'You've robbed us': Morecambe prom banner calls town council to task over highly controversial 'Frontierland tax'

The banner states: “Morecambe Town Council – give us our Frontierland tax money back – you’ve robbed us. Next meeting March 21st. Please try to attend. It’s your money they have.”

The Frontierland location was bought by Lancaster City Council in 2021 after lying derelict for years. The city council hopes to regenerate the site with private developers, and has sought expressions of interest and public opinion, and set up a special working group.

Entirely separately, Morecambe Town Council became the focus of controversy last year when it is alleged to have raised its local precept paid by households by 230 per cent to build a £1million reserve fund to develop Frontierland.

The precept row was raised at Lancaster City Council and Westminster by David Morris MP, who accused the town council of ’empire-building’.

CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS

Roger Cleet, an independent city councillor and former Morecambe town councillor, has been among those raising questions. In addition to Frontierland, he has asked about transparency and conduct at the town council.

He saw the new protest banner – placed on railings in the Morecambe promenade Aldi car park – and sent a photo to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said “As people will remember, there was a 230 per cent Morecambe town council precept rise last year. The normal precept was frozen band D at £44.11 and a Frontierland tax was created to generate £1million.

“The return of the Frontierland tax proved to be an election winner last year. Most of the members who were behind the idea didn’t get re-elected including the former chairwoman, Cary Matthews, who was also a cabinet member at Lancaster City Council.

“The new town councillors decided not to show an expression of interest with Lancaster City Council and the £1million fund was supposed to be reimbursed to the precept payers.”

For clarity, the large precept rise was not supported by all town councillors. Following last May’s elections and councillor changes, the town council explored potential options to, in effect, reimburse local households or cut future precepts. But solutions were not straight forward because of the unusual circumstances.

Lancaster City Council collects the town council’s precept from households as part of its wider council tax billing duties. But the city council has no control over precept decisions by the town council.

Coun Cleet added this week: “Morecambe Town Council has failed to have an internal audit for 2022/23 and has massively overspent with architects at a cost of £48,000 when only £10,000 was allocated on its vision for the Frontierland site, [and] over £50,000 on the Luke Jerram Mars exhibition at the Winter Gardens, of which the town clerk, Luke Trevaskis, refuses to divulge ticket sales.

“So basically although Morecambe Town Council has made a reduction to £97 for a band D home for the 2024/25 budget, it is still an increase of 121 per cent over the frozen precept which was £44. No wonder there is a bad feeling among residents.”

‘REDACTED PRECEPT CONCERNS’

Coun Cleet has raised various concerns regarding Morecambe Town Council. Last year, he was involved with a civil court hearing at Skipton County Court, regarding town council auditing work and a payment owed to auditor Safia Kauser, who trades as Internal Audit Yorkshire. Morecambe Town Council defended its conduct in a dispute over the work and a counter-claim. Ultimately, it was ordered to pay the auditor £1,500.

This week, Coun Cleet said he is looking at redacted town council bank statements from July last year. Out of a precept of £425,000, he said £295,000 is redacted.

He said: “The next town council meeting is on Thursday, March 21, at 7pm at Morecambe Town Hall. Concerned residents are urged to come along and meet on the steps at 6.30pm.”

There can be some circumstances when information is allowed to be kept private by councils, such as sensitive personal, financial or contractual information. So the town council may argue it has reasons for this.

Morecambe Town Council and the clerk, Mr Trevaskis, have strongly defended their conduct throughout the various controversies. Following last May’s elections, the current councillors are looking at new options and not proceeding with old Frontierland ideas.

The council also said it is held accountable by an external auditor appointed by the Smaller Authorities’ Auditing Appointments. It had shown financial responsibility not mismanagement. It has defended its taxation, its ‘hyper-local’ work, investment and community links.