Complaints about the sale of by East Riding Council of Bridlington Golf Course to Bridlington Golf Club a few years ago provoked a good deal of criticism.
The Golf Club was allegedly in financial difficulty. A deal was agreed under which the golf course was declared surplus to requirements by East Riding Council, and sold to the Golf Club for £725,000. The Golf Club then sold part of the course for £1.6 million to a property developer who wanted to build a housing development there. This enabled the golf club to pay East Riding Council the £725,000, and left them a profit on the deal of £875,000.
According to the Hull Daily Mail Golf Club minutes show that the idea of selling the land on which the Golf Club stood to the Golf Club was first suggested by then leader of East Riding Council Steve Parnaby, and the council’s Chief Executive Alan Menzes at a meeting with a Golf Club official.
Detectives in Humberside Police’s economic crime unit investigated and found their was no evidence of criminal or inappropriate behaviour - Detective Sergeant Ivan Simms reporting this in a letter said: "The conclusion of my enquiries is that there is no evidence of any such inappropriate involvement that would give any support to the allegations that a criminal offence has been committed.”
How can it be that instead of selling a portion of the golf course, which East Riding Council then owned, to the property developer for £1.6 million (directly into the Council’s coffers), the Council sold it to the Golf Club for £725,000, thus losing council tax payers £875,000 and gifting that to the Golf Club as profit? If the rules and the law allow that, there is something wrong for the rules and the law. This should be properly investigated.
That same Alan Menzies is currently interim chief executive of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and has been appointed as the police area returning officer for Humberside in the election for the Police Commissioner in May. In his role, he ensures the fair conduct of the election. That’s the Police and Crime Commissioner who oversees the police force which investigated the Bridlington golf course land sale. For Mr Mensies role in elections see: https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/news/article/?entry=65fdac1df518c83b6626ed90
Mr Menzies is also Executive Director for Planning and Economic Regeneration at East Riding Council. To all intents and purposes Goole Town Deal Board reports directly to him, and he will have had a strong say, if not the final say, in appointing the members of the board. He apparently enforces the standards in office.
As if he wasn’t busy enough He’s also on the Board of the Humber Freeport.
The deal of Bridlington Golf Course, the situation regarding ownership of Goole Market and Junction, the decisions relating to the Town Deal - especially Victoria Pleasure Grounds and planning decisions in that neighbourhood of Goole - share one thing in common. They don’t make any sense if those involved are truly taking decisions in the best interests of residents.
Another common factor is that anyone who questions or expresses criticism is dismissed, sidelined, attacked or otherwise intimidated - a good example of that is Goole’s MP taking to the letters page in the Goole Times to describe critics of the Town Deal plans as “moaners”.
Too much power is in too few hands. There is a lack of meaningful accountability. Combine that with decisions that are angering the public and you have the collapse of trust and goodwill which you can see all too clearly in Goole.
You can see the Hull Daily Mail article about the Bridlington Golf Course sale police investigation here (the article is five years old and still online, nothing has been challenged in it):
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/police-conclude-investigation-sale-council-2546617