It’s all kicking off in Alfold as news of the Parish Council’s unexpected windfall – of £276,400 – and subsequent spending spree – of the same – began to spread like wildfire around the village and the phrase, ‘WTF?’ went viral as residents across the borough, not just in Alfold, began to ask what on earth had been going on in not so sleepy Alfold (population circa 1000)?
Here at the Waverley Web, our inbox hasn’t stopped pinging. Many of the postings have been unprintable and speculation is rife about what exactly Alfold Parish Councillors have been up to, under the aegis of outgoing Chairman Nik Pigeon and Clerk Beverly Weddell.
The Waverley Web doesn’t know but the rumour mill has gone into overdrive and it isn’t just Alfold residents who are demanding an explanation.
Several correspondents have speculated that Crystal Tipps Weddell, who is up to her ringlets in Protect our Little Corner, has been laundering donations for the organisation through the Parish Council.
Assuming that is the case, Why can’t POW manage its own dirty linen? is a question that many people are asking.
Others are surmising that POW, with the connivance of Alfold Parish Council and, in particular, Crystal Tipps Weddell might be concealing the true extent of its financial resources in order to improve its chances of securing protection from the costs of its High Court Challenge to Waverley Borough Council, the Secretary of State and the Dunsfold Developer. All under something called the Aarhus Convention.
We understand POW has been pleading poverty claiming to have only pennies in its bank account – which even the High Court Judge found less than credible – but if they’ve been ‘laundering’ their cash through the Parish Council’s bank account that would go a long way to explaining the, to-date, inexplicable paucity of their own bank account!
Is anyone going to inform the Judge of this latest development in POW’s financial affairs? Cue Julia Potts, Daniel Bainbridge, Tom Horwood, the Dunsfold Developer, the Secretary of State … Hello? Is anyone out there watching and listening to what’s going on under their noses?
The Waverley Web is no expert on the affairs – financial or otherwise – of Parish Councils but, helpfully, one of our readers is and she provided the following explanatory note for us:
‘I do know a thing or two about parish council finance and think this is worrying. I’ve had a little look at the APC website and I can tell you what is missing! The external auditor’s report has not been published – and the law requires that that should have been placed on the parish council’s website by 30 September. It is possible that the external auditor has not yet reported – the external auditor appointed to cover Surrey parishes has struggled with workload this year and some reports have been delayed (although I would have expected to see something to this effect published on the APC website by 30 September). The external auditor checks variances between years and asks for an explanation of significant differences – I’d love to see the explanation given here. I wonder how long it will be before the external audit report appears here with the rest of the annual accounts information? http://www.alfold.org/page12.html
So our question – and that of many other Waverley residents – is: Where is the external auditor’s report?
And, whilst we’re on the subject, a lot of people think Chairman Pigeon and Clerk Weddell have some explaining to do!
Rumours abound in the Alfold Barn and The Compasses, that Nik Pigeon is standing down as Chairman of Alfold Parish Council – before he’s pushed? – and Chris Britton (Cap’n Bob’s No2 at Protect our Little Corner) is going to be catapulted into his place.
What? WHAT? WHAT? we hear you say ... Well, it is only a rumour and we’d given it little credence to date – after all, what Parish Council in its right mind would elect a Chairman who hadn’t served a day, let alone six months as a Parish Councillor, in order to learn the ropes? But the mutter in the Alfold gutter is that Thakeham Homes – which may or may not have been contributing to POW’s coffers – is simply waiting for POW to get the Dunsfold Park decision thrown out by the High Court, before resuscitating its own application at Springbok. The plan, so we’ve been told, is to dust down the Springbok application and slap it in with slightly fewer homes, safe in the knowledge that if Waverley’s Local Plan goes down and the Dunsfold development with it, there will be a window of opportunity for other developers to fill the void and concrete over everywhere but the biggest brownfield site in the borough.
But of course, others may think that. The Waverley Web couldn’t-possibly comment.
Nik Pigeon, who has previously admitted to a pecuniary interest in relation to the Springbok application, is thought to have been in favour of the scheme from the get-go and Chris Britton is happy to build anywhere in the Borough, absolutely anywhere, except at Dunsfold Aerodrome because his home, in Hall Place, overlooks the airfield. Poor old Awfold, talk about going from the frying pan into the fire … when it comes to Parish Council Chairman they’ve really hit bottom and yet, still they keep on digging!
So, there you have it, folks, another everyday tale of Country Folk … or do we mean Skullduggery in the Shires?
Watch this space for further developments (no pun intended!) and, in between times, keep checking the Awfold Parish Council website for the External Auditor’s Report.
Well now Wavey needs to do a bit of fact checking [like wot i do] before he go’s posting scurraless alligasions allover the interweb.!!!
coz when i was over at Dunsfold at the Weak End … read about it in me coment on follow the money … and i was talking to that nice man in the pub wot brought me a number of gin&tonix,,, well seeing how as im intrested in Local Pollyticks he told me a bit about Dunsfold Perish Councel;, and wot he sed is that 1 of them was ellected as a counceller,, first time evar,, and then immeadiatly made Chair Man of the councel … yunannimusly voted by the other councellers {{wot did,nt want to do the Job them.selfs i spect}}} … so wot Wavey sez … wot he sed was {copy/paist}…..
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so is Wavey saying that Dunsfold parissh councel is’nt innits Righht Mind??? wich is a bit of a Slerr (speling?) on them councellers,,, or is he just ingorent of how Locall Polytiks werks??? being cherritable i,ll assume its his Igngnorence. well he sez so him self actsualy!!! [copy/paist again}….
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but that doe,snt stop Wavey from throwing alligations aroundabout stuff he knows nuffin about!!!
if the nice man in the Sun is reading this… hello darling!! … i hope you dont’ mind me kwoting you … and youve got me number if you change your mind about Meeting Up with me,,, wink wink;
And an other thing … Wwaveyweb sez that Dusnfold Airadrome is the Burrers biggest brown feild sight;;; well i sez to meself thats odd,,, coz i seen it lodes of times on BBC Top Geer,, , you know the bit where they got some miner slebritys to drive round the run ways in a Reasonibly Prized Car as fast as they can go with out loosing controll … and its’ not Brown a.tall,,, its’ reely quite nice and Green. on the telly any way… but you can never trussed wot you.see on the telly. speshly the bbc.
so i thouhgt to meself i know!! ill go and look it up on Googel Earth wich is a web sight where they have aireyal photos of the hole World. encluding Dun’s Fold. !!! and yes its’ really a Green Feild siet with 3 run ways in the midle of it … if they was to digg up them run ways it would be a luvvly green feild,,, only brown where the congcrete uste to be and that would soon grass over.. and it would be a Shame to builld 1000s of houses allover it and jamm up the a281 even more.
so i think you should all take evrything wot Wavey sez with a Big Pinch of Salt … meaning that he don’t allways say the Truth the hol Truth and nuffin but the Truth,, eether coz he’s trying to Stirr things up [wot i think meself] or coz hes’ miss informed and bleeves any old rubish poeple tell him!!!
Luv, Stacy xxx
“Checking Facts coz Others ca’nt be botherd”
Oh deer! me copy/paists did,nt work proply… well this is the first 1;;;
what Parish Council in its right mind would elect a Chairman who hadn’t served a day, let alone six months as a Parish Councillor, in order to learn the ropes?
and this is number 2…
The Waverley Web is no expert on the affairs – financial or otherwise – of Parish Councils
xxx Stace
Come back Peppa Pig – all is forgiven!!!
Dear Stacy, for an outsider you seem to get about a bit, don’t you? Land up in The Sun, and get a couple of drinks from a nice bloke at the bar – just on the very same night that Protect Our Little Corner was having a fundraiser. Wot a cleva girl yu R!! (In your speak) – then you just happen to bump into someone else who happens to know a lot about Dunsfold Parish Council, and learn about how they parachute new councillors into their ranks.
Pity someone in the pub didn’t tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, not that we want to knock a nice girl like you off your stilettos – that a brownfield site, doesn’t actually mean that the grass is brown – it actually means a previously developed site. A site that has been recognised as such by Waverley Council, Surrey County Council, A Government Inspector – and the Secretary of State for Communities.
However, Stacy, next time you’re in Dunsfold don’t go in the pub, pop down to the village church and hear what the All Mighty has to say – because POW will be appealing to him next.
Tell the truth – or others will be forced to tell it for you.
Hello Wavey how nice of you to do a messidge jest 4 me … But! – you do,nt seem to read verry well … or praps its youre Comperhention is Lacking … you say i went in to the Sun on the pow quiz night??? no, the only time ive bin in their was on Sunday {the verry wet one last weak end} … quite uppropriette relly, going to the Sun on Sunday altho we did’nt see any sun that day!!!… and i had me little chat with the man ther.
and it was in that same convosation with the verry same man that he tolled me about the Duns fold councel,,, we talked for harf an our or more,,, time for him to byu me 3 g&t’s if you look at me coment,s,,, i do down em quite fast,,, but still i took me time coz i thought there mite be some bizness there,,, but no luck.
Another thing he tolled me (if youl bleeve it was the same bloke whichit was) is that Someone he called The Flyeing Scotts Man (??? dunno who) uist to claim E.U. agrocultcheral subsidys on the Airfeild… i do,nt see how he could of done that unles it was a Green Feild … he made hay off the grass upperantly and probaly sold it to horse owners {i sed probaly, th e pubbloke dint say that}!!! defnitly if it was a Previusly Devellapped Brown Feild Siite he would,nt of got Farming Payements would he?.;;; not even off of the E.U.
– but maybe he {the bloke in the pub} was lieing to me … dunno why he;d do that tho. ??? lets just say it could be an unfoundid vishus roomer. [[[ i spect you know all abbout them wavey. ]]] oh and he allso sed the Airfeild contanes Antient Wood Land wich meens 400yrs Old or more. id think that having lots of Senturies Old Trees in a sposedly Brown Feild would be a bit of a Problem for geting Planing Permittion!!!
you call me an outsider,,, i prefer to do my werk In.side tho but i have occationly workt Out.side under the moon and starrs if the pryce was rigth!! 😉 – bloddy chilli tho. i do,nt live in Duns Fold but i do live in Waverly ,,, not saying where(secureity)… and i allways take an intrest in Locall matters:::
So you like stilletoes do you? Just imadgin me in me fishnets stokings and 3inch stilletoes,,, they say ive got nice leggs and im sure youll aggree if we meet up someday,,, hint hint … i have to give me email when i post so no dowt you can find it ifyou want 😉
Gosh its’ 6 oclock all reddy and ive gott a date 2nite… must rush,,, by 4 now.
Luv, Stacy xxx
“On the Side of the Angells”
It is not the usual practice of Alfold Parish Council to comment on or respond to the published remarks of Waverley Web. However, in view of the insinuations of impropriety by the council and some of its officers, a full explanation is set out below.
Alfold Parish Council’s accounts for the year ended 31.3.18, to which you refer, have gone through an Internal Audit and the final report from the External Auditor is awaited, which would usually be submitted by 30th September. The newly appointed auditor for Surrey councils has experienced delays and we do not yet have the final report. As soon as we do, it will be added to the website along with the other audit documents. In accordance with the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, any elector in Alfold Parish may inspect the accounts and the full submission to the External Auditor, which does include the Explanation of Variances. Any elector wishing to do so may make an appointment by emailing clerk@alfoldparishcouncil.co.uk.
The £250,425 received in grants and donations in the financial year ended 31.3.18 was for the Joint Parish Councils’ costs, and expended, as Rule 6 Parties at the Public Inquiry following the Secretary of State’s decision to call-in the decision to grant permission for 1800 houses at Dunsfold Park. The sum is made up of contributions from the other parish councils as well as donations from members of the public. Parish Councils are entitled to engage in legal proceedings, including inquiries, under Section 222 of the Local Government Act 1972. The ability of the Council to incur costs is incidental to that power.
Since the completion of the Public Inquiry in August 2017 Alfold Parish Council has not received any donations or incurred any costs in relation to any legal proceedings concerning the Dunsfold Park application or the Local Plan and has had no involvement in POW’s most recent legal challenge whatsoever.
The facts relating to the increase in the council’s turnover and its acting as banker for the Joint Parish Councils were given during various meetings throughout the year and were in the public domain.
Alfold Parish Council does not propose to enter into further correspondence on this matter but will happily deal with any genuine enquiries either at council meetings or by correspondence.
Ouch! has the WW hit where it hurts! It will be interesting to see if Alfold residents are awake enough to seek answers to a few questions because this response is about as clear as mud! We will not be posing those questions, we will leave it to the people of Alfold, who we are sure will get to the bottom of why, and on and whose behalf, this considerable sum of money was collected? No doubt they will also be asking why the clerk earned so much money for working “overtime” on their behalf?
Perhaps if villagers do make “genuine enquiries” and receive equally genuine and transparent answers they would be kind enough to let us know?