West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Let's hope CRF don't look too closely at why the line is in financial peril.

 

Let's hope they do...and force some hard facts to be faced up to!

 

TBH the level of scrutiny for covid money seems to have been pretty much zero. But it is effectively saying that any rickety business that would have gone under anyway can use covid as an excuse to prop itself up, even if the business is fundamentally unviable.

In the case of the WSR - if it gets some money does it just kick the can down the road? The status quo remains and the board claim it as evidence of their genius vs not getting money but ending up with an uncertain future as there is no guarantee that the line would be saved as the LLR has been. (Dependent on what the true financial situation of the WSR is)

BTW has anyone seen an update on the SOS appeal recently?

 

Has the CRF got to be paid back?

 

Not as far as I am aware, and providing the money is correctly spent: they are grants, not loans. (Government loans were also available, but that was a different scheme).

Tom

 

Thanks Tom.

 

Not even a glimmer.

 

Everything must be sorted then. Happy days!

 

And you have proof of that?

 

I am sure the right people will be put onto the job.

 

I'm not taking sides, it's a fair question, but the way it is phrased suggests that you have proof to the contrary - which you should be prepared to produce if that is the case.

 

Proof of what? Lack of scrutiny over govt money and covid or that an otherwise unviable organisation can claim covid even though its unviability has nothing to do with covid?

 

Given that the lasr grant application was not successful may I suggest that the WSRA should be trying to ensure it is involved in any application for this?

 

Either.

There's a big difference between claiming and being awarded.

I have claimed from the HMRC self-employment income support scheme which is based on my earnings from the 2019-2020 tax year.

I have also claimed emergency grants for my social enterprise, for which I had to complete a detailed application explaining how and why we had been affected. I was fortunate in being awarded one of these grants.

 

Grants have specific criteria about who can apply for them and the type of organisation they are. You can't necessarily pick and choose.

 

I mean that the WSRA should get involved in the application, not necessarily apply itself

 

I was talking about furlough fraud and the covid contracts scandals examples here and here covers the problems of loans to unviable businesses.

 

Given that the Dear Leader was unhappy at the prospect of them talking to the finance director, what are the odds of that happening ? Answers please on the back of an August appeal update.