The dispute came as the finance and general purposes committee discussed Falmouth Town Council’s budget forecast for the rest of the year. Cllr Dean Evans raised concerns that they were spending £41,000 more than budgeted on catering at the Princess Pavilion but only getting back £26,000 in income. He pointed out that £35,000 more than budgeted had also already been spent on theatre costs with £41,000 less income than forecast for the year.
Chair of the committee Cllr Jude Robinson said the forecast was the “best guess” based on the first quarter and they would have a better idea when the next quarter was in. However Cllr Evans said that “best guess” wasn’t good enough. “We’re not looking at the figures we’re looking at the first forecast,” he said.
“It’s meaningless, it is worthless. It’s not worth the paper it is written on,” he added. Cllr Zoe Young, who was live streaming the meeting, said that, in the light of what she had heard, and the “failure of the predicted budget for the tall ships” she had serious concerns about the financial efficacy of the council.
At this point, chair of the committee Cllr Jude Robinson said people could sit here and make “spurious and irresponsible allegations” all night. “It doesn’t make them true and it doesn’t make them substantiated,” she said “And it is really not helpful in a town council that is incredibly successful and the tall ships which has just won a national award. “If people c.