Last night’s meeting of Frodsham Town Council was a more lively affair than usual. There were fireworks about fireworks. The Council discussed both the Community Centre firework and bonfire display and the forthcoming New Year’s Eve display planned by the Council.

Cllr Andrew Dawson whilst praising those who volunteer to organise firework events in Frodsham was anxious to ensure that proper regard was paid to planning, organisation and health and safety. He highlighted a number of concerns and issues including the checking of insurance arrangements and the consideration of risk assessments by the Town Council. He pointed to lapses in the Town Council’s own arrangements and the fact that the consideration of these events by the Town Council was done at the last minute. He observed: “After all it is not as if the 5th November or New Year’s Eve take anyone by surprise!”  

The Town Council has to be involved in the Community Centre display as most of it takes place on the Town Council’s fields.   Cllr Dawson went on to say: “It is easy to criticise - and that is not my intention. I totally support community events such as these and I wholeheartedly support the very few people who volunteer. I have offered my services in assisting the organisation of these events and I challenge every single other Councillor to do the same.”

Cllr Dawson proposed a motion which was carried unanimously by the Town Council that the Town Council offers its support and assistance to the Community Centre in organising next year’s bonfire. He suggests that the meeting take place in March or April.

With regard to the Town Council’s own plans for New Years Eve Cllr Dawson was highly critical of a recommendation placed before the Council to approve a 3 year contract with a fireworks company to stage the display at Overton Memorial. No-one involved in the arrangements could describe the terms of the contract, the type of display, how long it would last or how many fireworks would be used.

Cllr Dawson commented: “Ever since I joined the Council in May 2007 I have been concerned by the slip-shod way many things are done - especially with regard to the financial control. This is yet another example of not enough stewardship and control being exercised. We all want to see a wonderful firework display - but please can it be organised properly?”

In fact there were at least 2 other examples on the Town Council’s agenda last night where financial control was not what it should have been. There was the retrospective approval of expenditure on the Over 70s party and the incredible £40,000 expenditure on legal fees and costs at Crowmere when the original estimate suggested
only a £205 bill.

Cllr Dawson expressed his wholehearted support for the expenditure on the over 70s party but wished he had had the opportunity to do that before the event took place!
With regard to Crowmere Cllr Dawson did not mince his words:

“There was a complete failure of management and oversight over the years by the Council. No-one stopped to ask questions about how a £200 job could escalate into a £40,000 bill. This is an extraordinary and disproportionate amount of money to spend. I could think of many more projects worthy of the money.”
ENDS

Crowmere Lake - 27 November 2007

Frodsham Town Council formally received a copy of Cllr Andrew Dawson’s report into the situation at Crowmere Lake yesterday. The 23 page report with 14 appendicies is available for inspection at the Town Council’s Castle Park Office. The Council nanimously passed a vote of thanks for his hard work on the issue.

Cllr Dawson led the Town Council’s working party considering all the issues surrounding Crowmere, or as some know it Crumers Lake. The Council has agreed to review the issues raised over the ensuing months and has decided as a matter of principle to create rules to regulate the use of the lake by the public.

Cllr Dawson explained that the Lake is managed by the Town Council as trustee of the Frodsham Recreation Grounds Charity. He said that over the years the Town Council has failed to do anything to manage Crowmere and has relied on the good will of neighbours to maintain the lake for the benefit of the people of Frodsham.

Leaving aside questions of management and ownership problems at Crowmere have included anti-social behaviour and fundamental questions as to whether there is public liability insurance in place.  The charity has few assets of its own and has to look to the Town Council for funds. It is the Town Council that has picked up a £40,000 legal bill following a dispute over land ownership of the lake.

In a strongly phrased address to the Council Councillor Dawson pointed out that questions of whether the land was properly insured by the Council had been raised in the 1980s and were still not resolved now. Then, of course there was the issue of the land ownership dipute. Cllr Dawson quoted from a letter from the Council’s solicitors in 2000 suggesting that registering the title to the land would cost around £200.

Cllr Dawson did not mince his words: “There was a complete failure of management and oversight over the years by the Council. No-one stopped to ask questions about how a £200 job could escalate into a £40,000 bill. This is an extraordinary and disproportionate amount of money to spend. I could think of many more projects worthy of the money.”

The public consultation had established that the people of Frodsham wanted Crowmere preserved in public use for everyone to enjoy. Whilst many of the consultees had blamed the fishermen for the problems and had suggested banning fishing or removing all the fish Cllr Dawson explained that the working party had not reached a consensus on the point but they did agree that creating rules was the way to start to exercise some control.
Cllr Dawson indicated that the working party wanted to see any changes at Crowmere take place in a measured way with the minimum amount of intereference to the public - but sufficient to assist in stopping the anti-social behaviour. If the institution of rules proves insufficient more measures will have to be considered.

ENDS

Crowmere Lake - 6 September 2007

Frodsham Town Council has established a working group to look into the problems and issues sur-rounding Crowmere Lake. Cllr Andrew Dawson is taking a leading role in assisting the Council come to grips with the issues. The working group wants to hear from anyone with views on what should be done with Crowmere Lake going forward.
Cllr Dawson explained: “Crowmere Lake is a precious local beauty spot which we all share—however anti-social behaviour and a complex legal position is causing local people, the Council, and the police major headaches.”

Complaints about anti-social behaviour at Crowmere are made to the police several times a week. Shouting, swearing, damage to property, harming wildlife are typical complaints. Worse still some individuals use the surrounding land as a toilet and expect others to clean up after them. Inevita-bly this frightens away others.

Cllr Dawson commented: “The police are doing a great job, they do what they can —but they can’t be everywhere at once and as we all know sometimes in Frodsham they are very busy. We need to find a solution for this once and for all.”
Crowmere Lake, known to some as Cromers Lake, is managed under the terms of a charitable trust established with Frodsham Town Council as the sole trustee in 1914. The trust provides that the land be available for the people of Frodsham for recreation. Legal disputes concerning the land, although resolved in the Council’s favour have proved very costly with an estimated £40,000 having been spent.

Cllr Dawson continued: “When I first became a member of the Town Council in May 2007 I was horrified both by the money spent on lawyers’ fees and the reports of anti-social behaviour at the Lake. This prompted me to look into the matter further. The more I’ve looked into the matter the more problems I find. I’ve prompted the Town Council to have a long hard look at the matter. I don’t think the Council should make decisions about Crowmere Lake without asking everyone in Frodsham and everyone who loves Crowmere Lake to tell us their views.”

The working group is hoping to make suggestions to the Council later in the autumn and has invited anyone who wishes to make representations to write to the Town Council at Footman’s Cottage, Castle Park, Frodsham WA6 6SB

Cllr Dawson concluded: “ I look in on the Lake most days. I had my children in a kayak on the lake only this week and it was idyllic. A young family fishing, a man with a remote control boat and my children paddling around. Why can’t it be like this all the time. But a couple of days a earlier I was there when an ambulance had to be called after one of a group of teenagers had collapsed. I heard later that that alcohol may have been involved and that this group were suspected of being involved in letting horses out of nearby stables during the night.” ENDS