Braddan Commissioners Community Centre

[yorik]

9 minutes ago, JessTickle said:

I am a bit tired to give a full de brief as it went on for 2 3/4 hours.

John Quay was most definitely not there - they gave his apologies.

Andrew Jessop did not seem to grasp (care?) that they should have reconsidered or stopped once the project costings had started spiral.

He smirked repeatedly and this was commented on from the floor quite a bit.  He came across as rather arrogant and superior.

The business plan had been obtained via FOI and remained unchanged between planning (?) applications despite a price rise of £1M

He advised the cost to run the place for 12 months is £1M which includes interest of around £380k.  Income (when fully operational) will not cover anywhere near the cost to run - but AJ repeatedly said that this was ok as they were a not for profit organisation

The difference between income and expenditure and the fact the costs to run it weren't event being met were repeatedly pointed out, but fell on deaf ears.

It was confirmed that the 37% raise in rates related solely to the interest that was due on the loan.

The accounts for last year have not been signed off by the auditor - AJ stated this was due to a going concern issue.  There was much blame shifting regarding valuations and that no local estate agent was insured to value anything over £4m so they were having to find someone from across to do it.  He stated that they had only found out the auditor wouldn't sign off in the last couple of weeks.  He then confirmed that the accounts should have been filed by 31 October so were considerably late.  They have an extension till 2 April to submit - he didn't seem confident that this deadline would be met or have an answer as to what their plan was if they didn't.

Much talk about the building not being worth what it had cost, but this was the same with some flats they had built.............

Let's also not forget the wonderful comment that we should be grateful for having a facility that will be the envy of the rest of the island

[asitis]

6 hours ago, JessTickle said:

Andrew Jessop did not seem to grasp (care?) that they should have reconsidered or stopped once the project costings had started spiral.

Now where have we seen this attitude before !

[JessTickle]

7 hours ago, yorik said:

Let's also not forget the wonderful comment that we should be grateful for having a facility that will be the envy of the rest of the island

Or that for their next costly trick they are considering taking legal action against the Gov.

Buckle up Braddan, it's going to be an expensive ride!

[Non-Believer]

People seem to lose all humility after they accede to public office on this Island.

And common sense.

[Banker]

As a ratepayer and who also attended last night I was stunned by the massive shortfall in income over expenses for the new building, I thought it was supposed to be self funded. They obviously can’t afford to build the new road and need to sell assets/cut expenditure/raise income asap.

Jessop & co need a detailed plan to show how they will sort this mess.

[JessTickle]

10 minutes ago, Banker said:

As a ratepayer and who also attended last night I was stunned by the massive shortfall in income over expenses for the new building, I thought it was supposed to be self funded. They obviously can’t afford to build the new road and need to sell assets/cut expenditure/raise income asap.

Jessop & co need a detailed plan to show how they will sort this mess.

But its going to be paid off in 30 years, so what does it matter!!  Braddan Commissioners are a not for profit organisation!

What was staggering was that it was repeatedly pointed out to them that any business plan should have the building at least breaking even.  This was apparently never the case - it always was that the rate payer was going to pick up the short fall

It was admitted that a short fall of circa £500k is expected each year.  AJ said they had no idea when the building would cover its costs. 

He smirked and deflected for 2 3/4 hours.  There is no way in hell they will come up with a detailed plan to sort this mess out.

Edited March 12 by JessTickle

[Banker]

Just now, JessTickle said:

But its going to be paid off in 30 years, so what does it matter!!  Braddan Commissioners are a not for profit organisation!

What was staggering was that it was repeatedly pointed out to them that any business plan should have the building at least breaking even.  This was apparently never the case - it always was that the rate payer was going to pick up the short fall

It was admitted that a short fall of circa £500k was expected each year.  AJ said they had no idea when the building would cover its costs. 

He smirked and deflected for 2 3/4 hours.  There is no way in hell they will come up with a detailed plan to sort this mess out.

Clare Christian has a good summary on her Facebook page and is virtually predicting a government bailout will be needed in due course!

[Jarndyce]

13 minutes ago, Banker said:

Jessop & co need a detailed plan to show how they will sort this mess.

It’s the ratepayers who need the detailed plan…to vote them out at the next local election.

However, Jessop will be preparing for action at the next general election - the utter contempt for the ratepayers and the lack of fiscal responsibility demonstrated signposts that he’d be the perfect MHK, ideally joining the Treasury team!   He’d fit right in!

Edited March 12 by Jarndyce
Typo

[joebean]

It’s clear that this was a vanity project from the outset, led by people with no business sense and a total belief in their own self-importance. Jessop has a long history of ridiculous behaviour and attitudes and the people of Braddan must accept some responsibility for allowing him to be in a position where he could drive this debacle forward. He will now play the victim card and try to suggest it is Givernment’s fault. To some extent it is, as the issues should have been seen and some brakes applied to it. I’m not sure what power exists to do that though.

The next course of action for Braddan must surely be to clear out these incompetents from their authority; elect people with business sense and the ability to work with Government to resolve this mess for their ratepayers and for some action to be taken against those responsible for maladministration. Acting in such a cavalier fashion with finances should not be tolerated. 

Edited March 12 by joebean

[Banker]

was present at the requisition meeting held at the Round House this evening, which saw a turnout of around 150 people, indicating strong interest in the matter for residents of Braddan and surrounding areas.

My reason for attending was due to a Douglas South constituent, who owns a business and is a new tenant at the round house, and also Douglas South parents, who will be using the nursery and sensory hub, had reached out to me expressing their concerns.

The meeting was initiated by Braddan constituents, who expressed their dissatisfaction at not having a say in the construction of the building, lack of communication, and the financial burden on Braddan ratepayers for the foreseeable future resulting in increased Rates of up to 36.6%. The transparency of the costs associated with the building was a major point of contention during the meeting, as many residents were unaware of the total expenditure, especially considering the grand design that amounted to £10 million.

A pressing issue arose when Mr Jessop confirmed the 2023 accounts were not submitted due to auditors requiring additional information, including a valuation of the building. However, the challenge of finding a local estate agent with sufficient indemnity insurance coverage to appraise properties exceeding £4 million led to seeking a firm in the UK, albeit at an undisclosed cost to rate payers. Braddan Commissioners have till the 2nd April to submit the accounts an extension from 31st October 2023. Residents were skeptical that this would be done in three weeks considering an estate agent had not been appointed.

The Braddan Commissioners faced pressure to provide simple expenditure and income projected financial details during the meeting, and uncertainty prevailed as conflicting running cost figures were presented from £700k to £1million. Income was estimated at £1000 per day if fully operational.

Additionally, Braddan Commissioner Mr Jessop said the absence of permission to construct an access road added to the existing concerns, emphasising the need for clarity from the central government.

Residents expressed their frustrations over the perceived lack of accountability and transparency, accompanied by accusations of financial mismanagement were questioned by some residents leading to calls for the Chair Mr Jessop’s resignation.

Some residents voiced they didn’t ask for a building like this, and feel they have been forced into paying for it.

There were also some other possible solutions mooted by residents - to sell off some of the land near the round house to build houses to help pay off some of the debt.

Moving forward, prompt registration of businesses and adherence to planning conditions, such as the installation of a pedestrian crossing, were highlighted as essential steps, and could not be omitted as these were planning conditions. A solution of a temporary pedestrian crossing has been agreed so that the nursery can be registered asap.

Efforts to expedite solutions were acknowledged by Minister Poole Wilson (there in her capacity as a Braddan MHK), underscoring the collaborative approach between the government and Braddan Commissioners.

Finally there were calls for local government reform and the establishment of an all-island leisure rate were also raised by some residents, signifying a broader desire for change within the community.

My gut feeling… we haven’t heard the last about this development. While the businesses currently there I believe will be a success as they are run by very passionate individuals, I do worry about the long term financial commitment to support this building. Potentially this could eventually end up either being subsidised by central government (ultimately tax payers) or if in fact an all island leisure rate came to pass, again then being paid for by all island residents. Central Government and Braddan Commissioners must collaborate to get the round house fully operational to maximise revenue to offset the debt, or else Central Government might ultimately bear the financial burden regardless.

Claire Christian’s summary above

[Non-Believer]

Jessopp clearly possesses the responsibility levels of a small child. I wonder if he was one of the posters on these boards so vociferously and aggressively defending the project a couple of years ago?

This debacle should serve as a warning to those, island-wide, who elect some of these day dreamers and idealists with very little grounding in reality into the positions of power over public finances. In the language of "the lower decks"; these Fucking Idiots.

 

[x-in-man]

This is an absolute farce.

It's like an IOM Government sitcom set in a small town.

 

 

[joebean]

22 minutes ago, Banker said:

was present at the requisition meeting held at the Round House this evening, which saw a turnout of around 150 people, indicating strong interest in the matter for residents of Braddan and surrounding areas.

My reason for attending was due to a Douglas South constituent, who owns a business and is a new tenant at the round house, and also Douglas South parents, who will be using the nursery and sensory hub, had reached out to me expressing their concerns.

The meeting was initiated by Braddan constituents, who expressed their dissatisfaction at not having a say in the construction of the building, lack of communication, and the financial burden on Braddan ratepayers for the foreseeable future resulting in increased Rates of up to 36.6%. The transparency of the costs associated with the building was a major point of contention during the meeting, as many residents were unaware of the total expenditure, especially considering the grand design that amounted to £10 million.

A pressing issue arose when Mr Jessop confirmed the 2023 accounts were not submitted due to auditors requiring additional information, including a valuation of the building. However, the challenge of finding a local estate agent with sufficient indemnity insurance coverage to appraise properties exceeding £4 million led to seeking a firm in the UK, albeit at an undisclosed cost to rate payers. Braddan Commissioners have till the 2nd April to submit the accounts an extension from 31st October 2023. Residents were skeptical that this would be done in three weeks considering an estate agent had not been appointed.

The Braddan Commissioners faced pressure to provide simple expenditure and income projected financial details during the meeting, and uncertainty prevailed as conflicting running cost figures were presented from £700k to £1million. Income was estimated at £1000 per day if fully operational.

Additionally, Braddan Commissioner Mr Jessop said the absence of permission to construct an access road added to the existing concerns, emphasising the need for clarity from the central government.

Residents expressed their frustrations over the perceived lack of accountability and transparency, accompanied by accusations of financial mismanagement were questioned by some residents leading to calls for the Chair Mr Jessop’s resignation.

Some residents voiced they didn’t ask for a building like this, and feel they have been forced into paying for it.

There were also some other possible solutions mooted by residents - to sell off some of the land near the round house to build houses to help pay off some of the debt.

Moving forward, prompt registration of businesses and adherence to planning conditions, such as the installation of a pedestrian crossing, were highlighted as essential steps, and could not be omitted as these were planning conditions. A solution of a temporary pedestrian crossing has been agreed so that the nursery can be registered asap.

Efforts to expedite solutions were acknowledged by Minister Poole Wilson (there in her capacity as a Braddan MHK), underscoring the collaborative approach between the government and Braddan Commissioners.

Finally there were calls for local government reform and the establishment of an all-island leisure rate were also raised by some residents, signifying a broader desire for change within the community.

My gut feeling… we haven’t heard the last about this development. While the businesses currently there I believe will be a success as they are run by very passionate individuals, I do worry about the long term financial commitment to support this building. Potentially this could eventually end up either being subsidised by central government (ultimately tax payers) or if in fact an all island leisure rate came to pass, again then being paid for by all island residents. Central Government and Braddan Commissioners must collaborate to get the round house fully operational to maximise revenue to offset the debt, or else Central Government might ultimately bear the financial burden regardless.

Claire Christian’s summary above

That seems to be a very fair evaluation of the way forward. As I have said before, this furthers the call for an all-island rate which is unfair to those who will never use the facility, had no say in its construction and no opportunity to vote about future mismanaged and ill-conceived projects. If we ever go to an all-island rate the democratic process needs some reform. I’m not sure that the residents of Braddan will accept, with the money taken from ratepayers in, say Andreas, the right for Andreas ratepayer to have a say in facilities provided in Braddan. The argument that the Roundhouse, for example is a facility that an Andreas resident can use simply doesn’t wash. It’s just dipping into other people’s pockets to pay for your errors. 

[Gladys]

Have they tried to get a valuation from a surveyor rather than an estate agent?  A valuation threshold of £4m is probably OK for an estate agent, but a proper firm of surveyors? 

[mayhem]

Is a valuation not required for a new build commerical property too for Insurance and the lenders (assuming they are using a bank for finance).  Seems very odd that they are struggling given the abundance of £4m+ properties on the Island.