The Board of Glastonbury's Red Brick Building have broken their silence on the Life Factory and released a statement to explain in their own words what went wrong. Somerset Confidential® takes a look.
I have no knowledge of any part of this project or the people involved apart from the light shone by your excellent articles . What cries out is a more general question: how can over £2million of public money be given to organisations and individuals where no-one has seemed able to take responsibility for controlling it? It almost doesn't matter if corruption or incompetence has been the main cause of this fiasco. What matters is that we appear to have no body in Somerset from the Council downwards who are fit to handle our money.
the hindsight in the Red Brick Building Centre Limited 's excuse note is not impartial and far from candid. There is no explanatoipn for the contiinuing lack of audited accounts or why the Board did not take action in December 2023 instead of hanginmg on until now?
The complete failure to put tiogether a credible business plan by the original board points to a copmlete failure to understand the commitments made by them to the Giovernm,entg under the Town deals scheme. This despite warnings gioven to the Chair and Treasurer..
Having two legally-separate-but-personel-identidical boards must have put the individiuals under great pressure, seeing the situation from two sides but with different hats and responsibilities - especially for lay directors. This isn;t a criticism - it's an acknowledgement that they needed better support.
I think I'm deducing (although it's sill murky) that more Red Brick money went into Life than they received in funding? It sounds as though someone somewhere on the Somerset Council side wasn't properly forthcoming about the cash flow and stages available for the projects. I think we need to know who and why.
"......... legally-separate-but-personel-identidical boards must have put the individiuals under great pressure, seeing the situation from two sides but with different hats and responsibilities........"
I'm not a mechanic, so I take my car to a qulified mechanic.
I'm not a dentist, so I get my teeth checked by a qualified dentist.
Knowing your own limitations is a basic requirrement of any job/task. To push ahead regardless smacks of arrogance, greed and downright incompetence.
I have no knowledge of any part of this project or the people involved apart from the light shone by your excellent articles . What cries out is a more general question: how can over £2million of public money be given to organisations and individuals where no-one has seemed able to take responsibility for controlling it? It almost doesn't matter if corruption or incompetence has been the main cause of this fiasco. What matters is that we appear to have no body in Somerset from the Council downwards who are fit to handle our money.
the hindsight in the Red Brick Building Centre Limited 's excuse note is not impartial and far from candid. There is no explanatoipn for the contiinuing lack of audited accounts or why the Board did not take action in December 2023 instead of hanginmg on until now?
The complete failure to put tiogether a credible business plan by the original board points to a copmlete failure to understand the commitments made by them to the Giovernm,entg under the Town deals scheme. This despite warnings gioven to the Chair and Treasurer..
Having two legally-separate-but-personel-identidical boards must have put the individiuals under great pressure, seeing the situation from two sides but with different hats and responsibilities - especially for lay directors. This isn;t a criticism - it's an acknowledgement that they needed better support.
I think I'm deducing (although it's sill murky) that more Red Brick money went into Life than they received in funding? It sounds as though someone somewhere on the Somerset Council side wasn't properly forthcoming about the cash flow and stages available for the projects. I think we need to know who and why.
"......... legally-separate-but-personel-identidical boards must have put the individiuals under great pressure, seeing the situation from two sides but with different hats and responsibilities........"
I'm not a mechanic, so I take my car to a qulified mechanic.
I'm not a dentist, so I get my teeth checked by a qualified dentist.
Knowing your own limitations is a basic requirrement of any job/task. To push ahead regardless smacks of arrogance, greed and downright incompetence.
Where has the £2million gone?
Has it been spent on brick, architects, staff pay?
You can buy a lot of Smarties for two million quid!