WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
from our website
Jess Steele: Questions to be asked
Is your article Jess Steele, Community Entrepreneur in HIP 244 what passes for fearless, independent journalism then?
Not for the first time, HIP is unquestioningly painting Jess Steele as a selfless charity worker.
Many of us see her as a remarkably driven individual who repeatedly employs the phrase “bringing buildings into community ownership” as a deceptive euphemism for what it is… publicly funded private development. It’s inverted PPI dressed up as altruism. An entrepreneur risks their own money.
This curiously timed HIP puff piece, which quotes her oft-declared commitment to openness and transparency, should have raised a few questions which would have made the piece informative:
1) How much has she and her limited company Jericho Road Solutions (JRS) been paid for her time handling these many millions of public and charity funding? Wages, consultancies, rents etc?
2) As one of two 33% shareholder/”investors” in the property development aspect of this allegedly “community owned” property portfolio, how much cash have both JRS and Jess Steele personally invested in the purchase, renovation and upkeep of the jointly owned, appreciating assets? Who pays the interest on the loans other than Hastings Commons? How about Meanwhile, the other 33% shareholder? What have they actually invested or are they, too, just sitting pretty?
Look up the 2021 Confirmation statement for White Rock Neighbourhood Ventures Ltd (former name of Hastings Commons Neighbourhood Ventures Ltd).
3) Have these partners matched the public funding that’s gone into buying and renovating their share of assets, or are they just focused on raising public funding and loans in the name of Hastings Commons to invest in them?
4) When, as is planned, she leverages Hastings Commons’ assets to buy herself out, how much does she stand to walk away with? Somewhere considerably north of £1m would seem a conservative estimate, depending on the granular details of the deal, of course, which are conspicuously private for an “open and transparent, bottom up, community group”.
5) Why isn’t this agreement published in full rather than in snippets?
6) Are future changes to that agreement (it could easily be quietly changed) within the power of Ms Steele and this other supposed “investor” or are they legally set in stone, and is it an honest and fair agreement made at arms length in the first place rather than an incredibly cosy sweet deal set up by Jess by herself for herself?
Did Anne Barnes use public funding to buy herself the building where the Seaview Project is housed? Did Camila Batmanghelidjh use public funding to end up owning the premises that she used? Imagine the stink!
The published plan for the £8.5m she’s just bagged on behalf of the town’s youth is, surprise surprise, to spend it renovating Rock House. More value to her share.
7) How does improving her own asset in the town centre focus on helping the challenged after-school kids in Hollington, Broomgrove, Malvern Way, Ore, where their own youth community centres simply can›t open their doors for want of some financial support?
8) Are those kids really expected to trek across town in the evenings to the sour dough and avocado middle-class love-in?
Some members and former trustees would dearly love to see a full audit of the entire web of companies, charities and trusts around the Hastings Commons to bring about clarity and proper governance. We have a highly experienced forensic accountant with many years of experience that we’d like appointed to carry out this function, much as any large organisation must from time to time to keep itself on track.
9) Will Hastings Commons accept the help?
Oli Smith
Letter
Rose-tinted Rosie
Dear HIP
I read with interest Rosie Brocklehurst’s article Suppressing Dissent in HIP 243. Unfortunately she was wearing her rose-tinted spectacles when reminiscing about Neil Kinnock in the 1980s.
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the year-long miners strike which commenced on 6 March 1984, I, like many longstanding members of the Labour Party, look back with anger at the failure of Kinnock (remember he was the son of a miner) to fully support the miners’ cause. He, with Norman Willis (the General Secretary of the TUC at the time), must forever carry the shame that they had the opportunity to stop Margaret Thatcher in her tracks if they had only wholeheartedly supported the miners.
Turning now to Rosie’s support of the Hastings Independent councillors, can she not see that they are merely a group of self-servers desperately trying to cling to political power in the light of the LGA peer review and the damning report of the external auditors Grant Thornton, which shines a light on their incompetence and ineptitude in managing Hastings Council. Luckily the wise people of Hastings and St Leonards will, I’m sure, give them short shrift when their period of office is up, and they finally have to face the electorate.
Mike Southon
Letter
Lack of usable toilets
Dear HIP
I am a 71-year-old lady. Today I visited Hastings Town Centre. I arrived by bus at Hastings Railway station and needed the toilet. I was not worried as I know the station has facilities. Unfortunately, when I asked the railway worker if I could use them, she informed me that they were out of use and that the public toilets were down in the town at Priory Meadow. Thank goodness I wasn’t desperate. So, I went down to the public toilets. There were five to cater for the female public of Hastings, three of which were out of order.
This is NOT acceptable. I have no idea how many toilets were available for the male population. But if public conveniences are not available in the town, more ‘accidents’ will occur with human waste and urine in the town. This situation badly reflects on the town, goodness only knows what visitors think!
A disappointed Hastings resident
We would love to hear from you.
- [email protected]
- facebook.com/hastingsindependent
- instagram.com/hastingsindependent
Please be aware we may need to edit letters for reasons of space and we will only withhold names if this is necessary for the protection of the writer.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply