mr britcliffe

[andrewb]

I do hope you've missed by post on page 4 and are not just avoiding it for electoral purposes.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by g jones

George Slynn was neither my cup of tea either. But he at least put together a £4million Town Centre plan but the lottery funding £2m fell through and he lost control (1999) to the Tories.

Only two leaders have contributed anything significant to this Borough in the last 20 years. George did the Globe Centre bringing 100's of jobs to the Borough. Ian Ormerod on a lesser scale sacked the senior management at the Council leading to a mini revival.

Yes Graham and they also scrapped the Works department in 2002 which was a profit making department keeping money within the council and bringing in money from outside contracts, a fact that was never taken into consideration when setting the budget, meaning they had to find around a extra £700,000 just to stand still, plus using rebates that they weren't entitled to, to the tune of £560,000, its hardley any surprise they left a huge budget deficit, which has now been addessed and the council finances are back on track, and back in the black

[g jones]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Yes Graham and they also scrapped the Works department in 2002 which was a profit making department keeping money within the council and bringing in money from outside contracts, a fact that was never taken into consideration when setting the budget, meaning they had to find around a extra £700,000 just to stand still, plus using rebates that they weren't entitled to, to the tune of £560,000, its hardley any surprise they left a huge budget deficit, which has now been addessed and the council finances are back on track, and back in the black

The first bit is somewhat right. Labour scrapped outside contracts. Well Mike Chambers Chief Exec did and I am not sure how much authority he had. At the end of the day it was Labour's fault. Such as the grass cutting contract at the college had come up for renewal and we didn't tender. There is a lot more to this story and I never got the bottom because the people involved have gone.

And guess the rebel at the time was! So we're on the same side and I can count on your support then!

The second bit is rubbish. The accounts according to De Loitte Touche were a mess. Paper profits were being recorded between an antiquated broken down green screen computer system and for the 20 weeks (intermittant) it had been down, an old ledger book. All the payments were historical and not relevant to what was happening as they were internal contracts from the old Tory loony days of CCT (Compulsory Competitive Tendering). £700,000, it might as well have been 700,000 washers, it was paper money, not Tax Payers money.

It still happens now. There is a payment from the Market Hall for Central Services for £175,000 which no-one can work out what it is for. It makes the Market Hall appear to be just keeping it's head above water and why we have higher than necessary rent increases and why byzantine accounts frightened off the private sector.

[g jones]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Yes Graham and they also scrapped the Works department in 2002 which was a profit making department keeping money within the council and bringing in money from outside contracts, a fact that was never taken into consideration when setting the budget, meaning they had to find around a extra £700,000 just to stand still, plus using rebates that they weren't entitled to, to the tune of £560,000, its hardley any surprise they left a huge budget deficit, which has now been addessed and the council finances are back on track, and back in the black

You have had the 1999 figures. If you work out the budgets had we been ratecapped, the Council's budget would now be around £12m approx. It is in fact now £15m because of above inflation increases.

That's a £3m deficit on current spending. I say that as a reminder of the Tory years in Government and the circumstances in which Labour Councillors had to run the Council.

[lindsay ormerod]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

Lets take the arndale example: £25,440 for the year.

Retailers, even in Accrington, have had turnover more than £10,000 in a day. Is the rent really that expensive when you look at it like that?

Are you living in dream land?
I have worked in 3 different successful stores in the town and have only taken that kind on money on Christmas Eve !
An average day at Our Price or Music Zone was £1800-£2000.

[onlyme]

Originally Posted by lindsay ormerod

Are you living in dream land?
I have worked in 3 different successful stores in the town and have only taken that kind on money on Christmas Eve !
An average day at Our Price or Music Zone was £1800-£2000.

Probably means the pound shops lol

[derekgas]

I have been looking at some properties this week, and in my opinion, the rent on council owned property is far higher than a lot of the private sector, and some of it seems extortionate. My brother worked for a popular sports shop in bury precinct, and according to him, a good saturday (not christmas or anything special) would generate around 7 thousand, but that would only just cover the rent, since that time, out of town outlets have taken thier toll and the shop had to close, if a business cant survive with 7 grand turnover in one day, something is sadly wrong.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lindsay ormerod

Are you living in dream land?
I have worked in 3 different successful stores in the town and have only taken that kind on money on Christmas Eve !
An average day at Our Price or Music Zone was £1800-£2000.

There are shops on Oxford Street, the highest turnover per square foot of retail space in the country, that don't do ten grand a day.

The only 'shop' in Accrington that might possibly achieve that figure is the knockin' shop, near to Greg Pope's office.

[katex]

Originally Posted by garinda

The only 'shop' in Accrington that might possibly achieve that figure is the knockin' shop, near to Greg Pope's office.

'Many a true word spoken in jest' .. always plenty of repeat customers in this game. Hey, Garinda ... am bored .. perhaps we could go 50/50 .. one in Ossy, one in Clayton. Am I joking ? not quite sure..

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by lindsay ormerod

Are you living in dream land?
I have worked in 3 different successful stores in the town and have only taken that kind on money on Christmas Eve !
An average day at Our Price or Music Zone was £1800-£2000.

I didn't claim that they took £10k a day every day, and are both of those shops now closed down?

[lindsay ormerod]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

I didn't claim that they took £10k a day every day, and are both of those shops now closed down?

Yes though that's not the point and I now work at a well known high street chemists and we don't take that kind of money either !

[andrewb]

Very comparable! Lots of money exchange hands with NHS prescriptions!

Even at £2,000 from an industry in decline, that's £730,000 a year on average without taking Christmas takings into account. Rent at £25,000 isn't that much is it? Was music zone rent even as much as that?

[Bonnyboy]

The 25k rent is for quite a small outlet not that there are larege ones within the Arndale, formerly Cryer’s I think. I’m sure that for something along the lines of Music Zone you would be talking around the 50k mark…stand to be corrected.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Bonnyboy

The 25k rent is for quite a small outlet not that there are larege ones within the Arndale, formerly Cryer’s I think. I’m sure that for something along the lines of Music Zone you would be talking around the 50k mark…stand to be corrected.

yer correct it was 25k fer that (box) that used to be Cryers,sure rent is based on area of the premises, also sure cyfr is aware of that also, reckon hes trying damned hard to make a name fer himself, well on the way also.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

Very comparable! Lots of money exchange hands with NHS prescriptions!

Even at £2,000 from an industry in decline, that's £730,000 a year on average without taking Christmas takings into account. Rent at £25,000 isn't that much is it? Was music zone rent even as much as that?

Can I ask why your father decided to leave his large town centre retail premises, and just concentrate on his market stall?

Any connection to costs?