Just a recap to remind everyone in Farnham how the Tories fared in the borough council elections four years ago.
Villagers bemoan the loss of their green fields and countryside, and new properties being squeezed onto flood-prone sites. They put the blame squarely, but perhaps not fairly on its councillors – all of whom are Tories?
Councillor Christiaan Hesse the Conservative Councillor for Hindhead who hasn’t turned up for a single meeting for the past six months, was warned after four months and did not respond. Perhaps the voting fodder of Hindhead might think more carefully before they elect their next representative?
Although we reported that The Conservative Councillor for Hindhead Christiaan Hesse was dumped by your Waverley ten days ago, at last night’s Full Council Meeting it was announced officially by Leader Julia Potts. Saying – “he hasn’t turned up here for six months.”
Whisper who dares – and he does – frequently, in bounded, Lib Dem Godalming Councillor Paul Follows – who simply mentioned that since joining ‘Your Waverley’ he has enjoyed the “vigorous debating” and “ideas” put forward at various council meetings, at which he only wished more Conservative councillors would – “turn up and attend.” Adding that their non-attendance was an insult to the residents who elected them. WOW!
An utterly arrogant Mayor Denise Le Gal lightheartedly interjected by saying with a smile – they were normally referred to as…
CHINOS – ‘COUNCILLORS HERE IN NAME ONLY!’
At which point up shot Carole Cockburn saying she hoped the day would never come when councillors would have to spell out their reasons for non-attendance. Which could be through illness or personal.
But not to even have the good grace to write, or respond to the Council and resign Cllr Cockburn?
What excuse do you have for your Tory colleague for that?
Here at the WW, we have witnessed Councillor Hesse become more and more frustrated and disenchanted with your Tory administration, its decision-making, its unwillingness to listen to many insiders, let alone outsiders, your Tory-dominated inner-fold. Thereby hangs another tale of Tory dissent?
More prats deserting Waverley’s sinking Tory ship?
Perhaps he should update his Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiaanhesse/
Plus his biog says he is: Excellent written and oral communication and influence skills. High-level UK security cleared.
Some of the locals have been pouring over The Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust – AKA Cranleigh Village Private Nursing Home Trust’s – annual accounts. But, as per usual, this document throws up more questions than answers … A bit like the recent public meeting, despite an excellent presentation by Cranleigh’s Parish Clerk.
You can read that here: Where has all the money gone? Where has all the money gone?
No wonder the Lions Club is asking for its money back.
The accounts have not been examined by forensic accountants, just Derby & Joan, who found them remarkably vague and underwhelming when it comes to any substance or detail. All items in black are taken from the CVHT 2018 accounts.
DAYLIGHT ROBBERY or something more sinister? The word fraud comes to mind but we don’t want to be hasty …
What nincompoop sold the Parish silver for a measly £1? Particularly when it was valued by the District Valuer at the time at £250,000!
However, CVHT’s valuation figure is entirely false. As we understand this is a perceived value of the land when planning permission for a hospital, day hospital and GP Surgery was granted in 2006.
Therefore there is currently no planning permission for any development on the land. So what is its value?
Staff costs totalled £24,809 in 2018 which included pension contributions when £7,103 of goods were sold.
So exactly what were these charitable activities? No explanation is given.
It would appear that Trustee & President Nick Vrijland and wife, have been receiving £12,000 pa and then £9,000 pa in rent for the CVHT shop since its inception – which they conveniently own – until the last few trading, months when it plummeted to £2,250. Yet villagers had been led to believe the shop’s premises were being donated by a generous benefactor. Instead, one of the charity’s Trustees was making money out of the Trust. Conflict of interest or what?
It is well known within the village that the much-lauded “excellent” relationship that CVHT claims to have with Cranleigh Parish Council and The League of Friends DOES NOT exist. Parish records reveal there have been numerous acrimonious exchanges with parish councillors, over the lack of transparency and information. The League of Friends members sought the resignation of CVHT chairman Robin Fawkner Corbett from The League after CVHT wanted to forge closer links with The League, including taking over or “combining” its £2m+ funds with the Trust’s meagre funds!
Several of The League’s members have informed the WW that it will, NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES hand over funds it has collected from villagers in and around Cranleigh since the 1950s to anyone, in particular, the CVHT.
So, not content with snaffling all the funds Cranleigh residents and businesses raised for a replacement Cottage Hospital, the Privately Owned Care Home they are being fobbed off with is now hell-bent on gaining from the monies the villagers have raised for the existing Cottage Hospital. Funds which continue to be used to serve the local population in a way that the new Care Home cannot, will not and does not want to.
So it would seem that the Trustees are upping their game from DAYLIGHT ROBBERY to DEMANDING MONEY WITH MENACE!
So why are the beds now being made available to the residents of Surrey?Risk identified by the Trust.
Which quite obviously means, that without consent to build A2Dominion’s (a client of one of the Trustee’s company) that the residential accommodation for health workers, from far and wide, which contravenes the parish council covenant, this part of the scheme fails!
Last but not least?
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04253074/filing-history/filing-history
Six residents including Mr Terence Bachelor asked for a meeting to be held.
The Parish Council might find themselves in the hot seat when they are required to provide some answers to the residents of Cranleigh and nearby villages.
Let’s hope The Cranleigh Village Hospital Trustees will tell it as it is, and attempt to satisfy residents concerns too?
He said: “As much as we trust our parish council to work in the interest of the village, we can see this project changing.”
WHY? Has the Chamber of Trade changed its view? Secretary Jane O’Leary said: “Residents are frustrated by an apparent lack of openness.”
A REPLACEMENT THE HOSPITAL for which villagers fundraised over £1.5m has now morphed into something very different. Proving those earlier concerns were founded.
Now residents want to know, WHY parish land sold for £1 – will now be handed over on a platter by CVHT to HC-One headed by Mr Chai Patel – a national Care Management Group owners of 350 homes with 19,000 residents.
Planning for an 80-bed Private Care Home, and 20 Community Beds has met numerous delays, having been promised as a replacement for Cranleigh Hospital and Day Hospital for almost 20 years! Now exasperated villagers say they have waited – “long enough for answers” despite numerous attempts to extract them from the Charity by the Cranleigh Community Group – the Village noticeboard.
Now, the muddy waters of Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust’s scheme have become mired in further controversy following a posting by Cranleigh Society Secretary – Sue Dale, with answers provided by CVHT.
The following throws up more questions than the answers.
Chai Patel owner of HC-ONE was recently quoted as saying:
“Investing in the Care Home Sector can still be a winner.”
Sounds like a winner for you Mr Patel – and a loser for the village dubbed by Waverley as “Poor old Cranleigh.’
Because Court Canvedish which owns HC-ONE has just sold off all its UK Social Care business to Australian Pensions Giant AMP and is seeking a buyer for its CARE HOME business HC-ONE. So could the proposed new partner of Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust be an Ozzie – or the Chinese – or the Russians?
The other winner is Surrey County Council. Closes down a 65-bed Nursing and Dementia Home – and takes 20 community beds with the NHS on a budget which has not been approved and operated by HC-ONE – a private provider. SCC sells its Longfields, Cranleigh site for – housing? and trousers the money?
The Waverley Web will be at the meeting. Hanging as usual, from one of the dusty corners of Cranleigh Village Hall – if we can find it?
A Cranleigh resident sent us this news cutting taken from a local paper – didn’t say which one – we presume the Sorry Ad – dated 1987?
And – you wouldn’t Adam and Eve it – but the name Nick Vrijland lept off the page as 30 years ago when Cllr Elwyn Williams was chairman of Cranleigh ~Parish Council the Flying Dutchman wanted to do a – yes – you guessed – “a land swap.” What for – we hear you cry – was it for a Private Nursing Home or a hospital – no it was for a “small amount of development” and a service road through Knowle Park with local builder the late Mr Gordon Thomas.
Now – unlike the land swap that took place in 2002 – with the Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust – the earlier land swap was viewed with slightly more than a little scepticism by the Wily Cllr Williams.
However, it would appear that if you hang on in there – all your dreams will come true because the Knowle Park ~Inititative has been approved by Waverley including a new road – but the scheme has hit the buffers because the Environment Agency has objected to the owners moving the stream and upsetting the wildlife.
Perhaps the Environment Agency has decided to act as the same developer dredged the Cranleigh Waters on his West Cranleigh ~Nurseries land, which altered the flow of the river further downstream, affecting other development in Elmbridge?
“Oh what a tangled web you weave when once you practise to deceive.”
EA objection to Parkland 15-01-19
We are including a pdf of the article you can enjoy reading it word for word. Knowle Park2
Batty – has latent ambitions, we’re told, to step into the shoes of the late, unlamented Life of Brian, former Chairman of Cranleigh Parish Council.
Bully-Boy-Brian didn’t believe in democracy and whilst, give him his due, he chaired parish council meetings, all the important decisions were made behind closed doors, with a chosen few, including wife of Brian. They were duped into accepting a land swap for a football field with a Ransome strip surrounding it? Embarked upon some extremely dubious shenanigans to provide an access along the Snoxhall Fields access road – and supported use of former parish land to allow A2Dominion to build residential flats there. But even they didn’t know that an A2D director was a CVHT Trustee? From the information spewing into us from a host of people, including former councillors, we could go on, and on…
But then we will leave it to (Don’t mention the H word) who are busy running ragged trying to convince everyone in and around Cranleigh New Town there really is something in it for them. There are two meetings tonight! One at the Civic Society another at Snox Hall where the parish council consider the scheme – on land it once owned and swapped for a replacement HOSPITAL.
Apparently, according to the Mutter on the street new bully-on-the-block Bamford is incandescent with the Waverley Web because we have … wait for it, …wait for it … Drum roll because It’s a biggy:
We have dared to TELL THE TRUTH!!!
Because if you don’t – someone will tell it for you.
Yes, there you have it, folks, the Waverley Web has dared to reveal the little secret that the Cranleigh Village (Don’t mention the H-word) Trust is desperate to conceal: that it isn’t what it says on the can!
According to embattled and berated Cranleigh residents and businesses – who wish to remain nameless for fear of reprisals – new BOTB Bamford considers himself to be the public face of Cranleigh. Never mind the views of the democratically elected Parish Council, in his capacity as Vice-Chair of Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce, new BOTB wants to speak for all of Cranleigh – or at least all those that he thinks matters!
What is it about some people that the minute they assume a semi-public role – even in a tiny pond like Cranleigh – that makes them think they morph overnight into sagacious men of business and statesmen of the village? And why do they think they can completely disregard and sweep into the gutter the aspirations and views of the many thousands of residents who believed in and fund-raised for a new village hospital – not only in name but in deed?
The answer, in part, is that power corrupts – even in tiny doses, which is all new BOTB currently has. But can you imagine what a jumped-up popinjay he’s set to become if ever he reaches the giddy heights of Chairman of the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce? May God preserve us if the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce doesn’t!
Sadly, he has convinced himself that he’s the only person with the wit and ingenuity to decide when a village hospital is a village hospital – or not as is the case here – and if anyone disagrees with him woe betide them – or so we’re told – more of which below.
We at the Waverley Web are shaking in our bunker because, we’re told, despite a 14.4% rise in crime in Surrey for the period 2017/18, with an astonishing 72,800 incidents reported during the period, Peanut wants the police to investigate us!
Yep, folks, you did read that right. According to our Cranleigh followers, BB is running around Cranleigh streets telling anyone who will listen that he wants the police to waste their very limited and valuable resources investigating and exposing the contributors to the Waverley Web, instead of concentrating on the more pressing issues of an 8.4% rise in burglaries in the county, incidents of domestic violence, rape and vehicle-related crimes.
Our crime? Apparently, we’re guilty of upsetting him and his village-wide view. Now, of course, we understand that the police are required to protect and support minorities, but, seriously, does he really think being one of the few people in Cranleigh to support the debacle that the Cranleigh Village (don’t mention the H-word) Trust has become is really what being a member of a minority group is all about?!
Whilst BB ponders that complex problem, we await the dawn raid and have a working title of Truncheons at Dawn for the ensuing article
Our followers over there in the New Town are filling our inboxes with stuff about crime, vandalism, flooding, overdevelopment on its countryside, HGV’s thundering through their High Street and more… including, loss of recycling… In fact, we could write a book, not a blog!
Over here in Farnham we are, about to lose our recycling facilities too – and our post office! Yours may be next?
Now another Charity Shop is moving into Cranleigh – this time its the Cats Protection League and according to our followers over there, it has had a nice new shiny newly-built shop tailor-made for them!
The Deputy – no doubt soon to be Chairman, of the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce, is asking the townsfolk what they think about the newcomer. Well, it’s been raining cats and dogs for weeks, but perhaps he doesn’t like cats? Perhaps the locals are
Martin Bamford
Admin · Yesterday at 10:35
Brand new shop unit built and we get…another charity shop. Thoughts?
Beckie Weeks Someone asked what the people of Cranleigh would like to see in the village rather than another charity shop. Although I agree Cranleigh is a village which compliments shops such as Manns and Cromwell’s there are people in the village who sometimes can’t afford to shop there regularly. Maybe giving the option of a small version of pound land, savers, Wilkinsons perhaps would be good to extend the shopping range to all of Cranleigh and keeping people shopping in the village rather than travelling to nearby towns…and what they save in bus fare could then be spent on a cuppa at Cromwell or treat in Manns!!! Cranleigh is now diversifying in the range of people living here so maybe the shops could reflect that??? 😊
Peter Stanford Beckie Weeks I agree, affordability is the key both for the shop owners and the customers, but how to attract the shops is a big question.
I would add to your list Aldi, shopping that is affordable but still retains quality.
The people of Burpham didn’…
Beckie Weeks Peter Stanford also would be good but would they put it in Cranleigh with 3 supermarkets already!!! It would be awesome though!!! But yes if the shops were there to please all sorts of customers we could retain village life. People have said maybe it’s rent of shop units being so high..so maybe bring the rent down per month but write a longer lease in the contract so the shops pay less but are here to stay for longer periods of time????
Hannah Nicholson Martin Bamford is this really necessary on this page when you actually posted about this already?
Hannah Nicholson Grow up eh, you are like a child behaving like the class clown to attention seek and thinking you’re funny. It’s pathetic. Anyone looking at this ‘community board’ and thinking of moving here for a nice community would drive the other way.