kevinjohnsonmbe

It’s a difficult area. Ive no doubt many small - medium charities are founded out of good intentions, often filling a gap in systemic care and similarly often borne out of personal experiences motivating good people to do ‘good’ in their local area. That so many seem to fall foul of ‘operating costs’ and ‘remunerations’ that seem to far exceed the proportion of turnover / designated charitable output is a stain that seems to over shadow so many. Not naturally altruistic, I was hit up by an important influence in my life recently to contribute to a charitable cause he was championing. He was horrified when I told him I’d taken the time to look the charity up and read their annual reports - which didn’t present a particularly impressive charitable output to ‘running costs’ ratio. All the info is there at charities commission for public scrutiny. Kids Club has just had its investigation concluded - delayed due to concurrent high court activity. Shocking state of affairs with considerable ramifications in the (so called) charitable sector. That it is even considered as a ‘sector’ speaks VOLUMES of the state of affairs where whole careers, and considerable salaries, are built out of exploiting grant availability and public fund raising. Charity Inquiry: Keeping Kids Company - GOV.UK WWW.GOV.UK

I’m less troubled by the fact they have been investigated than I am by the dubious activities of a poorly equipped or morally corrupt board of trustees which led to the investigation. „What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation.

CowTRA?

We may have differed in opinion on some of the core issues of the thread John, but by God your passion and enthusiasm for the care subject is remarkable. There’s a sense that your passion is borne out of personal experience / pain - if that is the case pal I hope you can gain a sense of reparation by the advice you give to others. 👍🏻

I had in mind to come back to ya’all on this one Marcus. As a general rule, there is not a midge’s knacker between what you write and what I think - startlingly aligned 😂 Indeed, there was 1 example recently (topic slips my mind) which touched upon the controversial where I actually thought out loud - I would not have written a single word differently. I suspect you can read between the lines of my comments on this subject (and previous similar) and recognise that I mean no criticism (not entirely true - since there is often sound basis for much criticism) of those that are actively engaged in ‘working’ the sector but rather the criticism is aimed at the preposterous ‘schemes’ and red tape which seem entirely weighted towards the larger land owner rather than the hands on farmer. The greatest frustration being the addict like dependence of those in the sector who continue to suckle slavishly at the teat of the NFU which is actually about as far removed from grass roots farming, and as intimately integrated into corporate and governmental complicity as it is possible to be. I recall from previous posts of yours (and of my own experience) that we may also agree (in degrees)?that many of these ‘grant schemes’ are either so ludicrous in their administrative complexity and/or qualifying criteria, and that on detailed examination, are almost invariably shown to be little more than cash-cow money pits with no realistic potential to return the tangible benefits they were conceived to deliver - not least of which - because the overinflated staff complement and salary liability of administering them often exceeds the actual money pushed forward to advance the current ludicrous cause (just as likely to be the reversal of the opposite cause which preceded it by 10, 20, 50 years) and that on top of all of that..... The only peep’s that are likely to put themselves through the various grant application processes are the larger agri businesses that employ office staff solely for this type of administrative role thus even further alienating the ‘hands on’ farmer from the very support which is ‘supposed’ to benefit the grass roots. But in summary - if I had a large fortune to piss away I’d be much happier to do so knocking back Mojitos in the Caribbean than banging in fence posts in SE Cornwall 😂

For that statement to be correct, there would need to be an undisputed acceptance that council always right / professional advisor always wrong. That’s certainly not a starting point I’d accept.

You can challenge a provisional TPO prior to confirmation by submission of suitably presented counter argument. The processes and decision making are (should be) clearly defined - it is a planning decision rather than a TO decision which leads to confirmation of a TPO so properly constructed and presented counter argument is imperative. Too late in your case... LAs should be especially mindful of correct process in the transition from provisional to confirmed TPO since they are (in essence) the applicant, the assessor, the adjudicator AND the decision maker.... After confirmation, no appeal route exists - JR only. Bye the bye now anyway...

👊🏻 BOOM!

Can you give us a link to the council planning page where your TPO app (and any responses / progress / feedback) should be on public record?

Deadline to register England’s footpaths cancelled after public access campaign | UK news | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Walkers and horse riders had been given until 1 January 2026 to apply to save unmapped rights of way through private...

I’d of thought that would be a relatively easy fix with something like a slow release chlorine tablet??

Sorry to hear that about yr Dad Richard, I did see your previous worrying post comment about possible vaccine association but I didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment. Best wishes to you all for whatever lays ahead.

It’s rarer than hens teeth for me to find myself ‘nodding along’ while listening to James OBrian on LBC. He was fair tearing into this story today, and I was fair nodding along. With all the dark state mechanism of Buck House, security agencies, upper civil service and the pick of the (supposedly) greatest legal, cultural, constitutional, administrative and procedural advisors..... He was bumming around with a right bunch of noncing, wrong ‘uns and NOBODY thought to reign him in...? Nah, I’m not ‘aving it. If you want to catch a professional rant worth getting OBrexit on catch up at LBC.

That’s mad 😃

Have you had proper advice on inheritance / capital gains tax? I’m sure you will have - I was under the impression - not at all first hand knowledge - there were significant advantageous conditions: Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax Planning for Farmers | Simmons Gainsford LLP WWW.SGLLP.CO.UK

Would anyone be willing to say what sort of money they are paying per year for water rates? Trying to get a feel for what it might be. I'm £282 for period 1 Apr 21 - 31 Mar 22 (that's with some sort of magical added government rebate of £50 - not sure how that shit works? Government tax me then give me my money back as a rebate in the water bill? And also something called South West water Water Share - if SWW 'outperform' their business prediction - I get £20 off my bill - so again, SWW take MY money for their business then if they take more than they needed they give me some scraps back.) The bill appears to tell me that I am charged according to the rateable value set by the LA and that since 1990 it has not been possible to seek to change a rateable value. It doesn't tell me what my rateable value is though - like, where am I on the scale and what additions deletions might have been applied when the rateable value was set. I've just set up an online account with South West Water to try and find answer to my questions (do I have a rebate / reduction for no foul mains) but it's about as much use a tits on a flat fish. I'll probably have to phone Mumbai for a couple of hours tomorrow... Detached, 4 bed, with septic tank (old style soak away) and no mains sewer connection. Rainwater goes to soak-away or to ground. What are people paying if on a meter?

The naivety of the well intentioned... A an unexpected windfall purse for the church and the removal of a financial liability. Any of that money ever find it's way back into community causes I wonder?

I know of one - but it was a bit of a special case. May be able to link details later if time permits.

On my list of bills to examine with a much finer toothed comb too. Been meaning to check it out for ages. Maybe not directly relevant to yourself (unless septic tank is involved in your situation too) I think, there is a reduced rate if you don't discharge to mains sewer - hopefully someone like the eggmeister might know something about that... So I don't 'know' that the water company have me listed as not discharging to mains - I need to check that.

So = a load of old bollox presented to justify inappropriate activity / policy changes... Wars have started over similar....

I didn't have chance to come back to you on these points yet Richard. I was trying to find a previous thread where the farm subsidy thing was discussed in detail. It might have been this one - but I'm not sure that is the one I was thinking of. Either way, some great names we don't see so often anymore in there. I have always felt that, if a subsidy should be paid, then it should be paid to the 'hands on' farmer rather than the absentee land owner. I also have some skin in the game since the c*nts at HMRC define a business as that which is capable of making a profit. Therefore, any farm that relies upon subsidy and would otherwise not be a viable business - cannot, by definition (of HMRC) be a business. It should naturally follow therefore, if you can't be a (ag) business then you also can't claim the unbelievably and often overlooked plethora of additional 'business' benefits afforded to the ag sector - reduced planning constraints, reduced council tax, rebated diesel, reduced driver age, relaxed inheritance tax etc etc etc... The list is truly staggeringly advantageous when compared to just about every other industrial sector. I know it's been done before. but couldn't resist the opportunity... Final question... "....he bought the farm years ago to hide some money I’m guessing? In 2008 I think he said..." Did you mean your dad or Clarkson?? 😂

Is that a bit like Trump then? The only way he’d end up with a million is if he started out with 2? Clarkson - reported £48 mil personal wealth, paid heaven only knows how much for a farm - and a ridiculously over spec’s tractor - drew down a shed load of tax payers money (quite properly (if you think the subsidy system ‘proper’)) and turned an £85 profit after a year? There’s a discussion running about how silly it is to work on a Sunday and folks’ business acumen been questioned (only joking Mick) but folks here want to present Clarkson as a paradigm of industry? I’m completely unable to take that at face value.... Others may disagree.

There is a huge amount of contradictory “opinion” about the Clarkson effect available in the googlesphere. Much of it is complete wankjuice with the primary purpose of promoting the show to the direct financial benefit of - well,, maybe you can figure that out for yourself.

As it comes or with a sauce? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.... Is this a perpetuation of bad habits being presented as current / best practice? If so, that is the cause of the problem rather than the potential solution. Just because one might only be familiar with a single, intensive system, it does not make that system the only / best system. Dam rearing systems are possible and have significant positive effects on cognition and social skills of dam reared calves. The largest local dairy hereabouts has a similar approach to the ‘ethical dairy’ currently featuring on the beeb prog. I’ll go out on a limb... The greatest issue facing the ag sector in the coming decade is losing its connection with the consumer. Failure to embrace better practice and an overt unwillingness to proactively engage the consuming public will accelerate that disconnect. “We’ve always done it that way” is one of the worst possible scenarios.... {Holy crap! Watching Panarama on catch up and by God if those London elite, champagne socialist, lefty, townies biased no-good interfereniks at the Beeb haven’t read my script....}