universal agreement that as part of a national chain, it is nothing as good as the original Lewes Store. The East Street project is struggling (as have many other HDC projects historically) and West Street needs a facelift via a bailout from their West Sussex County Council mates.

Another HDC and WSHDCT tactic is window-dressing.  Microbiz, the business and community awards etc. But the fact is that the Horsham population increasingly doesn't work - and there is 250,000 square feet of empty office space to show for it. The WSHDCT reckons the new Chairman is the answer "Mr Circus is the man to deliver at this local level". We are not holding our breath.

For a further bit of 'smoke and mirrors' look no further than Councillor Crofts Horsham town surgeries looking for suggestions to "further improve the Horsham experience". What is the Horsham experience currently? It's another inane slogan it seems. What is the transparency over the process? Will the public see what suggestions were made? Will they get to see how many good suggestions were not implemented because the Council, if they run true to form, had an inability or lack of energy to implement them? Again, we are not holding our breath. As it happens, we understand that a local independent businessman wrote some weeks ago to Councillor Croft about East Street and has so far not got an answer. Additionally, when push comes to shove - HDC has a history of rejecting good initiatives that are handed to them on a plate in order to demonstrate their power and self-importance.

A few years ago the Council boasted that Horsham had been voted the second best place to live. For who, by who and what basis we are not sure. Then they boasted that we were in the 'top five' (hoping that we would forget about the former 'top two'). What was the reason for the slip - again, we don't know.

What should be the next slogan for Horsham District Council (avidly reported without counter comment by the WSHDCT)? We would suggest:

"Horsham District: Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!"

P.S. It was interesting to note that last week the WSHDCT reported Council criticism about the judgment of their parking enforcement officers. Following our updates criticising the cowardice of HDC in this case (and true to form in the past), the Council is now reported as defending their parking enforcement officers. To use a paraphrase "A week is a long time in local politics".

P.P.S. The Lib Dems woke up a bit in this week’s WSHDCT - echoing our comments about the Council's reckless overspending of reserves in the last ten years for example. However the Lib Dems have chaired the Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee and Scrutiny Committees on HDC for years. Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse as bolted! The sad fact is: There is no alternative to electing a coalition of independent Councillors in 2015 if we are to thrive as a District.

Next update: We're not sure, but given an inept HDC, there is always something to write about!

106

posted 1st June 2013

Question: What's the news about Bill's and Horsham District Council this week?

Answer: Bad news for Bill's Restaurant in Horsham as it drops further down to 29th in the TripAdviser ratings. Also, someone forwarded this review to add to our collection;

"Style over substance."

Reviewed 28 May 2013

Before its arrival in the old Town Hall, there was a lot of opposition to having a cafe in what used to be a busy and well used meeting space. I was pretty much on the side of those against Bill's, but decided to give it a go. My first visit was for breakfast and the vegetarian breakfast was superb. I then went back with my daughter for a lunch; service was slow although friendly. One dish ordered was not available, but the charming waiter dealt with this by offering a gift of a can of olives. We were also not charged for the replacement meal. This left a good impression of the staff. The third time was a birthday treat, which was expressed on booking. We were put up in the "gods" on the top floor - it felt isolated and not very special. It was also very dark and I could barely read the menu. Our food was tasty but nothing special and for the price, disappointing. The menu selection is quite limited, compared to the sister restaurant, Cote, which has a much wider choice. As Bill's is now a chain, I suspect that the focus on local produce has somewhat been forgotten as it becomes just another themed restaurant. On the plus side, the decoration and styling of the building is lovely and at least keeps the building in use. I won't be rushing back for a meal anytime soon - there are many competitors in Horsham offering better value and a wider menu choice. A shame, because it was much vaunted and very popular when it opened. I have heard varied reports, so I am not alone in finding the whole thing a triumph of style over substance.

Unlike HDC, we don't mind admitting when we're wrong. In the early days we called for a boycott of Bill's in Horsham - but many of our supporters said that Bill's as a chain restaurant would not succeed. They said that with a Council going to such extraordinary, unethical lengths to install Bill's in the Old Town Hall that the only way forward was to see Bill's fail - and then demand that the Council restore the building. We are now glad that we listened. It seems to us that Bill's is clearly heading for oblivion before too long.

'Style over substance" is an interesting headline - and very applicable to HDC. Check out the new web-site www.thinkHorsham.co.uk. It's on the right lines, but unfortunately, a lot of the usual hyperbole isn't going to cut the mustard. Also, it's no good banging on about the Gatwick Diamond, because unless Horsham can come up with something different, other towns in the diamond are likely to reap the benefit. Look no further than the Olympics for an example. HDC couldn't get off its ass to do anything - and did not want us doing it - so HDC abdicated responsibility and said 'Sussex must be the brand'. The Olympic Torch consequently passed Horsham by. Incidentally, if you click on 'arts and entertainment' you simply get details of the Horsham visitor centre. Any relocating business worth its salt is not going to be fooled - and will demand substance (meaningful due diligence) over style (and inane slogans like 'Time well spent', 'Horsham unlimited' and now the latest - 'Think Horsham'.

 Never mind however, the Council has published a new directory of the existing Horsham businesses which unfortunately, are likely to shrink in numbers during the year (unless HDC keeps the defunct ones in the directory to give a different impression). Councillor Roger Paterson, Cabinet Member for the Local Economy said:

“Amazingly, the Horsham District is already home to over 11,000 businesses, ranging from large international employers, such as Novartis and Royal Sun Alliance, to many thousands of successful home-based businesses.”

Is this the same Councillor that chaired the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group that disappeared up its own backside in trying to implement a Council led community solution for the Old Town Hall? Yes we think it is!

In reality, Horsham paid a heavy price for HDC's over-reliance on big employers like Novartis and Royal Sun Alliance which have shrunk immeasurably in recent years. Of the 11,000 businesses quoted - only about 6,000 of these businesses are VAT registered. Average length of trading for the 11,000 would be an interesting figure to monitor too we think.

The big splash in the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) this week was Waitrose of course - although it wasn't really news (please see our previous update). We think that the sequence of events was:

1) Waitrose makes up its mind to re-locate - out of the town centre to West Horsham - and starts negotiations around the various permissions with HDC.

2) HDC leaks to the WSHDCT and Editor-in-Chief Gary Shipton dutifully writes a speculative piece that pretends that this 'possible' move is all part of some grand plan by the Council.

3) This week’s newspaper publishes the move along the same lines, now that the move is confirmed.

The reality is bad news for the Town centre of course. HDC has also deterred any potential new town centre occupant for the vacated site with its evening parking charges (and high parking charges in general). Things in this department can only get worse we think. HDC is addicted to parking income due to its financial mismanagement in the last ten years.

No - we're still looking for that elusive, positive Council achievement. Something that HDC has actually engineered for themselves , according to a set plan - rather than basking in the reflected glory of achievements by others, or pretending that bad news is good, or pretending that Council projects which have gone badly, have actually gone well.

We will continue the search along these lines in the next update. Have a good weekend folks.

107

posted 3rd June 2013

Question: Why is it right to attack Horsham District Council's 'Think Horsham'
campaign (at least for the moment)?

Answer: Primarily, because HDC doesn't currently have the values, ethics, honour and consistency to deliver. It would be wrong to tempt new businesses to Horsham with the prospect that they could be 'shafted' - as others have been before them. It would just make matters worse - and make it increasingly hard to turn things around. We'll discuss this further below.

   Firstly, a bit of national news involving Horsham's MP. Following the recent lobbying scandals involving Patrick Mercer and a few other Lords, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude 'sort of' pledged to implement the Tories and Lib Dems 2010 election promise to clean up politics by bringing in a statutory lobbying register and the power for constituents to "recall" errant MPs. Horsham MP is now insisting that officials were working hard on the detail and he would be "astonished" if both were not in place by 2015. Talk about shutting the door after the horse has bolted!

We are not holding our breath and he may well go into the next general election being "astonished". The fact is that Rt. Hon Francis Maude MP has seemingly done nothing to use his influence and clean up local politics in his own back yard.

   So back to 'Think Horsham' or 'Don't Think Horsham for the Moment' as we like to call it....

The Council's new website encourages businesses to come and talk to them. The chances are - that they would be talking to council officers in the first instance. As we have seen many times, these officers have no autonomy to act according to their skills, experience and guidance. They regularly risk embarrassment - by being trumped by an interfering, micro-managing, fickle HDC Cabinet as things develop. New 'would be' businesses would not be able to rely on Council policy to safeguard their interests either.

   Some examples: HDC conducted 'under the table' negotiations with Bill's Produce in contravention of Council policy back in 2006. Coniston Ltd suffered from the last minute pulling of the Drill Hall work to the embarrassment of some of their staff. Our Trust was asked to make a bid for a community solution for the Old Town Hall and won - before being 'stabbed in the back' (even after being asked to do further work by Leisure Services). As our business adviser put it "It's the only time I have shaken hands on a business deal and had it reneged on". The Council argued that they were not liable for our investment in the Old Town Hall bid process because there was no contract. However, in legal terms, it was clearly a "reasonable expectation" that one of the bids would be implemented unless there were good reasons for not doing so. A fickle HDC Cabinet conducting failed secret negotiations with Bill's in 2006; and desperately deciding to implement its own community solution (wasting the taxpayers investment in the bid process and the tourism opportunities for the District in the process); was not a good reason - especially as the Council's irrational attempts collapsed in confusion and incompetence and they had to desperately reach for the restaurant solution again. At the same time, they had to 'U-turn' and finally give up their 'creature comforts' at Park House (which originally scuppered the Bill's secret negotiations in the first place).

   However, the further message to 'would-be' Horsham businesses is that not even a contract can necessarily save you. HMDW Architects were contracted to help with the Council's own stupid attempt at a community solution for the Old Town Hall for £9,000. The work was abandoned - and HMDW were paid just £2,000 as an interim payment along the way (figures from the District Auditor).

Then there is the question of HDC delivery. HDC had a vision for a pedestrianised 'cafe culture' in East Street. Was this the result of some solid strategic thinking and consultation? - or the need to cover and bolster their Old Town Hall antics? Some restaurants (mainly 'chain') were initially seduced by this vision and its promised timetable we think. However, we believe they have been sadly disappointed. Three years later, the East Street fiasco lurches on and is now engaged in a public inquiry. This is another symptom of the HDC Cabinet's arrogance and lack of consultation we believe.

Would 'would be' new businesses be treated fairly by HDC? Not necessarily! Gondola put in a vastly superior bid to Bill's for the Old Town Hall in 2009, but lost as a result of the Council's unethical behaviour. WJ King may have lost similarly to Bill's more recently too - but HDC refuses to release the scoring sheets.     

   Would 'would-be' businesses to Horsham be able to rely on being compensated for any council 'cock-ups' or fickle changes of mind? No! There was a possibility of our Trust being compensated for £20,000 but the move was arrogantly trumped in contravention of the HDC published complaints procedure. This particular example of Council arrogance ended up costing the Horsham taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds instead. So the message to 'would be' Horsham businesses, based on the evidence, is 'Stay away from Horsham for the moment'. We will let you know when it is safe to come here.

   Incidentally, there was a lot of controversy amongst our supporters about saying that the Council's new web-site was 'along the right lines'. We only meant that a new web site was a rare sign of initiative by the Council - but in order to help settle the argument - we asked our business adviser for the definitive view. He wrote saying:

"I think your update about 'Style over substance' was about right. The trouble is that we have another meaningless slogan to go with 'Time Well Spent', 'The Horsham Experience', 'Business Unlimited' and so on. The site is trying to be all things to all people and seems to be relying on location as the main attraction. The site needs to be much more targeted to the type of business that Horsham decides it wants to attract and offer some meaningful, specific (ideally unique) benefits to attract these identified businesses. This is what we laid out to the Horsham Chamber of Conference conference in 2007. Once you have identified the specific types of business you want to attract, suited to your area and people, and taking account of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, a web-site might not be the best way of reaching those businesses in marketing terms. This is particularly the case since the slogan 'Think Horsham' doesn't strike a specific chord. All in all, I don't think this website will be very successful.

There are also a lot of constraints. You have pointed to the Council's addiction to parking income (represented by higher charges and evening charges) and its potentially detrimental effect on Horsham businesses for one. The large swathes of empty office space does not give a good impression too, and this must be similarly overcome. The failure of the Council to balance the books over the last ten years also means that money to fund the necessary targeted marketing activity and specific incentives, or to build a 'track record' in the things that would be visible and attractive to the specific businesses, is very limited.

It's a big ask and in my opinion would certainly take a big shift in HDC organisational culture to achieve." Martin Jeremiah.

Next update: More on HDC's failed strategies (which the West Sussex County Times probably hopes the Horsham people don't remember).

108

posted 6th June 2013

Question: Does the Council and its 'Ministry of Truth' (West Sussex County Times)
pay 'lip service' to Horsham's independent traders?

Answer: In our view - yes! Check out Horsham District Councillor Helena Croft, Cabinet Member for Horsham Town, on the usual bandstand concerts ....

   These superb bandstand concerts are an annual feature in Horsham’s events calendar and create a lovely festival atmosphere, greatly enhancing Horsham’s weekend shopping experience during the summer months. For those coming in to Horsham to listen to the concerts specifically I would encourage visitors to make a day of it and explore some of Horsham’s many independent shops and the Saturday markets.

   In practice however, HDC does little to help its independents and we have lost some key ones in recent years. Putting a chain restaurant like Bill's into the Old Town Hall further squeezed the independent restaurants for a while too for example. However, as the Bill's restaurant reputation spreads, it has now dropped to 31 in the Trip adviser ratings. Not so long ago Bill's was 11th. The Council's 'cherry on the cake' seems to be heading for oblivion.

   Last week the HDC was apparently still pretending that the Waitrose move was its 'big idea' all along. Watch in future years as people 'ship in'; 'shop' and 'ship out' again. Waitrose was also a key 'supplier' for the Council's 'fixes' of parking income. 330 free parking spaces outside of the town centre is going to leave the Council going 'cold turkey' in terms of finance. Niche independent businesses are essential to Horsham. It is no good HDC trying to 'out-shopping centre' other 'shopping centre towns'.

However, local newspaper the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT), seems to have developed the same listening skills as the Council - or the same listening skills as a brick! Independent traders such as Rosie Lee & Me say that they could lose as much as 30% of their morning trade as a result of the Waitrose move. Classic Bags says 'we could be losing another nine independents from Horsham' as a result of the same. However the fawning Council mouthpiece, the WSHDCT, irrationally concludes "However, the biggest gain will be for all traders ......." The West Sussex Council Times' support for 'independents day' is nothing short of hypocritical in our view. The WSHDCT further 'muddies the waters' (learned from  HDC's 'smoke and mirrors' strategy perhaps) with its reporting of rumours (that we think they started) about John Lewis taking up the other unit at the new Waitrose site. Our prediction is that there will be an announcement by the John Lewis Partnership that they will not be taking this up - just as soon as they have secured all the necessary permissions for the new Waitrose site.  

   It was particularly sad to see the WSHDCT embracing one of the worst aspects of social media last week i.e. the 'troll-like' potential for anonymity. The West Sussex Council Times published postings by 'keepeaststreetfreefromcars', 'uglybetty' and 'vivibee'. One of the postings about the East Street PUblic Inquiry said "... otherwise we will see the usual band of head in the sand complainers stopping this great scheme." Has the WSHDCT sunk so low that it must now propagate anonymous attacks on essential, successful independent traders such as the 'Beer Essentials' standing up for their livelihood (and indeed, in our opinion, standing up for the niche independent businesses that we will all need in terms of Horsham prosperity)?

   The Trust has its own website, rather than use social media, because we want to stand up for and be accountable for our opinions, rather than hide behind cowardly labels. We've no objection to people using social media to contact the local papers, but they should be identifiable, like with the letters page. We believe the WSHDCT should stop propagating these anonymous postings immediately.    

Incidentally - on the subject of East Street cars ... - it is reported by one of our supporters that a COTE delivery lorry drove the wrong way in from the Carfax one morning last week (10.35) to unload. A passing HDC warden was on the scene but did not intervene. As usual with HDC, we think there is one rule for Bill's sister company COTE - and another rule for independent businesses such as 'The Beer Essentials' at the other end of East Street. The great irony is - the bollards preventing traffic from the far end of East Street were late that day - and the COTE delivery van could have driven down East Street without improperly entering from the Carfax. It will be interesting to see how this tension over deliveries plays out if East Street is blocked permanently for pedestrianisation.    

Next update: More on HDC's failed strategies.     

109

posted 11th June 2013

Question: Is there anything further on the
'Don't Think Horsham for the Moment' campaign?

   Answer: There should be we think. Since we created the 'Don’t' Think Horsham for the Moment' page, we've had a significant number of hits over and above the local ones - both nationally and even internationally. We make no apology for this. There is no point in attracting businesses to Horsham on a false premise - and with Horsham District Council's bad performance and behaviour as it is.

This week, the Government announced that community groups will share a £250 million fund to help save pubs, village halls and swimming pools etc. Groups can soon apply for grants and loans to keep facilities open. It's part of the 'Big Society' plan in which Horsham MP Francis Maude was a leading light. After assuring our MP that the Old Town Hall would be for community use - HDC turned around and 'stuck two fingers up' to Francis Maude - with their unethical selection of Bill's Restaurant over Gondola; and unethically handing Bill's the restaurant plans and planning permission courtesy of the taxpayer. HDC then rushed to beat the Localism Bill and close the towns 'village hall' (i.e. the Old Town Hall) to the community. At the same time however, HDC quietly gave £40,000 to Dial Post Village Hall without due process - and on the 'say-so' of a single Cabinet Member. We are not aware whether the two conditions on which the £40,000 grant was originally based, were actually met either. By coincidence, Dial Post is where one of our MP's residences is situated.

   So the message to 'would-be' Horsham businesses is a simple one: Stay away for the moment because our Council just doesn't have the honour, honesty or consistency to be relied upon. Rather than 'Think Horsham', 'Don't think Horsham for the Moment'. HDC don't generally have a clue what they are doing either. Do they rely on the 'status quo' of Horsham having an increasingly aged population? - and perhaps seek to become a sort of Eastbourne without the seaside? This is how Horsham District Council normally operates - complacently 'see what happens' and then pretend it was their intention - or often too - try and pretend that they had something to do with it. With Horsham District gradually becoming Eastbourne-Not-On-Sea' - there would indeed be some scope to attract manufacturers and retailers of things like Stannah lifts and Zimmer frames perhaps. HDC could even hope that someone would start a rival to the 'meals on wheels' company, Wiltshire Farm Foods and call it Horsham District Farm Foods. With Horsham District in the title they could no doubt bask in the reflected glory. The only trouble with targeting the 'grey pound' is the long-term, overall projected market value - as pension pots are squeezed (both private and public sector pensions). The 'grey pound' is also increasingly hard to contain in the locality whilst the army of internet 'silver surfers' and 'sunday drivers' grows.

   Horsham used to have a lot of community spirit involving people of all ages. We remember the times when for example, thousands would turn out in the town's Carfax to see the Christmas lights turned on. Now the Horsham Christmas lights have been all but extinguished. Following a short blaze of adverse publicity in the national press, HDC abdicated responsibility and handed it over to one of their quango's - Horsham Unlimited (or some such similarly and vaguely named outfit). As usual, this useless Council quango couldn't 'cut the mustard'. Another useless HDC quango was the 'heritage, arts and leisure' quango. Is this still going we wonder? - as it does not seem to have delivered anything either. HDC is seemingly the only incompetent body that is capable of having a strategy, then giving out contrary messages and doing the opposite. The messages HDC actually gave out on heritage, arts and leisure were:

    'To hell with heritage' - let's try and ditch the museum and give it to the Registrar in order to get Bill's into the Old Town Hall in 2006 (in contravention of Council policy at the time). Let's turn an historic building like the Old Town Hall (formerly 'Number 7' on the town's 'heritage trail') into a chain restuarant.

   'To hell with arts' – let’s unnecessarily deny the very successful Horsham Painting Group the use of the Old Town Hall for their annual exhibition, even when the building lay empty (forcibly empty, courtesy of HDC). We don't want anybody from the community using the building in order to demonstrate how self-important and powerful we are. Let's crush the enthusiasm of the community for the Old Town Hall project that provided the prospect of a non-taxpayer funded festival every year and significant tourist opportunities. Let's also bizarrely discontinue Horsham Music Week as the town's most cost-effective festival - and replace it with more expensive and arguably less successful Council led efforts - ones that don't have the same level of involvement from the community. 

   'To hell with Leisure' - Let's sell off Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre. 

The message to 'would-be' Horsham businesses is don't bother to accept an invitation to talk to Horsham District Council. The current evidence is that you will not be able to rely on a single word, strategy or policy.

   Of the 'community groups' funding for services mentioned above, Prime Minister, David Cameron said  "I want to give people the opportunity to take them over and run them." He will not get his wish while self-important embarrassments with 'delusions of adequacy' like HDC exist. We are still looking for that elusive Council project - one that has actually gone well.

   The challenge for HDC is to think of a more targeted approach - then preach to that target audience with a consistent message - a message that is supported by a meaningful track record in support of that message. Also, it has to be a message that is supported by, and consistent with, decent values and behaviour. Only then will people be able to 'Think Horsham'. We are a million miles away from it at the moment. Can HDC change its spots? - or will it need to be swept from power by a coalition of independents in 2015? Only time and this website will tell!  

110

posted 13 June 2013

Question: How's Horsham District Council's East Street programme going?

Answer: Badly as usual. We think that the Public Inquiry opens on Tuesday 18th June. In February a Horsham Society publication said:

   "The North Horsham County Local Committee met before Christmas to consider the future of the experimental core hours pedestrianisation scheme. Despite overwhelming evidence that the public and local councillors want it made permanent there were unresolved objections from one trader and a couple of individuals concerned about access for the disabled. Because of these the Committee accepted a recommendation to refer the decision to a public enquiry which could cost £25,000..... It’s a shame that the intransigence of a few will cost us all a large sum from scarce council resources."

   There is no doubt that HDC Councillors want it - but the public? We are not aware of such evidence. This comment by HS is seemingly another dramatic 'conversion' by a body which originally questioned East Street pedestrianisation – saying, we recall, that there is 'no sunny side of the street' in East Street. It looks to us that HDC Councilllors have been metaphorically 'twisting arms' once more.

We feel that HS is talking rubbish here too. The whole lengthy debacle in East Street is - as usual - the result of bad Council behaviour and culture. They arrogantly go 'diving in' without the proper consultation up front. Along the way we get follies like the East Street bench facing into shop windows and expensive re-work and restaurants building 'barricades' of flower tubs around their frontages etc.

   Who can blame any traders for standing up for their livelihood - at the cost of just one tiny fraction of HDC's incompetent overspend on the Acorn project for example. This was also the equivalent sum - £1.3 million - wasted by HDC on 'consultancy' that was destined to go nowhere too. All this usual mess is part of an arrogant and confrontational Horsham District Council culture. They simply don't understand things like consultation and 'give and take' negotiation. They unnecessarily have to 'crush' the opposition at all costs (costs to the Horsham taxpayer unfortunately) and like spoiled, feral children, 'get their way'. The invaluable Horsham Music shop has already left and more restaurants will not fill all the holes. For example we still believe that no new restaurant in their right mind would work with HDC after what they did to Gondola.

   Why didn't HDC work with the traders at an early stage - and offer them help with re-location etc - if HDC really wanted East Street shut to deliveries and the disabled during the day? (which not all East Street businesses abide by anyway it seems - please see previous posting). Surely this would have been a better approach by HDC rather than the usual costly and unnecessary confrontation that leaves more bitterness?

We feel that HDC Councillors need to learn the hard way that "Good friends come and go, but enemies accumulate!' 

111

posted 18th June 2013

Question: Are there any significant developments concerning

Horsham District Council  or Bill's Restaurant recently?

Answer:

   Firstly - what about us? The hits on our site seem to have gone ballistic lately. The 'Don't Think Horsham for the Moment' page explains a lot of this - as we can see that it has attracted a number of readers up and down the country - with quite a few overseas hits too. However, we are unable to explain the most recent surge, with people apparently spending a lot of time all over our site. We have asked our Business Adviser to investigate and will report back.

   Secondly, another Bill's review (the Council's 'Cherry on the cake') has been forward to us below.

   Thirdly, we think you'd be hard pressed to find the words "significant developments" and "Horsham District Council" in the same sentence. However, one piece of 'earth shattering' news is that Councillor Christian Mitchell has become Deputy Chairman at HDC. We believe this means that he will become Chairman next year.

   Christian Mitchell was heralded as the bright new hope by local rag, the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT), in 2007 (the HDC 'elections year'). Back in 2007, the WSHDCT produced a big spread in the newspaper on the thoughts of Christian Mitchell concerning various local tory policies, including a pledge that 'the peoples vision should prevail on the Old Town Hall' (a community solution and not a restaurant). HDC Leader Liz Kitchen tactically agreed in the WSHDT with 'much of what Councillor Mitchell said'. After the elections in 2007, Christian Mitchell was put out in the backyard once more. He wasn't given a Cabinet post and lost a vote for a deputy position. Now, all these years later, it seems the 'old guard' on HDC have finally 'thrown him a bone' (i.e. the potential to become HDC Chairman) - the same bone that they threw to the Lib Dems recently.

   The trouble with the Lib Dems is: that the bone will now be tied to a piece of string, at the end of a stick attached to their collar (as with the donkey and the carrot). Along with the possibility of getting into a patronising 'charity' photograph with some poor resident, Chairman Phillip Circus and West Sussex Council Times Editor-in-Chief Gary Shipton; this will help motivate the Lib Dems for a whole load of 'obedience classes' before the next election in 2015. However, sadly for them, there may never be a Lib Dem Chairman of HDC again. The few remaining Lib Dem councillors may be wiped out in what is likely to be a General Election year for their lack of principle nationally. In our view, a similar lack of principle and poor performance locally will not save them, even in a beleaguered Horsham town.

   Unless there is a meaningful coalition of independents - it seems that Horsham District will continue to be doomed in 2015, along with Horsham town itself. Back in 2007 the West Sussex Council Times produced your 'Cut Out and keep Guide to the Next Elections' (to be held in 2011). This was  based on the manifesto articulated through Councillor Christian Mitchell. It was all a bit embarrassing at the end of the election term - as the main achievement in four years, as it appeared to us - was to continue to empty the bins once a week (something that was already happening). HDC are actually quite good (eventually) at emptying bins and recycling it seems - as we hear that 50% of households have now signed up to the collection of garden waste scheme too. Recycling and bin collecting just costs a 'shed load' more than it was supposed to.

   True to its recent form - as elections loomed in 2011 - the WSHDCT suddenly 'forgot' to keep it's 'cut out and keep' guide. Indeed, since the formation of an HDC led quango (chaired by the County Times' Editor) - it appears that the West Sussex Council Times has been regularly doing the Council laundry and/or a bit of decorating - 'whitewashing' Council performance, and painting over failed HDC policies and projects. 

   But why did we differentiate the interests of Horsham town and the interests of Horsham District above?

   Due to a lack of democracy - as dictated by the Cabinet in 2007. - the town was denied the opportunity to form further Parish Councils - or a Town Council - via what is called a Community Governance Review. This was hypocritically denied, predominantly, by the 'out-of-town' HDC Councillors who had their own Parish Councils already in place. Furthermore, this denial of democracy was 'going against the grain' of the text of a Council report - and against the grain of much work that had already been done with the 3 Neighbourhood organisations in the town (more wasted effort by HDC!). The ground for denial was cost. However, for example, the CGR exercise would have cost a mere one twentieth of the overspend on just one Council project. In our view, further parish councils or a town council was the only way to help protect the towns interests and assets - town assets that would be increasingly 'sold' to the benefit of out-of-town areas.

   Perhaps in an attempt to 'come in from the cold', Cllr Christian Mitchell (the County Times' original 'boy wonder') said that the same opportunities for the town (e.g. further parish councils for the town) would be "an unnecessary layer of cost and bureaucracy".   

   HDC have now actually recently completed a 2012/13 Community Governance Review; but without any benefit to the town it seems. According to the HDC website, at a meeting of the Council on 13 February 2013, Members approved the final recommendations of the Electoral Arrangements Committee as follows:  

1.That there be no change to the number of councillors on each of the parish councils across the District

 2.That the southern boundary of Southwater Parish Council with Shipley Parish Council be amended to encompass the whole of the development at Millfield

3.That the parish wards within Storrington and Sullington be abolished to give an unwarded parish of 15 seats. The recommended changes will come into effect at the next full parish council elections in May 2015.

Any changes to be made to parishes will come into effect at the next full elections of parish councillors in May 2015. Big deal!

Anyway, here is that Bill's review: Reviewed 15 June 2013

"Nice...but foreign objects in food-twice."

We first tried Bills a couple of months ago and found it to be a pleasant restaurant with a buzzing atmosphere and interesting food compared to the other restaurants in the area. Unfortunately there was a piece of twisted metal in my main course like a bent staple. The manager was very apologetic. Next time we went there was a very long blonde hair in my fish cake.

Once is forgivable, twice is a problem that needs attention.

Next update: More on bad Horsham District Council culture.

112

posted 21st June 2013

Question: Where is the internet traffic to the Blue Flash Music Trust site coming from
- and what else happened this week?

   Answer: Internet hits? - all over the place, including a number of overseas hits - but mystery solved. Our Business Adviser says:

   I found this entry on the internet: House of Commons, Select committee in Public Administration

Formal minutes of the committee, Session 2013-2014, Tuesday 4 June 2013 Complaints do they make a difference?

   Ordered, 'That the following evidence relating to Complaints: do they make a difference? be reported to the House for publication on the internet:'

COM 5 (Blue Flash Music Trust). Sure enough, this was subsequently done and is available on:

   http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/public-administration/combinedwrittenevidence10June.pdf

   It probably helps to explain where the sudden surge in interest is coming from. Other factors resulting in the high number of hits from outside the Horsham area might be the BBC South interview on YouTube and the general consciousness raising activity that you have pursued through other charities and agencies. The fact that you are seen to be doing regular updates means that you are getting a high percentage of repeat visitors.

   Once again, we make no apology for highlighting HDC behaviour and actions.

   So what else happened this week? Local rag, the West Sussex Council Times (WHDCT) was up to its usual fawning - with the picture over East Street showing a picture of a number of delivery vehicles choking East Street. However, anybody with any brains will work out that by shutting East Street during the day - the deliveries will be compacted into narrow timeframes. The Council is actually causing the congestion that wasn't originally evident. The WSCT also dutifully reported the views of Bill's Restaurant on East Street when Bill's is mostly out of the 'line of fire' in Market Square. In our view, the history of the varying restrictions in East Street, is just another example of how Horsham District Council makes a mess of its projects while it plays petty politics and inappropriately micro-manages its staff.

   Speaking of politics, it might be that HDC has adopted a new style of 'American politics'. There are rumours that there is a faction fight at 'the top' courtesy of 'the Christian right' Watch this space.

   HDC like their league tables. A recent Council bulletin boasted that Horsham was deemed by somebody (we don't know who) to be the 7th most resistant to the recession. However, this is nothing to do with HDC as usual - and actually to do with location etc. Where HDC do actually have an input, it’s a different story of course. Quoting from the County Times (wow!):

   "Horsham planners' determination to consult residents thoroughly about major developments before granting permission has plunged it to the bottom of a new national league table."

   In our observation, HDC planning consultations are a sham and a waste of time, money and effort of course. It didn't stop HDC granting its own planning permission for the Old Town Hall and handing the taxpayer funded plans over to Bill's in spite of opposition from the 3 Neighbourhood Councils (and many others) for example.

   Rather, HDC likes to regularly demonstrate its power. Rather than working with people for mutual beneficial gain, HDC mostly likes to score pyrrhic victories (victories that are not worth the cost) over its people. East Street looks set to be another example of this - a victory at the expense of valuable independent traders - one that at the same time, does not match the HDC rhetoric about those independent businesses. 

   However, as the 'Christian right' on the HDC Cabinet will know - Goliath eventually fell to David!

113

posted 24th June 2013

Question: How did the East Street inquiry go?

   Answer: Some great performances by the 'Davids' against the 'Goliaths' in the lions den (at the risk of mixing our Christian analogies [and with apologies to the warring right-wing Christian factions at HDC!]). However, we are not holding our breath for a decent outcome to this unnecessary, sham exercise.

   The truth is: that Horsham District Council are too incompetent to handle it - whatever happens. For example, the other night, the bollards blocking the end of East Street were accidentally left in place until 6.45 pm - when they are meant to be removed at 4.30 pm. Traders were unaware for a while - and may have lost income. Nobody from HDC seems set to stop the likes of COTE deliveries improperly happening from the 'other end' (adjacent to Market Square) either (please see previous update). The restrictions will also mean that, rather than 'spreading the deliveries out' during the day, the deliveries will be likely to cause extreme congestion in an unworkably narrow timeframe. Valuable independent businesses to the Horsham economy might be driven away from East Street and not replaced - with a 'knock-on effect' on other east Street businesses.

   Another pyrrhic victory to the arrogant despots at HDC, but another sad day for the town, seems likely. Can't wait to see how the Council's 'Ministry of Truth', the West Sussex County Times (WSHDCT) laps it up though.

Next update: More on HDC and/or Bill's 

114

posted 28th June 2013

Question: Can anyone believe Horsham District Council and its mouthpiece
the West Sussex County Times?

   Answer: No, in our view they have a public face and a private face. For example, there was a document out recently from the Department of Communities and Local Government "Your Council's cabinet - going to its meetings, seeing how it works."

   The response from HDC? Claire Vickers (Con, Southwater), the HDC cabinet member for living and working communities admits that she has formed a new Planning Policy Advisory Group (PPAG), which debates housing policy behind closed doors.

   HDC has a history of doing the opposite of national guidance of course e.g. as with planning permission on the Old Town Hall. On top of flouting planning guidance, HDC tells Councillors and the public at the meeting that the OTH planning application is its own - and then tells the Government Office of the South East that it is someone else's. This ultimately led to an erroneous High Court decision. During the appeal period, the Trust was offered a meeting by the HDC Chief Exec. After the appeal period had passed, the offer of a meeting was withdrawn. HDC has a very obvious lack of honour and cannot be trusted.

   Some past HDC history re. openness? The Old Town Hall decision is delegated to a cabinet member which ends up with an unethical selection of Bill's over Gondola. £40,000 is given to Dial Post village hall on the say so of one cabinet member without other village halls getting a look in. It is our Trust that had to do the detective work over these issues.

   When the HDC Council minutes contradicted a journalist’s account (who was reporting that meeting) the Trust asked for the official tape. Unfortunately, the tape wasn't available due to technical difficulties. This sounds a bit like the cover up at the Care Quality Commission recently.

   Other news this week .......

   It is claimed that after years of our criticism - the HDC led quango, Horsham Unlimited has actually done something and organised Independents' Day in Horsham town centre on July 4th. We don't believe this. It seems to us that, although some businesses are clearly participating, this was an HDC/West Sussex Council Times organised event. Hence the quote being from Helena Croft (Con, Roffey North) too -  "Horsham Unlimited and its partners have brought together a great campaign .... " etc.

   Horsham Unlimited have been going for years and have achieved very little. In our view, they are unlikely to start now - in spite of the Council's effort to convince people otherwise in response to our criticism. Putting up a poster for example, doesn't mean that you organised an event!

    In any case, the Council speaks with forked tongue we feel - allegedly celebrating independent businesses - whilst shafting some of them with a botched East Street pedestrianisation. Or moving a restaurant chain (Bill's Restaurant) into the Old Town Hall at considerably less than market value - similarly setting about shafting the town's hardworking independent restaurants it seems. HDC actions speak louder than its words.

   No problem, it seems our site is catching on further - with a surge of interest from America this week - and also our first visitor from Italy. There are additional regular visitors from the North of the UK now too. The reputational damage to HDC is growing by the day and rightly so. The Council still has much to do in changing its poor behaviour, before Horsham can prosper once more. 

   ‘Don’t Think Horsham’ page is in response to HDC ‘Think Horsham’ campaign.

115

posted 2nd July 2013

Question: What makes you think that Horsham District Council speaks with forked tongue?

   Answer: In our recent update we featured Horsham Independents' Day and challenged the Council claims over who organised it. The quote was from Helena Croft (Con, Roffey North) - "Horsham Unlimited and its partners have brought together a great campaign .... " etc.

In our view, Horsham Unlimited (whoever and whatever that is) was singled out for publicity by HDC because of our previous criticisms of this useless Council-led quango (amongst others). Also, we have regularly featured the allegation that the Council unduly claims credit for others' achievements in order to cover up its own lack of performance - often for things that have been nothing to do with them.

So - following our allegations - it seems that a recent Horsham District Council internal bulletin was a bit more honest.....

   "The initiative (Horsham Independents' Month) in Horsham has come about from a national campaign which encourages retailers and groups of retailers to create promotions, activities and events that will really engage and excite their local consumers...."

   "Supported by (our emphasis) Horsham District Council, Horsham Unlimited and West Sussex County Times."

   As is so often the case, there is one version for the Horsham public and one version for them. The values of 'openness and honesty' still need a bit of work at HDC it seems.

   Who are Horsham Unlimited? How did they become selected? Where are the minutes of their meetings for public inspection? What have they really achieved - if anything? We do not know. The Council is also 'banging on' lately about representatives of the District's local parish and neighbourhood councils attending the latest of Horsham District Council’s training events in relation to producing their own Neighbourhood Plans.

   "With a Neighbourhood Plan in place, communities can have ownership of planning and development in their particular areas, while at the same time being able to control a portion of the money paid directly to them for infrastructure improvements they believe are needed under the Government's new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)."

   Fine words, but again, in reality ....

1. •The out-of-town HDC Cabinet levied the hated 'town tax' on the unparished areas of the town and often spent the money elsewhere. It is a case of taxation without representation which belongs in the Middle Ages.
   

2. •The HDC Cabinet released the £205,814 previously reserved in the Council's accounts for a community solution in the town's Old Town Hall - and largely spent it on their own voters in the rural areas.
   

3. •HDC unfairly denied the towns unparished areas the chance to become parished and spend their own money via democratically elected parish councils.
   

4. •Far from from owning planning and development in their own areas, HDC ignored the opposition of the town's neighbourhood councils to HDC's own planning application on the Old Town Hall. They used taxpayers money to pay for the application and plans - that were then handed over to Bill's. We are sure that all planning applicants would like to have been treated in this way!
   

5. •The income from Bill's (if any, and whatever amount that is) is not ringfenced for the benefit of the town. According to a leaked Cabinet paper, HDC has its eye on stripping more town assets in the future.
   

   Our view is that - as long as this despotic Cabinet system goes unchallenged - these training days are another sham exercise and waste of time and money - just as the early stages of the eventually denied Community Governance Review in 2007 were. We believe that the largely out-of-town HDC Cabinet will do anything to hold on to disproportionate, undemocratic power - and when the chips are down - will do what they like, in spite of any disagreement with a Neighbourhood Plan or public opinion. We feel that the HDC leopard won't change its spots that easily!

   Ultimately, even in the out-of-town areas - we believe that a sense of 'fair play' will prevail - and these despots will be deservedly swept from power, that is, if they can't demonstrably change their ways. Only then, will Horsham District be able to genuinely pull together as a community - and rebuild that sense of community that we once had (please see previous update) - the sense of community that HDC has actively helped to destroy in previous years.

116

posted 5th July 2013

Question: What's the real news about HDC this week?

   Answer: Following our criticisms over recent years about HDC's incompetent financial management and reckless spending of reserves, it seems that the Council has underspent by £1 million. Hooray - but still a long way to go to secure the prospect of any worthwhile investment in securing the town's future we think.

   According to the WSCouncil Times it seems that the price of the West Street development has doubled. West Sussex County Council and not HDC was funding the original sum, so it is currently unclear to us who is putting up the rest. Horsham District Council certainly 'dropped the ball' at the end of West Street - or rather raised it - when Shelley's Ball got stuck again. This has been plagued with problems over the years. As usual, it's the original contractors' fault, the designer's fault - anybody but HDC's. Like so many Council projects, we believe it probably all went 'pear shaped' when HDC fell out with the original contractors in a 'blame game'. The quality of the original specification is unknown. Certainly, many suppliers would be right to be cautious about working with HDC due to the Council's inconsistencies, lack of honour and chequered history. You would not blame suppliers for weighting HDC contracts and the local taxpayer, unfortunately, paying over the odds.

   The Lib Dems finally woke up from their slumber on evening parking charges killing the town centre. However, as with most Lib Dem interventions it seems, they are speaking up after the ‘West Street horse’ has bolted.

   Horsham District Council's Ministry of Truth - the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) was up to its usual fawning self this week, over the Council and social media. Horsham District Council set up a YouTube page in May 2012 to 'better engage with residents'. Helena Croft (Con, Roffey North), HDC’s cabinet member for communication (the Cabinet that doesn't trust its staff to speak!), said: “It’s great to see that so many people have been watching our interesting and varied videos that really show people what we’ve been doing."

   The common factor seems to be that - as well as being self-important - most HDC comment is self-congratulatory and is based on 'one-way' communication. Lots of "great"s and "exciting”s of course. The thing about social media is that it is meant to be interactive and leave an audit trail. HDC regularly fails to grasp the concept of 'customer satisfaction' it seems. HDC services and initiatives will only be truly 'great' if the residents agree that this is so. Watching the videos it seemed to us that this was just another medium by which HDC was attempting to brainwash the public into thinking that the HDC Emperor was wearing some clothes. To counter this allegation, HDC also came up with the 'live chat' session. Cllr. Croft says of course; This is a great opportunity for residents to get their project questions answered on this exciting and innovative....."

   The trouble with this we think - is the lack of transparent audit trail - just like the town centre surgeries. What comes out of the 'chat'? What was suggested by residents? What was actually taken up by HDC? What was actually implemented by HDC and at what cost? We are still wondering!

   Through all their efforts and the WSHDCT fawnings, we are still waiting for answers on Horsham Unlimited. Who are they? - what have they attempted to do? - what have they actually done? Publishing the minutes of their meetings would be a 'great' and obvious start. The West Sussex Council Times also had to back-track a bit this week following our criticisms about Horsham Unlimited and Independents Day...

   "This Thursday, July 4, Horsham town centre will be celebrating all that is great about the independent businesses in the town which trade so successfully alongside great national brands, café culture...

   Independents’ Day is a national campaign that Horsham Unlimited, the town centre business partnership has been pleased to adopt and develop for Horsham in 2013....Working in partnership with Horsham District Council and the West Sussex County Times....."

1. •So it is a national campaign like we said.
   

2. •Horsham Unlimited's role is still unclear.
   

3. •The WSHDCT tries to fudge HDC's liking for national brands e.g. Cote and Bill's.
   

4. •Some independents have not actually sat well alongside national brands and the cafe culture, particularly in East Street.
   

5. •In terms of working in partnership, we are still not sure what work was actually undertaken by Horsham Unlimited and what was done by HDC or the Council Times. Publishing the notes from their joint meetings would be an 'exciting' start.
   

   There are also reports that not all independent businesses were approached to participate in Independents Day.

   Similar non-transparency and lack of achievement appears to apply to other HDC led quango's like the Community Development Partnership and the Arts & Heritage quango (is that still going?!).

HDC's mates at West Sussex County Council have seemingly tried to ride to the rescue in a small way. Louise Goldsmith (Con, Chichester West), leader of West Sussex County Council, has agreed to set up a West Sussex Independent Economic Commission consisting of leading business (although we are not sure how these will be decided!) and academic experts, which will then make recommendations to WSCC. A report said of this: “We need to build on the evidence and intelligence that informed our current Economic Strategy to strengthen our understanding of business needs and how best to support them. Proposals have been discussed with area economic partnerships and other local authorities within West Sussex."

   So what was the input into the discussions from our own Community Development Partnership? We don't know.

Even then, we believe the late Margaret Thatcher once said:

"If you want something talked about, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."

To paraphrase this:

If you want something talked about, ask a Horsham District Council led quango; if you want something done (particularly to the desired quality, timescale and budget), don't ask HDC.

A lovely sunny weekend to all our readers.

Our ‘Don’t Think Horsham’ page is in response to HDC ‘Think Horsham’ campaign.

117

posted 9th July 2013

Question: What about Horsham District Council communications and the
West Sussex Council Times on Bill's?

   Answer: It seems our last update was a great hit. One reader said:

"You're right. The Council talks like a nursery school teacher addressing their class. What's more, they seem to think that we are all special needs!"

   Fortunately, the Horsham District Council communications department has produced a helpful thesaurus to explain their communications, which is reprinted here:

Great - minimalist, insignificant in the bigger picture, small.

Extremely - routinely, par-for-the course, part of others initiative

Exciting - exaggerated, over-blown, over-hyped

Opportunity - vehicle for self-praise, method of demonstrating one's self-importance.

   We thought this was a rather short document compared to our regular thesaurus, so we phoned HDC and asked if some pages were missing. A Council spokesperson said (unusually, without the permission of the Cabinet):

"We do not anticipate any further significant wording in future Horsham District Council communications."

   Looking at this weeks communications, he was right! Cllr Helena Croft said ....

"It was great to see so many of the public ......"

"We are extremely fortunate to have secured....."

   Unlike HDC, we are not too arrogant to admit that we make mistakes. The cost of improving the appearance of West Street has not doubled, it has escalated (so far) by £197,000 (40%). The West Sussex Council Times only admitted to an increase of £100,000 however.

   Our last update challenged as to where the additional money was coming from - answer HDC!

The original money (£500,000) was coming from West Sussex County Council’s Kick-Start fund. Kick-Start is a 'partnership' between West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and all seven local district and borough councils. In our view, HDC was not 'extremely fortunate' to have secured the money - they were one-seventh in the frame for a share. More evidence of HDC falsely claiming credit we think.

   HDC said:

"Horsham District Council is keen to let people know how their comments have been taken on board and how they are influencing the next stages of the scheme."

   We are too. So which members of the public or the local businesses suggested which improvements after the plans were drawn up?

   HDC went on.....

"There was a very clear direction from the public for a contemporary scheme design, to include:

1. •a horse theme, drawn from the name ‘Horse-ham’ marking the history of Horsham and West Street
   

2. •the ‘wave’ paving design option, using a warm pallet of paving materials
   

3. •contemporary wood and metal street furniture
   

4. •text in paving to highlight items of historical interest and to be used as part of a way finding solution
   

5. •the use of horseshoes to contribute to the overall branding and way finding element of the street
   

6. •enhanced lighting to make it a brighter, safer and more welcoming street
   

7. •feature lighting to highlight certain elements including some of the beautiful architecture
   

   Other ways to incorporate a stylish landscaping solution are being considered to be in keeping with the overall feel of the scheme, without cluttering the street and compromising sight lines.

Way finding will go further beyond the finger posts and double sided totems the public supported. This element will be firmly in mind through the introduction of text in paving, the horseshoes in the street and the use of lighting."

   HDC would have us 'gullible children' believe that these were suggestions from the local public and businesses? Yeah right! Did the public make any suggestions after the horse had bolted?

   The Council's Ministry of Truth (WSHDCT) also forgot to mention that additional funding of £32,000 had been secured from West Sussex County Council to improve the drainage in the street. This was, according to HDC, something that came through as a clear priority as part of the consultation process (i.e. after the exhibition) although we don't necessarily believe that either. They also forgot to mention a further £65,000 from WSCC’s Kick-Start budget too.

   HDC say: "A wide range of projects have been designed to promote growth, maintain and create jobs, and attract new investment from the private sector." OK - we would like to see the measures and SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based) critical success factors to identify a successful return on investment or otherwise.

   "Kick-Start will deliver real and sustainable benefits across a variety of sectors from construction to retail, and business to tourism."

   Ah, a 'Get-out-of-jail-free card', of course. If these things are not delivered in Horsham, at least we can hope they were delivered somewhere else!

   “We are confident that the investment through the West Street project will have a similar impact to that of the East Street scheme completed almost three years ago.”

   Was East Street really completed three years ago? We thought there was a recent public inquiry! In the meantime some businesses have been lost and others are probably not making the kind of returns they originally anticipated. What, in any specific detail does HDC think that the impact of East Street has been?

   For example, back in West Street, as a new business C&H Fabrics naturally spent a lot of money on its shop front last year. Horsham Bureau de Change (formerly Horsham Coin Shop) also recently completed improvements to its shop front - again, naturally in line with their re-brand and re-name.

HDC say however:

   "A number of businesses have been in touch to show support for the scheme, including Thomson, C&H Fabrics and Horsham Bureau de Change." Is this another attempt to falsely claim credit for the Council we wonder?

   Bill's

   Also this week, the West Sussex Council Times produced another fawning review of Bill's. People saw through the last one (summarily critiqued in detail in a previous update) and dismissed it as a load of Bolognese! This week we had a picture of poor old Pedro delivering the afternoon tea. We think therefore that he is now both a waiter and a chef. What happened to Bill Collison's claim to create 50 jobs at the Horsham Bill's? Plenty of rhubarb on the Bill's menu then!

   At first, we felt that the latest fawning (unsigned) review of Bill's (actually by a reporter) was to desperately plug the afternoon Bill's slot because, as we observe, the humble Artisan is knocking the ‘spotted-dicks’ off of Bill's (and from more humble surroundings - and not at a knock down price from Bill's mates at HDC). Did this reporter happen to go and have afternoon tea at Bill's or was he invited? Did he pay personally for the treat (not on expenses)? He doesn't say so! Is this an independent review like some of the horror stories about Bill's on the internet? We doubt it. The question is why is the (WSHDCT) making such a noise (and unfairly in relation to other businesses) if Bills is so great? Many have brought to mind the famous quote; “Me thinks he doth protest too much!”

   The reason we feel - is that the more Bill's is hyped in this way, the greater chance more people's expectations might be mis-managed - and the more customers might be disappointed - and put genuine reviews on the internet. We believe that this way - the WSHDCT newspaper is keeping its HDC masters happy - but at the same time - they might be accelerating Bill's decline and putting the Old Town Hall back in the hands of the Horsham people. We think that Editor-in-Chief Gary Shipton is a really clever bloke therefore.

Our ‘Don’t Think Horsham’ page is in response to HDC ‘Think Horsham’ campaign.

118

posted 12 July 2013

Question: How is the Blue Flash Music Trust doing in their efforts to hold HDC

and Bill's Restaurant to account?

   Answer: Well, it’s not often we blow our own trumpet, but HDC taught us all we know! It seems we are now nationally and internationally acclaimed journalists with accolades from America (although he didn't know what a 'spotted-dick’ was - please see previous update); and even a visit from Morocco. Also, people have been regularly coming into our site from the British catering world i.e. from searches on Bill's, or other catering related searches.

   'Tis true, for sometime now we have been delivering the real news; having been unable to rely on the local press (particularly the West Sussex County Times [WSHDCT]); and in the absence of any real political opposition in the Horsham District Council chamber.

   We can't understand therefore why we have not been invited to become guest columnists for local Horsham rag, the West Sussex County Times, which is in our view, struggling to survive and desperately needs our input. On second thoughts - yes we can!

   HDC also taught us all we know about falsely claiming the credit for others work. Last Friday for example, we wished all our readers a happy sunny weekend. And of course it was! Some misguided people thought that God had something to do with it, but of course, HDC taught us gullible nursery school-children in Horsham to know better!

   Furthermore, HDC (particularly Cllr Helena Croft) taught us all we know about quotes in a press release. A spokesman for the Blue Flash Music Trust therefore said:

   We are delighted that our great journalistic style has given us the excellent opportunity for Knighthoods all round. We would be extremely grateful to all our readers; and look forward to this exciting opportunity to meet Her Majesty the Queen.

   Unfortunately, the teaching from HDC stopped there and our natural modesty kicked in. The Trust spokesman continued ......

   However, we think that British Wimbledon Champion, Andy Murray should be first on the list!

Our ‘Don’t Think Horsham’ page is in response to HDC ‘Think Horsham’ campaign.

119

posted 16th July 2013

Question: How does Horsham District Council use their mates to con the public?

   Answer: First they use their mouthpiece, the Council's Ministry of Truth, the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) to report uncritically. In addition, they use their 'mates'.

The most recent example is the report by English Heritage (avidly 'lapped up' by the WSHDCT).

Horsham’s high street and the town centre business partnership Horsham Unlimited has been commended by English Heritage.

   Due to recent criticism on our site, it seems that HDC (and the WSHDCT) have been desperate to defend the HDC led quango that is Horsham Unlimited.

   In our informed opinion (please see below), English Heritage has no credibility or independence, and the fawning report was driven by  a further lack of independence from a consultancy used by the Council.

   Quoting from the text ..... 

   In 2010, Horsham District Council helped to establish Horsham Unlimited, a business partnership which plays a key role in steering investment by the council and attracting contributions for a wide range of initiatives which have helped the area’s prosperity.

   We repeat the questions: Who are Horsham Unlimited? How are they representative of local businesses? What have they actually done? Where are the minutes of their meetings?

   In response (to the English Heritage report), Roger Paterson (Con, Pulborough and Coldwaltham), Horsham District Council’s cabinet member for the Local Economy, told the County Times: I welcome this generous recognition by English Heritage of Horsham Unlimited for its sterling work in support of all the town’s retailers - particularly for promoting the interests of both independents and multiples.

This was particularly clearly demonstrated recently during Independents’ Day, when Horsham Unlimited worked closely with the West Sussex County Times to make sure that the town’s impressive representation of independent traders was especially well advertised to both local residents and visitors.

I’m sure Horsham Unlimited will prove to be one of the town’s most valuable commercial assets - and English Heritage clearly thinks so already!

   Is this the same Roger Paterson that chaired a the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group that was charged with implementing a community solution for Horsham's Old Town Hall? Yes we think so! The Council's Advisory Group disappeared in circles up its own incompetent backside; and caused the Council to reach for the biased Bill's Restaurant solution once more.

   The main point about English Heritage, is that it is not an independent body because the evidence suggests also that it is certainly not independent from Horsham District Council. For example, English Heritage signed off the Council's plans (unwittingly paid for by the Horsham taxpayer) for the Old Town Hall, that were widely in breach of guidance for a Grade II listed building. The Department for Communities & Local Government thought that the Grade II status would protect the building from such changes. For further proof, English Heritage completed a total, unexplained U-turn on the removal of the historic in-filled arches, that they originally said would have to stay in 2005. English Heritage are therefore 'the pits' in our view. Further doubt is cast upon the report by the involvement of consultants Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners. It's not just our observation however. A recent posting on the WSHDC website says:

   I feel we should challenge a report which praises Horsham Unlimited from a consultancy with whom Horsham Unlimited have already have quite a bit of past dealings in terms of asking about preferred town strategy. Simply Google for the terms "urban practitioners" NEAR "horsham unlimited" and the relationship appears to be going back over a few years. Here we see a report that appears positive but I feel demonstrates a lack of impartiality in its results. It is an echo chamber result. loudmouthman

   In our view, the involvement of Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners in the report is clearly a further demonstration of  how Horsham District Council has wasted 1.3 million of taxpayers cash on consultants, with a simple brief of massaging the Council's ego and providing it with press release in order to con the public that it is serving a useful purpose.

 As predicted,  the council also got into an incompetent pickle over it's 'Live Chat' venture.

The WSHDCT is not all bad  it seems...... Thursday night July 11th 2013 re  H Croft answering questions on facebook; an account taken from wsct webpage

   A council Facebook live chat that experienced ‘technical difficulties’ last night (Thursday July 11) was branded a ‘farce’ by readers. Helena Croft (Con, Roffey North), deputy leader of Horsham District Council and cabinet member for communication, Horsham town and special projects, was answering questions on the on-going West Street Enhancement Project.
   However readers took to Facebook to complain when the chat did not start on time, and commented throughout on the speed of responses. During the chat Mrs Croft apologised for ‘technical difficulties’.

Sue Kornycky, posting on the Horsham Facebook page, said: Even though we submitted a written question on Tuesday morning to be answered in the Facebook chat, the response did not answer the question sufficiently or in any detail. It was very wishy-washy indeed and not what one would expect from the deputy leader of the council who had almost three days to consider the response. It makes me wonder if anyone has got a real grip on this project that is going to use a massive amount of public funding. Surely the people picking up the tab have a right to ask searching questions and to be given a detailed, informed response? Gloss, spin and platitudes do not cut the mustard and I believe the electorate deserve better.

   Before the live chat Mrs Croft said: This is a great (our emphasis) opportunity for residents to get their questions answered on this exciting (our emphasis) and innovative project. We’ve got some really exciting (our emphasis) news on some new expenditure that has been agreed from both Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council and this will give you, the public, the chance to ask me about the latest on these plans.

   Paul Mooney, posting on the County Times ’ Facebook page, called the chat an ‘absolute farce’ and asked if it would be rescheduled. HDC secured the funding for improving West Street in the town centre through WSCC’s ‘Kick-Start’ programme in 2012. Horsham District Council has been approached for comment.

   The whole idea of this type of thing is not going to work unless HDC are going to learn how to do it properly. The youtube video thing is such a waste of money and time. I do really wonder how much they really cost when you include the time to prepare, shoot the video, edit/upload the video, the staff/councillors time and the cost of the equipment. HDC need to get into the real world and cut the spin.

   ChainsawMassacre; Spot on both of you. this council is very out of touch with its residents and electorate and the West Street project is another shinning example of HDC's poor relationship it has with the residents of the district. What I want to know is:  why the plans look identical to the ones on display at the display earlier in the year.

   What suggestions did HDC get from the residents of Horsham that have been ignored! Why this money (which comes from WSCC so is our tax payers money) has to be spent on West Street rather than other things that WSCC say they don't have the money for like roads, elderly, youth services etc etc etc etc

   uglybetty; HDC is fast becoming a farce! Has anyone actually looked at what HDC are actually doing with our money! They've messed up the following:

1. the green waste debacle

2. Having £10,000 of diesel stolen from Hop Oast depot - the CCTV + alarm didn't work!!! and when questioned about what was happening to rectify this HDC refused to answer!

 3. Overspend of £20,000 on more diesel because of the above theft

 4. buying 3,000 green bins on the assumption of selling them to people who want more bins - only sold 150 at last count! that's about £30,000 over spent

 5. treatment works problems now costing another £61,000 at Hop Oast. HDC have refused to say what these problems actually are

 6. the East Street issues have cost HDC many thousands of pounds including £15,000 for a consultant!

that's about £136,000 that have been wasted or badly spent!!!! then there's the cuts that HDC have implanted only for us to find out that they have underspent by almost £1million!

then there is the social media policy - won't answer questions that are awkward, complaints etc.

 This council is a FARCE!

   fireyfish27; the whole West Street re-vamp is fast becoming a farce. The Facebook chats would be good if they only did it well and actually answered the questions put to them. the one on Green Waste earlier in the year was appalling. No question was properly answered and when questioned further these were ignored.

   HDC say ....

   Cllr Croft is leading on developing Horsham District Council’s Town Centre Strategy and actions to build on Horsham town’s success as a place in which time is truly well spent.

   What specifically has been the town's success? How is time specifically 'well spent' in Horsham?          

   If anyone has any thoughts and ideas on how to improve the ‘Horsham Experience’...

   What specifically is the Horsham Experience? Councillor Croft has also been conducting the town centre surgeries.

HDC say ...

   Issues that were raised at some of the surgeries earlier this year include planning issues on town developments - these were referred to the appropriate officers and, where appropriate, raised with local Council Members. Problems with pavements and roads were passed to relevant departments at West Sussex County Council and other issues were raised generally about housekeeping in the town centre.

   What has actually been done as result? Our guess is nothing!

If the town is to truly prosper, HDC clearly needs to focus on delivery rather than 'hot air' and biased supporting testimony from their mates. We are a million miles away from this at the moment.

   P.S. It seems that our site has created interest in Korea - visiting the 'Don't Think Horsham for the Moment' page amongst others.

120

posted 19th July 2013

Question: Is the West Sussex County Times (WSHDCT) independent of 
Horsham District Council? - and what is Horsham’s MP, Rt. Hon. Francis Maude up to?

   Answer: To the first part about the WSHDCT, the overwhelming evidence to us suggests - No! – the West Sussex Council Times is HDC’s ‘pet poodle’.

For example, there was an attempt to defend the performance of Horsham Unlimited this week and following exposure of the involvement of consultants Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners (having a long standing relationship with the Council) in the English Heritage report (please see previous update) – and the evidenced sorry history of EH and HDC over the Old Town Hall - the West Sussex Council Times ‘backed away’ from the story.

   We also quoted the debacle re. Cllr. Croft’s Facebook intervention and once again, the WSHDCT backed away from the story.

   Additionally, we challenged the performance of Horsham Unlimited. Who are they? How are Horsham Unlimited thought to be representative of the town’s many businesses? (are they just Council cronies?) – and where are the minutes of their meetings etc? What have they actually delivered? Again, the WSHDCT backed away.

   In our opinion, the EH report also focuses on style over substance. For example, it talks about ‘overseeing a wide range of initiatives’, but what specifically are these initiatives (if any) and how were they overseen? Once again, it seems we all are treated like gullible nursery schoolchildren.

   The actual evidence suggests to us that the ever-increasing function of the West Sussex Council Times is to protect Horsham District Council’s sorry ass. Sorry – we meant to say – protect the Council’s underperforming, ‘spinning’, unethical, ass! (HDC are just too arrogant to ever say sorry and admit that they  make mistakes – even if those mistakes are blindingly obvious; and can be measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds [please see previous updates]).

   Some people have asked ‘how long we will monitor the Council’s performance in detail?’  The answer is: right up until the next District elections; or until HDC assures us on an evidential basis that it has transformed. We will continue to provide ammunition for a ‘coalition’ of able independents until that time (whichever comes first). This is our public duty, given that we know what we know.  Until HDC dishonourably and unethically acted over Horsham’s Old Town Hall in 2006; we, like others, naively had no idea how we were governed.

   HDC’s Ministry of Truth – the West Sussex Council Times – deflects attention from its lack of balanced articles and lack of alternative comment via a ‘what do you think?’ bit at the bottom. It appears to us that people’s thoughts don’t often see the ‘light of day’ however.  We think that it would ‘serve the WSHDCT right’ if people refused to no longer buy the paper.

   On another subject, we read that Rt. Hon, Francis Maude MP (MP for Horsham) was originally meant to be giving evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee on Monday? (please see previous updates). What happened to this? Enquiries to Government Officials have still not explained the situation! By the way; we are still also waiting for answers about the Council’s behaviour in Francis’ own backyard promised by David Cameron’s Office two years ago.

   In the meantime: a happy sunny weekend to all our readers.

121

posted 23rd July 2013

Question: What's the news this week?

   Answer: Well there are lot's of things that HDC's 'pet poodle', the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) didn't want you to know, so please read the last couple of updates - just in case you haven't read them already.

   On a related subject, at last we have forced Horsham District Council into admitting that there is a "wealth of talent" in the Horsham area. However, once again, the Council speaks with forked tongue. Forget for a moment how they ignored Horsham’s rich folk history and its connections with the likes of Lucy Broadwood (Broadwood pianos), famous composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, Michael Turner and the links to Sussex rural culture - and the huge potential for Horsham tourism that would have benefited all in the District, particularly since the world famous cellist Julian Lloyd Webber had endorsed the Town Hall acoustics. Then with the birth of the Royal baby, it is time to congratulate ‘The Feeling' for their set at the Queen's Coronation Gala. We once held a meeting with a senior HDC Cabinet Member (whose title indicated that he should have known better) - who is quoted as saying: "No-one has ever made it from Horsham." We pointed out 'The Feeling' and got the reply "Never heard of them". This 'crime of ignorance' is worse, when you consider that a relative of this successful Horsham band was a long standing employee of the Council. Nevertheless, we can understand HDC's self-induced blind spot when it comes to the surname "Jeremiah" perhaps!

   HDC are now heralding Sparks in the Park this weekend. To a certain extent, they have been forced by us and others to stage various events in order to alleviate the criticism; however they struggle to achieve these events on a sustainable basis, as compared to the potential ongoing events that they 'closed down' in order to maintain their arrogant sense of power and control, and self-importance.

   For example, in spite of the fine words, they demobilised Horsham's artistic community based on the winning Old Town Hall project; and they shut down Horsham Music week, which was the Council's most cost-effective festival; and one that had similarly unprecedented involvement from the community. Some say that unknown persons in the Cabinet did the latter - simply because we had dared to speak out about this despotic Councils unethical behaviour over the Old Town Hall - and at the same time, organised the Horsham stage for Horsham Music Week (so a 'behind the scenes' destructive 'fit of pique', so to speak). FOIA requests will reveal the true cost of subsequent Council events - as compared to the meager £3,000 bill to the taxpayer for Horsham Music Week over two years - and which undeclared individuals took the decision to shut HMW down. These facts make the recent, ridiculous English Heritage report (with its previously documented bias and lack of independence) look even worse in our opinion. 

   Does the Council and the WSHDCT really think that the Horsham public are such mugs?

Next update: How to deal with the outcome of the sham consultation over Horsham's East Street. 

122

posted 26th July 2013

Question: What has Bill's got to do with the Horsham East Street inquiry?

   Answer: Nothing really! Bill's at the Old Town Hall doesn't back on to East Street like Artisan, it backs on to the accessible Causeway (supposedly a previously designated Conservation Area). Bill’s 'fronts-on' to a generous, free-portion of Market Square (previously a community space) courtesy of its mates at HDC.

   This week, Horsham District Council's Ministry of Truth - the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) mentions the 'independent inspectors' report on East Street. The inspector was independent of course, but the evidence was not! (a failing which was largely overlooked by the WSHDCT of course). Bill's gave evidence of course - as one who was given a £15,000 per annum discount on the market value of the Old Town Hall (and £12,250 per annum less than was offered by Gondola). It might even be a bigger discount than that in reality - but the Council refuses to release the details of the Bill's lease.

   Incidentally, thank you to the reader that sent in this recent Bill's review: 

“Confused and "lost menu"”  Reviewed 20 July 2013 NEW

   I often walk past this restaurant, now I know why. On a whim my son and I decided to have a quick meal before he went off on holiday. We were shown to a table upstairs, the design looked like half the floor was missing, we looked down on dusty extraction pipes and other equipment which is usually concealed. It was very noisy like having a meal in a room above a pub with a hole cut in the floor. We worked out that a burger with bacon, cheese and fries was the same prices as a rib eye steak (which comes with fries). This was quite nicely cooked, but a little fatty as rib eye tends to be. No other steak is available. No fillet, sirloin, porterhouse, rump, none! The prawn cocktail consisted of two pieces of hard toasted bread shoved in a cocktail glass, one large prawn on top of some marie rose sauce, most of the prawns must have been on holiday as they were not in the cocktail which was swimming in vinegar. Bottled lager at 9 pounds 30 pence per pint, was supposed to be "English" according to the Slovakian waitress, when I pointed out Alva was in Scotland, she said "it is the same place". Shall we turn those historical battle sites into open fly tips then, forget William Wallace and bulldoze the monument in Stirling. I was unsure where a "fish finger sandwich" fitted in for an evening menu, I though we had been give the kiddies menu? There was a schnitzel, when I asked why it was not served with potatoes ( traditional in Germany and also (waitress admitted) Slovakia), "no one eats this with a salad " she exclaimed. The food was ok and the waitress was very polite, but not our choice and not good value for money. Lots of restaurants in East street, check them before this one. In the words of Dionne Warwick "Walk on By" 

   Another body giving evidence to the inquiry was the shadowy Horsham Unlimited (the Council led quango). This involves the Town Centre Manager from HDC (according to the discredited English Heritage report - please see previous update) and is also Chaired by the Swan Walk Manager. How is Horsham Unlimited representative of businesses in East Street? We don't know! How is Horsham Unlimited representative of  Horsham businesses in general? We don't know! HU said that Swan Walk 'footfall' was down and East Street ‘footfall’ was up. How were these footfall figures measured and substantiated? Again, we don't know! Shouldn't the Chair of Swan Walk be batting for the Swan Walk businesses instead of batting for HDC anyway? The HU ‘evidence’ was a joke. The whole East Street inquiry was therefore (as we predicted on our site previously) a pile of horse-manure (as in Horse-ham, on the West Street 'horsey' theme).

   Never mind, because the manipulative HDC is going to find itself, once again, 'hoisted on its own petard'. We will be waiting to photograph the delivery  vehicles coming the wrong way up East Street to deliver (during prohibited hours) to the likes of HDC’s mates, Cote (as previously reported on our site). If we are very lucky, we will also photograph HDC's parking enforcement officers turning a 'blind eye' to this. We will also photograph the kind of congestion that is caused either side of the prohibited hours (the kind of photograph that the WSHDCT tacitly used previously to support the HDC stance we think).

Speaking of parking enforcement, this comment was made on the WSHDCT site:

   Criso 10:31 AM on 26/07/2013

   On a similar theme, can WSCT investigate and can HDC please publish their plans for Horsham parking? Small businesses have been priced out of the town car parks, visitors and shoppers have been deterred from spending money in town, town parking has been driven out into the nearby residential streets (making these far less safe), and I understand that HDC are planning to sell off other public parking areas, to the obvious detriment of Horsham residents. The most recent activity is the arrival of two of HDC Parking Department's best at the car park to the rear of the Drill Hall on Tuesday last (23rd July) at about 6:45 pm who threatened some Parents of Cadets and some young Cadets themselves, as well as Adults attending (income–generating) classes at the Drill Hall with tickets (fines) for parking on the site. Note that there has been a longstanding agreement for free parking there after 6pm to support attendance at the Drill Hall and Cadet forces. They even threatened Cadet Instructors even though these were parked on the MOD property in the area. When approached and questioned by adults, parents and even a member of the council living locally, as to why they were there and upon whose instructions, they became quite obstructive to the point of abusive – threatening tickets "next time" and almost driving over the council member's foot. (ID of one and photos of staff and their car available). Another event on the same day had similar council staff stalking the road outside Trafalgar Primary School at collection time. Again, on being approached, they implied that wardens would, in the future, be ticketing cars "illegally parked" – which then implies resident's permits (more in come) in those roads and a crackdown on parent-parking in the surrounding roads when trying to collect very young children (obviously a child safety issue). One seriously wonders if anyone on our council really cares for the quality of life of the Horsham Town resident or has any interest in the town at all.  

   In our contention as usual: there is one rule for Horsham's people and another rule for HDC, dominated by Councillors from outside the town. No similarly punitive parking charges or sell-off of assets in these Councillors own areas of course! Helena Croft (Con, Roffey North), HDC’s cabinet member for communication said:

   Horsham District Council is delighted (rather than excited) that the inspector has supported a decision to make the experimental Core Time Traffic Closure in East Street and Market Square permanent. This underpins the huge (rather than great) investments made in the area in recent years in expectation of pedestrian priority access.

   Note: the HDC communications thesaurus is being updated (please see previous postings).

   Note further: In our contention, HDC made a ‘huge’ investment in East Street because it kept 'cocking things up' due to its arrogance and lack of consultation. We believe that East Street will be no more than another temporary, despotic, phyrric victory for HDC therefore. A short space of time will prove us right we think!

   WSCC’s North Horsham County Local Committee chairman, Brad Watson (Con, Southwater and Nuthurst), said:

   There has been great support among residents and businesses in Horsham for pedestrians to have priority in East Street and Market Square throughout this experimental period.

   Note: this great support by businesses and residents (another use of great) was not seemingly evident in any independent evidence to the inquiry apart from Artisan and one other as far as we could tell.

   Now the move has been backed by the inspector – we can look at making it permanent.

   We feel by banning vehicles during daytime hours it will benefit our businesses and encourage visitors to spend more time here.

   We will see! One thing that Horsham Unlimited could do of course; is to take a representative sample of East Street businesses (not their current lackeys) and track their value year on year – will it be up – or, will it be down? Horsham Unlimited won't do this, we believe. Any real, meaningful measurement might be too critical!

   There was an interesting post in response to Brad Watson on the WSHDCT web-site:

david1;

   I bet WSCC's North Horsham County Local Committee chairman, Brad Watson wouldn't have pushed for this daft idea if it had been in the road where he had his shop years ago and would not have been able to take in deliveries during the day or had customers stopping to make a purchase.

   Once again, the West Sussex Council Times covers its lack of balance in the newspaper article itself with a "What do you think?" get-out-of-jail-free card. What about putting some counter-opinion in the article and letting people make up their own minds WSHDCT? No! Your HDC masters wouldn't like it we think!  

123

posted 30th July 2013

Question: Is the Horsham District Council dream for
East Street already starting to crumble?

   Answer: It seems so. We predicted last year that restaurants would start to close - and that they would likely be the ones that we didn't really want to lose i.e. the non-national chains that were capable of having people coming to Horsham rather than going anywhere else. For example, those that might want to try out the Bill's chain may opt to go to the original Lewes store instead.

   A huge blow then for HDC, with East Street's Wabi being up for sale.  Indeed, this was the headline on the West Sussex County Times (WSHDCT) web-site. Actually - only joking of course - no it wasn't! Like all good agents - Davis Coffer Lyons (an interested party in our previous High Court case and alleged by the Council to have made the planning application that the Horsham taxpayer actually paid for) tried to put a positive spin on it. 

   Located in Horsham town centre on East Street, this restaurant bar premises is arranged over a stunning and highly visible corner unit of the pedestrianised East Street.  Nearby operators include Cote, Giraffe, Wagamama, Bills Produce and Pizza Express.  East Street itself is perhaps the main restaurant and leisure pitch in Horsham.

   Even then, DCL had to put a "perhaps" in front of East Street being the main restaurant and leisure pitch - what HDC sign-posts as 'The Quarter'. Agents DCL don't seem to be so sure then - and neither are we! For many years, the Horsham people have told the Council that there are 'too many restaurants in Horsham. DCL once produced a report for HDC too - a report that talked about the potential impact of Bill's being in the Old Town Hall on other local businesses. DCL also appeared to us to be under the impression that the market was saturated with 'chains' that had significant 'cost' advantages over independents. With hindsight, DCL were probably wrong about the specifics re. Bill's though. People seem to be holding their own very well against Bill's in the Old Town Hall, even with Bill's being given the Old Town Hall by their HDC mates at £15,000 per annum less than market value - and £12,250 less than was actually offered by Gondola). Artisan (right next door to Bill's) is doing particularly well against Bill's too, we observe.

   DCL quotes nearby operators that are all chains. Where is the unique proposition that would attract tourism to Horsham? - such that was contained in the original winning community proposal for the Old Town Hall? Not in HDC's empty heads for sure!

   The West Sussex Council Times actually wrote: The freehold of Wabi Horsham has been put up for sale with a reported price tag of £1.35million.

   The East Street Japanese restaurant opened in 2008 in the former Horse and Groom pub. It is believed the restaurant will continue to run as normal. A spokesperson for Davis Coffer Lyons, a London-based property agent responsible for selling the freehold, said: “We have been appointed to sell the freehold of the unit currently occupied by Wabi to the occupier.

   It is our understanding that the restaurant will continue to operate as normal. Dream on WSHDCT! No, not even they seem to believe it. It is believed... (by who?) - It is our understanding (really?) - these are all get-out-of-jail-free terms to lull the Horsham people into a false sense of security with the Council's doomed East Street strategy in our opinion. Once again, does HDC and the WSHDCT really think that the Horsham people are such mugs?  

124

posted 1st August 2013

Question: What's happening on the sale of the Wabi freehold and what about the
North of Horsham development to create Crawlsham?

   Answer: Wabi is currently a mystery! Within hours of us publishing our Tuesday update (please see immediately below) on the subject - Wabi was removed from the Davis Coffer Lyons web-site. The West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) also 'backed away' from the story in today's edition of the newspaper. We assume that it might upset their HDC masters. Is Wabi in Horsham's East Street up for sale or lease as a current (Japanese theme) business? Is it up for sale or lease for any restaurant to use? Is it just up for sale? It is our impression that one person inquiring could not get any sensible answer out of the WSHDCT when she contacted them. 

   There is no denying that Wabi was on the DCL site  - and following our Tuesday update (with various people accessing our own site in the meantime) - it wasn't. As they say on Eastenders " 'ere wots goin' on?"

   On another subject Hor-sham District Council have published the Horsham District Planning Framework. They refer to this as a "visionary plan" (even if they do say so themselves!).

At the heart of this Plan that in two sentences becomes a "strategy" (HDC always confuse these terms) there is the provision on land immediately north of Horsham off the A264 for business space and homes to turn Horsham into Crawlsham.

   As usual the Council says:

   This exciting (our emphasis) opportunity (our emphasis) has the potential to create up to 3,000 jobs at a state of the art business park as part of a mixed scheme to include 2,500 homes, a retail food store, leisure provision, a medical centre, primary school and a site for a secondary school.......  

   Note the get-out-of-jail-free use of "potential". It is not within HDC's remit to secure many of these provisions and it is highly likely in our opinion - that these homes will be delivered 'light' in infrastructure.  

   Of the remaining third (of homes) that need to be allocated, most of the new housing is identified on the site north of Horsham but also includes a number of other elements.

   In summary: The predominently out-of-town Hor-sham District Council would rather turn Horsham into Crawlsham - than evenly plan more sustainable development across the District as a whole!

For proof, look at the Council's own words:  

   Despite earlier proposals by developers for thousands of homes, this new strategy does not identify building any more homes for Billingshurst than the 510 that are already the subject of a planning appeal. In other words, we'll look after or own.  

   At Southwater, the new strategy moves a long proposed housing development of around 500 homes away from the most sensitive areas such as the grade II* listed farm house and minimises the impact on the working farm. In other words, we'll look after or own.  

   Finally

   The strategy also anticipates that 500 homes will be provided over the plan period across much of the District through Neighbourhood Development Plans, which have been introduced by the Government.

    In other words, we have fallen a bit short in our maths and need a bit of wishful thinking. Dream on HDC!

   We think that Crawlsham will be well under way around the time that Local Government is re-organised on cost grounds to large unitary authorities (i.e. merging County with District or Borough councils) - with Town and Parish Council's operating underneath. Horsham will finally get it's Town Council (having previously been denied the opportunity - in order for predominantly out-of-town, ruling party Councillors to dominate the HDC Cabinet and dictate to the town with, undemocratic, disproportionate power) we predict. However, it will be too late. The town will have already been shafted and its assets steadily stripped in favour of these out-of-town Councillors looking after their own. That is, unless the Horsham people organise to stop it! More on this in the near future.                     

  Next update: More on Hor-sham District Council's delusions of adequacy.

125

posted 6th August 2013

Question: What is the real news this week and what drives HDC's delusions of adequacy?

   Answer: First of all - we should mention that reading between the lines of all the other comments - our previous update on Hor-sham District Council i.e. creating 'Crawlsham' while looking after their mates in their own backyards - looks to be spot on (HDC taught us all we know about modesty!).

   Secondly, the plot thickens on Horsham Unlimited. As well as the discredited English Heritage report citing HDC's Town Centre Manager as a key figure, one of the directors turns out to be from Crickmay. Crickmay, was appointed as dual agents by HDC, that saw Bill's Restaurant selected over W J King. Nobody can tell whether this was another unethical selection (like that of Bill's over Gondola) because the Council won't release the scoring sheets. We are not sure as to why Crickmay was appointed, how they were appointed, who appointed them (due process?), how much Crickmay were paid for the disposal of the OTH as compared to Davis Coffer Lyons (the original sole agent) etc.

   We have long thought that there needs to be an investigation into all HDC contracts, leases, grants etc - awarded to participants in Horsham Unlimited (although we still don't know who all these participants are). Otherwise - HDC will always be vulnerable to further public criticism about 'looking after their mates'. We will therefore call for one soon.

   The big hoo-ha this week is over forty-four vacant Council posts and changes to HDC staff conditions. In our view, no-one will notice the 44 posts missing. This is because the Council Cabinet micro-manages everything. Staff are not empowered to use their talents, so if even if they are booted out of the door, it won't make a blind bit of difference. Senior staff are generally puppets of the Cabinet to keep everyone in line too. You might just as well have an HDC Cabinet (the senior politicians) and stop there. HDC doesn't make rational decisions because the Cabinet generally dictates in advance what the recommendations should be. That way, you often end up with reports where the body of the document implies one course of action - and the recommendation says something different at the end. The Community Governance Review report in 2007 was a great example.

   We find it peculiar that the Lib Dems have got so animated about cuts to pay and conditions at HDC when they are seemingly very quiet about the Horsham public getting shafted by HDC on a regular basis. We have sympathy for HDC staff however, because financial mismanagement by the HDC politicians (plundering reserves over 10 years and other stuff) and the money wasted on consultants for no apparent gain (except the unsubstantiated flattering of HDC politician egos) has led to this point.

That said, the West Sussex County Times reported:

   A 58-year-old with 25 years service to the council who earns £65,000 pa will now receive £64,729 instead of £128,848 in redundancy pay, a report outlines.

   Well boo-hoo. As we understand it, there are not many people in the real world that would receive £64,729 in redundancy and get the same kind of pension as these employees.

   Interesting comment from Liz Kitchen (Con, Rusper and Colgate) though who is reported by the WSHDCT to have said;

   I supported some of these [changes to terms and conditions] from the very beginning but I have to say I do have some very grave concerns about where we have got to.

   What I am concerned about is when you look at the under spend and the amount we’re spending on consultants. I am very very concerned when I add up how much we spent on consultants; it’s a large amount.

   We are letting people with tremendous knowledge of the district walk out of the door and we’re bringing in people who haven’t got a clue and probably don’t give a damn. She added: I do fear we are actually getting this quite wrong.

   It was Mrs Kitchen's report in September 2006 (reengaging on the Old Town Hall community deal) that launched an unnecessary £1 million fight and seven year waste (so far!) over the Old Town Hall in Horsham. A lot (well over a million pounds we seem to recall) was paid out in redundancy soon after, as key experienced people walked out of the door with fat cheques. Coincidentally, these redundancies included all the key senior people that would have been comprehensively capable of  'blowing the whistle' on the secret negotiations with Bill's Restaurant in 2006 (which was in contravention of Council policy at the time) - and the Cabinet's dishonourable scuppering of the community deal over the Old Town Hall. Our High Court case against the Local Government Ombudsman offered the prospect that these redundant people might be called to give evidence if they had remained HDC employees.

   The real fear of these HDC politicians might therefore be that the new terms and conditions will not sufficiently buy the silence of HDC employees in the future. It might not buy the “HDC Cabinet say jump, you say, how high?" loyalty of these down-trodden HDC employees in future either. If this is the case, it might see these dishonourable politicians out on their ass. Let's hope so!

   So - back to the original question of why do HDC politicians have delusions of adequacy?

   a) They pay consultants huge sums of money to deliver little more than the flattering of their egos - in particular look at some of the stuff produced by Urban Practitioners for HDC. This is not the problem of the consultants, it’s a problem with the HDC brief.

   b) Useless, ineffective audit by the Audit Commission.

   c) Unsubstantiated and biased reports by other bodies. Look no further than the recent English Heritage report with the involvement of - surprise, surprise - Urban Practitioners. Even when this was 'rumbled' by us and others, HDC still went to great lengths pursuing 'crowing' about the EH report through their Weekly Newsletter and Weekly Briefing notes (without giving it the necessary 'health warning' of course). 'Delusions of adequacy' is therefore seemingly a conscious policy of HDC.

   d) A natural arrogance that comes about from having no real political opposition over many years (even less so with the Lib Dems currently in Coalition) - and having an undemocratic political structure (because HDC Councillors undemocratically resist any prospect of a Horsham Town Council or turning the Neighbourhhood Councils into properly elected Parish Councils).

   There is therefore no prospect of convincing these HDC politician 'deadbeats' by rational argument or, even showing them in practice what might be achieved (as with the approved community solution on the Old Town Hall back in 2006). Until the next elections in 2015 and a successful coalition of like-minded independents, the real power lies outside of the Councils political processes. It's something that the Lib Dems have never understood - consistently, wasting their time and energy concentrating on Council Chamber interventions - and unlike us, refusing to learn the lessons starting with the Old Town Hall in 2006. The Lib Dems are therefore not part of the solution - they are part of the problem. Their presence in the Council Chamber is just 'getting in the way in our view'. The Lib Dems regularly tell the public via the WSHDCT that they are "ashamed" to be Councillors taking these decisions. So why don't they put their money where their mouth is - resign on masse and fight bi-elections to secure the necessary mandate from the public in order to provide a greater challenge to this largely out-of-town, out-of-control HDC Cabinet? Perhaps they enjoy the self-importance and the perks too much also?

126

posted 10th August 2013

Question: What next after the 'sham' Horsham East Street Inquiry?

Answer: As we understand it, the decision is to be made on the 23rd September 2013 based on what we believe to be the the flawed Inspector’s report. We have written to the Chairman of the Committee as follows:

.......................

Horsham

To the Chairman of WSCC Committee

Date 6th August 2013

Dear Councillor Watson,

Re. Report by Alan Boyland File ref DPI/P3800/13/9

Prior to the meeting of your committee to discuss the above report on 23rd September 2013, I would like to question the findings of the above report. In particular, I would like to question the independence of some of the evidence given to the Inquiry and the potential integrity of such evidence.

Specifically:

The evidence from Horsham Unlimited

It appears that this body has significant involvement from the applicant. A recent report said that this body involves the HDC Town Centre Manager for example. As I understand it, it is not clear from the report that a potential conflict of interest was properly declared to the Inquiry. It is also not currently clear to me that this body (Horsham Unlimited [HU]) is representative of businesses in East Street or indeed, representative of Horsham businesses in general. Possible communications between HDC and HU representatives (to be potentially revealed under the Freedom of Information Act) have yet to be declared. The HU evidence in the report states for example that “footfall” has increased in East Street and decreased in Swan Walk. As far as I am able to ascertain, there is no apparent substantiation of these claims or explanation of the methodology used.

The evidence from Bill’s Produce

Bill’s was unethically selected by HDC over Gondola in 2009. Bill’s offered £54,000 and Gondola offered £72,500 per annum. There were further questions over Bill’s subsequent success over W J King. HDC refuses to release the scoring sheets for the latter under FOIA. The HDC Town Centre Manager met with Bill’s at a time when the HDC policy for Horsham’s Old Town Hall was for community use (although he can’t remember when this was, because it was an “unscheduled meeting”). The Town Centre Manager was apparently on his way back from another meeting but he claims that he did not have a record of that meeting either because, it too, was also “unscheduled”. Bill’s was granted the Old Town Hall at £15,000 less than market value. Possible communications between HDC and Bill’s (or COTE) representatives (to be potentially revealed under the Freedom of Information Act) have yet to be declared.  As I understand it, it is not clear from the report that any potential conflict of interest was properly declared to the Inquiry. 

I would therefore request that consideration of this report is suspended pending further investigation by your offices and would welcome your clarification of these issues. I would very much like to avoid the necessity of judicial review of any decision based on this report as it currently stands.

 .................................

We have no real doubt that the Committee will go ahead. However, we do not believe that Horsham Unlimited will stand up to detailed scrutiny - nor its links to Bill's. Their evidence looks to us as being far from independent.

Agreed, we have narrowly lost 2 judicial reviews before (the narrow margin is most simply reflected in the low costs awards against us) [please see elsewhere on this site for details]. We are confident that it will be 'third time lucky' and 'three times a charm'.

Meanwhile, another gaping hole in Hor-sham District Council's East Street strategy emerged yesterday (as HDC like to count Market Square as East Street); Octopvs closed on Friday 9th August 2013. Owners of the Market Square cocktail bar say the decision was ‘heart-breaking’ but Horsham ‘proved too quiet’.

Funny - didn't the Horsham Unlimited Chairwoman claim at the East Street Inquiry that East Street footfall was up?

Have a good weekend all.

127

posted 13th August 2013

Question: Given HDC's unethical behaviour, where is the
Local Government Ombudsman and Audit Commission in all this?

   Answer: Nowhere! We have a long and well documented history with these both these bodies. People have asked us what we would like to see over East Street. The answer is, we would like to see a number of things, as set out below;

   Octopvs giving evidence to a re-run inquiry. The owners said they had an ‘uphill struggle’ with local authorities as well as Horsham being 'too quiet'. Which local authority? Horsham District Council has an unusual level of authority in the County - so we don't think that West Sussex County Council would be the culprits. For example, with the granting of Market Square to Bill's (before our challenge gave Artisan a slice of the action), across the County, there would normally have been the 'check and balance' from WSCC scrutiny. Not so in Horsham it seems.

   Actually, we are surprised that Octopvs had this uphill struggle. HDC are normally so helpful e.g. with Bill's Restaurant in the Old Town Hall. Rather than have Bill's pay for their own plans and planning permission for example, HDC quietly had the taxpayer pay it for them (whilst claiming that the application was made by a Mr. Josh Leon). Also, HDC leased Bill's the Old Town Hall at less than market value (and significantly less than what was offered by Gondola). What could be more helpful than that? We would like to see this kind of information attached to the Bill's evidence in a re-run inquiry so that the weight of the Bill's evidence could be re-assessed in it's proper context.

   We would also like to see Horsham Unlimited declare an interest to a re-run inquiry and give details of any potential conflicts of interest such as employment by the Council of key figures.

   We would like to see documentary evidence of how East Street businesses within Horsham Unlimited (whoever they are) gave their blessing to the HU evidence and whether this was a representative sample of East Street businesses in general. We'd also like to consider how Crickmay became the lead agent in the Bill's deal over the Old Town Hall (over sole agent Davis Coffer Lyons previously) and whether this was before or after Adam Walker became a Director of Horsham Unlimited.

   The Audit Commission eventually surrendered to HDC and declared the selection of Bill's over W J King in the Old Town Hall as a fair and proper process. Actually, the evidence in our possession shows that this was a worse process than the process that was employed when HDC unethically selected Bill's over Gondola (previously criticised by the Audit Commission as insufficient to detect fraud and protect HDC against allegations of bias). Another advantage of judicial review of East Street, if WSCC pushes ahead, is that we can ask for the Bill's v W J King paperwork to be disclosed to the Court. HDC currently refuses to publish this under Freedom of Information.

   The cost of re-running the inquiry on a fair basis will be a drop-in-a bucket. For instance, it would be a tiny fraction of HDC's overspend on the Acorn project over two accounting years. It would also be on a par with many overspends on Council projects in general (although it is hard to track these completely because many project costs are 'buried' in departmental budgets).

   Questions about Judicial Review ....

   Doesn't this have to be the last resort? Yes of course. We have reasonably offered to meet with WSCC in advance of any decision. We have also - always offered to meet HDC similarly. We accepted a meeting offer from HDC once, but they dishonourably withdrew this offer once our High Court Appeal period expired. This was a potential Appeal on the basis that the Old Town Hall planning application WAS from Horsham District Council and NOT from Mr. Josh Leon as claimed by HDC. We are confident that we would have won any Appeal given this fact. We also do not have to go through the Audit Commission or Local Government Ombudsman because of the history between us (as mentioned above). Given the documented history of irrational decisions by both bodies, we are confident that we can get straight to an objective view by a Judge if we need to.

   Don't you need to have an interest? Yes, any application for JR would be brought by an individual supporter of the Trust - an application as both a user of East Street and a customer of East Street businesses. We would simply provide evidence at their request.

   Wouldn't any JR curtail your campaigning activity while the case goes on? No. Campaigning activity and publicity does not affect things like it does in a jury trial. In law, it is not considered possible to unduly influence a High Court Judge. 

   Next update: What will Francis Maude MP be doing when he returns to Parliament?

128
                                                                                       posted 17th August 2013
                                                        Question: What's the real news this week?

Answer: Well, it's good news and bad news!
   In some rare good news for Horsham, an essential new music shop is opening on the Blatchford Industrial Estate. The bad news is - it's not in the centre of town like the old music shop in East Street. The old store in East Street simply couldn't afford the astronomical £25,000 per annum rent. Funny - we thought Horsham District Council and it's quango (Horsham Unlimited) said that Horsham was "open for business"? Manager of the new music shop, Sussex Soundhouse David Thompson is reported by the West Sussex Council Times as saying:

   We are not going to be in the middle of town for the same reason everyone else isn’t because rent is astronomical, making it impossible for small businesses to start up in the centre without massive investment. 

   Further bad news is that the old music shop (Horsham Music in East Street) is to become an undertakers - sounding the "death knell" for HDC's East Sreet restaurant 'strategy'. Proof positive we think, that HDC never really had a strategy anyway. A couple of chain restaurants opened and HDC jumped on the bandwaggon and pretended it was deliberate. That is, unless you pretend (like HDC) that the Old Town Hall was in East Street and give it to Bill's Restaurant at £15,000 less than market value. This is the one truly deliberate action by HDC that we can think of. In reality, HDC does not have much control of what happens in East Street, apart from it's misguided pedestrianisation of course.

   Our readers were quick to jump on it.  One local independent shop owner quipped:
   I'll now be at the 'dead centre'  of Horsham!

   Another local said: Rather than eat street, it's now going to be death row!

   Speaking of East Street (by HDC's wider definition) it's good news that Octopvs is still going to thrive in Crawley (though bad news for Horsham). But will it be the other way around for Wabi? We hope so - as Wabi, unlike the chain restaurants such as Bill's, are a unique offering to Horsham and people can't go elsewhere. A bitter dispute between the partners in the high-end Japanese restaurant saw Wabi London led to its fall into administration just eight months after it opened. It was estimated that over a million pounds had been put into the London business during this time. Although we understand that Wabi in Horsham has had some mixed reviews lately, let's hope that the statements of them being unaffected are true - and they can get through it all.

   On another subject, the plan for creating 'Crawlsham', hailed as ‘visionary’ by Horsham District Council (even though they do say so themselves), was published yesterday. Our input is simple "This is another self-satisfied, delusionary set of aspirations (their own aspirations) by HDC. We think in practice that it will be 'another fine mess' as so many Council projects are. Supporting infrastructure is likely to be inadequate we believe. Again, time will tell. As usual, HDC's efforts at consultation are summed up by us as;
   Here is another brilliant idea by HDC, tell us what you think so that we can pretend to have listened and move on. Please see our recent update for further details.

   Lastly, Rt Hon Francis Maude's (Horsham's MP) input to 'Complaints: do they make a difference' has been put back until September. Will he be facing questions on complaints in his own backyard? Watch this space.

129

posted 21st August 2013
Question: What about the self-acclaimed 'visionary' Hor-sham District Council housing plan (to create Crawlsham), and how is the equally 'visionary' Bill's in the Old Town Hall coming along?

   Answer: Badly as usual it seems!

   HDC's Development Control South Committee meeting earlier this week, 'rolled over' at the first hurdle and approved 475 houses - leaving Save Billingshurst Action Group fuming. Local Councillors Adam Breacher, Gordon Lindsay and Kate Rowbottom said they did not agree with the proposals, but they felt that they had no chance of defending the application on appeal. Is this the same Gordon Lindsay that biasedly selected Bill's over the vastly superior Gondola offer for the Old Town Hall (costing the taxpayer half a million)? Yes, we think it is!
   Apparently, a new spine road, a new junction with the A272, open spaces, and land for a new primary school (not necessarily the school!), are proposed (not necessarily delivered!) as part of the 475 houses. Developers had their application for 550 homes rejected by HDC in July 2012. The trouble with HDC's latest disproportionate plan for Crawlsham is that it gives a green light for developers to gradually 'fill up the gaps' and 'join up the dots' by stealth - putting an unbearable strain on the District's infrastructure. Pandering to the NIMBY lobby in their own back yards initially - shafting the people of Horsham (thanks to Boris Johnson for the term) - and then 'selling out' - is in our view, worse than properly 'biting the bullet' in the first place. However, by our own experience, you cannot trust this Council! 
   How is Bill's coming along?  In spite of what looks to us to be a dubious surge of positive reviews after our criticisms a month or so ago (please see previous updates), Bill's is still languishing at number 30 in the Tripadvisor polls we understand. Nevertheless, thanks to the reader that forwarded this recent one:

“Very disappointed” Reviewed 20 August 2013

   Had lunch here. We were asked about drinks before having a chance to read the menu, so I just ordered chocolate milkshake, expecting some delicious ice-cream based cold drink. Instead I received a horrible powdery concoction with spray on cream. Apparently the powder is a brownie but this was not explained at the time of the order. Ordered the burger - but was not asked how I wanted it cooked, and when it arrived it looked and tasted like it was not made on the premises. Very bland, nothing interesting to accompany it and totally unmemorable. Whilst a burger may be a fairly humdrum item, the way these are prepared can tell you a lot about a restaurant. I actually ordered the burger with cheese - but it came without.

   Left the restaurant feeling I had just thrown money away. Poor service, unimaginative food.

   Next update: How the Blue Flash Music Trust drives improvements at HDC.

130

posted 24th August 2013

Question: What has been some of the Blue Flash Music Trust's achievements
as far as Hor-sham District Council is concerned?

Answer: Generally our detailed scrutiny of the Council has exposed unethical and underhand behaviour by the Council - and highlighted potential conflicts of interest. However, we can also claim that:

1. •Our intervention with the District Auditor up to three years ago stopped the Council's failure to balance the books and the reckless spending of reserves.
   

2. •Our campaigning reversed the previous Council Leaders 'assault' on arts and heritage. The Council now at least recognises the "widespread talent" in the Horsham area. An economic strategy based on arts and heritage, as enshrined in the community bid for the Old Town Hall in 2006, still remains the way forward for the District. HDC still have no answer to this. The Council is left with an untargeted (and therefore ineffective) economic strategy. HDC's own efforts to embrace arts & heritage via its Council-led quango appear to have evaporated. Has anybody seen this quango chaired by Rev. Toovey? HDC previously, irrationally demobilised Horsham's artistic community over the Old Town Hall and Horsham Music Week in order to demonstrate how (self-) important they were. We have all paid the price since; the Festival of Sound being the latest casualty (scheduled for September 15th but now cancelled). HDC will have to come to us if it wants to turn this all around.
   

3. •We have finally managed to 'tone' down the West Sussex Council Time's undue flattery and protection of the Council (although not completely). However, we have a come a long way. The WSHDCT once called the community plan for the Old Town Hall 'visionary' - and yet a few months back called Bill's Restaurant in the Old Town Hall 'a triumph for HDC'. It seems to us that the WSHDCT thinks that the Horsham people are all too stupid to remember what it said before. 
   

4. •We stopped the reckless spending by HDC on 'puppet' consultants - with a brief of little more than flattering the Council's ego (their advice over the years appears to have achieved little more than this). We also have doubts about the selection 'process' of these consultants over the years.
   

5. •We have successfully campaigned for a commitment by HDC to Customer Evaluation. HDC is now going to issue a survey about Council services to households in the District. The survey is going out with the autumn edition of Horsham District News magazine. However, this could be the 'same old, same old' Council at work - 'rigging' the survey to flatter its ego once more. If the Council is genuinely looking for customer feedback to drive improvements it could, on this occasion, actually benefit from consultants and independent market research. Unlike its previous use of consultants, it would actually be a worthwhile investment. If the Council develops this survey 'in house', based on its track record, our fear is that the survey might look something like this:
   

        Question: Would you rate this particular HDC service as good, average, or poor (whilst forgetting to ask about the services that clearly haven't gone very well)?

         If good, please use the considerable space below to tell us more - otherwise, go onto the next question.    

       With a bit of market research expertise available to the Trust, we will watch this survey with interest.  

       A happy Bank Holiday weekend to all our readers.

131
                                                                                             posted 28th August 2013
                     Question: What's the latest Bill's and Horsham District Council connection?

  Answer: Someone has just anonymously sent us two pages of the Agreement for Lease between HDC and Bill's. This document was not disclosed by HDC to our judicial review case against them and in our view, led to a gross miscarriage of justice, with the High Court Judge concluding that the application was not from the Council - but from a Mr. Josh Leon. Costs were subsequently awarded against us.

   The Agreement for Lease between HDC and Bill's at 3.1 says:

   "The Landlord (i.e. HDC) agrees and undertakes to submit the Planning Application as soon as practicable after the date hereof and in any event within 7 days of the date hereof and to use all reasonable endeavours to obtain a Satisfactory Planning Permission at the Landlord's own expense (i.e. the Horsham taxpayer’s expense) as soon as reasonably possible and to keep the Tenant (i.e. Bills) fully informed of progress."

   As we see it, this meant that Horsham District Council couldn't have objectively decided the planning application for the Old Town Hall (the basis of our judicial review case) and probably explains why the application 'drove a cart & horses' through planning guidance for this Grade II listed building at the time. The Government of the South East (GOSE) office was forced to refer the final decision back to HDC as a result of a similar false claim that the planning application was from Mr. Leon.

   The existence of this Agreement for Lease document was possibly the reason why HDC offered us a meeting during the Appeal period and then withdrew the offer once the Appeal window had passed.

   Unless HDC provides a voluntary remedy, we will now have to go back to Court and apply for an Order to correct the judgement. 

   The other page of the Agreement we have been provided with says at 6.2:

   "The Landlord shall grant to the tenant who shall accept the Lease for a term of 25 years commencing on the Term Commencement date at a commencing  exclusive annual rent of Ł52,500 for the first five years of the Term and thereafter subject to review."

    How often the rent is to be reviewed is not clear. There is no specification of upwards only reviews. Presumably, Bill's could pay what it likes after five years and the Council couldn't do anything about it. Does the final lease correct things - and specify a £60,000 annual rent in order to match the subsequent offer from W J King? Perhaps this is why HDC resists the publication of the Bill's lease under the Freedom of Information Act. However, it is clearly a public interest issue.

   No wonder the Chairman’s Trust (a self-publicity stunt for Councillors in our view) is having a fund raising concert in the Barn in the Causeway Sept 14th and the event 'includes afternoon tea generously donated by Bill’s Restaurant'!

132

posted 29th August 2013
Question: Are there any other connections between HDC and Bill's?

   Answer: Firstly, our prediction about the effect of Council pay and conditions seems to have come true. We would be grateful to any other HDC employee - past or present - similarly contacting us anonymously by post. We would be particularly interested in any documents relating to the secret negotiations between Bill's and the Council in 2006 in order to undermine the winning community bid. This despicable action on behalf of certain members of the Horsham District Council Cabinet was of course, against Council policy at the time and ended up costing our charity £20,000. This included re-work specifically requested by HDC when Bill's walked away from these secret negotiations - and before we were stabbed in the back once more. When Bill's walked away due to the Registrar not being able to be moved from the Old Town Hall in 2006 the Council politically, dishonourably and stupidly decided they would rather do nothing instead; and similarly waste all the taxpayers money invested in the Old Town Hall community plan exercise - and waste all the potential tourism benefits too.
      Secondly, we hear there is to be a rather shameless meeting of the Council-led quango, Horsham Unlimited in September and the venue is - you guessed it - Bill's.
   Most places have a Chamber of Commerce & Industry to represent their businesses of course. They work on a democratic member basis, paying subscriptions and electing their officers. However, Horsham Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Lord Lytton spoke out in the press against HDC in 2007 (particularly on parking charges). HDC therefore set about creating their own, undemocratic version called Horsham Unlimited.
   HDC knows no bounds with its arrogance it seems. A national Policy Exchange think-tank poll found that 57 per cent of Brits think free or cheap parking is one of the most important factors when shopping. On the back of this, the Government therefore rightly talks about removing obstacles for motorists, parking fee 'caps', 15 minute grace periods on double yellow lines etc. HDC arrogantly goes the other way of course:

1. •Hiking parking charges in Horsham
   

2. •Introducing evening parking charges in Horsham
   

3. •Blocking up East Street for businesses that rely on customers collecting goods by car
   

4. •and HDC parking wardens in Horsham are notoriously some of the most zealous in the world.
   

In terms of economic effects - we think that the sidelined Horsham Chamber of Commerce will be proved right. The 'puppet' Horsham Unlimited will stay quiet of course. 

   Furthermore - unfairly - these things do not evenly feature in the out-of-town HDC Cabinet members' own back yards it seems.      

133

posted 31st August 2013

Question: What has been the success of the Blue Flash Music Trust
in terms of Bill's at the Old Town Hall?

   Answer:

1. •We ensured fair competition in the Market Square (although this was a loss of community space). It seems to us, that, in spite of other biased advantages to Bill's offered by HDC, it’s a competition that Artisan is winning hands down.
   

2. •We got Bill's to drop its early, rather shocking 'cigar smoking old git' branding.
   

3. •We have further upheld the principle of free competition and have curtailed Bill's free advertising by Horsham District Council's Ministry of Truth the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT)
   

4. •We exposed the fact that Bill's was biasedly given the Old Town Hall at £52,500 when Gondola offered £20,000 per annum more. The Council report said that this would increase in a couple of years but the recently received document shows that this was a lie. By selecting Bill's they threw away half a million of taxpayers money.
   

5. •Second time around, we forced Bill's to match the financial offer of £60,000 from W J King. WJ King had an excuse for offering £15,000 less than market value as it contained a community element to the bid. Bill's did not. There is no guarantee however that Bill's is actually being charged £60,000, and that they haven't secretly reverted to £52,500. The Council refuses to release details of the lease.
   

   At an anticipated turnover of £30,000 net of VAT, plus a rental way below market value, it seems to us that Bill's pricing is rather greedy and might be contributing to Artisan's apparent success. When you consider that the new Horsham music store had to go out of town because it couldn't afford £25,000 per annum for much smaller premises you get the proportions on rental.

   Bill's is part of the 'Big Nibble event this weekend? Originally the Council claimed that it was supported by the Council-led quango Horsham Unlimited. When the Trust questioned their actual involvement the latest statement from HDC says:

   "The weekend spectacular, organised by Horsham District Council in conjunction with Horsham Markets, will include entertainment that is sure to suit everyone." How are Horsham Markets different from Horsham Unlimited? At least we seem to have forced a bit of honesty here.

   Finally, our quest for the truth has caused panic amongst others who ‘protesteth’ too much on behalf of Bill's. Latest is from the Horsham Society having U-turned some time ago.

   The Horsham Society says:

“Once it was clear there was no viable community use for the Town Hall we supported its conversion to a restaurant and welcomed the arrival of Bill’s.” 

   However, HS has always been well aware that the community business plan for the Old Town Hall was approved for its viability and benefits after due diligence by the Old Town Hall Advisory Group (chaired by the Conservative Cabinet member for Leisure) and independently validated by the Faculty of Environmental & Social Studies at the University of Liverpool. In those days, even the WSHDCT newspaper called the community plan "visionary". We also ran a free festival to demonstrate in practice the capability.

   Never let the facts get in the way of a good story HS! Would HS have welcomed the arrival of Gondola at half a million pounds more? If not, why not? Would HS have welcomed W J King, a local company with a history in Horsham, a community element to their bid and matching Bill's offer? If not, why not?

   In our view, the Horsham Society and the WSHDCT has seriously undermined their credibility in being cowed by the Council.

  Next update: More on HDC's useless Council-led quangos.

134

posted 3rd September 2013

Question: What's the week been like for HDC?

   Answer: Not good! On the back of the Octopvs withdrawal back to Crawley recently, Horsham children's shoe shop Raspberry Laces, closed at the weekend. Apparently, they mentioned HDC putting up rates and the increased parking charges in Piries Place as supporting reasons for the closure. We expect a 'sanitisation' job on behalf of HDC by the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) on Thursday therefore - probably along the lines of - 'little to worry about' and how the 'changes' are really part of some grand plan by HDC we would guess.

   As an arts charity, we were naturally saddened to learn that Rockin’ the Park featuring 'The Feeling' at Horsham Cricket Club has been cancelled too. We featured a similar Horsham music cancellation in a recent update.

   Next update: What is the primary purpose behind our Blue Flash Music Trust web-site currently? It's probably not what you think!

135

posted 5th September 2013

Question: Is the Blue Flash Music Trust psychic?

  Answer: No, we can just accurately predict the bahaviour of HDC and their Ministry of Truth the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) on the basis of experience. The Council and the WSHDCT do the Horsham people no favours with their back-slapping complacency and spin. Check out the widely anticipated article this week 'Excitement over new town centre shops'; also pushing the dubious profile of Council-led quango, Horsham Unlimited (unlimited in the mystery of who they are, how they are constituted and what they actually do!). The WSHDCT article also seems to forget about the latest casualty across the way from their old offices i.e. The Old Sweet House. It similarly forgets about Octopvs and the fact that Sussex Soundhouse is replacing what was an in-town music store at an out-of-town location (the WSHDCT strangely appears to try and imply that Blatchford Close is 'town centre'). 

One comment on The Old Sweet House said: "Such a shame that another independent shop is closing..... Horsham has lost all of it's unique identity and is just becoming another identikit high street."

Our thoughts exactly! Are Horsham people really excited about a new betting store for example (part of the Ladbrooks chain)?

   The Chairman of Horsham Unlimited is quoted in the WSHDCT as saying:

   “Horsham town centre continued to evolve and change to meet the demands of our customers and the national retail trends but the balance between big national names, niche brands with regional and independent stores remains as strong as ever, offering a fantastic experience and choice to visitors".

   The words inaccuracy, complacency and delusional spring to mind!

Replacing independents with chains where shoppers can go elsewhere - to e.g. Guildford on a Sunday - is a recipe for disaster in Horsham. Horsham cannot possibly imitate other shopping centres successfully; and we predict that this will become fully evident in the next two years, particularly on the backs of business rate increases and punitive, wider scope parking charges imposed by a desperate HDC.

In this month alone, we can add the casualties of the Early Learning Centre (who hope that customers will continue to shop at their Crawley Store!) and 'Raspberry Laces' (their closure featured in our recent update).

   Are people really excited about the possibility of Nando's coming to the Kings Head too? Haven't the Horsham people regularly protested over the years that there are 'too many restaurants in Horsham'. Doesn't the relatively unchanged overall market value for restaurants over many years in Horsham reflect this too?

   Perhaps the WSHDCT is gradually becoming as arrogant as their HDC masters? Perhaps they think that they 'know best' and if they keep telling the Horsham people what they want them to believe (irrespective of the true facts and history) they will believe it? We don't think the Horsham people are that stupid!

   Today's update helps to illustrates the current purpose behind our web site (not what you would expect!). In the next update, we will hopefully have room to explain more fully. However, with a Council like this, there is always so much to write about!

136

posted 9th September 2013

Question: What's the news so far this week?

   Answer: Is Artisan expanding into the vacated Octopvs premises in Horsham's Market Square? There appears to be a planning application for 4 and 5 Market Sq - a tea room extension on the first floor and a drinks bar on the ground floor. If so, this would normally be good news for Horsham District Council, except for the likely effects on the Council's flagship Bill's (Bill's having been born with the 'golden spoon' of proven Council bias and subsidy). We previously predicted that Bill's would be 'run out of town' by other hardworking Horsham restaurants, ones who would work hard to address this bias and privilege. Our prediction might be coming true already. Check out what we think are some concerted efforts at seemingly desperate reviews in favour of Bill's recently. We think that they doth protest too much! Nevertheless, facts are facts - and Artisan continues to fly high in the polls; nearly thirty places above Bill's. One reader also told us yesterday:

   "Last Saturday, I stood and watched as Pedro put out more diner seats in the market square for the non existent diners, whilst at the same time clouds of cooking exhaust filled the area from the ducts on the roof, and I heard a man mumble as he walked out and away from Bills; ‘something not quite right there!’"

   So what are HDC going to do now? Are they going to extend their well documented departures from fair competition with turning down applications from Bill's competitors too? The West Sussex Council Times can probably chip in with a bit more free publicity for Bill's e.g. in reporting the Chairman's 'do' in The Causeway, but its unlikely to 'cut the mustard' in our view. We still think Bill's is doomed and wish businesses like Artisan their well deserved success.

   Another reader pointed out one of our own successes re. Bill's (please see recent update) - one that we forgot to mention. We apparently exposed Bill's false claims prior to opening too. E.g. Bill's claimed that it would create 50 jobs in Horsham. However, Bill's is increasingly looking like a 'one-man-band' named Pedro and this reader said: "My friend stopped working at Bill's because there was no contract and he was on 'zero hours'.”

   'Zero hours contracts' have been discredited in the news recently - because you cannot guarantee that you will be utilised, or if so, for how long in a particular period. We have never heard of a 'zero hours non-contract' though. Presumably one of these is worse?

   The latest Live Facebook Chat with HDC Councillor Claire Vickers was described (again) as an 'omnishambles' by one contact. 'Omnishambles' is a good word.

   The omnishambles of East Street continued too - when HDC's mates (West Sussex County Council) published the draft traffic order to allow blue badge holders to drive south-westwards from the Carfax (in through the wrong end and through a no-entry sign we think), thereby providing access to the disabled bays at the north-east end. The closing date for comments is this week. Presumably the blue badge drivers will have to dodge the pedestrians in this newly pedestrianised area - and drive through the tables and chairs of this new alfresco dining area too? Are HDC just making things up as they go along? Although this might be seen as a noble gesture to the disabled - it might also be the thin of the wedge - given our previous challenge about the likes of COTE making their deliveries from the wrong end too.                         

Whoops - we have run out of space again once more....

Next update: The real current purpose behind our site and how this will change next year.

137

posted 14th September 2013

Question: What is the real current purpose behind the BFMT web-site?

   Answer: While the massively increased readership via Facebook was welcome, readership is not the main purpose behind our site at this time. UKIP defector on HDC, Councillor Arthur recently stated that he would be making some revelations before the next elections in 2015. We share his sense of timing. Currently, the feeling about politicians is too cynical to make much progress. Unethical behaviour by HDC doesn't cut much ice in 2013, but things change, and 2014 is likely to be a better year on the back of national scandals and initiatives to address them. The reputational risk to HDC from the information on our site will remain as long as is necessary. HDC has already trashed its reputation in many circles nationally as a result of our interventions, but not yet locally. Only the local reputation will worry them, particularly as election time approaches. In our experienced view, none of the HDC Councillors would pass the Nolan standards and would be passed fit for public office at present. We believe that If they are not part of the clean-up, they are part of the problem. West Sussex County Council are still struggling to answer our letter on the East Street inquiry for example (please see previous update).

   The main purpose of our shoe-string budget site at the moment is to document in detail the Council's ludicrous claims, poor performance and unethical behaviour. Both HDC and the West Sussex Council Times newspaper seem to hope to rely on the fact that the Horsham public is too stupid to remember. We don't share this view, but just in case, we have set out to be the people's memory.

   When it comes to pre-election time next year, we will invest heavily in re-vamping the site and undertaking a significant marketing campaign for it. We'd like to take the opportunity to thank the generous donor who has pledged the money for this. We will provide the ammunition for the coalition of principled independents to remove these current Councillors.

   In 2007 the WSHDCT newspaper undertook a similar exercise with its 'Cut out and keep' guide to the 2011 election'. When the HDC pledges didn't materialise (the opposite in many cases) the WSHDCT quietly decided not to keep its guide and quietly bury it.

   A subsidiary purpose of our site at the moment is to offer some polarity in contrast to HDC's empty propaganda. This shouldn't really be our job and be left to us of course. However, we are one of the few (truly independent of HDC) who have the courage to speak out against the Council and expose its actions. In this way we have driven small concessions from the Council to benefit the Horsham people.    

   Next update: The real purpose behind the Council's current survey. 

138

posted 18th September 2013

Question: What is the purpose of  Horsham District Council's survey and
why will the next web update be on 1st October?

   Answer: Self-serving-politics in terms of the Council's survey. Our intervention has already caused HDC to back-track on claims about the survey. Where once it was about "improving services", it is now about "establishing priorities" apparently.  We predict that the "Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?"  box is a waste of space, as well as a waste of resident’s ink. We doubt if these unstructured comments by residents will be published anywhere in full for other residents to examine and analyse and think that HDC won't bother to read them either.

   What would have been more meaningful is to ask residents to rate each Council service in turn - and if below satisfied - ask how the service might be improved.

   The neutrality of the questions is questionable. For example "How pleased are you ....." could be replaced by  "How dissatisfied are you ....".  neither is good practice. This approach needs to be replaced with "How do you rate ...."

   The real purpose behind this survey is all about the next election in our opinion e.g. "Do you know who your local Councillor is?" Councillors (all from the Coalition parties except a couple of independents) who receive a low score can have their political party give them a boost in 2014. These low-profile Councillors will be helped by the survey in terms of priority areas to address in their election manifestos too (as the survey results can be broken down by post-code).

   "Please tell us how you get information about our services ..." will give the Council the best ways to peddle their empty/selective propaganda.

   In our considered opinion, the whole survey is an abuse of taxpayer’s money and will serve no useful purpose outside of the political arena - and it will do nothing towards improving Council services and nothing to improve the performance of the Council as a whole. Our advice would be to save your time and ink.

   Next update: We are having a well-earned late holiday. HDC ineptitude gives us so much to write about we are a bit exhausted! Next update will be on October 1st and cover HDC's sham claims on "community".

139

posted 30th September 2013

Question: How is Horsham Town Centre doing?

   Answer: Well, since going on holiday just over a week ago - Monsoon departed, Rosie Lee and Me shut down; and the Early learning Centre closed it's doors too. Good to see that the Council-led quango, Horsham Unlimited - to paraphrase their words - is maintaining the healthy balance between chains and independents. They are all leaving Horsham together!

   Next update: What's the news on East Street?

140

posted 3rd October 2013

Question: How is Bill's restaurant doing in Horsham's Old Town Hall and how is the
moral decline in Sussex's local politics continuing?

   Answer: After what seems to us to be the expected flurry of positive reviews by HDC cronies, other, perhaps more objective customers of Bill's, seem to be coming back to the fore. Unfortunately, we missed a couple of reviews while we were on holiday:

   "Not half as good as Brighton's" reviewed 18th September

   "First visit - sorry to say - disappointed"  reviewed 20th September.

   Thanks to the people that sent these in however. Thanks also to the reader for the following latest offering:

   “Poor Breakfast” reviewed 2 October 2013

   "I have written a poor report about this place before, but that was for an evening meal. I thought I would try the cooked breakfast. Very disappointing, beans served in a little metal pot for one pound extra appear to have been microwaved. The toast was from what tasted like bread that had been frozen, but difficult to tell and was on the plate with breakfast piled on top and going soggy by the minute. The mushrooms were hidden under the just cooked eggs, sausages were two of the smallest I have ever seen, in fact about the size of one normal sausage. The food was not that hot, I ate it quick. There is a 10% service charge, but the waitress/manager still went looking for a tip tray, not sure we tip extra for a 15 minutes breakfast do we? The coffee was good as was the orange juice. Sorry Cote around the corner, better atmosphere, much better quality breakfast and better value.
   I know one waitress is called Frances as a staff member eating her own breakfast kept shouting out to Frances to serve customers, I was supposed to be one, but felt like the staff canteen.
   There are so many decent places to choose, I can give this a big miss for definite now."

   Another reader informed us that he heard from a reliable source that Bill's is struggling, in spite of the favourable terms by HDC. In the interests of fair competition, we can't wait for other hard-working restaurants in Horsham to run Bill's out of town. Due to pressure from the Blue Flash Music Trust in the past, the Old Town Hall lease dictates that Bill's would then be responsible for returning the Old Town Hall to its former state. That means we could create a proper tourist attraction that would benefit all of Horsham's businesses and residents - not just line the pockets of big business as at present. It would also ensure that Horsham's young people could be given a positive stake in the towns future. The latest dispersal order for areas of Horsham is a sad reflection on HDC's policies and is bad news for all in our view.

   Lastly, we have long pointed to the dangers of the HDC cabinet 'asset stripping' the town in advance of anticipated electoral reform. It seems that some of these former cabinet members are now voting with their feet and standing at an early stage in West Sussex County Council seats too. On top of  HDC Chairman Philip Circus's election in Storrington we now have HDC's Liz Kitchen standing in Warnham & Rusper. As a reminder, Mrs Kitchen:

1. •Was HDC Leader when HDC secretly negotiated with Bill's in contravention of council policy prior to September 2006.
   

2. •Prevented Bill's going into the Old Town Hall in 2006 because she was one of those that didn't want senior HDC figures to give up its creature comforts in Park House in order to accommodate the Registrar. She later had to back-track on this to desperately get Bill's in to the Old Town Hall many years later.  
   

3. •Shafted fellow Cabinet Member, Alan Harris with an irrational "do nothing" paper to Council in September 2006, in order to undermine the approved and recommended community solution. Alan Harris was the Cabinet member for Leisure who was responsible for the Old Town Hall. Mrs Kitchen also reneged on the deal struck with us after HDC had requested additional work to make the community solution happen. Unnecessarily and unfairly leading us up the garden path for nearly a year caused us considerable financial damage, as well as squandering the anticipated benefits for the District.
   

4. •Was Leader when HDC unethically selected Bill's over the far superior Gondola offer for the Old Town Hall.
   

5. •Was Leader when HDC unethically paid for Bill's plans and planning application with taxpayers money and falsely claimed to the Government of the South East that it was not the Council's own application.
   

6. •Tore up an accord with the Lib Dems not to vote politically on planning issues re. the Council/Bill's application. Mrs Kitchen even urged the Chairman of the planning committee to vote for it, which was against protocol.
   

   This was seemingly the final straw for her colleagues at the time - and she was ousted as HDC Leader soon after. The official line was that she had 'stepped down' but a source from inside the West Sussex County Times confirmed that she was 'pushed'.

   It says a lot to us about the lack of morals in the current local Conservative party that they should be selecting this candidate for WSCC now.

Next update: More on the moral decline by HDC and how this contaminates others. Yes, we have an answer from WSCC on East Street! 

141

posted 10th October 2013

Question: What did candidate HDC Councillor and West Sussex County Council candidate, Mrs Kitchen waste for the taxpayer with her Horsham Old Town Hall antics?

Answer: Given the massive surge of interest in the last update and responses to the same, we shall endeavour to answer this question in detail on Monday. Plus the promised reply from WSCC of course. In the meantime, a happy weekend to all our readers.

142

posted 14th October 2013

Question: What about Bill's and Councillor Liz Kitchen?

   Answer:  There was another load of desperate hype in the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) last week about Bill's - perhaps further confirming the widespread rumours that the Council's flagship is struggling in the Old Town Hall. As one reader told us:

"I went past Bill's at mid-day and it was empty while Artisan was heaving".

   What is the reality?  If we believe the information sent to us then Bill's is overrated, often cold and dark, and the portions are small and over-priced.

   Alternatively, if you believe the County Times, Bill's is wonderful and "at the heart of the community". Presumably, this means that other successful restaurants in Horsham like Artisan are not considered to be at the heart of the community? However big the portions at Bill's, £13.95 for a Sunday roast at Bill's does seem a bit on the steep and uncompetitive side.

   In our view, if people believe the inflated hype about Bill's - inflated with a lot of hot air from the Council's pet poodle (the County Times) - rather than a minute steak perhaps, the Horsham public will be going for the 'load of bull' option. We don't think residents will swallow this sycophantic nonsense.

   For example, quoting from the latest piece in the WSHDCT: "Within half an hour all the roasts were already sold." Perhaps this says a lot about Bill's planning and/or stock control! Sorry Bill's - we simply don't believe you! Just as we didn't believe all your early pledges, such as creating 50 jobs for example (please see elsewhere on this site for the details of Bill's other 'porkie pies').   

   Just for good measure, here is another independent review sent onto us by a reader:

“What a let down” reviewed 8th October 2013

We have been in twice now & on both occasions we have been disappointed. Service was not very personal & staff were disorganized. The food was such a let down, not a huge choice either. I think we all wanted to see good use of our old town hall, a focal point of our old market town. But in my opinion we have middle market restaurant that provides less than acceptable food for the price.

   Now to West Sussex County Council candidate Liz Kitchen ...

   Question: How much did HDC Councillor Liz Kitchen cost us when she was Leader with her Old Town Hall antics?

   With her report in September 2006 Mrs Kitchen wasted all of HDC's previous work leading up to the approved and recommended community solution (as well as dishonourably wasting the time, effort and money of the 3 bidders; Creative Arts, Sussex Enterprise and our Trust). It's impossible to put a figure on this wastage by HDC because the Council doesn't always track expenditure to individual projects and buries costs in general departmental budgets (so that people can't actually measure the scale of the mistakes and poor budgeting). However, if you add up the various HDC officers and employees time related to the first Old Town Hall Advisory Group deliberations it must have run into many thousands of pounds.

   In an effort to undermine the community solution (in contravention of Council policy) and install Bill's (in contravention of the Council requirement to put out to tender), HDC officers were asked to move the registrar at breakneck speed. They failed to do this, but added a few more thousand pounds in cost to cover their efforts.

   Mrs Kitchen was one of those reluctant to give up Park House to the Registrar. In spite of the lack of ethics involved in undermining the approved and recommended community solution, Bill's could have been in the Old Town Hall in 2006. Costs to the taxpayer of HDC not giving up Park House (which they were subsequently were forced to do) were £75,000 x 6 years of largely empty Old Town Hall (because HDC, in a 'fit of pique', didn't allow the people to use the building, or put unrealistic conditions on people booking it). We make that a wasted £450,000, but you would have to add a few more thousand pounds for the costs incurred on an empty hall. Nobody knows how or why Bill's initial offer of £75,000 per annum later became £54,000 either.

   After Mrs Kitchen's report in September 2006, HDC was back at  a costly 'square one'. There was therefore another Old Town Hall Advisory Group charged with the task of community use under the Chairman, Roger Paterson. A senior Council Officer tactfully described the composition of the second committee as "too fluid". In other words, we believe that Mrs Kitchen adopted a seagull like leadership style, swooping in, dumping a lot of stuff and swooping out again. Consultant architects (HMDW) were contracted at £9,000 to advise on another community solution (unnecessarily we contend). The consultants were dishonourably paid just £2,000, which wouldn't have covered the report alleged by HDC to be from these expert consultants. The report to Council via Leisure Services was so bad, and the figures so unsubstantiated and laughable, that no Councillor was allowed at Council to question it. The offer to explain and present the report by the officer in charge was also declined by the Chairman. The second Old Town Hall Advisory Group disappeared up it's own backside and the restaurant came back on the table. The planned public consultation in September was cancelled by persons unknown without explanation. Now add a few more thousand pounds for this particular shambles.

   The quest for an agency to find a restaurant for the Old Town Hall was put out to tender by HDC. The cheapest and best bid to meet the Invitation To Tender (ITT) specification looked to be from Carr Priddle, but Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL) was somehow selected instead. Nobody knows the logic behind the invited companies - but DCL had a history with COTE/BIll's key personnel when they were at Strada. It's a possibility that DCL were nominated by COTE/Bill's therefore. HDC bunged another £5,000 to DCL for consultancy. This extension of the ITT was not properly authorised it seems, as there is no current evidence that the extension to the ITT was referred back to the Chief Executive as required by the Council's standing orders. 

   On Mrs Kitchen's watch, Bill's was selected over the far superior Gondola offer. This irrational and unethical selection cost the Horsham taxpayer half a million pounds over the term of the lease. The delegation of the decision was to one Cabinet Member (Gordon Lindsay, who was previously seconded by Mrs Kitchen in the original restaurant move). This delegation to a single cabinet member was improper as it was over the project limits set down by the Council. Freedom of Information revealed that the scoring of the bids was fiddled to give Bill's as the answer. In fact, however, Heads of Terms for the Old Town Hall lease had already been unethically negotiated and signed between Bill's and HDC before the decision between Bill's and Gondola was officially made.

   Under Mrs Kitchen's leadership, the Council commissioned the plans to be implemented by Bill's (cost £10,000 for the plans and £300 for the planning application). These costs were unethically paid for by an unwilling taxpayer. How all Horsham businesses and residents would love to have their plans paid for in this way by HDC we think! The Council avoided due scrutiny of their self-application via the relevant Government Office by HDC falsely claiming that this was an individual application from Mr. Josh Leon (of Davis Coffer Lyons). There was thus a massive, undeclared 'conflict of interest' for DCL.  DCL were now, consultants to the Council, applicants on behalf of Bill's, and an allegedly independent marketing agent appointed by HDC, all at the same time. There was also the unethical 'conflict of interest' for the Council too - who were effectively self-approving their own application on a block Conservative vote urged by Mrs Kitchen. The improper failure to disclose this state of affairs to the High Court ultimately led to cost being unfairly awarded against us.

   Many thousands of pounds more was wasted on the OTH debacle - and much further dodgy behaviour occurred after Mrs Kitchen was 'pushed' from the leadership by her colleagues. Unfortunately, her successor effectively carried on in the same vein and continued the same appalling culture, we feel. Details are covered elsewhere on our site.

   In our view, the widespread evidence on this site indicates that Horsham District Council has increasingly become 'rotten to the core'. However, we firmly believe that Mrs. Kitchen, also on an evidenced basis, started this decay. In our view, it would therefore be a clear and just message if the voters were to reject her at this forthcoming County Council election. However, we won't hold our breath.

   Next update: How this dodgy culture has been applied to East Street and how it has affected West Sussex County Council too.  

143

posted 16th October 2013

Question: What were the replies from West Sussex County Council about the shortcomings of the Horsham East Street inquiry - and Horsham District Council's reply on their
improper non-disclosure to the High Court re. the Council's planning
application on behalf of Bill's (paid for by the taxpayer)?

   Answer: Essentially, to contact the legal departments. Thus, a key feature of the politicians from both Councils appears to be their readiness to order their employees to try and defend the morally indefensible - to clear up or sanitise their irrational, unfair and unethical behaviour, utilising further taxpayer funded resources. Alternatively, it is to have their staff throw a veil of secrecy wherever possible - as per the content of the Horsham Society guest column in last weeks County Times - John Steele's article 'silence, failings and secrecy at Horsham council'. 

   Specifically ....

   West Sussex County Council failed to address the alleged shortcomings of the East Street inquiry in their reply i.e. the undeclared 'conflicts of interest' with some of those giving evidence on behalf of HDC - and the dubious representative status of some of the same (please see our letter to WSCC published elsewhere on this site).

   Horsham District Council held that their Scrutiny Committee had no role in the matter of HDC's improper non-discloure to the High Court, which led to the unfair awarding of costs against us. We can only conclude that there is thus, nobody at HDC to address the lack of integrity at HDC - or save the Horsham people from the consequential poor outcomes of the Council's unethical and irrational actions.

The only way for Horsham to prosper therefore, is to remove the current politicians (from all parties). Unfortunately, the Horsham public are not able to do this until the next election looms in 2015. It will take a coalition of independents to achieve it, and we will help provide the necessary information and means. 

   There was an interesting comment from one reader on our last update:

   "Horsham's more affordable restaurants are probably more at the 'heart of the community' than Bill's".

   In the next update therefore, just as Giraffe has closed down in East Street, we will look at HDC's restaurant 'strategy' and its effect (if any) on the town. 

144

posted 18th October 2013

Question: With the West Sussex County Council election for Warnham & Rusper on Thursday, what about an 'election special' from the Blue Flash Music Trust?

Answer: With a lot of help from the West Sussex County Times it looks certain that Liz Kitchen will be elected. She will always be a Tory, but she will always have a history of a lack of integrity and lack of honour too. Mrs Kitchen was also master of the Conservative block vote when she was Leader of Horsham District Council and 'woe betide' anybody who did not 'toe the line'. She will always be a hypocrite as well therefore; and the voters will be taking a huge risk when trusting her pre-election maverick, words about the North Horsham Development (Crawlsham we called it in previous updates) and the second Gatwick runway. We judge people by their actions not their words, especially just before an election. Please see elsewhere on this site for other planning U-turns by Mrs Kitchen's colleagues.

As an arts & heritage charity however, we have no political preferences. We therefore asked our Business Adviser his thoughts about this WSCC bi-election and the role of the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT). He said:

"When I stood as an independent candidate at the General Election in 2005 as a means of highlighting the issue of mental health, the County Times gave all the candidates an equal number of words to write for themselves and this was published in the newspaper during the election period. This was a good and fair process, and applied to all - Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, UKIP, Peace party and me. It allowed voters to make up their minds on a truly informed basis. Gone are these days at the County Times unfortunately. The Trust has now ably exposed the dramatic shift in editorial policy towards the Conservatives. The WSCT article, predominantly featuring Liz Kitchen in the current edition, seemed to abandon all pretence of political impartiality. The Editor in Chief has always previously denied bias (particularly in the last couple of years when the evidence featured on this site overwhelmingly suggested otherwise). Now there is no doubt about WSCT bias it seems. Whatever the WSCT does to redress things next week, it will be too late. Most people won't have time to read the paper before voting.

For example, a rival candidate commenting on another’s election leaflet and getting these comments reported without a right of specific reply? These are 'rock bottom' standards of journalism in my view. I haven't seen any of the election leaflets, but I suspect that UKIP did put at least something about local issues in their leaflet, which the WSCT chose not to mention. That said, UKIP seem to have been very naive in walking into the journalistic trap. To me, it was an obvious risk that their ill-advised anti-immigration rants might be selectively reported in isolation.

Historically, that's been the failing of all the opposition parties in Horsham in my view - naivety. The Trust has long highlighted changes to the electoral system and the callous 'asset stripping' of Horsham town in advance by 'out-of-town' Tory cabinet members. Mrs Kitchen at least 'came clean' about these changes in The Interview. The Lib Dems/Labour/UKIP/Greens etc. could have easily petitioned for a Town Council, or Horsham's Neighbourhood Councils to become Parish Councils, ages ago; but in spite of Trust warnings, they never 'woke up and smelled the coffee'. The Lib Dems were best placed for this, but then came the coalition of course. It seems to me that the Lib Dems were also metaphorically 'bought off' by the promise of a mayor ship too.

A lot of damage, as highlighted in your internet pages, has already been done to the town. The Trust is right I think, in the absence of any meaningful opposition from the political parties, a coalition of independents at the next elections is the only hope for Horsham town and District.

Meanwhile, it looks to me that the Trust has provided the only opposition to HDC's wayward antics in order to drive small concessions and improvements. A puppet Horsham Unlimited (of the Council) is not as good as an independent Chamber of Commerce of course; but for example, the Trust has at least driven more transparency and commitment from HU now it appears. As I understand it, Horsham Unlimited is now set to meet up and discuss the Christmas offering in the town. I firmly believe that this would not have happened without your criticism via the internet re. the absence of Christmas lights etc. and reminding people of the past debacles. Indeed, I have noticed that Horsham District Council regularly responds in other fora (forums) to what the Trust writes (although HDC sneaks on to your site under another name of course). It's often a lot of defensive, in denial, hogwash from the Council of course, but occasionally they respond by taking small steps in the right direction. These small steps are often a bit dodgily motivated and executed, it's true. However, all of the other parties combined, cannot claim to have achieved as much. The opposition parties always 'believe this', and 'believe that' at election times, but in terms of delivering change and/or halting the Horsham 'slide' under the current sleazy HDC management, they are 'nowhere' in my opinion. For most of the time they are strangely silent while HDC fiddles and Horsham burns.

You similarly influence the West Sussex County Times. In my observation, your internet pages regularly force the WSCT to show their 'true colours' and 'go out on a limb' to defend the Council. Some of the WSCT’s efforts have been laughable in this respect. Nevertheless, Theo Cronin undoubtedly has a great future on a national tabloid and I wish him all the best."     

Next update: We will definitely cover HDC's failed restaurant strategy - honest!

145

posted 22nd October 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council's restaurant strategy doomed?

   Answer: Andrew Crompton closed The Olive Branch (pub/restaurant) at the Bishopric last Wednesday with a loss of another 15 jobs. Apparently, he thinks the market was "saturated". For a long time, the Horsham people have believed the same. One reader wrote to us:

   "I don't live in Horsham anymore, but last Tuesday night, we were due to attend another event in the town and decided to eat out. We parked in Denne Road and were surprised by the evening parking charge. Bill's was virtually empty as far as we could see, just four people parked in front of the window. We were heading for Giraffe but it was dark and empty. 

   What struck us as we walked down East Street was the lack of diversity, with a surfeit of Italian options. All the places seemed to be struggling with an average of about half a dozen customers.  The one notable exception was Strada with about thirty people, so we opted for that. The food was very good, but they seemed to be totally caught on the hop, with only three waiting staff on and a few of the customers complained about the slow service. It didn't bother us though and we had a good meal from 6 to about 8."

   The first thing to note is that HDC never really had any say, and market forces has, and always will, rule. Like petulant children, HDC moved Bill's into the Old Town Hall (whatever the cost to Horsham's arts, heritage, taxpayer and community) and called it a strategy. Even their own 'consultant' from Davis Coffer Lyons advised HDC that Bill's would threaten two other eateries (although he didn't see the Artisan threat to Bill's coming at the time). 

   Giraffe closed in a flash and is to become the Giggling Squid. The owner waxed lyrical - predictably 'on message' with the Council hype. However, we believe that behind it all - he is an astute businessman, with an eye for the possible vulnerability of the River Kwai (the existing Thai restaurant). Can Horsham sustain two Thai restaurant's? We hope so, but we doubt it. 

   We also hear that, as intimated previously on our site, that there are possible problems to be addressed at Wabi. If the rumours are true, there are limited liability issues that might mean that local creditors will not be paid. Again, we hope that Wabi will remain, but the true situation will be revealed in the fullness of time.

   One thing is sure however, as regards HDC's doomed restaurant 'strategy', it's always going to be 'one step forward, two steps back' (as their own consultant told them in the first place!).

   News from elsewhere is that the Independent store Crystal Brides by the Iron Bridge in Horsham town is closing down too. Good to see that that Horsham District Council's puppet quango, Horsham Unlimited is still maintaining that 'healthy balance' between chains and independents (albeit a diminishing total!) then. 

   Council blurb however is:

   "Like East Street, Queen Street contains a huge variety of shops, service providers and restaurants and is a street full of character. Queen Street also houses most of Horsham’s antique shops and many interesting independent businesses." 

   And speaking of Council blurb..... HDC has published its annual report for 2012/13 (although the Council makes it hard to get at it on the HDC web site). Quoting HDC:

   "The Business Transformation Programme is helping Horsham District Council make the most of its assets and is developing innovative approaches to making savings and increasing income in order to continue to provide high quality services and keep Council Tax as low as possible." 
    Cllr Ray Dawe, Leader of Horsham District Council, said: “It is encouraging to know that, despite facing unprecedented financial challenges over a number of years, your Council has still been able to achieve a great deal over the last year and the Annual Report shows how well we have delivered on our priorities over the year."

   Sorry Councillor, in spite of all this unsubstantiated, inane 'bull', we missed the specifics of any notable achievements against any priorities (priorities which also evaded us on reading the report). You will need to help us out a bit more! Do you honestly believe that the Horsham people will swallow all this 'hot air' for another eighteen months? In the interests of Horsham District, we pray that they won't!

   Next update: How it possibly should be done.

146
                                                                                    posted 24th October 2013
                                                     Question: How should it be done?

   Answer: One reader wrote in and said that they had cause to go to Hailsham in East Sussex last week.

"I had to go to Hailsham on business last Tuesday so I popped into the town. I was amazed to find that the parking was free. The town was really bustling for a week day and I was really impressed with the amount of niche shops such as the ones in the little arcade. Where else can you find things like Homebrew kits and equipment for example? Down the High Street I also got some stuff for my fish tank and got my watch fixed at a small independent jewellers while I waited. Well sort of, as I went to a nice little cafe across the road and called back after. I noticed that there were also three supermarkets in the town centre, Asda, Waitrose and Tesco with additional, ample free parking too. I can't actually remember seeing any empty premises. It was a real delight."

   For the record, we think the answer to the Homebrew question is Worthing and Lingfield. Horsham is losing it's independents with HDC's facilitation of out-of-town shopping and punitive town centre parking charges at our peril. If the Olive Branch can go under when it was 'number 8' in the Tripadvisor charts, what chance does Bill's have twenty or so places lower? - even if it gets 'hand-outs in kind' from the Council and therefore competes unfairly with other hard-working Horsham businesses? 

   We notice, that following our criticism, HDC's narrative of 'The Horsham Experience' has become 'Experience Horsham'. The question is why? What unique things has Horsham got to offer? The answer, sadly, is less and less. Horsham also has no big unique thing to offer - which is why, when you go to Tourism Information Centres around the region Horsham is generally the one place that doesn't feature in the leaflet rack. The community proposal for the Old Town Hall (sinisterly and underhandedly discarded by HDC) featured 'Horsham's Historic Courtroom Experience' as one of our tourist attractions similar to the one in Bodmin in Cornwall for example.  Horsham's Old Town Hall was previously used as a Courtroom and was therefore ideal. This and other truly unique tourism related features of the community proposal would have benefitted the whole area. However, the Council and their puppets continue to peddle the message that the Old Town Hall had no viable use and the answer had to be Bill's (why Bill's specifically? we are also not sure!). HDC and their cronies were clearly lying and another of the Nolan Principles supposedly governing our politicians behaviour flew further out of the window!

Next update: Reaction to the Warnham & Rusper WSCC bi-election.

147

posted 31st October 2013

Question: What was the current news in 'most anxious' Horsham District?

Answer: Yes that's right; Horsham is the most anxious place in the country. People from outside the area were quick to poke fun at 'middle class' Horsham over the internet, but their comments masked a serious point - middle class Horsham has more to lose than others. In times of prosperity Horsham 'bumbled along' on its demographic cushion, but in more recent times, the increased competition from more innovative areas has seen the cracks appear it seems.

The 'local anxiety' analysis is a simple exercise; anxiety is bred by a lack of hope. What has Horsham got to look forward to?

The answer if current circumstances prevail is a lingering decline. Specifically:

·     A decreasing value of businesses across the District

·     A net loss of jobs

·     More empty office space in Horsham town, on top of the quarter a million square feet that already exists

·     An ageing population

·     A decline in property values as a result of Horsham District Council's ineptitude over planning and the 'cop out' of creating 'Crawlsham' (in a vain attempt to protect their 'out-of-town' patches). Developers are consequently now firmly 'ruling the roost'

·     A proportionate decline in supporting amenities.

The news on Horsham's anxiety has hit HDC hard. Nevertheless, Leader Ray Dawe continues to complacently dine out on the message that Horsham was once voted the second best place to live. He forgets to mention that, as we understand it, Horsham then became fifth; and now we don't know where it is. Furthermore, we don't know who conducted this vote or how representative of the people's views it is. We suspect that the vote was fuelled by Horsham's existing demographic too. HDC is keen to cite also that Horsham is a safe place to live. Presumably that is why we now have dispersal zones in the town?  

One thing is for sure, Councillor Dawe's HDC has no idea of how to put Horsham back to second place whatever the limitations of the 'best place to live' exercise. Horsham has no idea where it wants to go and therefore, no idea of how to get there. This hopelessness fuels the anxiety.

HDC was handed the answer on a plate in 2006, but it the Council was too arrogant, self-important and stubborn to allow it.

There was more hand-wringing about the anxiety poll from Sue Rogers, HDC cabinet member for a Safer and Healthier District too; "I think there are a lot of worries in this country just because of the times we're living in through world events and our own home events." In other words 'Nothing to do with us guv.'

This feeling of hopelessness was reflected in the turn-out for the Warnham and Rusper bi-election as well. Four fifths of eligible voters did not see the political process as offering any possible solution to Horsham's problems and stayed at home. It's hardly surprising when local councils reflect the aging population of course. Many of our local councillors are in their sixties and seventies and hardly reflect the Horsham residents at large. HDC has thus mostly, been the playground of self-important, relatively well off retirees. While they fiddled, middle class Horsham bumbled along in times of prosperity. Now things are more serious; and other areas have 'stolen the march'; HDC fiddles, while Horsham District burns.

As we are an apolitical charity, we asked our Business adviser for his views on the bi-election result. He said:

"It's a sad state of affairs when an apolitical charity such as the Blue Flash Music Trust, is the only effective political opposition in the District. For example, it was your criticisms on the Blue Flash Music Trust internet site that led to more women being in the HDC cabinet. Unfortunately, HDC is firmly rooted in the 'good old days' - to quote Monty Python - 'the good old days when men were men - and women were men too!' HDC clearly makes steps in the right direction in response to your criticisms, but the steps are too little, falling short of what's actually required and not quite on target.

By contrast, all the opposition put together in the Warnham & Rusper bi-election couldn't muster 50% of the vote, which is perhaps a measure of their in-effectiveness. In spite of having a few Councillors on HDC, the Lib Dems trailed in fourth place behind the Greens. I believe you once described them on your site as being "about as useful as an ash-tray on a motorbike if you remember that the biker is a non-smoker too". It seems about right. Unless they look outside of the HDC Council Chamber, the Lib Dems will be truly wiped out at the next local elections (which will probably be combined with a General Election). The Blue Flash Trust highlighted terrible HDC behaviour over the town hall and spelled it out to the Lib Dem chaired Accounts, Audit & Governance and Scrutiny Committees. For example, it was well within Lib Dem councillors' grasp to look at procurement in general (particularly the selection of various consultants) but they 'bottled it'. The Lib Dems were too busy wanting to be Chairman of HDC it seems.

In my view therefore, the Trust is absolutely right in its analysis that the only way forward is a highly publicised coalition of independent candidates at the next election; in order to provide a real choice between a poor-performing, despotic, unethical and out-of touch HDC (the evidence to suggest this on your site is overwhelming) - the choice between 'more of the same' and something else.

The only alternative would be for the opposition parties to make a pact and get out-of-each other’s way - i.e. one opposition candidate (by agreement) standing in each seat. The increased turn-out alongside a general election would help because the Conservatives have the most reliable voters in low polls. That said it would take the agreement of their parties nationally to do this. However, there would be no harm in attempting this exercise, even if unsuccessful, because it would put a national focus on HDC's unethical behaviour."

Other news   

Olive Branch re-opening

The Olive Branch (please see recent update) is re-opening under new management. We wish them well. However, HDC's 'restaurant strategy' (such that it is) will always be one step forward, two steps back.

Cancellation of District Council meeting

We seem to remember that the cancellation of an HDC Council meeting happened before. The official explanation was the same "there were no reports to consider, only minutes of meetings". It just so happens that there was a bi-election then too; and everyone was out canvassing for votes. Another example of how these political parties put their own interests before the needs of the Horsham people we think.

Cancellation of Horsham's October fun-fair

 The annual October fun-fair will not be here this year due to the Council's short-sighted desire to move it to the Bishopric last year. In terms of events, HDC just simply doesn't understand that continuity is everything. HDC self-importantly de-mobilised those groups that staged the 2006 September festival in order to have its own English Culture Festival based around Broadwood's Day of Dance. They failed. HDC also foolishly pulled the plug on Horsham Music Week similarly, the most cost-effective and kudos winning event in the region. They simply couldn't stand the thought of not being in total control we think. For other, previously regular events that have 'bitten the dust' in Horsham please see elsewhere on this site.

There was a particular comment re- the October fair that drew our attention on the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) web-site:

"The death nell was was moving it from the Carfax to the Bishopric last year. Now with the 'waste of money' revamp of West Street its gone forever. I also have to ask why the revamp of West Street is happening now and not after Christmas. Surely anybody with a business brain would realise that Christmas is the High Streets best time to make money, so its not the best time to dig it up!!!" 

Artisan has had its planning application for an extended operation approved?

We don't think that HDC would have dared turn it down after we highlighted it. If true, it's the 'death nell' for Bill's in the Old Town Hall we believe (in spite of another sudden and recent spate of 'council crony' reviews in response to our criticisms it seems to us).

West Street Story

According to HDC - on 16th November - "the planned event will entertain and educate as the Council seeks to give visitors pre-Christmas fun and an even greater sense of place and their own time in the town's evolving history."

What HDC really mean however is that Horsham is based on the word 'horse' like a lot of other places e.g. Horsebridge. Is this a unique draw that will attract tourism to Horsham as compared to Horsham's unique folk history and its links to the famous classical composers (the approved and independently verified proposal that HDC self-importantly and dishonourably turned down in 2006)? We therefore suggest a West Street statue in the shape of a pile of horse manure; in order to reflect that which is regularly spouted by HDC. We further suggest that the statue is sponsored by HDC's mouthpiece, the West Sussex County Times.

Next update: Always plenty to write about as far as HDC is concerned.  

148

posted 5th November 2013

Question: Why has the Horsham Society got it wrong?

   Answer: They have nominated the council-run Capitol Theatre and the Drill Hall as an asset of community value under the Localism Act. The Drill Hall has already been eagerly accepted by Horsham District Council because the Horsham Society is sleepwalking into a trap - exhibiting the same kind of naivety that features in Horsham's political opposition (please see recent updates).

   Fact: The Capitol and the Drill Hall are already publicly funded assets that the Horsham people wish to continue funding. Fact: HDC rushed through the bogus selection of Bill's over W J King for the Old Town Hall, with the very purpose of beating the provisions of the Localism Act - HDC therefore have no real commitment to the Act therefore. In effect, the Horsham Society are effectively inviting HDC to put the Capitol and Drill Hall up to tender. The Blue Flash Music Trust revealed the previously secret HDC Cabinet discussion document re. Horsham assets some time ago - the one that had many of Horsham towns facilities up for grabs - including the museum.

   If our local electoral system was fair; then all of the assets across Horsham District would get the same kind of treatment as Dial Post Village Hall (near to where Horsham MP Francis Maude lives in one of his properties) i.e. they would get £40,000 of Horsham taxpayer’s money without due process (on the say so of a single HDC Cabinet member!). Will we see the likes of Slinfold Village Hall being sold off or rented out like Horsham's Old Town Hall? No! Will rural areas need to designate their assets as 'assets of community value' No! The out-of-town HDC cabinet and their Parish Councils can be relied on to protect them (the very Parish Councils [or Town Council] that are denied to the people of Horsham Town by these undemocratic despots at HDC). 

   Once again, the HDC puppet-masters are pulling the Horsham Societies strings as they do with Horsham's political opposition!

   However, we are strictly an arts and heritage charity. We are therefore inspired by another of Horsham District Council's long-time, heavily 'cocked up' projects which is 'Shelley's Ball' near McDonalds in Horsham town...

"Rise like lions after slumber,

in unvanquishable number,

shake your chains to earth like dew,

which in sleep had fallen on you.

Ye are many, they are few."

Percy Bysshe Shelley

   As an aside, the Horsham Society (at the behest of their HDC puppet-masters) chose to welcome Bill's to the town (conveniently forgetting the approved and recommended tourism plan for the Old Town Hall, that was also independently validated by the Faculty of Social & Environmental Studies at the University of Liverpool).

   Thanks therefore to the reader who sent in the latest Bill's review:  

"Hilariously bad” Reviewed 2 November 2013

“Very disappointed with Bills.

Really poor service. Had to wait for everything and ask for everything. We ordered Thai curry which was watery and for some reason had PASTA in it?

We were asked if we wanted sauces with it and when we asked for cheese to put on the pasta dishes, we were given a curt no.

Coffees didn't arrive and desserts had to be asked for three times only to be told they had forgot!

We had taken visitors from Spain and it was embarrassing!

Will not return. No servic standards, no pride in their own restaurant.”

Next update: Freedom of Information

149

posted 7th November 2013

Question: What next for Horsham after Novartis pulls out?

   Answer: Not much it seems. We asked our Business Advisor for his views....

"Horsham District Council and the West Sussex County Times seem to be trying desperately hard to offer some hope to quell the anxiety. However, there is very little hope in my view; not unless the Council radically changes its ways. Novartis is not an easy site to reconfigure and who is going to come in there anyway? Furthermore, HDC has little scope for investment due to its regular overspending and depletion of reserves over a ten year period.

   There are two significant management tools called  a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and THREATS) and a PEST analysis i.e. Opportunities and Threats in the context of Political, Economic, Social and Technological trends. Top of the list, as much as ten years ago, was the obvious threat of an over-reliance on large employers like Novartis, Royal & Sun Alliance and the RSPCA. RSA is now a shadow of its former self in the town. 'Next up' in my opinion, will be the RSPCA - another of these large employers. As I understand it, the RSPCA is currently 'struggling' with the governance of its organisation, the very 'heart & soul' of the charity. I regretfully expect further 'announcements' from them in a short space of time.

   The people of Horsham are indeed paying a heavy price for Horsham District Council's folly seven years ago. In 2006, the Trust handed to the Council an independently verified plan for tourism based on HDC's own 'Tourism Strategy for Horsham District', commissioned from some able consultants. However, HDC arrogantly and irrationally dismissed the plan in order to fuel its own sense of power and self-importance - as well as follow a currently inexplicable preference to have Bill's in the Old Town Hall above all others (whatever the cost!). Such a tourism plan as put forward by the Trust - and approved by the Council's first Old Town Hall Advisory Group - would have benefited all Horsham businesses. It would have also attracted new ones on an essentially 'targeted' basis.

   The Council can twist and turn, but the only answer is to hold its hands up to the folly of 2006, rectify the situation with the Trust, and work with the Trust to implement the tourism plan - albeit a bit late in the day. However, it is a 'big ask' for such an arrogant Council, which is quite obviously, currently still in denial. 

   For example, check out the inane rhetoric from Roger Paterson, HDC's Cabinet member for the Local economy:

   “The council places the highest priority on the success of the Horsham district’s local economy and will continue to do so by ensuring that our policies, plans and decisions place maximum emphasis on the need to support business and to work closely with partners in the private and public sectors to develop and maintain economic growth.”

   "It also confirms the need for Horsham District Council to create the most competitive inward investment conditions, especially the provision of corporate standard business parks, in order to provide employment land available to suit major national and international companies. It is essential we do this in order to both attract new employment to the area and provide high quality replacement jobs for local residents and their families."

Dream on HDC!”

Next update: Probably more bad news.                      

150

posted 12th November 2013

Question: Will you be taking part in Horsham's West Street event this weekend?

   Answer: No! We ask ourselves - is this a case of 'wavey pavey' - or just plain 'crazy paving'? It's certainly a crazy waste of money to have 'West Street' written in bricks as far as we are concerned. Has Horsham District Council got nothing better to do with half a million pounds of West Sussex County Council taxpayers money, so that while HDC 'fiddles' Horsham burns???!

   It seems to us that HDC and their puppets conveniently forget that things like the job losses at Novartis are not the end point. For example, the situation is likely to have an adverse effect on local suppliers to the business too e.g. local taxi firms. Such was the case when Royal & Sun Alliance 'shrank' it's activities in the past.

   HDC is too arrogant to publicly admit a mistake of course - such as the folly of putting Bill's in the Old Town Hall at the expense of a nationally recognised tourist attraction that could have been implemented as far back as 2006. When faced with the consequences of their mistakes, HDC's natural instinct is to go into 'secretive mode' and quietly blame the staff - conveniently forgetting that the staff are 'micro-managed' by a despotic HDC Cabinet - staff 'led by the nose' against their better instincts and skills. In our view, HDC must be a terrible place to work.

   We were also one of the first to forecast that 'Crawlsham' would be favoured by this 'out-of-town' Cabinet and that the HDC staff would be made to jump to their tune. Now watch the confused 'rear-  guard action'. Ooops sorry, you won't be allowed to watch it.

   For example, last night, a report criticising the council’s planning department was debated behind closed doors (Monday 11th November).

   According to HDC's mouthpiece, the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT):

The ‘Review of Development Management and Planning Services’ listed poor morale, an ineffective management structure, lack of resources, inadequate staff cover, and poor use of technology as some of the problems plaguing the department.

   Brian O’Connell (Con, Henfield), chairman of the Business Improvement Working Group, which has been leading the review, recommended that a new ‘director of service’ be appointed to completely restructure the planning department.

   It will be case of 'rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic we think; the real 'iceberg' being the HDC Cabinet. A similar exercise was held over the incompetent overspend on the Acorn project (£1.3 million over not one, but two accounting years). What happened as a result of the secretive 'hand-wringing' over this one?

   Just a few days before last night's (11th November) secretive meeting, Barretts (with a Swan Walk store) went into administration. It's good to see that HDC puppets 'Horsham Unlimited' (whoever, and whatever they are) are still maintaining the "healthy balance" between chains and independents in the town centre - albeit a diminishing total.

   One piece of 'real' good news is that, as we understand it, No. 5 Market Square has been granted planning permission for A3 (restaurant) change of use. After pressure from the Blue Flash Music Trust, HDC probably didn't have much of a choice. We think that Artisan, like many other restaurants in the town perhaps, didn't want to expand (in spite of their success), because the Horsham restaurant market is too flat from Sunday to Thursday. Nevertheless, we feel that any new taker in Market Square is likely to further accelerate Bill's demise - and good riddance. We also think that Bill's actually paying an annual rent of £60,000 (to match that offered by W J King) to HDC, [although also £12,500 less than that offered by Gondola previously and £15,000 less than market value], will finish Bill's off too. As per the lease agreement with Bill's (again, as a result of pressure by the Trust), we will then look forward to the Old Town Hall being returned to its former state and true potential.   

   Next update: Unfortunately, with the largely out-of-town HDC Cabinet in charge, it's likely to be more bad news for Horsham.

151

posted 19th November 2013

Question: What recent evidence is there that Horsham District Council
is totally deluded (Part One of Three)?

   Answer: First of all, there was the major 'West Street' comedy event in Horsham on Saturday (as in all common sense has 'gone West' in Horsham). Predictably, HDC's 'Ministry of Truth', the West Sussex County Times, led with the headline on its website:

   "The transformation of Horsham’s most popular street will create a ‘snowballing effect’ and attract more investment to the town, officials said at the grand unveiling on Saturday (November 16)."

   We can imagine the business discussions around the country at this very moment.

   "I suggest we relocate to "Thrivesville" sir. It's got cheap parking that brings in the customers, good available and affordable infrastructure and the location will be easily associated with the companies brand and line of business."

   "Nonsense, Smithers, let's go to Horsham. I really like that 'wavey pavey' they've got in West Street. Those horse shoes buried in the bricks are a particularly nice touch I think."

   Similarly, are shoppers really going to be influenced by all this guff? - as compared to the availability, quality and variety of businesses, and affordable parking etc? What is the unique Horsham attraction that is going to bring in tourism from 'outside' too? Will it be Horsham's 'crazy paving'? We don't think so! 

   The West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) Website went on:

   "More than £600,000 has been invested in West Street, which now includes new signage and furniture, and a curvy pavement design capturing Horsham’s rich heritage of horses."

   Whoop - de -woo! And does Horsham really have a rich heritage of horses above other places? Any stable around the country will have a rich heritage of horses we think!

   County councillor Brad Watson and Horsham District Council’s (HDC) deputy leader Helena Croft were the top comedy duo that 'headlined' on Saturday.

   According to the WSCT:

   Mr Watson (Con, Southwater and Nuthurst) said: “This is a very important occasion for Horsham and the local economy.”

   Our response is: Very patronising. The residents and hard-pressed businesses in Horsham will decide what is important. We think you (and the WSHDCT) should stop treating the Horsham people like nursery school children:

   “If a town centre isn’t vibrant and attractive we are not going to get the trade and shoppers coming here.”

    Our response is: Stating the obvious isn't going to help. Will 'wavey pavey' make any traceable difference? Unlikely we think. Nevertheless, in their usual controlling manner, HDC might be able to cajole the odd resident into saying "Wavey pavey totally changed my life"; or a local business to say "We were destined to go under, but thanks to HDC and their wavey pavey we've turned it all around. Thank you so much HDC," perhaps.

   “So again another Horsham first - Horsham has been very good at being in the front, it’s been a progressive council for some time.”

   Our response: Horsham is certainly 'front' of the anxiety queue - anxious about housing, anxious about job losses, and so on. Rather than progressive, we use the word "progressively". Progressively unethical, progressively arrogant, progressively controlling and progressively deluded.

   Mrs Croft (Con, Roffey North) said she is ‘very optimistic’ the renovation will bring investment into the town.

   Our response: It's unusual that Mrs Croft is only 'very optimistic' this time. Her statements in press releases are normally 'extremely' this and 'extremely that'. She is normally 'extremely excited' also, we recall. This time, we think that Mrs Croft is 'extremely deluded' if she thinks that wavey pavey will bring any traceable investment to the town.  

   Mrs Croft added: “I’m really optimistic we are going to see a further snowballing effect - much more investment in the coming months.”

   Our response: Really? We think that this snowballing effect will probably take place in hell rather than in Horsham - as in - not a snowball in hell's chance.

   Gill Buchanan, manager for Swan Walk Shopping Centre apparently told the WSHDCT “The way-finding infrastructure will improve customer circulation across the town."

   Our response: We take this to mean that Ms Buchanan thinks that Horsham shoppers would otherwise be too thick to find their way around the town - unless they follow the 'yellow brick road', happy horseshoes, whatever. The bricks with 'West Street' in them will probably also be particularly useful when 'special needs' shoppers get totally lost.

   What a show! We almost died of laughter, but unfortunately for HDC we just managed to pull through!

   One decent bit of the day was from Horsham Museum however - which subtly celebrated some of Horsham's real history, rather than the Council's horse manure.

   We believe that, even then, the Museum might have had to be mindful of their bullying masters in the Cabinet due to them having productively worked with our Trust in the past. For instance, the WSHDCT doesn't report any mention of Ralph Vaughan-Williams, Lucy Broadwood, Michael Turner, and Henry Burstow etc. However, our unique folk history is where the real opportunities for tourism and Horsham's economic development lie. One day, the Council will reluctantly be forced to concede this fact. Let's hope that Horsham doesn't become unsalvageable at HDC's hands in the meantime.

   Next Update: Why is HDC deluded? - Part 2

153

posted 27th November 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council completely deluded? (Part three of three)

   Answer: HDC think they can solve Horsham’s problems by rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!

   Firstly, it’s worth remembering that the Horsham problems are mostly HDC made. They ‘fiddle while Horsham burns’ (such as with the West Street £600,000 ‘folly’); possess a lack of vision (other than the acclaimed vision that they irrationally turned down in 2006); and their financial mismanagement over ten years has left them little scope to invest in any alternative vision (if they actually thought of one for themselves). On top of that, HDC project management has generally been a disaster - with lots of expensive re-work, in order to achieve very little. The lack of originally perceived functionality in ‘Shelley’s Cabbage’ near McDonalds is perhaps just one example.

   We have also regularly pointed to the biggest problem however i.e. that the untalented HDC Cabinet, ‘micro-manages’ its staff and stifles the skills and experience of it’s employees. With an arrogant, political motivation, the HDC Cabinet says “Jump” and the staff are forced to say “How High?” When the wheels inevitably ‘fall off’ - HDC then blames the staff, contractors, or anybody else they can think of.

Consequently, we have another staff restructure on the cards (i.e. ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic’).

   The latest staff restructure at Horsham District Council: “would remove an entire tier of management and save some £200,000 each year”, we are told. The council plans to remove all eight heads of service roles i.e. the current management structure which sits between function heads and the two directors. It will also reinstate a third director who will be charged with overcoming criticism of the council’s planning function. HDC only narrowly avoided having its planning department placed under ‘special measures’ by the Government earlier this year because of the time it took to determine major applications.

Our view is that the latest restructure, in removing senior positions, will just make it even easier for the HDC Cabinet to bully the staff.

   It’s also worth remembering that the last restructure didn’t save that much money, primarily due to redundancy costs - and overall, things just got worse – hence the new restructure. We further believe that some of the last reshuffle was politically motivated, in that key redundancies came in Leisure Services and Legal - coincidentally, those that might have ‘blown the whistle’ on HDC’s underhand antics over the Old Town Hall. The savings were nothing like the amount spent on mismanaged projects also; with the £1.3 million overspend on the Acorn project over not one, but two accounting years, springing to mind.

   The real, alternative way forward however, is to get behind the vision that was offered to HDC on a plate in 2006.

Next update: More ‘smoke and mirrors’ from HDC.

152

posted 21st November 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council totally deluded (Part two of three)?

   Answer: Check out the recent 'investigation of Cllr Sue Rogers, Horsham District Council’s Cabinet Member for a Safer and Healthier District into Horsham's anxiety.  

   "Looking at the key findings, the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) personal wellbeing estimates are ‘experimental statistics’ and are published at an early stage to gain feedback from users in its development before being designated as national statistics. The UK sample size for the personal wellbeing data set is around 165,000, and for Horsham it was 195 (while the population is 131,301)."

   In other words, the Office for National Statistics 'got it all wrong' and the sample was unrepresentative? However, HDC is quick to crow about other surveys e.g. the one that said Horsham was voted to be the "second best place to live" (by someone somewhere, not necessarily residents and businesses in the town perhaps). But now Horsham isn't second any more we believe. What has been done by HDC to address the slide?

   "Whilst the Council treats mental health issues within the District very seriously, it is applying a degree of caution to this particular study."

   In other words, it seems that we might also have a higher proportion of people with mental health issues living in Horsham? We don't think so! 

   "This is because where an individual lives is just one aspect that influences an individual’s response to the personal wellbeing questions."

   In other words, the sample was distorted by those inconvenient people living in poor, working class areas of the town - and there were not enough responses from nice richer people in those lovely rural areas?   

   "Factors such as the individual’s health, relationships and employment will also influence their response."

   In other words, as well as those high disproportionately high numbers of people with mental health issues, the sample was also distorted by a disproportionate number of divorcees and jobless people in Horsham?  

   Cllr Sue Rogers said:  

   “We were surprised at the results for the 'anxiety' question and it has prompted an investigation on the part of the Council.”  

   “However the absence of the follow up questions has made it impossible to make meaningful judgements about the data or determine if any actions that the Council could undertake might help address this issue.”  

   “There are a number of services and sources of advice available to people who are feeling anxious and I urge anyone feeling worried to speak to someone.”  

   "People experience anxiety as part of their normal life. Anxiety is a natural chemical reaction in the body which releases adrenaline and other chemicals in to the blood stream, and people can feel anxious when they feel worried, stressed, under pressure, and when they are in a low mood. When feeling anxious people may experience a wide range of physical symptoms such as:  increased heart rate, neck and shoulder muscle tension, feeling nauseated, a ‘knot’ in the stomach, diarrhea, and feelings of tiredness. Triggers for feeling anxious can result from a wide range of factors including: poor work life balance, employment status, personal relationships, family life, finance issues and feeling lonely and isolated. It is important that people look after their personal wellbeing – body and mind. One in six adults experiences mental ill health at any one time. Just as people need to eat the right things and exercise regularly to feel well physically, they also need to look after their mental wellbeing and prevent stress."  

   Stating the obvious of course (although we disagree with 'one in six', more like 'one in four'), but still, this is more patronising horse-manure from HDC!

   In our view, the Council's response is just another symptom of a complacent and arrogant HDC - motto "nothing to do with us guv" and "blame it on someone else (anyone will do!)". In which case, why are HDC still there - and can't the taxpayer save a lot a lot of money by removing them?

   With recent news, the people of Horsham clearly have every right to be anxious about jobs, housing etc. - and to hold a 'fear for the future' in this town. HDC has no vision for reversing the inevitable slide - except for the vision they stupidly turned down in 2006 - and through their stubborn arrogance, do not wish to entertain now.

   Next update: A deluded HDC part 3.

154

posted 4th December 2013

Question: What's behind Horsham District Council's latest flannel
about 'the community'? (Part one of two)

   Answer: A couple of weeks back, we featured an article about how the Horsham Society was 'sleepwalking' into an HDC trap over nominating the Capitol Theatre and Drill Hall as assets of community value. We are very magnanimous in the Trust and don't like to say "I told you so". Therefore, we will just say "We so informed you thus!"

    It's no surprise that HDC announced their 'plans' for a multi-plex cinema last week therefore. The first thing to note is that the multi-plex cinema will be going in the town centre (if it actually materialises). This, as we perceive from Cllr. Sue Rogers, is where all those pesky, jobless divorcees with mental health problems, live in dodgy areas of sub-standard housing i.e. those pesky townspeople that distorted the Horsham 'anxiety' statistics and caused HDC an embarrassment (please see previous update).

   Thinking further afield however, there is presumably no reason why you shouldn't have a multi-plex cinema in one of those lovely, out-of-town, less anxious, locations - the ones that most ruling HDC councillors come from? - a location that is less 'close competition' to the Capitol too? However, this wouldn't be 'allowed' by the HDC despots of course.

   The second thing to note is that subsidised, public, out-of-town facilities-such as the rural village halls, are not under threat like the Capitol and Drill Hall. These, often underused facilities, are well protected by their Parish Councils and their own HDC ruling councillor mostly. By contrast, the people of the town's Neighbourhoods were not allowed to form Parish Councils or combine to form a Town Council to protect our assets similarly e.g. the Old Town Hall. Who denied the townspeople this right? Mostly, out-of-town, ruling HDC Councillors of course! Some times, HDC goes even further to take the ‘pee’ out of the townspeople. For example, £40,000 was quietly given to Dial Post Village Hall (where Francis Maude MP lives) without due process, and on the say so of just one HDC Cabinet Member.

   The third thing to note is that the Council doesn't really have plans. A big cinema business like the Odeon will only come if it is a suitably profitable / strategic business proposition. In our view, partly due to their financial mismanagement over the last ten years, HDC does not have the resources or ability to influence very much at all now. If a business makes a decision to come to Horsham, then the Council will obviously pretend that it was somehow part of an HDC 'grand plan' however. John Lewis was seemingly a done deal. Now it is reported that the "Council is working very hard to bring them to Horsham". What are the specifics of this all hard work at HDC to bring John Lewis in? No-one knows! It sounds like more horse-manure from HDC to us.  

   Fourthly, we don't believe a multi-plex cinema will work in Horsham. It is too close to Crawley (not far for the people in the proposed new Crawlsham development particularly), the Horsham people are not the most suitable demographic (in spite of what Cllr Sue Rogers appears to us to think perhaps) and it's no good trying to out-Crawley Crawley on entertainment - just as it is no good trying to out-Crawley Crawley on shopping (at the expense of our declining niche, independent stores).

   Fifthly, in our experience, nobody in their right mind would work with HDC as the current 'culture' stands - it doesn't matter if you are an individual, or a local charity like us, a medium sized business like HMDW, or a big company like Coniston Ltd. The chances are on the basis of history we think - is that you will be 'shafted' by a fickle, arrogant HDC Cabinet.

   On that subject, of the virtual meetings with Cllr. Helena Croft, a council spokesperson said:

"Anyone with ideas of how the ‘Horsham Experience’ can be improved or who would like to volunteer to work with council initiatives is invited to come along."

   The 'Horsham Experience' (although we are not sure what that currently is according to the HDC view) could indeed be enhanced we think, by loosening the grip of these largely out-of-town despots in the Cabinet, petition for further Parish Councils in the Neighbourhoods and combine with others to form a Town Council to protect Horsham's assets, spend the townspeople's' rates more fairly and wisely; and spend them for the benefit of the townspeople (not to subsidise others in the wider District with a 'ruling party' Councillor).

   Anyone crazy enough to work with HDC initiatives (and from our interpretation of Cllr Sue Rogers comments there are many), does so at their peril we believe.

   Next update: Part two of the HDC 'community' sham. West Street has got it all wrong. It's not Horse-ham it's Hor -sham!

155

posted 9th December 2013

Question: What does Horsham District Council's bullying Cabinet do when people stand up to them?

   Answer: Like all bullies, they go grizzling and crying to fetch their big brother. Cue Francis Maude, Horsham's MP, in his article in the West Sussex County Times (5th December 2013). Nice of the Council Times (WSHDCT) to give him the space eh? Time for Francis and the WSHDCT to tell the Horsham people how they have effectively 'got it all wrong' - and to tell them what they should be thinking and believing we feel; and to reinforce the HDC idea that our residents are too stupid to have an opinion of their own in (dis-) respect of Council activities.. 

   Indeed, as predicted, the Horsham people have started to 'wake up' up to HDC and find their voice, with widespread and deepening cynicism of HDC follies, including the shocking waste of money on West Street and HDC's overall planning mess. We liked the Liberty Property Trust inspired 'competition' to name Crawlsham very much. We particularly liked the entry of 'Ray's Folly' (a reference to Council leader Ray Dawe we think).

   One of the mainstays to Francis Maude's article was "The ancient Town Hall being given a new lease of life as Bill's has been a great draw to Horsham too." We'll debate this comment in a near future update. In the meantime however, it's worth remembering a few TRUE facts. Francis Maude originally supported community use of the Old Town Hall, waxing lyrical about the Tory party conference painting a community centre in Bournemouth, in 2006 and stating his support for community use of Horsham Town Hall in an interview in Sussex Life in 2010. The then Council leader, Liz Kitchen, assured him in writing that the Old Town Hall would be retained for community use in 2007. When Mrs Kitchen and HDC reneged on the pledge, Francis didn't raise a murmur. When questioned about the issue on the doorstep during the 2010 General Election he also said that he couldn't comment on Council matters. But now he can! There was nothing ever to stop him giving a personal opinion of course!

   Similarly, when our Trust raised issues of unethical procurement at HDC (amongst other things) David Cameron's office pledged a reply from Francis' Cabinet Office. No reply came. We do not blame Francis Maude for not sorting things personally, but it was in his powers to appoint someone who could we think. In any event, the promised reply would have been nice. The evidence suggests therefore that 'the HDC tail wags the parliamentary dog!' We feel that rather than being a signpost, Francis Maude blows in the wind like a weathercock - and the 'hot air' that blows him comes from HDC. A resultant personal U-turn has distinctly come about.

   Taking up other points in Francis Maude's article ... 

   "..of Horsham's 350 or so retail frontages more than half are independent businesses, ..." 

   But it is not likely to stay that way we think - and the disproportionate parking charges will probably see to that. Independent businesses have been closing and we have featured some of these on our site. We will no doubt continue to feature more. 

   "That is not to say that we don't need the big brand names which attract footfall, but the blend has to be carefully managed." 

   We have also featured big brand closures. Novartis, a big employer is one of them (conveniently for Francis' article though, it doesn't have a retail frontage). We think that the blend of both big brand names and independents will have to be 'managed down' further. 

   "Horsham has less than half the national average of empty units ..." 

   But more empty units than it had, with little prospect of a reversal at the moment we think. Francis also conveniently stays away from Horsham's £250,000 square feet of empty office space. This is three times what it used to be twenty years ago. The figure has flat lined in recent years as little new office space has been added (quite predictably). 

   "John Lewis and a new Waitrose are planned for 2015 for instance, and there is plenty more in the pipeline." 

   What specifically is in the pipeline? We will believe John Lewis when we see it. Waitrose will not be a new store either. Waitrose leaving Piries Place is likely to rip the heart out of the town centre we feel. 

   "... credit is due to local businesses and the council who drive investment in Horsham's future." 

   What specifically have the council done to drive investment? We think HDC has little to offer due to their failure to balance the books over the last 12 years. 

   "The physical environment is of course hugely important in attracting visitors and new businesses, the recent facelift of West Street and the development of East Street into the town's restaurant zone being good cases in point." 

   The West Street facelift was so important that some of our readers who went Christmas shopping recently failed to notice the changes altogether. The Yellow Sick Road, crazy paving, wibbly wobbly way, wavey pavey - call it what you like - it was hardly a good reason to spend all that money and cause such widespread disruption to local businesses in the run up to Christmas. It was reported that one local business estimated a £10,000 loss in trade, although they wished to remain nameless. 

   "Success also depends on having creative ideas about how to use the communal space, ...." 

   Such as turning over Market Square to Bill's empty chairs, with coloured blankets neatly folded over them. Brilliant! Luckily our Trust intervened on behalf of others like Artisan in the interests of fair competition (something that Francis' Party is supposed to stand up for). 

   "As other events become established as calendar favourites, new ones join in,.." 

   In recent updates to our site, we have featured the regular events that are no more. 

   "I am always proud to hear that Horsham has been voted or judged yet again to be one of the nicest places to live in the UK, ..." 

   Horsham District Council used to boast that Horsham was voted the second nicest .... (by someone, somewhere, not necessarily a representative sample of Horsham residents perhaps?). Now presumably, Horsham has slipped down this particular league table. By contrast, Horsham is the 'most anxious' we hear - and there are dispersal zones in areas of the town centre.

   In our observation, HDC (and now Francis Maude too it seems) are all spin, smoke and mirrors. It's all 'jam tomorrow' - and tomorrow we think - is unlikely to come. We doubt very much whether the Horsham people will be fooled by this guff and the 'proof of the Christmas pudding will be in the eating' next year.

Next update: What's really behind HDC's 'neighbourhood' and 'community' guff

(Part two).

156

posted 12th December 2013

Question: What's happened to your Part Two article about Horsham District Council's neighbourhood and community guff?

   Answer: Well, there has been a significantly good reaction to our latest update about Francis Maude. Nevertheless, in spite of the positive feedback - and in the spirit of Christmas, we thought we had better take the opportunity to balance things up a bit. Francis Maude is indeed a consensus politician, we acknowledge. When asked to give an opinion on matters it's (to paraphrase):

   ‘Well I agree with X' and 'I agree with Y'. 

   'We all need to sit down together and decide the best way forward on an informed basis, with group hugs all round.’

   We remember watching one of Francis' rare appearances on the BBC's 'Question Time' programme once. Viewers had to wait right until the end for a definitive opinion. When asked "Is the Queen value for money?" and, in a rare rush of blood, he actually answered, "Yes"!

   However, Francis Maude is not a 'bad guy' and can spot opportunities. He particularly realised that there needed to be some 'healing' after our Trust and Alan Harris (Cabinet Member for Leisure Services from his own party) was 'shafted' over the Old Town Hall by the HDC dinosaurs in 2006. Francis was also impressed by our paper to the local Chamber of Commerce about the Old Town Hall and the opportunities to exploit the Olympics at the Horsham Chamber of Commerce meeting in 2007. He asked for another copy of our paper via his secretary, recognising that the South East Economic Development Association speaker had been similarly impressed with our proposals. Unfortunately, for Francis Maude and for Horsham, it turned out that he had no influence over the dinosaurs in the HDC Cabinet.

The outgoing HDC Chairman, Bernard Baldwin also realised the need for healing over the Old Town Hall. Unfortunately, he left this task to dinosaur and incoming Chairman, Roger Paterson. The second Old Town Hall Advisory Group 'disappeared up its own backside' in an incompetent heap and HDC desperately reached for Bill's once more. As the battle raged on for many years, HDC behaviour became more and more extreme. We remember that it was once reported that even Tory Leader Michael Howard (nicknamed 'Dracula') was afraid of the dinosaurs in the Horsham Conservative Party. Now however, the dinosaurs at HDC are reaping what they have sown - increasingly widespread public cynicism - whilst we all pay through the nose for their arrogant behaviour and Horsham's lost opportunities.    

   In the face of this changing climate and landscape, it seems the HDC dinosaurs are turning to religion. Check out the West Sussex County Times (WSHDCT) headline: 

   "The people of the Horsham District and beyond came together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas at a carol service with a difference."

   And part of the WSHDCT's sycophantic text…

   "Horsham District Council was well-represented at the service by among others Leader Ray Dawe and his wife, Deputy Leader Helena Croft, Vice Chairman Christian Mitchell, and Chief Executive Tom Crowley. Independent councillor George Cockman had helped prepare the service ensuring its relevance to the Sussex theme and members of the Lib Dems were also present in good numbers."

   Let's be clear, our trust is not averse to some religion and heritage. We particularly fought hard (successfully) to put arts & heritage back on the Council's agenda when the 'false messiah' (former HDC leader Robert Nye) tried to remove it. We have staged 'Sussex Carol' style events of our own and co-project managed the Ralph Vaughan Williams commemoration concert at St. Mary's Church in 2008 (in conjunction with Horsham Museum and Horsham Folk Club). However, this latest bit of self-promotion by the HDC dinosaurs (as they search for an answer to their plight), reminds us of a story about the parables:

   Sunday School Teacher: "Hey, little girl, do you know the parable about Jesus turning the water into wine?"

   Little Girl: "Yes"

   Sunday School Teacher: "And do you know the moral of that story?"

   Little Girl: "Yes"

   Sunday School Teacher: "And what is that?"

   Little Girl : "When you run out of wine, get on your knees and pray."

   The environment is now changed and the HDC dinosaurs have run out of wine - having regularly raided the cellar in times of prosperity. They are now consequently more "whine" than 'wine". The sooner they become extinct the better!

   For example, at the 'bun fight' between the Chairman and a member of the public during yesterday's Council meeting, (11th Dec 2013), Chairman Phillip Circus whined "Show some respect for the office of the chairman and for the council.” The townspeople say (in partial tribute to the Monty Python re-union perhaps): "Why? What have the dinosaurs ever done for us?"

   These HDC Cabinet creatures generally roam the out of town areas, yet plunder the assets of the town e.g. Old Town Hall and Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre (Capitol and Drill Hall to follow perhaps) in order to feed their own. In order to demonstrate their size and power, the dinosaurs mostly stomp all over anyone or anything that they come across, driven by an increasing sense of insecurity as the landscape changes. As the people increasingly 'get wise' however, the dinosaurs will turn more and more to stealth. Fortunately, to the trained eye, it's not hard to spot 'a dinosaur in sheep’s clothing'!

Next update: The promised 'part two'.

157

posted 17th December 2013

Question: What about a tribute to Laura Skuce?

   Answer: Indeed so. Credit, where credit is due - the West Sussex Council Times did a great piece last Thursday. Laura was also one of the 52 musicians and artists that gave up their time and talent for the Horsham Community Festival (3rd September 2006) in support of the Old Town Hall community bid.

   Today, immediately below, we re-print Laura's billing and the Old Town Hall running order as our own tribute.

Tomorrow's update:    HDC's Neighbourhood Plans (Part Two) - really!

158

posted 18th December 2013

Question: What's behind Horsham District Council's Neighbourhood & Community guff?

   Answer: First, a comment on the spat between HDC's Chairman and a member of the public who asked a reasonable question: "Would there be a free vote". The spat drew attention away from the real problem of course, that the decision making process at HDC is appalling, leading to poor outcomes across the board.

The primary HDC decision making process is:

1) Leader/Cabinet decides what they want to do.

2) Manipulate the Council's officers to write a selective report, one that is sympathetic to the Leader/Cabinet position

3) If that is just too hard to create, bully the Council's officers into making recommendations that 'fly in the face' of the body of the report (and agree with the Cabinet/Leader position).

4) The Leader orders ruling party Councillors to block vote the recommendations through

5) Ruling party Councillors follow like sheep. If caught out by an amendment, one of the ruling party Cabinet Members will get up while a Liberal Democrat or Independent is speaking - and tell the other ruling party Councillors how to vote (yes, we've seen it done!)

   It makes us laugh/cry when we go to Council meetings and hear the prayers at the beginning "Oh Lord, help us to make good decisions today." The Good Lord knows that these irrational decisions have already been taken however, and that the staged, 'sham' debates are in fact, a waste of time.

   Chairman, Phillip Circus demands respect for the office of Chairman and the Council. We say however, that we have nothing but contempt for a body that demonstrably lacks honesty, honour and integrity (please see elsewhere on our site for the specific evidence).

    In relation to the recent spat, John Steele from the Horsham Society wrote on the wsct website as a comment in response to fireyfish27: Meetings are taped and you can ask for a CD if you make an application under the FOI Act.

   But as we discovered, if there is a discrepancy between what the Cabinet wants in the minutes and the local press representatives shorthand account - the official tape will become "unavailable due to technical problems". Normally, this is not necessary however, as the Council will just approve what they want in the minutes a month later and it becomes a 'true account' (although divorced somewhat from reality perhaps). The Lib Dems and independents are responsible for a lack of challenge here.

   But back to the task in hand. What's behind HDC's Community and Neighbourhood guff?

The Chairman of the Horsham Society said he wanted the Drill Hall and Capitol listed as community assets in case they were put up for sale. However, under the Localism Act community groups could also offer to run the facility - they would not have to be sold. They would need to be a 'qualified provider' of course and pass sensible procurement checks as we did with the Old Town Hall. They would also need not to be 'shafted' with some Council hidden agenda, resulting in a high and mighty, "I told you so, you really should have left it to us at HDC".

   Nevertheless, due to financial incompetence over the years, HDC needs the money and will surely need to ultimately sell the town's assets.

   Surely it would be fairer to put all Council assets up for sale, not just the towns? Sorry we forgot, in the ruling party areas, assets are protected and run by their Parish Councils. This is why Councillors undemocratically denied the right of the town's unparished areas to become parished via a Community Governance Review. The bogus reasoning given was 'cost' but the cost of the CGR was a tiny, tiny amount compared to some of HDC's accounted financial incompetence.

   During another 'sham debate' Cllr Christian Mitchell (next years HDC Chairman it seems) called Parish Councils "an unnecessary layer of cost and bureaucracy". However, to protect assets in ruling party areas, the ruling party Councillors think that Parishes are very necessary.  

   It's no surprise then, that the two leading areas as far as the development of Neighbourhood Plans under the Localism Act is concerned, are Nuthurst and West Grinstead Parish Councils. Close behind them comes 12 other Parish Councils such as Ashington, Pulborough, Shermanbury, Southwater, Warnham, West Chiltington and Woodmancote Parishes.

   Can we spot a common factor here?

Cllr Ray Dawe, Leader of Horsham District Council, said:

“Horsham District Council is building a reputation as one of the leading councils in the country for giving tangible support to empower communities to get involved in Neighbourhood Planning by giving them for the first time powerful planning tools and resources to do the job.

   What a load of guff.

   Firstly, let's be clear, HDC were no real fans of the Localism Act. Particularly, they had the opportunity to have on their books a 'showcase project' in the form of the Old Town Hall, as suggested by staff at the Department for Communities & Local Government when working on the consultation. However, they had to back away from this as a result of a destructive and irrational Council.

   Secondly, do HDC sincerely believe that the town's Neighbourhood Forums are going to be able to 'cut the mustard' here? We don't think so, otherwise selling the towns assets might become more difficult.

HDC do indeed say that a new 'financial package' has been agreed to give grants to Parishes and Neighbourhood Forums (for unparished parts of the District) to assist them with the work they will need to do to get well founded Neighbourhood Plans in place.

   However, there was a similar 'financial package' of £48,000 for village halls once. £40,000 was given to Dial Post Village Hall (near where Francis Maude lives) and no-one else got a look in. The other £8,000 went back into general funds.

   So why are HDC ruling Councillors suddenly converted to the merits of the Localism Act?

   1) They can easily sell the town's assets only - and have their own assets protected and run by the out-of-town Parishes

   2) After getting a recent 'panning' on planning, HDC can abdicate responsibility on planning. When the going gets tough, traditionally, the 'tough guy' HDC bullies get out of there. Do we all remember the Christmas lights debacle? Normally, HDC create (though still closely control) quangos like Horsham Unlimited, the Community Development Partnership etc. But under the Localism Act however, they can also ultimately delegate tough decisions and blame it on the Parishes. 

   Come to think of it, the HDC Arts & Heritage quango under Rev Toovey, is still 'missing in inaction' we think.

   In summary, HDC are a contemptible, big waste of space. They are actually the unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and cost. We will examine this in a bit more detail tomorrow.

159

posted 20th December 2013

Question: What's the latest news? - and when will you be back with the
Horsham District Council pantomime piece?