This is going to be a hot one, there are several items of interest.
TODMORDEN FOOD BANK
The Todmorden Food Drop-In's "refund of Town Hall Hire Charges" has been referred back to Amenities Committee by Coun. David O’Neill (Independent Langfield, and the Council’s Third Auditor). This relates to their booking the building for an event to hire to hire the building at a cost of £71.
Calderdale report that the actual sum paid by Coun. Margareta Holmstedt (Liberal, Stoodley), who sits on their board, was £63.85. I was until last week a volunteer at the Todmorden Food Drop-in until an erroneous complaint was made about my political views and I was asked to leave it for a month, suspiciously the day before a get together for team members was due to take place.
I do not intend to continue volunteering after the end of the month because that would be an admission of wrong doing on my part. I had taken it at face value that this service was non political, but in cold examination the facts render this claim unsustainable.
Out of the roughly sixty volunteers on the roster at least twenty of them are known Labour Party supporters or activists. This includes the Todmorden Labour Party branch chairman, three Hebden Royd Town Councillors, their Parliamentary candidate for the Calder Valley Josh Fenton-Glynn and their Todmorden Ward Candidate Susan Press.
it seems to me that the political deck is stacked and as with all community causes, with growth comes politicisation and "coprporatisation". There is no better example of that than Incredible Edible Todmorden. Either way, there is going to be some facts coming out that we previously did not know, and I intend to report them here and in my newsletter.
PCSO FUNDING
Given complaits I have previously written about from the Accident Prevention Council, the usual contribution to part-fund two Police Community Support Officers up to the budget heading of £21,000 is being queried by certain elements of the Town Council.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
The Todmorden Information Centre wants £19,000 towards running costs, and this is an ongoing bone of contention amongst some members of the Council who feel that the TIC should find other ways of supporting itself.
CORNHOLME RAILWAY STATION SURVEY
The Labour-led issue of the Cornholme Railway Station is on the agenda, they want £90,000 over the next three years, jut to do a survey on whether this station is feasible, which it quite clearly isn't, despite it's political popularity.
TODMORDEN INTERNATIONAL LESBIANS GET TOGETHER
Todmorden International Women’s Event. They want £284.75. Recently there was reports in the newspaper about some of these homosexuals and feminists who had booked the venue verbally abusing a curious male passser-by who turned out to be the spouse of a former Liberal Democrat Town Councillor, in the presence of his grandchild. This is bound to make it into what will be a heated discussion.
LUMBUTTS METHODiST CHAPEL BUY-OUT
The issue over the right of the right of the communities of Lumbutts and Mankinholes to bid for the Methodist Chapel in Lumbutts is going to be addressed.
I will be there, and I encourage all Todmordians of good-will to be there too.
Meeting starts at 7.30pm prompt.