The Cemetery Coffee shop thing.

[steveL]

The whole Garden Centre idea popped up when it was noticed that the council's nursery facility was costing too much - it was cheaper to buy flowers from bigger suppliers - the sort of places were B&Q get their plants from. The Union kicked off about potential job losses and so it was decided to spend £400,000 turning the nursery into a 'commercial' Garden Centre.

Then it was decided that it would be nice if, having bought their Geraniums, people could have a coffee and a sandwich. This was all thought up on the fly; no business plan or projected cash flow analysis.

So they turfed out Springboard who were using the lodge as a horticultural training centre for 16-18 year olds and built the Garden Centre and Café and then recruited the staff on council staff rates.

It wasn't long before someone noticed that the income versus outgoing figures didn't balance and, much like other council run cafes, it was all set to go pear shaped.

With so many people having said that this was a flawed idea from the onset the SCABS looked for ways to increase income and an alcohol license was what they came up with - all done in stages in the hope that people wouldn't kick off.

So rather than being just a nice place to grab a coffee after visiting the Garden Centre, the Café became a standalone venture staying open well after the Garden Centre had closed.

The latest extension complete with the live music/video license proved to be an extension too far especially as it was originally for an 11pm license before they got scared of the public's reaction and dropped it to 9pm.

[Pwilson]

Thanks for that Steve.

So pandering to the unions mean they run a failed business, instead of potentially expanding the training centre. Whether its £40 or £4,000,000 being wasted I am sure had they created a facilty to support young people into work it would have been better than the current bizaree waste.

[DRiddle]

Every man and his dog could spot this being a disaster from a mile off (except CAB of course) ... this was written 3 months before it even opened.

http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/index.php/columnists/joe-hudson/25-columnists/127-money-to-burn

[fred c]

Moving slightly off topic..... The Union connection is apparent in so many ways within HBC & Labour, the full time Union officer for HBC is funded to the tune of around £100,000 per year, he was also, until recently the Chairman of the Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party........... "So No Conflict Of Interest There"

Bearing that in Mind.... Can anyone understand why the 3 Tory Councilors didn`t vote against cutting the funding of a Full Time Unison shop steward. ?

However, back to the Cafe in The Crem............... Increasing the opening hours also means an increase in the already substantial wage bill, which if memory serves was around the £50,000 per year when it first opened.

Only in Hartlepool & only under "The Mob"

[Pwilson]

Back on the Cafe thing, and importantly the lack of business planning.

A friend of mine who has been unemployed for a number of years lost the will to look for work and looked at setting up her own business. The Govt make loans available to unemployed people of upto £2500 but the applciants have to go through a very thorough process of interviews, training on the basics of running a business and must prepare a very thorough business plan which is assessed by people befoee the loan is approved.

Given the approach there to a small amount of public money I find it bizaree that HBC in times of severe cuts can approve their own seemingly unplanned 'business' ventures, if I wanted to borrow from a bank to open a cafe I'd have to jump through countless hoops. 

[Inspector Knacker]

Surely if the wine bar n the crem is ever sold it will be able to continue holding a drinks licence as a precedent has been set and it would not be a change of use........?

[stokoe]

The licence is held by the coffee hose supervisor.



http://www.inspirationscoffeehouse.co.uk/


I asked in a meeting could i have it in writing that if it didn't work out that they would not sell it on as a pub.               no response.

[Inspector Knacker]

Surely if the place has been used as a licenced premises its role is surely defined....? Then if someone comes slong to buy it how can they be refused a licence...? They could hardly argue it's OK for the council to run it  as licenced premises but no one else can........on what grounds..?

[DRiddle]

I think people have potentially missed the 'sly' aspect of Wells' amendment. He said that the licence will be given up in the event of the council disposing of the property. That was my understanding of it anyway.

So it's very conceivable the council could simply lease out the café on a long term lease to a private company, perhaps even for a peppercorn rent due to it being a financial liability they want rid of. (That would be the excuse/justification for doing it anyway). Very similar to the scenario brewing with the Ward Jackson Park gate lodge.

That way a company (whoever they might be  ) could simply come in as the 'white knight', take ownership of the lease, but the council still hold the freehold. They'll be portrayed as doing the taxpayers of Hartlepool a favour, for taking a financial liability off 'our' hands.

Bobs your uncle, the new 'owners' control the licence, the council still 'technically' have NOT disposed of the property, thus keeping to the terms of the motion.

But when push comes to shove it's still possible for a private company to take essentially control of a business funded by the tax payer for a song. Which is exactly the scenario most people feared in the first place.

All technically legal, all explained away via a duff set off accounts, a failing business the council 'need' to off load etc. etc.  We, the taxpayer, lost out to the tune of around half a million quid and some 'lucky' company potentially clicks in that they acquire a going concern for next to naff all.

I don't claim to be Mystic Meg, but i'll bet my mortgage a scenario similar to that outlined above happens somewhere down the line.

[steveL]

I don't think this is over yet

http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/