Agenda, decisions and minutes

•        The Chairman explained the format of the hearing and the purpose of the Panel.

•        The Chairman explained the format of the hearing and the purpose of the Panel.

The following witnesses had been invited to attend Day 3 based on their written statement:

•        Patricia Cowley;

•        Brent Smith;

•        David Scholes.

The following witnesses had been invited to attend Day 3 based on their written statement:

•        Patricia Cowley;

•        Brent Smith;

•        David Scholes.

A.        Statement of Patricia Cowley – Session 1 – Audio Recording – 4.49

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Cowley and explained the format and purpose of the panel.

Mrs Cowley gave a verbal presentation drawing attention to the following

•        Her former role as a North Hertfordshire District Councillor and in particular as the Portfolio Holder for the Museum Service and Community Halls prior to and at the start of the Fundamental Service Review (FSR) of the museum service in 2004 and 2005.

•        There had been two museums - Letchworth and Hitchin.

•        The museums had not complied with the accessibility requirements and the layouts at both had been difficult to service and manage.

•        The conclusion of the FSR was that one museum was required for the whole of the District. This was approved by Council.

•        Hitchin Town Hall and Working Men’s Hall and Gym were identified as being a suitable place for the museum.

•        There was opposition to this decision in Hitchin.

•        Hitchin Initiative came forward with a refusal of the plan and said they could obtain funding for the purchase of 14 Brand Street to enhance the entrance.

•        A resident of Hitchin applied for the venue to be listed, which was granted, resulting in Hitchin Town Hall being a Grade II Listed building.

•        Hitchin Initiative set Hitchin Town Hall Ltd as a CCL Community Interest Company) in order to obtain funding from Association of Charitable Funds (ACF) / Social Investment Bank (SIB).

•        HTH Ltd put forward a proposal to buy 15 Brand Street to improve the site and space of the entrance.

•        A contractor was already in place - finance and the design had both been agreed;

•        The process had been frustrating with HTH Ltd.

•        At this point Project Board meetings with HTH Ltd became more difficult and tense.

•        Demands from HTH Ltd increased.

•        The directors of HTH Ltd were David-Leal Bennett, Brent Smith, Stephen Pike and Rosemary Read.

•        HTH Ltd did not have the expertise needed to complete the project.

•        There were occasions when HTH Ltd said it was a ‘deal breaker’ if demands could not be met.

•        HTH Ltd issued comments to the press which criticised the contract and the Council. This undermined the progress of the build and the trust between the partners.

•        Recommended that in the future it would be unwise to involve a newly-elected Councillor as a lead part in such a group. As well, the community group should have a larger group of directors with a clear set of skills and expertise.

•        The accounts of the community group should be made available.

•        Throughout the project, the Council were not given access to the HTH Ltd accounts.

Questions to Mrs Cowley were asked by the Panel:

John Richardson questioned:

•        Do  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.