Fair rate expected

Mrs Whiting refers to the “heat” between the two bodies, but it would appear that this is due entirely to the claimed “bad debt”.

She tells us the hall has been subsidising the council, but the facts show that this is not the case,

With respect to electricity, when the cabin was connected to the hall’s electricity supply, a meter was installed to record usage, and this meter was read in December, showing that, since installation, the cabin had used 13,270 units, for which the council has paid a total of £1,150 to the hall, and the hall has paid around £1,332 for this electricity. An error of £182 – I feel sure the council will pay this!

With respect to the rent for the ground used by the council cabin, Mrs Whiting tells us the Charities Commission has told her she must charge a fair rate.

But the lease from the Warren Recreation Ground Trust, whose sole trustee is the parish council, undertakes not to “assign the premises or underlet the same”, so it is not possible to make comparisons with commercial rates.

In fact, since the hall does not charge its users for parking, the £20 per month paid to the hall by the council represents money the hall could not have got in any other way. No subsidy here!

So how can an increase of 950 per cent in this charge to £190 be justified?

Finally, both organisations exist to benefit East Preston – surely they should work in harmony as they did for some 30 years until the current executive management committee of the hall? If not, why not?

There has been no management committee meeting to review the new executive committee’s performance – surely it is time to hold one?

Alastair Sharp

Sea Road

East Preston