Topic: False Memory Swindrome

[Karsten]

I'm NOT growing another finger on each hand for anybody...and I'm sh*t at banjo playing, so that lets me out I guess ?

In 91 (Gulf war I) I was on Koh Samui (Thai island) staying on Kwaeng Beach.
One of the beach masseuses had six fingers on each hand.  No one noticed but me.
You actually had to count to notice her extra fingers.
She was quite popular as she did give long massages. Her problem was people used to fall asleep and she was too shy to wake them up to get paid.
An extra finger or a missing finger doesn't make much difference.
The Simpsons and most cartoon charaters manage ok with one finger less.
What do you use your pinky for?

I don't think there is an inner circle of TS, that implies there is a significant readership.
You've posted once a day already so you'd be automatically included if there was an inner circle.

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[Drone]

Did Swindon Make Private Eye again this week?

See up above:

And we're in the Eye again (no 1288):


Another publication in danger of forfeiting the right to be taken seriously is the Local Government Chronicle (LGC). It has given Swindon council an award for being the most 'innovative' council in the country - based on its role in trying to provide free Wi-Fi internet access. As Eye readers and Swindon residents know, the scheme has been a complete disaster, failing to meet any of its targets or objectives and culminating in the council's 'partner', Digital City UK, defaulting on a £450,000 loan from the tax payer.

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[Geoff Reid]

William ********-*****

11 April 2011

Dear Swindon Borough Council,

Further to my request dated 10/04/2011 seeking information re the
debt incurred by Iceland's banking system collapse, I have a
further question to ask.

What measures, if any, are being undertaken by SBC. to ensure
repayment of the £450,000 that was loaned to Digital City including
the interest accrued on aforesaid loan ?
Yours faithfully,

William ********-*****

Link to this | Send follow up

Customer Services
Swindon Borough Council

11 April 2011

Thank you for your email which has been forwarded to the FOI office for response.

Kind regards

Customer Services
Swindon Borough Council
Wat Tyler House
Swindon SN1 2JG
Phone: 01793 445500

E-mail: [Swindon Borough Council request email]
Website: www.swindon.gov.uk


It would appear that the predictions made by a few TS members re the likelihood of my receiving a reply to my FOI request were well founded
and I should have a response to my questions by 13/05/2011.

Am I over simplifying matters to ask why this money has apparently disappeared, and furthermore, if I were to come up with a sooper dooper business plan that stood no chance at all of succeeding, let alone getting off the drawing board..would SBC be willing to finance me to the tune of £450,000 and allow me to bu**er off abroad and live out my "Golden" years in comparative luxury ?

Could someone please explain to me in plain English just how this whole debacle has come about, and what if anything, is being done by SBC to rectify this situation. (or is that exactly what SBC don't want to happen ?)

 

See my FOI request of 10th Feb 2011 - question 10a and answer: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/loan_default_by_digital_city_ltd#incoming-158265

10a. Will Stuart MacKeller be reviewing the investment/loan, or
other financial arrangements, agreements and understandings with
Digital City (UK) Ltd, Avidity Consulting and aQovia Ltd ? In all
instances: Now the loan has been defaulted on, what steps will Mr
MacKellar be taking in his capacity as 151 Officer to recover the
outstanding £400,000 loan and missed interest payments due from
Digital City (UK) Ltd or other individuals and organisations?

Response:

The Director of Finance is supporting the ongoing discussions with external parties
with a view to recovering the outstanding loan.

I still do not believe the £400,000 will be recovered so I look forward to the upcoming announcement from Councillor Perkins about the rescue deal with the new investor.

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[Des Morgan]

The Director of Finance is supporting the ongoing discussions with external parties
with a view to recovering the outstanding loan.

Herein is a conundrum - how can talking to third parties be relevant to recovering a loan made to Digital City UK Limited.  Unless the third party buys Digital City UK Limited they will not be liable for DCs debts. What am i missing?

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[boothill]

I'm NOT growing another finger on each hand for anybody...and I'm sh*t at banjo playing, so that lets me out I guess ?

In 91 (Gulf war I) I was on Koh Samui (Thai island) staying on Kwaeng Beach.
One of the beach masseuses had six fingers on each hand.  No one noticed but me.
You actually had to count to notice her extra fingers.
She was quite popular as she did give long massages. Her problem was people used to fall asleep and she was too shy to wake them up to get paid.
An extra finger or a missing finger doesn't make much difference.
The Simpsons and most cartoon charaters manage ok with one finger less.
What do you use your pinky for?

I don't think there is an inner circle of TS, that implies there is a significant readership.
You've posted once a day already so you'd be automatically included if there was an inner circle.

What I do with my pinky in the privacy of my own home is none of your business !

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[Richard Symonds]

The Director of Finance is supporting the ongoing discussions with external parties
with a view to recovering the outstanding loan.

Herein is a conundrum - how can talking to third parties be relevant to recovering a loan made to Digital City UK Limited.  Unless the third party buys Digital City UK Limited they will not be liable for DCs debts. What am i missing?

Your're not Des.  As a businessman you know you would not want to 'buy' debts unless there was a very good reason.  You would want to start with a completely clean sheet of paper.  However, to save face Roderick and Garry might try to show they have secured the return of this money even though it would have been part of another deal anyway.

I just love Accountants especially Creative ones!! 

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[boothill]

Quote from:  Geoff Reid
10a. Will Stuart MacKeller be reviewing the investment/loan, or
other financial arrangements, agreements and understandings with
Digital City (UK) Ltd, Avidity Consulting and aQovia Ltd ? In all
instances: Now the loan has been defaulted on, what steps will Mr
MacKellar be taking in his capacity as 151 Officer to recover the
outstanding £400,000 loan and missed interest payments due from
Digital City (UK) Ltd or other individuals and organisations?

Response:

The Director of Finance is supporting the ongoing discussions with external parties
with a view to recovering the outstanding loan.



Geoff

I received a FOI response today, and although it differs slightly to the one you received, it's a case of "same song...different words"

Response:

Discussions are continuing with Digital City UK Ltd and other potential investors aimed at continuing the project and securing repayment of sums owed to the Council.
For information, of the £450,000 referred to a total of £400,000 has been advanced to date.

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[Drone]

What are the council's options at the moment?

Push DC into recievership in oder to recover owned debts...

Negotaiate on their behalf to find achump willing to take the company on...

Sue for breach of contract...


What's the best outcome at this point?

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[Des Morgan]

Sadly none of them are viable options.

DC has no money and its assets are the 'stuff' on Highworth lamp posts - worth nothing

I don't think anyone really believes there is a 'chump' out there willing to buy DC

To sue would simply be to pour good money after bad and who would the Council sue?

The Council through its political arm (because the decision to be a part of this project was political) is attempting to do a deal with a substantial compnay who will provide Wi-Fi for Swindon.

Coun Bluh is already positioning himself and has already changed his story as to the original purpose of the Wi Fi programme. To recall the statement in the Cabinet member briefing note - "The Joint Venture and loan will provide the Council with an opportunity to benefit commercially from the company's future profits as well as by providing free access to all residents and visitors to the Borough".

There were 7 stated objectives underscoring the programme and offered as justification in support of the business case.

Despite identifying 3 priority outcomes for the first quarter, none of which was met, the Council gave Mr Hunt's DC a further £250k in order to avoid any delay in proceeding with a full Borough wide roll out. This money was given in May and less than 4 weeks later the project stalled.

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[Richard Symonds]

But what happened to the 250k Des?

I thought it was to provide for the remaining roll out across the Borough or at least in the Town Centre?

Whatever Rod does it will not be forgotten and it depends how it is handled as to what action is taken.

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[Geoff Reid]

Don't forget that, as a major shareholder of Digital City, SBC owns a large percentage of that £400,000 debt.

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[Drone]

We're in debt to ourselves? Swinception!

I think the best way of covering our losses in to make Rikki Hunt personally work off the debt over the next thirty years as an unpaid council bottom-rung worker. Emptying bed pans, Removing wasps nests, Taking abuse at the One Stop Shop, Writing Cllr Bluh's Adver column... and other undignified jobs.

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[Des Morgan]

Don't forget that, as a major shareholder of Digital City, SBC owns a large percentage of that £400,000 debt

Geoff It's a thought but I don't think SBC 'own' any of the debt (if by own you mean they are responsible for 35% of it) as the £400k was a loan to the Company as a legal entity in its own right.  As a shareholder it owns 35% od DC and its shares are currently worth zippo, but SBC is still owed £400k.  As DC is worth zippo then SBC will get nothing out of DC

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[Richard Symonds]

We're in debt to ourselves? Swinception!

Now that is Swinovative or Swinbrant Drone!! 

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[Ringer]

We know there is a rescue package being done as someone told me Rod Bluh said so on the radio a couple of weeks ago. Did anyone hear it?

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[Got Signal]

Read this thread here  http://www.talkswindon.org/index.php?topic=7871.msg67610#msg67610

We make Private Eye, again!

Collective amnesia strikes in Swindon, where senior councillors and officers are dashed if they can remember much about Digital City (DC).

Eye readers will easily remember it as the company that defaulted on a £450,000 loan from the Tory Council to set up borough-wide wifi internet access (Eyes 1265 and 1283).

An FOI request asked two simple questions:

- When did council leader Roderick Bluh, the deputy leader Garry Perkins and the other eight memnbers of the cabinet find out that DC would not be repaying the £450,000?

- When did chief executive Gavin Jones and other top officers find out that 'Rikki' Hunt, who recently quit as the chief executive of DC, had also quit as director of Avidity Consulting Ltd, which owns 30% of the shares of DC - to be replaced by his wife, Laura?

FOI officer Sharon Druett replied that none of the key players could remember the answers to these questions because they were informed 'verbally and therefore the information was not recorded under the FOI act'.

One of the worst afflicted is Perkins, who is also a director of DC. He had several meetings with Rikki after the transfer of Avidity shares to Mrs Hunt, yet apparently neither though that worth discussion.

Another puzzle is why Swindon gave DC a loan 900 times greater than the £500 limit suggested by a credit assessment agency the council had engaged to run checks on DC prior to offering it a loan.

Cllr Perkins claims new buyers for DC have been found but can't be identified because they are insisting on a 'confidentiality and non-discolsure agreement'. And what you don't know, you can't forget!

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