‘Process has not been followed’ over skatepark replacement decision
Following September’s meetings of Stimpson’s Piece Charity and Reepham Town Council and the resignation of the town council chairman, former town councillor Mark Lester, who chaired the meetings, outlined his decision to also resign over the decision to replace the skatepark at the town’s recreation ground.
He said the statement that “fellow councillors agreed to approve the decision and contribute £25,000 towards the project”, which appeared in an article in the North Norfolk News and in the latest “Your Council Matters” on the Reepham Life website, was “factually incorrect”.
“To state that the £25,000 is ‘no longer required’ is misleading – it is town council funds and taxpayers’ money and represents about a third of the total annual precept for managing the assets/facilities in Reepham.”
Mr Lester said such a grant to the trustee (Reepham Town Council is the sole trustee of Stimpson’s Piece Charity) was not discussed or agreed during the subsequent town council meeting. Councillors need to be certain that such a grant is the best use of taxpayers’ money as it could set a precedent for how other future grant applications are dealt with, he added.
He also raised questions as to what was actually agreed at the Stimpson’s Piece Trustee meeting regarding the decision to replace the skatepark, which was removed in 2022 on safety grounds.
“Proposers and seconders were nominated during the meeting, but no votes were taken. While the trustee meetings are not governed by town council standing orders, there is still a need to act responsibly and if a proposal is nominated you would normally expect a show of hands. There was no agreement on what to replace the skatepark with, where it was to be located or how much it would actually cost,” he said.
“Further, the tender documents, which were not drafted by the town clerk but sent from another council, apparently in Essex, where they were used in another project, were never discussed and were not agreed. Councillors can not be expected to agree a tender document until such time as legal opinion has been obtained as councillors can not second guess what that opinion may be.”
He also commented on the “rude, loud and aggressive comments and behaviour” made by members of the public, including a former town councillor, during the Stimpson’s Piece meeting, and the small number of responses to the “skatepark survey” with its “leading” questions, which in his opinion was unrepresentative of the local community.
Mr Lester asserted that the town clerk and a certain town councillor have “undertaken to push decisions through without consideration of any other priorities at Stimpson’s Piece or elsewhere in Reepham, via bullying tactics and emotional outbursts, driven by the closing date for applications to Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Community Fund in November.”
He said too much importance has been placed on a single community fund, which, if successful, will only provide about 50% of the total funds needed to replace the skatepark. “Any application to the Hornsea 3 fund will need to have green credentials,” he pointed out. “A concrete skatepark made with hundreds of tonnes of concrete may not be considered appropriate.”
Mr Lester continued: “I do not want to be associated with a project that commits to spending such a large sum of money for the benefit of a small minority of one particular age group, without considering other priorities both at Stimpson’s Piece and elsewhere in the town.
“Process has not been followed and appropriate due diligence has not been carried out. Alternatives have not been studied and the less-experienced councillors have, in my view, been bullied and cajoled into making a decision where the implications, financial and otherwise, simply have not been considered.
“I am not anti-skatepark, far from it, but in my opinion such a large sum of money would go a long way to resolving many of the issues with the children’s play facilities at Stimpson’s Piece, the old tennis courts, replacing the ground source heating system at the community hall, etc., and even provide some cash to include a replacement skate ramp and more play equipment, so that all age groups will benefit in a well-managed and safe environment with easy access.”
Reepham Town Council has been contacted for comment.
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