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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. Great Western

    Great Western Member

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    A nice addition to the war chest...look out any other groups who don’t ask how high when their told fo jump!
    What guarantees does the funding body have that Thai money won’t be spend on evictions of undesirables from the railway?

    Seems like it’s just propping up a sinking ship until another hole appears in the hull.
     
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  2. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    O/T, noticeable are 68 ecclesiastical awards totalling £11.384m (to which I've no objection, but noticeable all the same).

    Patrick
     
  3. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Also noticeable that the amounts given bear no correlation with either the height of spire or popularity with Russian tourists ...

    Tom
     
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  4. LC2

    LC2 Member

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    I tried a few methods (such as text import with delimiters) but eventually ended up with something like that.
    Interestingly, I didn't need to faff with all the replacements, copying each page at a time into word gave me a usable table that I could copy back into excel.
    They must have created the table in excel (or *shudder* word) prior to converting to pdf. I wonder why they didn't provide an optional csv on the site.
     
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  5. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Of course they were welcomed at the WSR and remained welcome until personalities in the PLC changed. How can they be sure that the same can't happen with a new host organisation?
     
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  6. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    Good point. I suggest their agreements with new host(s) will be carefully drawn (to protect both sides). I was also going to suggest new host(s) will be carefully scrutinized, to see if there are any signs of potential future instability, but then again, one would have needed a very sharp crystal ball indeed in the WSR's case, given how long ago the SDRT moved there. Maybe the SDRT will try (in the medium-term future) to acquire their own site, so they won't be dependent on the good-will of a land-lord.

    I'd love to know the real reason [or reasons; it could have been a mix of a couple] why the WSR turfed them. Was it really just to encouragez les autres, or what? I suppose time will tell - but not necessarily: if Washford's still empty in 5 years, it could have been that, or perhaps the plans fell through.

    Noel
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2020
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  7. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    As they say, time will tell, if post the AGM, there are changes to the board, and those who made this decision are asked to explain, perhaps the reasoning will become clear, I don't think " I was only following orders" will cut much dice, , or " he told us to" what will be interesting is the excuses of the chairmen of both of the other charities when in time they get asked by their memberships," why did you support this ?" should the reasoning turn out to have been wrong.
     
  8. 60044

    60044 Member

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    I'm surprised that no-one has really mentioned Shillingstone as a potential site for the Museum to move to, especially as they hope to extend their running line in future. A site on the actual S&D line has to be good for both parties even if there's no likelihood of them being able to give meaningful work for 53808 in the foreseeable future.
     
  9. John Palmer

    John Palmer New Member

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    The agreement signed by the Chairmen of the WSR plc and the S&DRT in 2018 has come in for criticism in this thread but it's worth remembering that, from the legal perspective, such a document can be capable of having multiple purposes.

    The question of whether that 2018 Agreement had the intended effect of extending by 50 years the Trust's lease of the Washford site is not a straightforward one. However, irrespective of whether it achieved that particular purpose, I have yet to hear of any cogent basis for concluding that it failed to achieve the rather different purpose of recording the terms of a binding legal contract then formed between the Trust and the plc.

    The plc clearly signalled its intention not to honour the terms of that contract by giving notice to quit terminating in February 2021. By doing so it struck at the heart of the contract it had been content to enter into with the Trust, the essence of which was the agreement to extend until 2070 the Trust's right to remain in leasehold occupation of the Washford site upon terms somewhat different from those contained in its pre-existing lease of the site commencing in 1991.*

    The contract clearly laid down the ways in which the Trust's occupation of the Washford site could be brought to an end earlier than 2070. The plc failed to observe those provisions of the contract. So, regardless of the niceties of the law relating to leases, the plc broke the terms of its contract with the Trust. The Trust could respond to that breach by affirming the contract and compelling the plc to perform its contractual obligations. Alternatively the Trust can treat the contract as discharged and seek compensation from the plc for its resulting losses. The indications I have seen suggest that the Trust is taking the second of these courses.

    If anyone considers that the plc has not broken the terms of the contract it formed with the Trust in 2018, I should be very interested to hear their reasons for believing that to be the case. Meanwhile, if I am correct in thinking that the Trust has a right to compensation for the losses to which it has been exposed by the plc's conduct, it's good to hear that the plc will not now lack funds with which to pay such compensation. However tenuous the connection between this dispute and Voltaire's comment upon the circumstances of Admiral Byng's execution, perhaps it's no bad thing to remind people that you should not expect immunity from the consequences of breaking your contracts.

    *To be strictly accurate, the original leasehold term was for 30 years commencing on 1 May 1990, but the deed setting out the terms of the lease seems not to have been executed until 1991 - not an uncommon state of affairs.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2020
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  10. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    IMHO there is insufficient space currently at Shillingstone. Depending also on who says what, and what one reads, they may even be disposing of some space they already have and/or choosing not to buy/lease any more.

    I heard 'on the grapevine' recently - and obviously have no means of verifying this - that the S&DRT did approach them with a request to go there, but were turned down by one of their Trustees on the grounds of 'lack of space'.
     
  11. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    Hmmm, I note the accusations of 'Trojan Horses' when it comes to the WSSRT and the trustees standing for election (where they can be rejected) when lo and behold, the WSSRT suddenly co-opts, without elections and without seemingly any announcements anywhere, three new trustees...

    • Mike Thompson (PLC re-structuring project lead) on 22 September 2020
    • Helen Anson (WSSRT education officer) on 24 September 2020
    • Matt Jackson (WSSRT model railway) on 24 September 2020
    https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01079916/officers

    Curiouser and curiouser said Alice....

    What is this? Pre-emptive board stuffing?
     
  12. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Hmm, that puts the figure up to 10 trustees. 10, is that number familiar with anyone?...
     
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  13. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    It is funny isn't it. The WSSRT and PLC were playing the victim card, about how underhand the whole effort to bring in the new trustees was, and how the new trustees would swamp the old trustees.

    And then lo and behold, in an underhand manner, the WSSRT suddenly co-opt but make no announcement (not that I've seen at any rate) of three new trustees, which just happens to be the same number as the new proposed trustees, as a way to I presume block any efforts of the 10.

    But while the 10 are putting themselves forward and can be rejected democratically by the members, I am wondering where the consultation is with the membership about the co-option of the three is?

    Just out of interest, will the membership have the chance to vote for the 10 current trustees?
     
  14. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    The full quote was “…A Trojan Horse manoeuvre more appropriate to the rough and tumble of the city.”
    So, on the one side we have fifteen candidates putting themselves publicly up for election at the AGM, all in accordance with the articles of Association of the charity. Their aims, to merge the WSSRT with the WSRA, are also stated publicly.
    On the other side we have the postponement of the AGM, the cancellation of applications for new members, given without reasonable excuse, a campaign of intimidation of the candidates and vilification in the press and now a secret co-option of three new board members.
    I think I know which one the likes of "Tiny" Rowlands or Robert Maxwell would be more familiar with.
    I don't know who the WSSRT board think they are trying to kid, but their actions are looking more and more like making sure the members don't have the opportunity to change anything. "We are the bosses, we know best, we make the decisions, your job is to agree them".
     
  15. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Regardless of other possible issues/reasons, one does have to ask WHY the apparent sudden need to co-opt 3 new Trustees so close to the forthcoming AGM? Should not the need, or otherwise, to co-opt further Trustees have been left to the incoming Board?

    I'm not familiar with the specific WSSRT articles (there will be others on here with more knowledge of such things than myself), but the usual practice in such cases is for co-opted Trustees to be confirmed (or not) at the next AGM. It might be seen therefore by some people as a move to circumvent the fact that the nomination process for election has now ended.

    Puzzled.....
     
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  16. billbedford

    billbedford Member Friend

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  17. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    It is the sort of rigging you'd expect in a Banana Republic. An old regime doing anything and everything to cling onto power. Think you might lose an election, postpone the election claiming spurious reasons, deny people the right to vote, then stuff the committee but do so in a clandestine way with no pubic announcement.
     
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  18. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I believe 3 trustees were up for re-election/election following co-option before all this, plus the 3 new co-option you identified, that makes 6 of the 10 now current trustees whose candidatures are up before the membership. Plus the other 10 candidates, that makes 16 people for the membership to vote on. If they all get in - and there are no limits to trustee numbers in the WSSRT so presumably they all merely need to get more ayes than noes - then the WSSRT will be blessed with 20 trustees. Who said there was a lack of people willing to take on top jobs!?!

    It does seem a bit poor form that these co-options have been made so quietly. I'm not against co-option per se, but it ought to be demonstrable that the co-optee is either filling a specific role or bringing new skills to the table IMHO. Not even bothing to inform the membership is also a bit rubbish.
     
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  19. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    I wonder what would happen if the membership were to reject the 3 new trustees and the 3 old trustees standing.

    Here's the thing, the lack of transparency makes it appear that there is a less than pure motive for it.

     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2020
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  20. QB Cook

    QB Cook Guest

    It will be interesting to see who gets out of bed this morning, makes a cuppa and then sits down and tries to defend the indefensible.
     

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