Yesterday Was The Day - Oh No It Wasn't - Church Farm Museum

Well last night Skegness Town Council had the chance to decide to fund Church Far Museum (CFM) to the tune of £40,000. This would match the funding from Lincolnshire County Council and from the Friends Of Church Farm Museum. Unfortunately they did not take that opportunity. Why not? I don't think I can answer that question.

It could not be because of financial constraints as there is over £120,000 in the reserves. (Remember this figure as I will return to it later). If the £40k was donated to the CFM there would still be far more in the reserves than is recommended by the National Local Government Association, £80,000 when less than £60,000 is recommended, based on the precept.

So what did they decide? Well they have decided to ask us, the rate-payer whether this money should be donated. They are going to have a public consultation to see what we, the public want. Some might say this is a good thing and perhaps it is given that we are talking about £40,000, but the council has just decided how they are going to spend over £230,000 of our money next year without asking us. So why ask us about this? This public consultation better be quick as the Museum is due to open in April and it is now nearly February!!!!!

How much is the public consultation exercise going to cost? Probably several thousand pounds if they are going to contact every council tax payer in the Skegness Town Council area for their views, which they have to do to be fair to all.

As for the reserves. Well, I most certainly hope that if the money is donated to CFM, there is no plan to repeat the shocking rise in the Town Council share of the Council Tax that we saw last year. Then there was a rise of 23.5% simply to boost the reserves to where they are at the moment. As I have already stated, there is no real need for the reserves to be that high. I will certainly do everything I can to try and ensure that does not happen.

Personally I am at a loss on this one. A decision of either yes or no to the donation was really required and that decision has not been made. All seems very strange to me. I am sure this totally unnecessary procrastination will have upset those who have been working flat out to ensure that Church Farm Museum survives.

So what happens now. Well when the consultation is made the people of this town need to say a mighty YES to this funding. To do otherwise could very easily put the whole future of Church Farm Museum in jeopardy.