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| COUNCIL TAX MONEY PIT |
Dear Dame,
A pity Doctor Quirk did not prescribe some harsh medicine....
OHP has just announced that erection of the tent and associated buildings for the summer season starts this week. The new sitting out area outside Holland House, opened last year after spending £1 million from Council Tax to create a scenic arena, will be out of use to residents until October when the opera tent is dismantled again.
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| OPERA BUFFS? |
Hornets will remember that the £1 million expenditure was approved by the Planning Committee to provide an elevated "seating out area" in the park to be enjoyed by park users. There was no mention of Opera Holland Park.
In fact, the “sitting out area” is a purpose designed foundation for the opera tent, associated buildings, tent anchor points, and seating for opera patrons. Council Taxpayers can only “sit out” in the Winter months. Investec sponsors the opera and uses the facilities to entertain, wine and dine clients. And Investec makes a fat profit for themselves on the back of Council Tax.
The Council has just published the budget for the coming year. Spending of £473 million is announced including £173m for Children's Services and Schools, £78m for “Central Services”, £72m for Adult Care and £58m for Housing. And then the bogies: £29m for Grenfell and £12m for Planning. How on earth can the Council justify spending more on Central Services than Adult Care? And with the squeeze on funding, how can the Council justify ANOTHER £1m bung to Opera Holland Park?
And then there are the 3300 sq feet of Office space given to Opera Holland Park in Council premises.
Officers are still “considering” whether rent should be paid for this office space.
And free storage for the tent in Winter months.
Officers are still “considering” whether rent should be paid for this office space.
And free storage for the tent in Winter months.
Off with their heads!
A fed to the back teeth and overtaxed resident
This is not believable. The Council reported some years ago that subsidy to the Opera had ceased. Why is it continuing? Why are Councillors squandering Council Tax on minority interests and elitest pursuits?
ReplyDeleteLooks like dizzy in the photo. Is she troughing too?
ReplyDeleteHawk Eye is on the button. It is indeed dizzy stepping out. The Leader knows nothing of Opera but she does like telling her friends that "since I pay for it I need to go and show support for the effort"
Delete£1 million spend on Opera Holland Park site misrepresented as "park improvement". What a thoroughly bogus and dishonest act by the Planning Committee, assisted by the fellow Masons in the Council who are on "nudge, nudge" terms with take away Volpe
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of theft of Council Tax that should be investigated and the offenders prosecuted. Nothing like a bit of Grenfell cover for the reptiles to fly under the radar and hope that nobody notices.
Thank you Dame for exposing wrongdoing yet again
In fact the project returned twice to the Planning Committee. There was initially an objection from the Labour Councillor on the Committee but the Tories were determined and the project was re submitted (and approved) with some weasel words
DeleteThe Hornet article is not quite accurate. The Office space used by Opera Holland Park in Council premises at Pembroke Road is 2000 sq feet, not 3300 sq ft. The going rate for rental in W8 is £100/sq ft so the market rent is £200k per year. OHP does not pay rent. The cost of the seating out area was £1.7million, not £1million that was reported by the Dame.
ReplyDeleteWHAT????
Delete£200k/year rental subsidy for Opera for the toffs and nearly £2m for a new tent foundation!!!!!!
And what about charging some rent for the tent space?
This is ridiculous. Totally, totally ridiculous.
My tickets this year came in an envelope franked by a franking machine and the rubric 'Return Address The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Town Hall, Hornton Street'; ie a standard RBKC franking machine, and thus RBKC paying for the first class postage at least. One wonders who pays for the envelopes, tickets, printing the tickets and hosting the whole computerised booking system. And if they aren't paying rent they are surely not paying for all the other overheads: electricity, heating, telephone, rates?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely spot on. But who will notice this practice and complain? You have. So hope there may be a reply.
DeleteIn respect of Dr Quirk dishing out any medicine is not on. He is a PhD, not a MD. He can only dispense BULLSHIT...
It is a wholesale rip off of council tax payers. Right down to the stamped addressed envelopes. This is an abuse of the most staggering proportions. Repeatedly pointed out by the Hornets and repeatedly ignored by the Town Hall. K&C democracy is a farce
DeleteIf ticket holders(s) could expose it and the Council refuse to answer, we also have a good reason to withold the Council tax payment until they show us where the money is coming from. People from different parts of the country have done this and you can. You are not saying you aren't paying the Council tax. It's almost like they have to be cornered to the point they can't hide anymore then .... may be we'd get an answer?
DeleteWhere is the MP, Emma Dent-Coade? Nowhere to be seen of course. Time for this disrupter to emerge from under her rock and do some useful disrupting. There is more to RBKC life than Royal bashing
ReplyDeleteLife is too short to live in RBKC
ReplyDeleteDid you mean it shortens one's life span?
Delete