The Pairc Trust
With the community representatives on the Trust at loggerheads with the Landlord, Barry Lomas, and with recent accusations and counter-accusations flying around, I was grateful for some documents that reached me recently, and to which I will be giving detailed consideration shortly.
I looked carefully at the Pairc Trust website and was interested to note that the footer reads:
A quick look at whois.co.uk produced an astonishing answer:
Why do the parties seems to be playing at being opponents at each others throats when there appears to collusion between the parties, not just in the simple matter of the website, but in apparently secret deals behind closed doors which apparently seek to benefit some of the Trustees interests and the sellers interest in a mutually beneficial way? (More on this to follow)
As a charitable trust, the Trustees have to show an even higher standard of probity than company directors, but the public in the Pairc area need to be make any decisions in the full knowledge of the full facts. And the politicians need an even higher level of knowledge before public funds and public approval are bestowed on the deal.
Of course, I may be wrong, and I will happily publicise any further information that may shine light on the nature of the dealings, if I have got the wrong end of the stick.
I looked carefully at the Pairc Trust website and was interested to note that the footer reads:
Copyright (c) 2009 Pairc.co.uk. All rights reserved.So who owns pairc.co.uk?
A quick look at whois.co.uk produced an astonishing answer:
Domain name:WTF is going on???
pairc.co.uk
Registrant:
BJY Lomas
Registrant type:
UK Sole Trader
Registrant's address:
Lomas
14 Offchurch Lane Radford Semele
Leamington Spa
CV31 1TN
Unknown
United Kingdom
Registrar:
Easily Limited t/a easily.co.uk [Tag = WEBCONSULTANCY]
URL: http://www.easily.co.uk
Relevant dates:
Registered on: 20-Jan-2000
Renewal date: 20-Jan-2012
Last updated: 04-Mar-2010
Why do the parties seems to be playing at being opponents at each others throats when there appears to collusion between the parties, not just in the simple matter of the website, but in apparently secret deals behind closed doors which apparently seek to benefit some of the Trustees interests and the sellers interest in a mutually beneficial way? (More on this to follow)
As a charitable trust, the Trustees have to show an even higher standard of probity than company directors, but the public in the Pairc area need to be make any decisions in the full knowledge of the full facts. And the politicians need an even higher level of knowledge before public funds and public approval are bestowed on the deal.
Of course, I may be wrong, and I will happily publicise any further information that may shine light on the nature of the dealings, if I have got the wrong end of the stick.
45 comments:
A typo perhaps?
While not knowing the details of the Pairc buyout this smells a little like the pre buyout shenanigans that went on down in Uist.
There, the so called community buyout was cosily arranged behind closed doors with the wider community completely unaware of what was being planned.
The same grubby crowd have since gone on to raid the public purse, make wildly extravagant and wholly unrealistic claims regarding new developments, run up eye watering legal bills, and trampled over anyone who dares question any aspect of their behaviour... oh, and they have now deleted the board meeting minutes section from their website, so what little light was being shed on their proposed activities is now firmly extinguished.
The most bitter irony is that the one time champion of the West coasters (West Highland Free Press) now wholly ignores abuses of power by the 'community' landlord which would have had it shouting from the rooftop had the old estate management ever dared to behave in this manner.
Eat your heart out, any community that is not fully aware of what is going on behind the scenes in their own affairs need only look to South Uist to see a slowly unfolding tragedy that can only end in tears.
pairc.co.uk is registered to Lomas but pairctrust.co.uk is registered to Pairc Trust, it is
Copyright (c) 2009 Pairctrust.co.uk. All rights reserved.
that is on the website.
Which is a shame really as your story was intriguing up till I went to look myself.
anon 5.30pm
You might be right but the parktrust.co.uk is from 19 Apr this year did Angus find something out which quickly got changed?
I'll give Angus the benefit of the doubt for the time being in that he reported on what he saw or was told.
Domain name:
pairctrust.co.uk
Registrant:
The Pairc Trust
Registrant type:
Unknown
Registrant's address:
Ravenspoint, Kershader
South Lochs
Isle of Lewis
HS2 9QA
United Kingdom
Registrar:
Calico Internet Ltd t/a Calico UK [Tag = CALICO]
URL: http://www.cali.co.uk
Relevant dates:
Registered on: 22-Apr-2004
Renewal date: 22-Apr-2012
Last updated: 19-Apr-2010
This really got the cogs turning with me so I have just down an hour or so investigation of my own into this.
I was amused that Pairc Community voted to recently remove the 'Welcome to Pairc' sign from the roadside, which perhaps speaks volumes. That is from their own minutes.
Add to that it would seem that democracy is banned. Who is Pairc Trust to block a demoratically elected community council? Pairc Trust are a company, and not democraticaly elected. All seems rather murky, as does much of this buyout stuff.
Will any politican actuallty stand up and say that they want a monitorium put on these buyouts till there has been a full enquiry and audit. Perhaps a completely neutral, dare I say English company with no Scottish links would be the most appropriate.
Is it not in appropriate to have a bankruptee running a multi million pound buyout with public funds?
The example that is given for Uist isnt a glowing endorsement for community buyouts. Perhaps we need to think again. Are these power mad indivduals buying and setting up a company, or is it truly a community buyout?
Pairc Trust are democratically elected.
"
Add to that it would seem that democracy is banned. Who is Pairc Trust to block a demoratically elected community council? Pairc Trust are a company, and not democraticaly elected. All seems rather murky, as does much of this buyout stuff.
"
****Pairc Community council was never democratically elected. Pairc Trust in comparison have been and are looking for new nominations for directors***
2.52 Please list the names of Pairc Trust Directors who have been directly elected not just been re-appointed by default.
Thank you.
2.52pm You must be shome relation to a person on the Pork trust.
The community council have not wasted ~£140K of tax payers money with more to come if part 3 is approved. Whilst the Pairc 'Trust' have been arguing the toss with anyone and everyone who says 'out against them (including Scottish exec ministers), the community council have got on with trying to sort out day to day issues that effect folk in the area. The residents of Gravir gave a majority vote against the converter station; so the PT stuck the thing in their business plan..... they have been looking for new nominations for ages, presumably because no one wants to get involved with this shower.
Anyone could have put their names to join the CC including you - bone head.
And another reality check - how come Pairc Trust got to make decisions about setting up new companies, community benefit trusts, and whatever else went on?
No agenda noting that votes were to be taken was issued to the membership, let alone the whole community (including non members, who might also be interested in what happens to the community benefit). It seems hardly anyone was at the meeting beyond the normal family members and friends of the directors. Almost certainly no minutes will have been taken, because Pairc Trust don't produce minutes of meetings, so no-one really knows what is going on.
So were these decisions legal?
The answer is yes, because Pairc Trust is only a democracy in as much as the plebs get the chance to change three Directors every year. Other than that it is like any other board of a private company - free to make whatever decisions it sees fit. They have already proven adequately that they will utterly ignore anything that they don't agree with. Recourse to the membership is merely a nicety for the politicians and civil servants tick boxes.
Take a look at S.Uist where the 'crofters' ended up taking their own 'Trust' to court! Thats democracy for you? These Trusts are garnering political favour by claiming to represent the 'crofting community', when in fact they are not. Just wait until its your apportionment they are resuming, or you can't get support for your business because the 'Trust' has it on their 5 year plan.
Apparantly the Chair of pairc trust has over the past 12 months become the largest livestock farmer in Lewis. Not sure if the land he farms is part of Pairc Estate or does he manage to do it all on his croft.
The PT website says decision to permit the purchase could be taken as early as 2nd half of May immediately after the 60 day consultation period ends (16/5) so as to beat the wind farm decision.
But the LR Act says Ministers must give the trust 60 days to respond to views submitted in the consultation (section 73(12)(b) for those interested in the legal niceties) and then Ministers can't take a decision earlier than 60 days after the end of that 60 days (73(15)(a)).
So the earliest decision will be 16 May plus 120 days = 12 September. When is the windfarm decision reckoned to be going to be taken?
All the signs from SSE are that they are expecting a consent and my guess is that it will come shortly after the election.
10.24 amazing considering his company went into receivership only a short while ago.
How can the community be a private company? Is this legal? I dont get all this.
As a taxpayer I want the plug pulled on this lot till there is some transparency.
Candidates - are you listening. There is a vote at stake here.
Pairc trust have published public meeting minutes on their website and a response to the Pairc Community Council guys document. Was that the guy who was arrested for pinching stuff from the comhairle and punting it on ebay?
Has he been up in front of the fiscal yet?
1.22 You just can't help yourself can you! And are you a bit thick? The documents weren't from the 'Pairc Community Council guy', Pairc Community Council have nothing to do with any of it, and I think you should check your facts before you start talking about people. Try reading the papers, then you may have some idea about what people are talking about.
However what a victory for democracy in Pairc. Now can we have the minutes for all the other public meetings over the last few years.
10.55 The Welcome to Pairc sign is to be moved to the boundary of Pairc, which seems entirely sensible, rather than its current position in the middle of somewhere.
For some background reading of what you can expect from an enlightened management regime controlling a 'community' buy out have a look on the web at;
Sealladh na Beinne Moire - the EGM
While it is a little time now since the pivotal moments which forced this correspondence, the board in South Uist have actually used this as a starter and have since gone on to plumb new depths.
Pairc residents... you are as mere novices in this joyous new democracy.
No one yet has revealed what actually the dispute between the Pairc Trust and the Pairc Community Council is - so here goes.
Last November PT asked the community to vote Yes to their plan to buy the estate and the interposed lease. That should mean to any lay man that if the wind farm comes PT would receive for the Community the land lords share of benefit and the lease holders share of the benefit and that a Community Benefit would come also to the Community at large.
At the same time they (PT) met in the UK with the Land Lord and presented him a proposal to buy the estate but LEAVE with the Land lord both the income from the Wind Farm AND LEAVE him the interposed lease!!!!!!!!!
Finally to pay for the estate from the Communities Community Benefit.
What a plot.
Land lord gives Community this info and one brave sole brought it up at the PT meeting only to be vilified in the press.
PT on their (newly amended) web site deny this.
So some one is really f'ing telling really big lies here and I cannot see what the land lord has to gain other than exposing his enemies the Pairc Trust.
So just like in the Uists the Pairc Community are being conned by their Trust behind closed doors and for the benefit of the Directors of the Trust who will get the lion share of the crofters benefit and business opportunity.
What a scam and to use the Community Benefit from an unwanted Wind Farm to pay for it is beyond belief.
This is a big non story.
No collusion between Pairc Trust & Lomas. The community have voted for a buy out so community council support the majority surely?
Yaaaaawn.
Questions to the floor.
1. Are folk saying if teher was no windfarm there would be no buyout?
2. I thought WIDT (whatever happenned to them and their minutes) were running the community benefit side of things. Remember the pages of adverts they used to run in the Gazette.
3. Would this be happening without the involvement of a certain ex civil servant with a vested government tie?
4. How can a bankrupt be involved as a lead player in a charity?
5. Representing the majority is one thing, but you should also allow the minority a voice.
6. The Tories described the Act as a Mugabe-style land grab when it was brought in. If David Cameron gets in will Westminster have any powers to stop taxpayers money going in these direction?
Should the Community Council support the 2% majority or give representation to the whole community? What about the people who only voted for the buy-out because they were misled into believing that is would mean the community had more influence over the Pairc Windfarm?
2% majority ?
whats the maths there then?
I find it very strange that pairc trust changed their copyright to pairctrust .co.uk after angus pointed out their obvious mistake but do you realise you have 2009 on some pages and 2008 on others, also the comment made from shergar is now nowhere to be found on their site I read it myself so I know it was there. Are the Pairc Trust so arrogant that they think they can pull the wool over our eye's forever or do they think we are just plane stupid. Umm answer we must be to let it get this far.
6.14 out of the total population 52% voted for the buy-out and 48% didn't, either by voting against or not voting at all.
As far as I am aware, there are no bankrupts running the Pairc Trust.
I think you might be mixing a corporate failure with a personal one.
7:26 PM
So the community is basically split
What is the voting role in Pairc. 300? so 3 people=1%
Much more finally balanced than the view that is being put out by the Trust and is in the press.
Just read the PT Minutes
More lies
There were only 40 people at that meeting 10 of them Directors and 10 more immediate family!
Asked for a straw poll on two items the Minutes now say they are firm proposals and will go ahead!!!!!!!!
Anugus WTF is going on here?
The Poll tax payer can't count (as well as still being ripped off for 'poll tax'). The exciting minutes of this historic meeting state that there were but 28 members present. Plus the token speaker who doesn't get to vote, plus 6 Pairc Trust dictators...sorry directors = 34. There is no mention of the genealogy of the members which is a pity because it would have further detracted from the viability of this so-called endorsement. Plus more evidence of the mathematically challenged as they haven't said how many voted yes and no..or both (or if anyone used both hands). All together now; 'you couldn't make it up'!
Another missive from Barry Lomas arrived on Pairc doormats today. It explains that from 2003:
"Pairc Estate was refused access to the crofters and community because Pairc Liaison Group insisted it would keep you informed."
"Pairc Trust also refused to discuss Pairc Estate's concern about how the crofters' share of the Pairc Windfarm (PWF) income should be allocated fairly amongst the 208 crofts. As a result, it is to be retained by just two of the eleven villages, with a minority especially favoured."
"Pairc Trust does not seem to want the community to know what has been going on in the hundreds of contacts with Pairc Estate since 2003, so until recently Pairc Estate has been obliged to remain silent."
"A Pairc Trust director's legal threat to "immediately raise court proceedings...for defamation' still stands."
And on it goes...needless to say the current chairman and former chairman are from the two villages set to benefit.
10:46 PM
You were very choosy about what you included from that letter.
I believe Pairc Trust couldn't apply for Big Lottery funding until they had a valuation, Lomas wouldn't participate in a valuation.
He has been running rings round the pairc community for years and now he sounds desparate. This what the Land Reform Act was made for!
Banana Republic of South Lochs: The Rules!
"The Pairc Trust would like the landlord and residents of Pairc to respect wishes of the clear majority who voted in favour of community ownership. We accept, of course, that anyone has a right to his or her opinions but that should not extend to undermining a clear democratic decision."
10.46
Its my liberty. I chose not to mention that, but to mention bits that were of interest to me.
I heard that Lomas asked for a rather absurd amount of money for the estate, without the lease, and that screwed things up with the Big Lottery. But that does not detract from the other information that Lomas has circulated - or does it? If it does, then lets hear some explicit public rebuttals!
Pairc Community Council seem to be very cosy with the landlord. Not the Pairc Trust.
The fact that the chair of the community council was attempting to circulate documents from the landlord recieved via the community council is disgusting. Acting personally? Nonsense.
He should resign.
The stasi speak! Maybe you should consider moving to North Korea 1.51, you are clearly no fan of democracy or free speech.
1.51pm Ermmm so what? This is still a free country and Lomas is still the landlord and entitled to say what he wants. In fact he's put it in writing so he must be pretty confident of his facts.
Anyone in Pairc paying attention to what's going on in S.Uist must be wondering what's in store for them.
Ho ho ho ! The revised axis of evil - Iran, Iraq, North Korea and South Lochs. :)
Barry Lomas is the chair of the Pairc Trust and also vice chair of Community Council, he sits on the Erisort Trust, Bethesda, Stornoway Rotary and is the Grand Master of Lodge Fortrose. He also runs the coffee pot, has a B&B in Cromore and regularly drinks in the Loch Erisort Inn, he can be found there most evenings buying the locals a dram, singing Tillidh Mi Dhachaidh and telling Bernie Fish 'knock knock jokes. Once he saw a UFO but it was covered up by the Comhairle and NASA. He drove a mobile grocery van for a while but what with the new co-op and Tescos it didn't work out, went the same way as J & Es.
Seriously though, if the good people of Pairc are looking for an estate, there is an L reg Volvo 850Estate on ebay for £300.00.
See if you can run that for a year without falling out.
Was anyone at the pairc community council meeting on wednesday?
10.58 - I like it. First thing to put a smile on my chops all day.
10.58 for president of Pairc!
Tickets available now for community council meeting next week. Nick Clegg will be there to hold the coats, Jodie Marsh will be holding the boards with the round numbers on and an expert team of surgeons will attend to help remove splinters from Cllr Maclean's arse.
Support act: Girls Aloud
(Okay, the last bit is a lie).
Oi! Angus, do you not have enough information yet to give an opinion on this?
£760,815.92....I can lend you he
£5.92(with interest)
Post a Comment