Pat Cumbers
Town Estate Senior Townwarden 2007-2008
COMING SOON – The Charity Commission’s report on the following:
At the Annual Meeting in October 2009 the chairman refused to hold an election for feoffees despite specific Charity Commission advice. That matter is now being considered by the Charity Commission along with other governance matters. As a separate issue the Charity Commission is considering a proposed new Scheme of Arrangement i.e. a new Governing Document
The Commission is expected to report soon on these issues.
NOVEMBER 2009
Prior to the October 2009 annual meeting the only two female trustees (feoffees) on the Town Estate had been bullied, verbally abused, physically threatened, locked out, sexually harassed, subjected to kangaroo-type courts, censured, forbidden access to information and not allowed to fulfil their duty as trustees of the charity. In addition, in November 2008 the majority of feoffees had voted to "suspend" the then Junior Townwarden, Pat Cumbers at a "kangaroo-type court". It was ultra vires and she was therefore never actually suspended.
The recent BBC "Inside Out" documentary that examined some of the problems with the Town Estate can be seen by clicking on the following link
BBC - Inside Out Documentary
The problems shown in the documentary include the following:-
The Town Estate’s refusal to consider implementing Criminal Record Checks (CRB), even though an employee was jailed for illegal sex with a child and for grooming another child for illegal sex whilst working in the Town Estate Kiosk.
The Town Estate chairman telling the Charity Commission that a 55 year old man paying a vulnerable underage girl for illegal sex and grooming another child could be described as "six of one, half a dozen of the other".
Refusal to follow advice and guidance from the Charity Commission.
The locks to the office were changed to prevent the female Senior Townwarden seeing any files.
Sue Gowans was told that the price of market stalls for the Victorian Christmas Fayre would depend on how she voted – she voted the "wrong" way and the contract price nearly tripled. That allegation was denied.
Mrs. Gowans was shocked when she opened a file only to discover a pornographic photograph of a member of staff, naked apart from skimpy underpants decorated with the word ’CAUTION’ – the majority of the Board found that amusing.
The Town Estate doesn’t listen to the members.
The chairman decided there would be no elections at the Annual Meeting contravening the Governing Document and specific Charity Commission Advice.