I note that the boy Dave has been taking a pop at SEEDA, the excellent Development Agency, which has been responsible for both the exciting work at Buckland Mill and the thriving Betteshangar Business Park locally.
Apparently the chairman of the South-East England Development Agency spent £51,000 on taxis and executive cars in one year alone.
I believe gob-smacked is an appropriate response!
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,699
that remarkable figure was despite the last government cutting their budget by £4m.
This is exactly the sort of profligacy with public money that needs to stop
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I met Jim Braithwaite, the chap David Cameron was speaking of with regards to taxis, last year at a Chamber of Commerce meeting (a while before I was Dover Business Support Manager) and he is a great guy and promised plenty of (financial) help for Dover - sadly this was not followed up, so we didn't get it.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
that story is a few years old, just to add insult to injury he only worked for seeda one day a week.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I'm surprised at that Howard - a man who can promise so many millions, working just one day a week. Do you mean that the other four days, he just sat around and did nothing ?
Roger
No Roger, he sat around counting our money!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
he had a selection of jobs roger.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Wasn't my understanding Howard - he should have stood down last October.
Roger
Unregistered User
Let me add a personal note about Jim Braithwaite.
To my knowledge he spent 3-4 days a week undertaking SEEDA business not 1 day as described.
He was available outside of those days/hours.
He is a very successful business man who gave a lot of time to public service.
He was and still remains a good supporter of Dover.
He may not be of my political leanings but I believe he gave up a great deal to undertake his role.
Watty
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i shall have to dig around to find the original story paul, i distinctly remember the article from the bbc stating that it was one day a week on average.
the story must have been about 2 years ago at least.
Paul, I'm sure that Jim is a lovely man etc etc which is totally irrelevant.
The question is how the Hell he spent £51,000 in one year on 'taxis and executive cars' to quote the boy Dave.
If he worked a 51 week year (which he did not) and a four day week every week (which he did not) he was spending £250 a day!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
bob
you seem to object to this man spending your hard earned money for some reason.
at least he did not have a duckhouse or a moat that required regular maintenance.
Unregistered User
Bob, not sure how they described the expenses but in reality, I understand this was not taxis but a driver and lease vehicle .
If the guy is to do his appointment properly he needs to be able to travel this cobbled together travesty of a region.
My experience of this region [being required to attend meetings] is that you spend more time on the road than actually participating in meetings of substance.
If you trying to get to Guildford/Reading/Milton Keynes/Southampton/Thanet/Thames Gateway etc. are you utilising your time effectively driving a vehicle and being out of communication. Concentration and safety taking importance here.
In the majority of cases our rail systems do not align to allow you to get to meetings without going into a London station to change lines. As many forumites know without HS1 [if it is available to you] times to London are horrendous.
In the above context I would suggest , working on the road . either by phone or wi fi/gps is more cost effective.
It don't make for good headlines but I believe it is probably more cost effective.
Watty
Unregistered User
Bob, let me add , I could not care less whether he was a lovely guy.
I believe he was a good ambassador for the South East and did the job with dedication.
He visited Dover frequently and made sure SEEDA investment took place.
Whether the South East needed an RDA is another matter.
As I have pointed out , he is not of my political faith but I believe he worked hard for the public benefit.
I speak as I find.
Watty
Paul, the point is £250 a day for transport!
Looking on-line at hire prices (including driver) I can only assume he was ferried around in a stretched pink Hummer with free 'bubbly'.
Unregistered User
Can't reply for SEEDA's accounting or audit systems Bob and don't intend to.
Let's just say one man's full time salary plus employers cost of NI, pension etc plus lease car , petrol/diesel etc could well account for a great proportion of those sums. I would think many of these trips include after hours payments which attract public sector overtime rate.This man did not do 9-5 hours.
Without a full audit of the accounts nobody knows.
I suppose what I am pointing out is this is not a straightforward issue.
Don't think SEEDA handled it well.
Watty
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
paul
at the end of the day to the ordinary bloke or blokess like me all we see from seeda is few banners describing us as a world class region.
all through the boom times they did not manage to engage anyone to develop the buckland mill site.
not much better with betteshanger business park, however hard working or engaging the people are that run it, success is what they should be judged by.
much as i hate seeing anyone lose their job, i hope that the new government will out them and other organisations that suck up taxpayers money and do not produce the goods.
This re-action from Mr Watkins in defending his friend from SEEDA, Mr Jim Braithwaite is rather touching don't you think??
For Mr Braithwaite to spend £51000 on transport in a year is remarkable, he really must have been flying (no pun intended) It is a pity mr Braithwaite did not take the bus some times. The money saved could have gone toward fixing the clock on the buckland mill. The buckland mill is a ghastly eye sore,
if we are going to be stuck with it for the next twenty years (conservatave estimate,probably longer)at least have the bloody clock fixed!! as there is nothing worse than when your eyes are drawn to that monstrosity and seeing a clock which like our council has given up the ghost. I appeal to Mr Watkins and his cronies lets see if you can get this simple request done. I know it is probably a major project and will tax our beloved councillors, or are we doomed to having to wait for son of SEEDA???
Rather embarrassingly I find myself in agreement with Mr Watkins in that I also think Mr Braithwaite was a good businessman, After all there are not many of us who can spend that sort of money on transport and feel offended when asked to justify it. It sure is a hard life being in business!!
"It sure is a hard life being in business."
Well Jimmy, you got that bit right. It is tough when you know there is no job for life, final salary pension scheme, none of someone else's money to throw around plus, no opportunity to strut about and hide behind weird civil service regulations.
In business you have to make a profit or die. In business you have to work long hours and account for your time. In business you have to account for every penny ither spent or planned to be spent.
Yep, it clearly is one long holiday being in business.
