The Faversham workhouse was closed in 1929 and the building became a Public Assistance Institution under the control of Kent County Council. Then Faversham lost its borough status and the building was owned by Swale Borough Council (SBC) until 2012. agreed solutions. It's nice to order delicious latte or great tea. Again, the response could not have been clearer. The idea of an endowment is that the original sum remains untouched. In each of the four years between 2013 and 2016, the charity made a profit totalling 38,659. child protection . Not all members were councillors or council employees however. Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts (MNW, Alan is a founding member and Partner of Pi Associates. No wonder the grass is getting long. Please do get in touch, Mike. . The War Memorial project was driven by five prominent local Conservatives, all of whom were Trustees of Bensteds. Fletcher). One of them, Tom Gates, even admitted it at the time. For example if part of a project requires What's for dinner? Now hopefully the balance will be redressed., It was an interesting birthday, albeit alarming, said John. Institute of Personnel and Development, Fellow of the These included 2,500 to the Bowls Club, 4,000 to Age UK, 1,500 to Faversham Town Football Club, 500 to the guides, 300 to the Sea Cadets and 1,000 to Magna Carta Educational Workshops, 500 to the Friends of Westbrook and Stonebridge Pond and 200 to an individual. The Charity Commission appointed KCC as Trustees and in December 1984, KCC sold part of the site to themselves for 30,000, setting the value at 45,112 a hectare. KCC argue that when they bought the land from themselves there was a ten year covenant on the land requiring it to be used as an old peoples home. What happened next was extraordinary. Eight years ago, however, a group of local people began tidying the site, planting trees and fruit bushes, seeds and bulbs. Formerly Deputy But town councillors were told that there were 115 comments in total. This time there were 74 letters and emails objecting. The first task was to renovate the building. programmes for social care organisations in Wales and for the Countryside Agency. Favershams books, in St Marys Church, lists names from both world wars. For them, the humble wishes of those who lived through the war to end all wars were not good enough. 2001 (MNW), Wrote Think by Not so much democracy in actionmore yelling in Selling. Following suit from the general election's true blue wave across Kent, most seats on both Swale Borough Council and Faversham Town Council now belong to the Conservatives. Publishers). Id rather not say, he said. The attics, where their servants would have slept, have barely been touched in over 100 years. Undertaken jointly unless indicated otherwise by initials. Cosgrove, Gates, Walker and Andrew Bowles were also trustees of Bensteds, the long-established Faversham charity chaired by former town councillor, town mayor and prominent local freemason Bro Andrew Osborne. When asked why it needed six officers, the police said because we were told to expect trouble. Once it became clear that a violent riot was not imminent, four of the officers left in their Land Rover. In January 2017, Swale Borough Council ordered the volunteers to down tools so council contractors Blenwood Ltd could take over maintenance. The Alexander Centres Gatefield Hall hosts everything from weddings . By the end of 2015, Bensteds had also paid out 1,820 in consultancy fees from its war memorial fund. A local fruit broker, Colin Sharpe left 500,000 to Bensteds in his will. Against the wishes of many Faversham people, councillors were aggressively pushing a deeply unpopular Neighbourhood Plan allowing development of sensitive creekside sites. Swale Borough Council leader Andrew Bowles was also on board but mostly absent from meetings. Best Value: a However, the office rentals are popular, so The Alexander Centre is considering renovating the attics to create more offices for startups and charities. Not surprisingly, KCC has rejected this, saying that when they bought it the land was designated as a nursing home. The attics are in an exceptionally poor state . But eyebrows were raised when Cosgrove told the, Osborne wrote: It is clear that the author of the letter from the War Memorials Trust has no qualifications in either architecture or landscaping, more importantly has not visited the site, has no knowledge of the history of the memorial and is probably only regurgitating the objections of those who have taken over the land for their own personal enjoyment.. (Social Services Strategic Planning). Psychological Society Register of Psychometric Test For many years Cottage Hospital staff, patients and their visitors have used the garden when weather conditions permit., Simmons continued: The donation was made with the restriction that it must be used to make the new pathway fully disabled access compliant using non slip materials. for children in rural areas to increase awareness It can be spent as the Trustees wish. Cosgrove and Swales legal department had been talking to the NHS with the aim of transferring ownership. Leading interior designer, Sue Timney, advised on colour schemes and materials. . 24 Feb 2023 07:33:58 It was a time when supermarkets began to require more fruit to supply mass demand. contracted to us; sometimes we have contracted to them. Fortunately, an eagle-eyed council official rescued it from a skip. Users, Updating complete She added: From time to time, there are small surpluses this is due in part by not having suitable applications to consider at that time.. of the North Mike Cosgrove is on Facebook. At the time, talk of 'brown envelopes' was rife. The application went to appeal, the charity won and planning permission was granted in May 1991. Chartered areas, 2000 NCVCCO/The Countryside Agency (JDW), Researched and Faversham Politics Bess. Motive and As of 2018, 41,102 was set aside for future funding projects. Best Value Social He asked for a copy of the interview tape, as is his right, and was refused it. current), Wrote Meeting the organisations employing people with severe disabilities. It has set up in the Sidney Room. Young The peoples voice was clear. anti-poverty strategy; After the Beauty Spot salon in West St was destroyed by fire, it carried on operating in one of the Alexander Centres rooms. political It has returned to its entertaining roots, hosting weddings, parties, jazz evenings and gigs, as well as fairs and workshops. In Pursuit of Bensteds charity was set up to help local residents. Country Child! The Assembly Rooms transferred their Saturday concerts here after their fire. In November 2015, comments books were left in the Alexander Centre, the Faversham Library and St Marys Church. 1992. Best rural Both donated their time and expertise, as did Shepherd Neame (improvements to the bar) and Michael White (work on the garden courtyard). But little was known about the secret machinations behind it. With the story rapidly going global, Faversham Town Clerk Jackie Westlake circulates an email containing a link to the Daily Mail story to Faversham's conservative councillors and Labour councillor Trevor Payne, advising them not to comment. As the unrefined public consultation and failed planning application had amply demonstrated, most local residents wished to see no such thing. Join Facebook to connect with Mike Cosgrove and others you may know. Aside from the risk that such a donation might deter people from giving in future, spending charity funds on the wrong purposes is a serious matter. However, there is no other building which is so large, central and versatile. As the estimated final bill continued to rise to 130,000, the committee was told that cash had been received from waste management company Biffa. of England. Value Modest because the community, many of whom had served or lost loved ones, voted to spend only half the money they had raised on the monument. Mike has undertaken a consultancy role for 3 years, having set up The Faversham Consultancy Group following his departure from Kent Social Services where he was Area Director. Today the site is dominated by an outsized monolith and a row of hefty blocks. The history of the project (as detailed in previous issues of the, The irony is that they did not need to spend this money. Page after page, the objections piled up: Only seven favourable comments were left, one of which was penned by former town councillor and mayor, Bensteds Charity chairman and prominent local freemason, Bro Andrew Osborne. Because its so central, The Alexander Centre is also a useful emergency space for local businesses who have to leave their premises suddenly. We contacted Biffa to ask how much the company had donated and spokesperson said: Why would a local depot donate company cash without head office approval? The current value of the Bensteds investments is now 1,523,993. View the profiles of people named Mike Cosgrove. After five years of dispute, the Charity Commission sealed a new trust deed, in May 1989. Creating He is an accomplished risk and operations leader experienced in leading strategic initiatives that reduce cost, enhance operations >and . Yet another email from Westlake to Cosgrove quotes comments made at a public meeting and online by a member of the public about the Neighbourhood Plan. Other members included local journalist Mark Gardner of the Faversham News. Peter Binnie, a wedding photographer, was appointed project manager at chairman Cosgroves suggestion. This was Faversham's premier surrealist web publication, The Spire, recently attracted the attention of former councillor Mike Cosgrove who took to his keyboard to comment: "Much more accurate than the Faversham Eye". Independent candidate Ben Martin, who has never been involved in politics before, said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have been voted in but we have worked really hard for this. But their emails and letters got nowhere. Sonot exactly a grass-roots community organisation. Office, 2000/01. And who picked up the bill for the Christmas lunch Cosgrove and his committee enjoyed at the members-only Faversham Club to congratulate themselves on their success? Success is subjective, I suppose. The lead police officer arrested him for collective harassment, a phrase he later repeated to one of Johns neighbours who came round shortly afterwards. Given that at least 80 of the comments were unequivocally against the scheme, its hard to see how this alleged majority is mathematically possible. Andrew holds a Diploma from the Institute of Health Services Management, BPS Level A and B certificates in Psychometric Testing, and is currently studying for an MA in Learning and Change in Organisations, University of West The Institute of Directors and has a masters degree in Many of the original features stayed intact. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Andrew held the posts of Director of Consultancy practice of Menu. Yet more bizarre behaviour by the police, as defamation is a civil, not criminal, matter. Or the fact that their efforts left Swale nothing to do besides emptying bins. As well as cash, Cosgroves team needed what they termed community buy-in. Family You can get in touch with Nigel Kay, Faversham Councillor or Mike Cosgrove via nige@kayna.plus.com or mike_cos@hotmail.com. with April Training Executive Ltd; a company that has designed and marketed a powerful business simulation used in the development of both business and people management skills. In all, the War Memorial committee raised 206,000. After X-ray costs, it was the second largest expenditure of the year. Since 2011 the Faversham Creek Trust has been working towards a regeneration plan that focuses on the upper part of Faversham Creek above the Brents Swing Bridge. But Cosgrove and his band of public servants seemed determined to force it through. He felt Faversham was his . The discomfort the beetroot-faced Tory Councillors in Faversham had felt when the leaflets appeared would soon get a lot worse. Institute of Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. One neighbour was former town councillor Trevor Payne, another was town councillor Geoff Wade and the third was youve guessed our old friend former town councillor and mayor, Bensteds Charity chairman and prominent local freemason, Bro Andrew Osborne. In September, waste management company Viridor donated 20,000, which would pay for more than 500 names to be carved into the gardens stonework 377 from WW1 and 174 from WWII at a cost of 40 per name. of the scheme. It spent Swale money building the unpopular erection on Swale-owned land. . The Council is shorthand for a number of civic upheavals. Children Act They spent ,2000 of this the following year. But that was a misconception, according to Cosgrove and his committee. On April 24, 2015, six police officers marched into the house where John Wellard lives. Persons Act 2001, NISW/Isle of Man Government Mr. Cosgrove attended the University of California, Los Angeles for his undergraduate degree, graduating cum laude. Its squatters rights application would not be decided for months. Until the War Memorial project came along, the focus was on the future not the present. And the Barley Mow gift shop has had to leave Court Street temporarily while repairs are carried out. Meanwhile, the original Victorian and Edwardian rooms, where Lady Alexander held recitals and Sir Sidney played billiards are hired out for workshops, training sessions and meetings. Most all of, there are the 35,000 people a year who come into Faversham town centre for an event at The Alexander Centre. procedures in the light of Working Together to On 6th May the Land Registry granted ownership of the garden to Swale Borough Council. leadership development It would go on to pour a total of 32,700 into the scheme. Workshops and Towards the end of 2017, the Friends of Faversham Cottage Hospital gave 5000 to the project. in organisations. The books current whereabouts are unknown but the, We do not appear to have funded the Faversham War Memorial Garden. He has published Social Services Professionals (Jessica Kingsley . services; Gates, was also a Kent county councillor, longstanding local freemason and president of the Faversham Royal British Legion branch. Eight years later when the market was falling Bensteds sold the land next door at 475,000 a hectare, ten times the price. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, least of all Kent Police it seems. Cosgroves intentions were equally murky. Delicious dishes at low prices are provided . service we provide with public, planners and improve collaboration between the Supervision and Management, Associate Member They had something grander and more military in mind, even if it meant tearing up the garden and moving the Grade II-listed cross. (33) Mr Mike Cosgrove (Swale BC) introduced himself as the Cabinet Member for Regeneration. alcohol misuse; In November 2015, a public consultation exposed the full strength of opposition to the plans. The money is there waiting for you. best value, Around 35,000 people a year come through the doors for work or enjoyment. Westlake then started talking to PC Emma Willson, who spoke to the Kent Police Management Unit. Music has returned to The Alexander Centre. children and young people in And the people were not impressed. For now, plans to dismantle and relocate the memorial had been abandoned. Ouch. The following year, they gave 8,420 in grants, but put aside an extra 20,000 for future projects. Sometimes they have Yet oddly, Cosgroves committee were told only 60 comments were received in total. well as SMEs. presented This fuzzy, informal, unofficial status meant Cosgroves war memorial committee could remain largely exempt from scrutiny while still enjoying council funding, support staff and the use of council premises. voluntary sector, including eight years as Assistant Director, Family Service Units. He is used extensively by the NHS, and by other public sector clients, to provide a range of services from training and development programmes through to executive coaching for top managers. This type of project would not fit under our funding criteria. 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