Torquay United Fans Forum

standupsitdown wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 13:22 These our the councillors on the Policy Development & Decision Group....

It is also a public meeting, so anyone may attend. You do not need to give advance notice, just turn up at Torquay Town Hall.

Here you go:

http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServ ... an.pdf?T=9

There's definitely some meat in there to be picked out.

I'm happy that the council appears to want to tie the development especially to looked-after children, although there are some 'in principle'-type things I might be less keen on.

Soupdragon wrote: ↑07 Dec 2018, 14:53 I've just found out that, as Item 5 on the agenda for the next Policy Development & Decision Group, chaired by the Mayor, to be held at 2pm on Monday 17 December (and it's a public meeting, so anyone may attend) is the following:

5. Memorandum of Understanding with Torquay United Association Football Club

To consider a report on a Memorandum of Understanding with Torquay United Association Football Club (TUAFC) to explore future opportunities in connection with TUAFC.

Further details are shown as 'to follow'.

Here's the link for the meeting, for information: http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServ ... i.pdf?T=10

If and when I can find out anything else, I will put it here, too.

Sorry for quoting myself. Height of vanity/bad manners/whatevs.

Although nothing has yet been published that I can see, I have gleaned some further information.

It appears that the Memorandum of Understanding will put down formally that the council will support TUFC in its efforts to find another home (and I am assuming that means means not just Nightingale Park), and will include a provision for housing. I understand that Osborne has told the council that it would be easier to raise funds if some sort of formal* agreement is in place.

*I'm no legal expert, but I believe there's very little about an MOU that can be enforced, although it seems that depends on the wording. Perhaps others could advise. It would be my concern, however, that the council would simply fold in the face of threatened legal action to enforce any part of any MOU.
Again, further info and and if I get any.

I've just found out that, as Item 5 on the agenda for the next Policy Development & Decision Group, chaired by the Mayor, to be held at 2pm on Monday 17 December (and it's a public meeting, so anyone may attend) is the following:

5. Memorandum of Understanding with Torquay United Association Football Club

To consider a report on a Memorandum of Understanding with Torquay United Association Football Club (TUAFC) to explore future opportunities in connection with TUAFC.

Further details are shown as 'to follow'.

Here's the link for the meeting, for information: http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServ ... i.pdf?T=10

If and when I can find out anything else, I will put it here, too.

Launceston Gull wrote: ↑07 Dec 2018, 11:04 Osborne may have to rethink his strategy.

The sad thing is that Osborne won’t have to rethink anything.

As I understand it, all that’s happened is that Nightingale Park has been designated as an exemption to the corporate asset plan. It’s still in the local plan, and this simply means that it’s another layer of aggravation that’s got to be gone through for any planning antics. Doesn’t mean it won’t – or will, given GI’s previous – happen.

Of course, the worry is that, whoever has a majority in the local elections after next May (it’ll be Tory, or I’ll happily eat someone else’s hat) then has four years to do as they please without bothering to engage much with local bods.

And, much as people may not care for him, at least a directly elected mayor is responsible to the people. What we will have after 2 May is a Leader of the Council who is ultimately responsible to his own party only, and who can change at any given moment depending on the shenanigans within that party.

The whole process will be far less transparent after next May. And let’s face it, nothing’s going to be happening before then.

Well, thank you, too.

I maintain, it's not a (norrmal) private limited company, but is wholly owned by the council. Perhaps, Baegull, you might take your own advice and read past the first page ...

You'll see that the single £1 share is owned by ... yes, that would be Torbay Council.

Thought people might be interested in my take on a report back I’ve had from the briefing for councillors about TUFC/Nightingale Park etc. To me, there wasn’t much new there at all, except that it’s been the last THREE owners who’ve been after the freehold of Plainmoor. So far as I can work out, CO was told ‘no’ to significant Plainmoor development and pointed towards Nightingale Park, where such development is in line with the local neighbourhood plan. CO’s proposal was for a multi-use stadium; he added residential without any prior discussion with council/TDA.

It appears that the ‘plans’ shown at the recent Mayor’s forum were the first ‘tangible’ things anyone had seen. No-one at the council/TDA has seen any business plan: they’ve been told that the aspiration is for TUFC to be a sustainable ‘lower league/league 1/league 2 club’.

There were, of course, concerns raised by councillors (all councillors from the three wards around Plainmoor: Ellacombe, Wellswood, St Marychurch & Babbacombe were there, among others; no councillors from the Nightingale Park site ward were present). These concerns centred around an unwillingness for council staff to allocate any time to this until a business plan has been forthcoming; wanting to receive evidence that the catchment area would support such a development; wider town centre regeneration issues; and a general backstop of not allowing CO to stick houses everywhere as a basis for delivering any TUFC-led development.

I think one of the main issues is reputational. This council has already been ‘done over’ regarding other major developments, including Oldway, where a pie-in-the-sky proposal came to absolutely nothing and has cost local council tax-payers a huge amount of money for no return whatsoever (on this site, I don’t think there’s a need to repeat who the principal was in that proposed development). There’s a feeling among councillors that this must not happen again. Without wanting to be too harsh, I think that this council, both staff and elected members, have been seen as a bit green and able to have the wool pulled over their eyes over some developments in the past. I think they see that now and are determined not to be mugged again.

This is just my take; happy for it to be triangulated by others speaking to their own councillors and reporting back.

Baegull wrote: ↑19 Sep 2018, 13:34 Just pointing out that TDA is a private ltd company and are not part of Torbay Council. They are employed by Torbay Council to provide economic growth startegies. Their own "about us" page states "..... an award winning provider of business and property services....., ".

Hmmmmm I wonder why they are interested in COs building plans ???

p.s. They actually manage many of these buildings - charging rents and have many properties from other parts of the UK.
eg they renovated the SWW building in Kings Ash to be a Hi-Tech incubation centre but then let the whole building out to the NHS to house their employees after they shut down the local hospitals such as Paignton and Newton Abbot.

just stating facts...

Ah well, if it's facts you want:

The TDA is Torbay Council's wholly-owned and controlled economic development company. The lead member responsible is the mayor, with advice from the assistant director, corporate and business services, of the council. See here: http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServ ... ?IId=26141

The TDA and the council also share a chief executive, Steve Parrock, a situation I have long believed is a conflict of interest, but it seems I am entirely alone in that. Also, three councillors (who will have been chosen in accordance with proportionality rules and selected by their party leaders) sit on the board of the TDA.

So, private limited company it ain't.

There is a Members' Briefing (ie: a briefing for elected councillors) next week, Wednesday 26 September at 4pm, on 'the future of Plainmoor (Torquay United)'. From the invitation list, it looks like it's the TDA giving the briefing. So get on to your councillor(s) and make sure they represent your views at the briefing and update you afterwards.

TorquayDNA wrote: ↑05 Sep 2018, 15:02 Good point, but it is a good start that he is obviously working with council members to bring this issue to light.

More like the local councillors have roped Foster in for a bit of pr ... there are local elections early next year!

torregull wrote: ↑04 Sep 2018, 14:59 ... given that the Leader of the Council has stated that ...

The 'leader of the council' is currently the Mayor (until May 2019). Cllr David Thomas is the leader of the Tory group on the council. Pedantry perhaps, but it's as well to be accurate in these things.

He may well be the leader of the council following next May's elections; but then again he may not; at least not for very long.

MF68 wrote: ↑06 Aug 2018, 11:49 Funny how the Editor had to do it and not the reporters

Sorry, late to this one.

As I understand it, Jim Parker isn't the editor any more. That's some bloke based down in Plymouth.

Jim Parker has been retained by Trinity Mirror to write a column and to front some local events. That is the extent of his involvement.

There is an excellent posting by Jon Gibbes on another TUFC fans forum (the other one that you do not need a password to read) on the position of TUST.

To be clear, my criticisms of TUST are really around communication and presentation, not around its objectives. We were promised "frank and open" so-called 'minutes' of the first formal meeting with Clarke Osborne, but what we got could easily have been written by Osborne's own pr people, and raised more questions than answers. The latter is evidenced by the fact that TUST felt compelled to put out a further statement to encourage people to get in touch with them if they had any questions about the meeting.

This may sound a little harsh, but if these 'minutes' accurately reflected the meeting, then Osborne will think that he is dealing with pussies. He needs to be aware that the vast majority of TUFC fans/TUST members are not so obsequious, not so easily fobbed off, not so compliant. I am not - of course - suggesting any sort of action or demonstration, but I would like to see my TUST acting in a more businesslike and determined manner, and to see that reflected in meeting reports.

Cruisinho wrote: ↑17 May 2018, 08:26 We have now signed Sokolik and Bawling, 2 players who struggled with injuries last season...

Dear God. Owers makes Alan Knill look like Max Allegri.

merse btpir wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 21:38 Hard to accept that some two and a half hours after posting the detail; no-one has the grasp of the situation to even make a comment ~ I certainly have comment to make but anticipate being ridiculed by the usual suspects; so let's read what those individuals have to say first.

I do have plenty of comments to make on the statement, but only plan to join in if others are discussing, especially as it appeared that I was the only one being critical.

I'll start by saying that the opening of this report (no, it's not 'minutes') made me want to stick my fingers down my throat. It's hardly businesslike to fawn so much over some bloke 'giving up' a couple of hours of his time: time that he's PAID for; none of you are. It made me think of an audience with the emperor of Japan.

I doubt that anyone would want to read my take on the whole report anyway, so I'll leave you with this thought: you (Tust, not Merse) swallowed the line about him taking inspiration from blueprints of other successful stadia. They wouldn't be his stadia, now would they?