£3.62!!!!!

[Lammy]

In response to your query concerning the Council's expenditure on the Falmer Stadium Inquiry, I can give you the following information.

The Council's expenditure to date in respect of the Inquiry has amounted to just under £99,000, spread over the two financial years 2002/03 and 2003/04. It is estimated that the second phase of the Inquiry will require a further £35,000 to be spent, bringing the total to £134,000. For the typical taxpayer, in a Band D property, this represents £3.62 in Council Tax over the period. I should note that these costs exclude the time spent by the Council's own Planning and Legal staff in respect of this case.

The Council issued a press release in July explaining its position in respect of the Falmer Stadium planning application. This was as follows:

Lewes District Council welcomes the conclusions of the Inspector who conducted the Inquiry into the Falmer Stadium planning applications.

Councillor Neil Commin, Lead Member for Planning at Lewes District Council said "The Inquiry Inspector has recognised the severe adverse environmental impact of a stadium at Falmer in an area of outstanding natural beauty. We're hugely relieved for the residents of Falmer who have fought so long and hard to protect their village against this inappropriate development"

We've never said that the Football Club shouldn't have a new stadium but the proposal that it was Falmer or nothing was ill advised. We've always been convinced that there were other options within the Brighton conurbation that ought to be explored. The Secretary of State has recognised that alternative sites should be considered by deciding to re-open the Inquiry".

If you have any further queries concerning the Council's position in respect of the Falmer stadium planning enquiry, please contact the Council's Planning Department at planning@lewes.gov.uk.

I hope that you have found this information helpful. I should note that the Council, as its taxpayers would expect, places great importance on collecting all of the Council Tax that is due to it and will take action to enforce payment where necessary.



Stephen Jump
Financial Services Manager
Lewes District Council
Direct dial: 01273 484043

Mail to: Council Offices
Fisher Street
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 2DQ

 

[Marc]

write a letter and ask for the money back! or go direct to their offices, that'd f*** 'em up!

In fact that should be the idea, get as many BHA fans in Lewes District as possible to all descend on the Towns Council building one day all demanding money back...just like they do in the Simpsons!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Why not withhold that £3.62 next time LDC coming sniffing round for Council Tax and tell them why you're doing it? Only pay up the day you're due in court. In pennies.

 

[Lammy]

Why not withhold that £3.62 next time LDC coming sniffing round for Council Tax and tell them why you're doing it? Only pay up the day you're due in court. In pennies.

Or write a cheque on the bottom of a toilet seat?


(I'm too scared...)

 

[Seagull73]

Yeah interesting that he says the costs of the Legal & Planning staff is not included in that. Legal staff? Very expensive, even if it's their own.

 

[Seagull73]

And anyway, 3.62 is hardly the point. is represents AT LEAST 134,000 pounds of tax payers money that they did not know whether they had the right to spend?

 

[Wardy]

Or write a cheque on the bottom of a toilet seat?


(I'm too scared...)

Or on the back of a Falmer postcard

 

[Lammy]

Again this seems like something the FFA team could jump on. How about a "Did you know that LDC has spent £134,000 of tax payers money objecting to a planning issue in Brighton?"

Could raise a few eyebrows and kick up some opposition. There must be loads of youth clubs etc that have recently been denied much needed funds.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I was wondering if these people:

http://www.lgo.org.uk/

might not take an interest in this particular case?

 

[adrian29uk]

I believe as Council tax payers under Lewes District council that we have a case against them wasting our money without consulting us first. Is their not anyone we can report them too for wasting money??

 

[Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms]

They could at least give the people of Lewes District a chance to vote on Falmer in a referendum. Their argument that a stadium on the boundary is being foisted upon people who couldn't vote in the referendum will continue to ring hollow until they hold their own.

 

[Lammy]

I believe as Council tax payers under Lewes District council that we have a case against them wasting our money without consulting us first. Is their not anyone we can report them too for wasting money??

See MoH post

 

[Lammy]

I would stringly urge anyone who lives in the LDC area to first complain about this directly to the council. Then complain via the link above. If we get enough of us doing this alarm bells may start to ring.

 

[sully]

They need to assess how much time (and therefore cost) their own staff have input to this case. If they don't then they are blatantly lying by trying to make out they have only spent £134,000. It's likely to be substantially more than that.

Their staff could either have been doing other things more important to the people of Lewes district, or their numbers have been needlessly inflated, incurring cost to the tax payers. It would be interesting to see what their manning levels and recruitment activities have been over the period.

 

[Marc]

whens the best time to start properly getting this "Anti-£3.62p" thing off the ground? Now or right in the lead up to the re-opening of the inquiry?

If theres a decent percentage of Lewes residents ready to do something soonish it might force the Council to back out of the argument before the inquiry re-opens.

Or wait until nearer the time and throw in the "We will vote for others at the general election because of this" clause! or just use that anyway!

Either way something like this needs to be done as all Pro-Stadium Lewes Residents have a right to be at least heard, get on it!

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Their staff could have been doing other things more important to the people of Lewes district.

Like making sure the streets were cleaned. I went Christmas shopping there a few years back on one Saturday morning and the High Street was covered in kebab wrappings and other litter, decaying food and vomit from the night before. The council workers didn't turn up to clean it all up until 10 am. This is our County Town, for crying out loud. What must visitors think?

 

[Weezle]

write a letter and ask for the money back! or go direct to their offices, that'd f*** 'em up!

In fact that should be the idea, get as many BHA fans in Lewes District as possible to all descend on the Towns Council building one day all demanding money back...just like they do in the Simpsons!

This is a fantastic idea and would surely get much media coverage. If we can get sufficient numbers together it would make a great photo and story.

The amount they have spent would probably be two to three times the £134k they are claiming when taking into account internal costs. 'Sadly' i no longer live in the lewes district council area - but i would have certainly objected to this.

One defintely for FFA.

 

[Seagull Stew]

This needs to be made a sticky, so that all Lewes based Albion fans can organise something.
And the heading needs to be something along the lines of "LEWES BASED ALBION FANS READ HERE" rather than £3.62.

 

[Biscuit]

I cant wait till im old enough to withhold council tax!

 

[Lammy]

This needs to be made a sticky, so that all Lewes based Albion fans can organise something.
And the heading needs to be something along the lines of "LEWES BASED ALBION FANS READ HERE" rather than £3.62.

This thread is not the place to start a campaign from. Flattering though it is. My point is the FFA team needs to pick this up and run with it. A few banners up in the area saying "Your council has spent £134,000 on a planning project in Brighton!"

It would be better still if someone could obtain a higher figure than this that included internal costs. A Leaflet campaign, adverts in the local papers etc. There are three sets of people in the LDC area. Those that are for the Stadium, those who are against the stadium and those that couldn't give a toss. I'm sure two out of three of those groups would object to money being spent outside their own boundaries!

By all means email the Council and even complain to the link MoH provided but we need a FFA led initiative on this. We could beat them before they even get to court! The time waisting and delaying tactics would be null and void. We would effectively be attacking them on two fronts. For what? Because a few NIMBY's don't want a stadium near them.