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posted 23rd January 2013

Question: Where was English Heritage in protecting the Horsham Old Town Hall as
a Grade II Listed building, and what's the news on Bill's bins?

Answer: English Heritage (EH) was 'all over the place'. The Government's Department of Culture Media & Sport thought that Horsham's Old Town Hall would be protected from such changes by its Grade II status. They were wrong. English Heritage rolled over in the face of Council arrogance and stubbornness.

In 2005 English Heritage informed HDC that the solid, blind arches on the OTH needed to be retained as an architectural feature. Our own Business Consultant originally submitted designs with glazed arches (like Bill's) to the first HDC Old Town Hall Advisory Group and was advised this needed to be changed - which he readily did of course. However, when the Council submitted its own plans with the glazed arches for Bill's in 2009, English Heritage did a complete about turn.

Why do the regulatory bodies back down? Answer - because none of these regulatory bodies have the power to actually enforce proper behaviour at HDC - they can only advise. Horsham District Council is now known to be too extreme to advise. The regulatory bodies know that the Council will do what it likes irrespective of whether it is right or wrong - and whether it breaches any guidance. If there is a disagreement then HDC will go to the local newspapers and attack that particular regulatory body, such as they did with the Audit Commission. English Heritage was probably aware of this.

When English Heritage did its u-turn in 2009 it knew that the Government Offices had been lied to by HDC i.e. about it not being the Council's own planning application. The Trust kept EH fully informed of developments. The relevant Government Offices also knew that they had been lied to by HDC - also about it not being the Council's own application - but said that they "had no policing function" and could therefore do nothing about it.

Faced with this scenario, English Heritage probably decided that 'discretion was the better part of valour'. EH rolled over, u-turned and avoided being at odds with an obviously stubborn and arrogant HDC. EH abandoned its principles and its previous thoughts and irrationally supported the glazing of the arches (amongst other things) - probably as the 'least line of resistance'. EH probably hoped that the Blue Flash Music Trust did not have the same clout as the Council to attack them in the press i.e. to expose the irrational u-turn. It’s all understandable therefore - but it doesn't make it right. Horsham District Council clearly lacks integrity.

Interestingly, EH has always properly supported a disabled lift in Horsham's Old Town Hall in the site of the old stairwell. A representative of Bill's claimed that there was no disabled lift in the OTH because it was a Grade II Listed building and a disabled lift was therefore not allowed. As usual Bill's is talking 'rubbish' - as well as dumping rubbish on its rear steps! (please see previous update).

Bill's rubbish has got a whole lot worse over the weekend (much worse than our picture), but since Monday - no black bags! One reader remarked that since our intervention things seemed to have improved with regard to the rubbish piles; but maybe some rubbish was now being retained within the building instead; with possible potential health hazards involved? The answer is we don't know. Maybe extra rubbish collections have been arranged by Bill's from their mates at HDC for example? One to look into and thanks for the observation. 

Next update: More on why HDC performs so poorly.

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posted 26th January 2013

Question: Who else is affected by Horsham District Council's shameless arrogance where
a lack of Council performance is concerned?

Answer: The Horsham taxpayers of course - but we'll detail the effects on them in due course. Amongst others, HDC even embarrasses its own Government.  A couple of years ago we commissioned a report by our Business Adviser into HDC performance. It went to the Audit Commission (incorporated into an investigation file), and HDC's Audit Accounts & Governance Committee and to government. With its usual arrogance, Horsham District Council determined that we had no right to question the Council. The Trustees being taxpayers in the District didn't seem to cut the mustard.

David Cameron’s office said that we would receive a reply from Francis Maude's Cabinet Office. The promised reply never came. The report identifying the specifics of HDC poor performance seemed to be unanswerable.

At another time, Francis Maude wrote to our Trust, pleased that the Leader of HDC had assured him of community use for Horsham's Old Town Hall. When the Leader reneged on this assurance in September 2006 our MP went quiet. The HDC tail clearly wagged the Parliamentary dog and Horsham's MP was forced into silence. To make things worse this happened after  Francis Maude had been waxing lyrical, in the local press, about the merits of painting the newly created Bourne Spring Community Centre in Bournemouth at a Conservative party conference!

Our Business Adviser also attended the Government's consultation on the Localism Bill at the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Originally, governmental staff thought that Horsham's Old Town Hall might have been a good project as a way of highlighting the potential benefits of the Localism Bill. Subsequently, after discussions with our Business adviser, they privately had to advise that the Bill would not stop a determined Council behaving irrationally and/or against the spirit of the Localism Bill. The next Leader of HDC went on to attack the Localism agenda in the local press.

Arrogant HDC Councillors only think of themselves it seems; they do not care who they embarrass along the way.

Next update: More victims of HDC's wayward behaviour.

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posted 28 January 2013

Question: What's the news on Bills?

Answer: Seems that poor Old Bill's doesn't know what to do with the rubbish any more since the situation has been highlighted in our updates. The bags are spewing out from the back steps onto the pavement big time today as the inserted picture shows!

Indeed, the rubbish has been doing the Hokey Cokey this week - in out, in out, shake it all about. If Bill's keeps the rubbish inside the building, it might be a health hazard. If Bill's stashes the rubbish up outside, there might be other hazards. The inadequate bin store (which shouldn't really have been allowed at all in the first place) seems to be an ongoing problem.

Seems that Bill's is having problems with a couple of people in another location too, and here below are the views of individual reviewers of course:

“Bills deteriorating as it becomes a national chain/franchise” Reviewed 19 October 2012

We first tried a Bills in Lewis a few years ago and enjoyed the innovative menu and ingredients. When we were in London we used the Bills near Covent Garden and again it hit the spot. Naturally when Bills arrived in Exeter we tried it. We were disappointed. As other reviewers have said the menu is uninspiring, portions are small compared to other restaurants and other Bills in the past, but worst of all the food is unappetising. I tried again and popped in for breakfast and chose the bacon sandwich. It was awful. A few thin strips of overcooked, flavourless, streaky bacon between two pieces of long life bread masquerading as seeded bread. I felt cheated.

The coffee was fine.

“Pretentious, over-priced, noisy, poor food and poor service.” Reviewed 17 October 2012

This is absolutely one of those places aimed at the masses who unfortunately don't know better. Groups show up as birthdays or works do's, everyone is too polite to complain, so get stung with small "trendy" portions, basic food, and 10% gratuity built into the bill.

I had the sea bream. For £12 I was expecting a nice fish dish, something to fill me up, Instead it was like a starter - a bookmark sized slither of fish, on a small bed of very basic tagliatelle, drenched in oil. Some spinach and basil dropped on top to make it look fancy - but it really wasn't. My friends burger was basic, small, and the fries were served in one of those mini-buckets which are smaller than you would get with a small fries at McDs.

I really regret paying the 10% built in gratuity, because I don't believe in the practice of automatically adding it. The customer should be allowed to choose, without having to ask to have it removed.

This is a terrible restaurant, and its a shame because Exeter deserves better. I'm amazed places like this don't quickly go out of business from bad word of mouth, but like I say their target market are usually too polite to do or say anything about it. This is what we're expected to tolerate now. Visited October 2012

The Trustees have only been to the original Lewes store and it was fine in those days.

Rumour has it that Bill's is going for franchise (currently unconfirmed). It would be a disaster for Horsham District Council if true. The Trust has always pointed, in the past, to the more stable financial models of Ask Ltd (inexplicably turned down in favour of Bill's by HDC in 2009) and W J King (inexplicably turned down in favour of Bill's two years later). If true, Horsham District Council will be 'bricking it' so to speak. If true:

1. •  Bill's might have some reason to disclose the controversy over Horsham's Old Town Hall to any potential frachisees nationally. Anybody doing thorough due dilligence would probably hit our site anyway.
   

2. •  Bill's would definitely have to disclose to any potential Horsham franchisee however. It would be likely to drive down the price - and it would still be a very brave franchisee to take on Horsham's Old Town Hall anyway. Horsham District Council could well be stuck with an unusuable Old Town Hall building, or alternatively the costs of restoring it to how it should have remained. How often did we warn them about this? Lots! All HDC' 'guff' about rental (much lower than it should have been if they rationally went with Ask Ltd in 2009) would be up in smoke. We don't know what the true anticipated value of that rental is anyway because HDC refuse to let anyone know. That way, people can't track any reductions and hold the Council to account. 
   

An unusable building, no rental, the lost opportunities from the community solution - on past form - HDC would just shrug it off - and hand the taxpayer the bill (no pun intended). However, the Trust turning out to be right for good rational reasons? Now that would be Horsham District Council's worst nightmare!

On another issue, some readers asked whether Bill's is another Starbucks or Jimmy Carr when it comes to tax? The answer is that we don't know, but we'll look into it.

Next update: More on why HDC's performance is so poor.

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posted 30th January 2013

Question: Is Bill still talking rubbish?

Answer: Yes he is! We interrupt our planned update to bring you news of a notice just at the top of the refuse bin at Horsham's Old Town Hall. The notice requests the bin men to let them know when they arrive because there are 30+ extra bags to be collected.

So Bill's is storing rubbish inside the building. For how long and where? - we currently do not know! Readers have asked where Horsham District Council's Environmental Health department is in all this? Probably nowhere! - like all other HDC Departments on past form. Horsham District Council staff are generally not left to do their jobs objectively according to their knowledge, skills and experience; we feel - and instead - are there simply to serve the whims of a despotic HDC Cabinet. For any doubters, we'll cover some examples in due course. People privately talk about a 'fear culture' at HDC.

Next update: back to HDC.

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Posted 6th February 2013

Question: What's the news from the last week?

Answer: Quite a lot really. In response to our updates about Bill's talking rubbish, we heard from a reader that it seems that the notice about the rubbish being held somewhere inside Bill's at Horsham Old Town Hall has been taken down. Another reader contacted us to say that we were right about the "icy blast" resulting from the inappropriate changes to the Grade II Listed building. "Even with the door shut you could still feel the icy blast through the restaurant," they said.

We haven't had had time to look at Bill's tax history yet, but a reader did send in some info that definitely makes a look at this worthwhile. More news soon.

Chris Huhne has put the perceived lack of integrity of MP's back in the news. However it doesn't stop at national government it seems. In our view, Horsham District Council showed the same lack of integrity when they failed to disclose their own planning applications, paid for by the Horsham taxpayer, to the High Court. Whether it amounted to "perverting the course of justice", time will tell. One thing is for sure; HDC can't simply sit in its unaccountable position in the long term.

Horsham District Council is still all "smoke and mirrors" it seems - or is it "all mouth and no trousers" - or "all fur coat and no knickers" - or perhaps "all tweed jackets and no underpants". Last weeks 'guff' in the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) about John Lewis and the 'West End' of Horsham was predominantly covering up any possible move of Waitrose from the Town Centre in our opinion. Any redistribution of Horsham's supermarket trade would be unlikely to benefit the town much we think. Waitrose pulling away from the town centre may also affect the Council's parking income - which it has become addicted to - mostly as a result of its historically poor efforts to balance the books it seems. These parking charges will not help other town centre businesses of course.

Another supermarket catering for the other end of the market like Lidl might go into the town centre premises if it’s vacated by Waitrose, but it's unlikely to help much either we feel. Horsham still needs a unique proposition as discussed in the Tourism Strategy for Horsham District document from years ago.

Given some obvious constraints - we believe that it’s no use Horsham trying to 'out shopping centre' other shopping centres. We'll discuss this more in future updates. As for a John Lewis store in Horsham's 'West End'. Like with all Council announcements, we'll believe it - particularly the size of it - when we see it. We remember all the hype about Beales in The Forum before. We feel that Beale's expectations have been far from fulfilled.

We believe that Horsham District Council has to put away the desperate PR and show some rational thinking with a bit of talent thrown in. On past and present form - we all might have a long wait!

Next update: More detail on sub-standard performance at HDC.

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posted 9 February 2013

Question: What's gone wrong at Bill's, HDC and its mouthpiece the
West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT)?

Answer: Since our last update about the likelihood of Waitrose moving out of the town centre it seems that the Horsham Society has 'woke up and smelled the coffee'. Quoted in this weeks WSHDCT John Steele on behalf of the society said;

"First there is no evidence that John Lewis plans a Horsham store. It is however an open secret that Waitrose is looking to relocate to a much larger site and it is far more likely it is the hoped for tenant".

When the going gets tough the tough get going, but Horsham District Council, as usual, runs for the hills. Does anybody remember the debacle of the Horsham Christmas lights (or lack of them) that made the national news? Back then, it was 'exit' Councillor Roger Paterson and 'enter' the ineffective, Council inspired quango, Horsham Unlimited. The Christmas lights as we knew them were then no more. This week, as the flak was flying about Waitrose and Roger Paterson's hugely 'spun' announcement in last weeks WSHDCT, it was exit Roger Paterson and enter Gill Buchanan of - you guessed it - Horsham Unlimited. Deja vu or what?

Gill's quotes were the usual Council inspired mix of hyperbole, inane comment and lack of evidence:

"Additional retail brands (like who?) will provide a new dynamic to the western end of the town centre and we hope (because everything happens around us - and we just bask in the reflected glory when it’s good news - but keep quiet and pretend it didn't happen when it’s bad news) that this will lead to further inward investment in the town, particularly with the news that the £500,000 upgrade scheduled for West Street will proceed this year (using West Sussex County Council funds because HDC wasted theirs - the poor old Horsham taxpayer is effectively paying twice)."

"East Street is a prime example of how some infrastructure investment and the arrival of new brands (brands, rather than the niche independents that it needs - and what about those that look set to leave?) leads to the regeneration of an area and results in the jewel (does Gill, have rose quartz tinted glasses on?) that we have today (is rose quartz a mineral rather than a jewel?)."

"We look forward to seeing the same positive aspects (what are these aspects and how quantified?) Mirrored in West Street and Bishopric in the future (when in the future?)"

"Our fabulous (what makes it fabulous? - it may be true - but does Gill know the answer?) and successful (what makes it successful and how do we measure this success?) town centre must continue to evolve ...." blah, blah.

It looks to us that Gill might have attended a PR course at Horsham District Council and they taught her all she knows! On the current evidence, both have clearly never heard of an 'evidence-based approach'.

Due to the usual lack of substance it was time to call in the big guns to further 'big up' the Council as they cowered in their foxhole. Cue Editor-in-Chief, Gary Shipton of the WSHDCT - and one-time Chairman of an even bigger Council inspired quango, the Community Development Partnership. We don't know if he is still Chairman of the CDP, or whether it still exists, because as far as we are aware, the CDP is just as ineffective and inconspicuous as Horsham Unlimited. Tangible deliveries from either quango seems to have been very small, if at all, and few and far between.

Gary Shipton says:

"This is why Horsham District Council was absolutely spot on several years ago in seeking to make the run-down East Street a dining quarter of regional excellence."

Gary Shipton wasn't on the same HDC PR course of course - he's a good journalist - and so everything has a caveat. Spot the key word 'seeking' as a 'get out of jail free card - should East Street fail and one or two restaurants leave in the near future. A more accurate word for Horsham District Council however is 'hoping' rather than seeking. The Council generally 'hopes' that things will happen as they clearly do not have the aptitude to do anything else. As far as East Street is concerned, a few restaurants (many of them 'chains' that you can find in any town) came to the part of town where rents were cheaper. The Council rode on the bandwagon and badged it as a 'dining quarter' in an effort to pretend that they had something to do with it - and it was part of a conscious strategy. The restaurants were initially excited about the Council's plans for pedestrianisation of East Street, but have been largely disappointed with the protracted debacle that ensued (the usual HDC fare when it comes to a project).

"It's why I support efforts to pedestrianise it sensibly." Another journalistic 'get out of jail free card' perhaps. Was Gary Shipton implying that the Council's pedestrianisation project had not been handled sensibly? - or was it to diplomatically appease opponents of pedestrianisation?

"And why, too, despite the poor way the council handled public consultation five years ago, the transformation of the Old Town hall into Bill's is entirely appropriate - endorsed by its current popularity."

Here however, Gary Shipton is forced to adopt the Horsham District Council 'school of PR' and go out on a limb for HDC, presumably as the WSHDC Content Editor has previously nailed the West Sussex Council Times' colours to the Bill's/Council mast. It seems to us that the WSHDCT and HDC are now terrified that Bill's will fail in the OTH. We think that Gary Shipton doth protest Bill's 'popularity' too much.

Firstly, Bill's originally pulled out of Horsham because it didn't make the expected profits at its Reading branch. There is no evidence to suggest that its Horsham profits are any higher than they were at Reading. Secondly, readers of this site and other reviewers familiar with the original Lewes store, generally say that Bill's as a chain is a disappointment and that independents such as Artisan are increasingly benefiting from this disillusionment (perhaps this is why Gary Shipton put the word 'current' in as a caveat to the non-evidenced 'popularity' claim). One reader contacted us this week and said that the coffee at Bill's in Horsham was very poor in his opinion. One thing is for sure however - the Bill's brand is now just about as diluted as a piddly orange-squash.

Gary Shipton employs the other editor’s weapon - selectivity. By quoting the "poor way the council handled public consultation" he is omitting to mention that the whole Old Town Hall project was an expensive, protracted disaster for the taxpayer. At the very least, HDC could have had £18,000 a year more from Gondola (if it wasn't for the unexplained bias towards Bill's).

"The JL Partnership has a superb reputation both as an employer and a provider of quality goods competitively priced. Let's hope they agree with HDC's vision."

Sorry Gary - isn't a superb reputation as an employer and providing quality goods at competitive prices JL's vision? The only HDC vision that HDC has had in advance of somebody else making something happen that we can recall is with Horsham's Old Town Hall. Here it had a blinkered vision of putting Bill's in there at all costs; whilst squandering the alternative vision to bring much needed tourism to the town; even irrationally turning down superior offerings from other businesses in the process.

When you want to get in the newspaper, it helps to be Editor in Chief of course - and you don't have to limit yourself to 350 words. The rest of Gary Shipton's article is a rambling - is it this? or is it that?

"Is the involvement of John Lewis a realistic prospect or just pie in the sky? What would replace Waitrose at Piries Place if it moved? Couldn't the town attract some other top end retailers like the White Company?"

The answer is nobody knows because apart from putting Bill's in the Old Town Hall, Horsham District Council doesn't have a strategy to make what it wants to happen, happen. HDC therefore doesn't have any SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based) strategic objectives to know whether it is succeeding in what it wants to happen or not. It therefore doesn't actively divert resources into achieving a strategy; it just 'hopes' that more good things will happen than bad.

"This is really good news for the town and district". No it isn't. A lot of 'ifs and buts' is not news, it is speculation. At least the title of Gary Shipton's article was an amusing one "Horsham never knowingly undersold". We think we have a better title though:

"What does an editor do when a desperate and sub-standard bunch like HDC goes off half-cock in the press?"   

Next update: More on what doesn't make HDC tick.

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posted 12 February 2013

Question: Any more news on Bill's?

Answer: One reader sent us an article which does indeed describe Bill's as a franchise. The article said: 

New ‘Bill’s’ restaurant announce for Chequer Street, St Albans, Monique Hall Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:52 PM

THE FORMER Baroque site on Chequer Street, St Albans, is to become a restaurant backed by the owner of the Ivy in London.

Billionaire businessman Richard Caring’s ‘Bill’s’ franchise is moving in to the old Cross Keys site and is set to open later this year.

The 14-strong chain offers a cross between a restaurant, café and store.

Just three months ago the city witnessed the mysterious departure of Baroque, which had only been open around two months.

Staff were apparently only given several hours notice before the bar and grill closed. The operators, Heritage Inns, reportedly went into administration in October. 

There are a few things to consider here:

   Did Horsham District Council know that Bill's was going to be franchised when the latest bid evaluation took place? If so, the selection of Bill's over WJ King would seemingly have been irrational, according to HDC's declared financial criteria, as well as other things. Nobody will know just how irrational - because HDC won't disclose the scoresheets. This council has never heard of public accountability it seems.

   The ongoing controversy over Bill's selection for Horsham's Old Town Hall is likely to affect the price of the Horsham franchise and the viability/potential profitability of the Horsham operation. Horsham District Council might find itself bending over backwards to keep a Bill's at the Old Town Hall. There is no guarantee that the terms of the lease contains "upwards only" rent reviews or a minimum rent, as the Council refuses to disclose the contents of the lease also. The taxpayer might end up the loser against the original announcement; and the loser against the more secure and superior offers for the Old Town Hall from others in the past. If Bill's 'walks' other offers are going to be unlikely given HDC's selection process history.

   We don't currently know if the Horsham operation has been franchised yet or at what price. If so, has the terms of the Bill's lease with HDC been affected? If not, will it be affected if a franchisee can be found in the near future? If a franchisee can't be found for Horsham, what happens then? What are the exit clauses in the lease? The prospect of an empty Old Town Hall, that has now been vandalised for other uses by HDC planning applications, is looking more and more likely we believe.

   In our view, Bill's at Horsham Old Town Hall doesn't look a very attractive franchise prospect - and may no longer be an attractive prospect anywhere. The reasoning is that Bill's is no longer a strong and meaningful brand compared to say, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Go into any KFC and you know exactly what you are going to get, with a very distinct, uniform look and feel. It's simply not the case with the Bill's chain. One would question what a franchisee would be getting for their money.

   The other thing about a franchise for Horsham is that Bill Collison marketed the Horsham project with the personal touch. How personal a franchise operation actually is - is debatable. As far as HDC is concerned, how long-term secure a franchise operation is - is frightening - especially without the anchor of a strong brand.

   Another bit of 'guff' from Bill Collison was about specialising in the conversion of old buildings. In St. Albans he has specialised in converting a bar and grill vacated by Baroque. In fact, with Horsham Old Town Hall, Bill's simply mostly implemented the plans that were handed to him by HDC, paid for by a reluctant taxpayer. This would have probably remained non-transparent if it hadn't been exposed by the Trust.

   Indeed, Horsham District Council and its mouthpiece - the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) must be 'bricking it'

Next update: More on HDC.

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posted 14th February 2013

Question: What might the Francis Report into the horrors of Mid-Staffordshire
and HDC/Bill's have in common?

Answer: Quite a lot really. The Mid-Staffs disaster was a question of culture - and as we see from other scandals like the abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View - culture will always trump training, policies and procedures.

But dodgy culture is not just a health service problem, as we see from HDC, it also affects areas of local government too.

  The culture at Mid-Staffs was to 'talk up the good news' - and 'bury the bad news'. HDC does the same. When things go wrong, Horsham District Council will resort to its secretive culture; and go into closed session on some bogus grounds such as "commercial sensitivity". HDC Councillors are too arrogant to consider that they would make any mistakes and therefore, they will never learn from them. Consequently, they will make the same mistakes over and over again. Even if they get to hear about things, the public will not be allowed to know how the mistakes were made - and so can provide no input into how they might be rectified either. Freedom of Information Requests are often refused also.

Prevention is better than cure of course. Most organisations will measure things in order to flag up any potential pitfalls - so that they can deal with these issues - and/or mitigate risk on a timely basis. HDC however, doesn't want to hear any bad news - so will meaningfully measure very little. Consequently they will come to their mistakes late in the day; and those mistakes will be bigger and more spectacular as a result. The case of a 1.3 million pound overspend on the Acorn project over two different accounting years would spring to mind. Mid-Staffs had to consider the dreadful mortality stats of course - but dismissed them as 'coding errors'.

  The Mid-Staffs disaster was not really a case of poor regulation. Patients and families complained bitterly but were ignored. The Healthcare Commission (the fore-runner of the Care Quality Commission) expressed concerns as regulator too. However, no regulator can influence a body that simply refuses to listen, very like HDC. The Audit Commission raised various concerns about HDC and its antics over the Old Town Hall particularly. The Leader of HDC simply went into the press and attacked the Commission. The Accounts, Audit & Governance Committee of HDC then 'skipped over' the detailed concerns of the Commission a year later (too late in the day). When our Business Adviser produced his detailed report into HDC's sub-standard performance, we were simply informed that we were not allowed to question the Council. In the face of the Council's refusal to listen to anybody, the Audit Commission 'backed down' and irrationally endorsed HDC's second bidding process (which was worse than the first bidding process that the Commission had previously criticised).

  The Francis report highlighted a culture that was all too familiar to us - Horsham District Council is therefore an 'accident waiting to happen'. HDC might not necessarily cause deaths on a grand scale, but we predict on the basis of good reasoning that, if the current culture continues, there will be a major scandal at HDC in the next couple of years. In the meantime the welfare of the District and particularly Horsham town, will steadily 'slide down the pan'.   

The people of Horsham have no realistic electoral prospect of changing the situation - due to the Council's refusal to give up the currently unfair system - and so give up their disproportionate power. The only way for the people of Horsham District to force a change in Council behaviour is by 'teaching HDC a lesson' with consumer power i.e. a boycott of Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall. Don't feel sorry for Bill's either - they didn't deserve to be there. Ask Gondola if you don't believe us. Also it is worth remembering that on the front page of the WSHDCT, 10th May 2012, the paper carried the headline Restaurateur declares love for town hall, and in the article below Bill Collison is quoted as saying; "It is beautiful the way it is - who would want to touch it?" The ‘restaurateur’ then went onto vandalise the Grade 2 Listed Building according to HDC plans paid for by a reluctant Horsham taxpayer. For a number of reasons detailed elsewhere on this site - Bill's specialises in 'porkie pies'.

Latest news on Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall - the visit from the fire officer about its rubbish situation.

Next update: more details on why HDC is a poor performing council.

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posted 18th February 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council generally OK at the operational stuff
and so generally useless at projects?

Answer: A number of reasons really. The major reason is that HDC staff are generally left to get on with the operational stuff - like emptying the bins for example. However, when it comes to projects, staff are micro-managed and manipulated by a talentless HDC Cabinet. The projects generally get off to a bad start too - because the Horsham District Council decision making process is hi-jacked by the Cabinet in the first place. Rather than have the staff do the research and recommend the right option for sound reasoning, the Cabinet effectively says:

'Here's what we want to do for our own political agenda, so produce me a report that will recommend such an answer no matter how irrational.'

Project expenditure (including staff resources) at Horsham District Council is not generally tracked against the project, but disappears into a 'pit' of departmental expenditure. After going round in circles for a while - nobody knows what the original success criteria were. A lot of the time, Critical Success Factors for the project are not even set (presumably as it would be too embarrassing to know that they haven't been met).                   

Horsham's MP Francis Maude is in the news at the moment because the Government is looking to let members of the Cabinet hire their own 20-strong staff to drive through radical reforms.

"With relations between Whitehall mandarins and senior Coalition figures said to be at a new low, beefed up ministerial private offices is one of a range of ideas being considered by Francis Maude, the minister spearheading the Coalition’s civil service modernisation programme. Ministers blame civil servants for slowing the pace of key reform to cut red tape and kick-start the economic recovery."

However, our MP only needs to look to his own backyard for the lessons we think. At a local level, the problem clearly lies with the HDC Cabinet and not the staff. However, when things go visibly 'tits up' at Horsham District Council they announce that it is everybody else’s fault - the staff, the suppliers, etc. However, no-one gets to defend themselves because the Council goes into closed session on the dubious grounds of staff disciplinary matters, or commercial sensitivity. However, it's usually just a cover - as we are not aware of any staff ever being disciplined for failure in a project for example. If they were, they would be more than likely able to turn around and point the finger at Cabinet interference. According to a Senior Officer at HDC the second Old Town Hall Advisory Group failed because of its 'fluid composition' involving Cabinet members. In other words the HDC Cabinet operate a 'seagull style' of management i.e. ‘swoop in, dump a lot of sh*t and swoop out again’.

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posted 25th February 2013

Question: What was the news on HDC and Bill's this week and why is your site on holiday until March 12th 2013?

Answer: It's been a busy week as the response to our recent update on the Francis Report into the Mid-Staffs scandal and its link to HDC behaviour and culture continues to be massive. We didn't get every update right apparently though - as there is an emerging trait amongst our readership that thinks that our Boycott Bill's call is the wrong call. To summarise - they say - encourage people to go to Bill's at the Old Town Hall in Horsham once - and after that they will voluntarily want to boycott Bill's for themselves. So ok folks - give it a go.

News on Bill's this week is that its rubbish was piled up in bags on the steps outside again on Monday, 18th February, so we are not sure that the Fire Officer has called yet. More news on this when we have it.

One saving grace for the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) this week was an article by a Nik Butler ‘Put voices of the community into the Council Chamber'. However, the odd smattering of independent voices in HBC will have little effect we think. The largely out of town Cabinet would still have the real power. The Lib Dems would still be 'swanning about' in a beauty contest to be Chairman with the blessing of the Conservatives - so no risk of the Lib dems standing up for the people of Horsham against the Cabinet onslaught either. The only real solution is for an alliance of fair-minded independents to contest every seat in Horsham District Council and win a majority. It's a 'big ask' - but in our opinion - even the rural majority have a sense of British 'fair play' - and are increasingly sick of HDC behaviour.

Next update: HDC and Bill's provide us with so much material that the guy that does our technical support and posts the updates has become exhausted. He is therefore taking a well-earned holiday and so our next update will be March 12th when we will be back to our twice weekly updates as usual. See you all then.       

81

updated 12th March 2013

Question: Are you back yet, and what's the latest on Bill's?

Answer: Yes, our tech support is now well rested and we're all raring to go. We start this week by reporting a 'SPOT THE DIFFERENCE COMPETITION'. Apparently you have to spot the difference between the following two reviews below. Our own entry for the competition is:

The first review looks like an independent, spontaneous, heartfelt review based on experience - written by a disappointed punter. 

The second review looks like a partisan piece of journalism courting a share of Bill's advertising spend and at the same time, partly attempting (sometimes ludicrously) to take the sting out of some of the criticisms of Bill's reported on this site.

We think we must be in with a good chance of winning!

“Food was ok when you finally got it!!” Reviewed 2 March 2013

A group of 9 of us went here last night for a birthday celebration and were very disappointed. Starters were good quality but nothing to write home about but the fact that we waited about an hour for them to arrive didn't impress us much. Then onto the main, after 45mins of waiting we asked how long it would be before the food arrived, our server said it wouldn't be long then the manager came over and told us our meals were just being plated and wouldn't be long then gave us bowls of olives to try to pacify us. Main meals came and once again were good quality but nothing to write home about. Only a few of us ordered desserts, these came out really quite quickly and everyone enjoyed them..

We asked for the bill and as we were a table of 9 a service charge was automatically added, this we deducted and then added a small amount for out server who had tried his hardest. He took away the money only to return to tell us that we had under paid. We informed him why we had under paid to which he told us that it wasn't how long it took to cook the food but how long it took to plate up 9 meals to be served all at the same time!! To which we told him that they shouldn't take booking from large groups if they don't have the available kitchen space to cope with this amount of orders. It's a restaurant at the end of the day and they will have big parties from time to time, but probably not this party ever again!! 

No wonder they very rarely have table available when it take this long to serve.. Think their kitchen space needs to be planned as there is no point in having lots of covers if you can't service them!!

******

Review below is taken from AAHorsham (March). Owing to the length of the article we have cut out the middle section.

There was a sketch in the comedy show ‘Harry and Paul’ in which Harry Enfield ran a shop called ‘I Saw You Coming’. The shop owner would sell useless junk and torn up furniture taken from skips at vastly inflated prices to wealthy women who dabble in interior design and are always on the lookout for ‘rustic’ and ‘authentic’ items. In all honesty, it can occasionally feel like Bill’s Restaurant in Horsham has an element of that same deliberate, Shabby Chic quirkiness. There’s the rustic tables, the second-hand church chairs with back slats, the large olive oil cans being used as ice buckets and string bags, which may lack convenience but make up for it by being ethically sound, for sale at just £2.40.

Those waiting for a table can sit down on two armchairs which in a previous life had presumably been coated in Pedigree Chum and dragged through a puppy farm.

Whatever your thoughts on Shabby Chic, you must take your hat off to Bill Collison. Bill started his first restaurant in Lewes a little more than a decade ago and now has 14 bearing his name. It takes some skill to create a restaurant that appeals to customers seeking a unique experience, and yet can potentially seat 200 people..

In years to come, Horsham may well be listed amongst Bill’s most rewarding ventures. Opening at the Old Town Hall in Market Square was a long and no doubt exhausting road, with many well reported stumbling blocks along the way. These were mostly presented by an opposition group who wanted to retain the building for community use.

Now it is open, the people in Horsham have demonstrated their support to the idea of a restaurant occupying the town’s most historic building by flocking to Bill’s in their droves.

Pedro Martins, Assistant Manager at the restaurant, said: “I know that before we opened there were some people who wanted the building to be used for the public and I know there were problems. But since we opened we have not had complaints and most people praise what we have done to the building. You can see that they have paid a lot of attention to maintaining the features of the Town Hall.

“Many people come in just to see the inside, without even buying a drink, and we show them around. Of course, lots of people were married in the Town Hall so there is a lot of emotional attachment to the building and so we show them our Wedding Room.

“And in terms of bookings, we were busy from the moment we opened. Even on Monday nights, we are full.”

Clearly, Bill has created a successful recipe and over the years has added a little seasoning here and there to ensure everything is just perfect. It may be contrived, but of course that matters not a jot if people are having fun and eating good food in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Looking around, this is clearly the case here in Horsham.

The appearance of the building, whilst impressive, will not be to everybody’s liking. Two large windows either side of the entrance look on to Market Place, and you enter to a small waiting area and small shop selling a range of Bill’s branded produce.

These include chutney, Earl Grey tea, raspberry jam, jelly babies, freshly-pressed apple juice, lemon curd, elderflower cordial, grapefruit and lime marmalade, aprons and orange flavour buttons, as well as branded produce including Nunez de Prado olive oils and Amaretti biscuits.

Rustic shutters, hanging swarms of dried chillies and exposed ventilation shafts all contribute to the conflicting yet colourful décor, which carries character if not charm, whilst a wooden plaque of former council chairman serves as reminder of the past.

There is seating for about 100 upstairs, with a third of that number in what is known as the Wedding Room, because of course it was a Registry Office for many years. Add that to the downstairs area and the tables (in good weather) and you have about 200 diners at capacity. But as Pedro explains, it is important that everybody feels welcome and at home.

“You’ll see there are some blankets near the entrance. If someone doesn’t take their jacket off, we ask them if they are cold and offer them a blanket. When it was snowing recently it was cold in here as it is hard to maintain warmth in this old building. So we were handing out blankets.

“One lady was having a birthday and it was her first visit here. She told me that she was impressed because the waiter had approached her and asked if she wanted a blanket. It wasn’t the food or the building that had most impressed her; it was the fact that we had gone the extra mile and she appreciated that.

“People love the fact that we provide really great food with a casual service with a quirky twist in everything we do. That’s what Bill’s is all about. Everything is planned by Bill. He was here a lot during the building process and he comes in regularly to direct us in terms of the visual appearance. If you see something in a certain position, it is because Bill has decided it should be there.”

But it does feel like there’s more work to be done. The upstairs dining area doesn’t quite benefit from the vibrancy of the lower level, and it is a building that needs to be somewhere near capacity to generate warmth and atmosphere.

Another problem is that the quirky dishes which caused such a stir when Bill set out only a few years ago are now not such a rarity. The surge of cooking shows on television has created an insatiable appetite for better food, driving standards higher at home, on the high street and in our restaurants.

You need to be a little more innovative for people to take photos of your puddings now…

For now, Bill’s warrants attention. Go there, you’ll have a good night and you’ll enjoy your food. But it might not be too long before the tried and tested Bill’s formula needs refreshing.

82

posted 15th March 2013

Question: Why are certain sections of the Horsham local press so keen to 'big up' Bill's?

Answer: On one level, certain local press publications have an ongoing interest in courting Bill's advertising. On another level, in our view, they are keen to try and save Horsham District Council's ass over their irrational decisions; to firstly dismiss the wider benefits of the favoured community solution for the Old Town Hall; and then to irrationally select Bill's over Gondola; and then to irrationally select Bill's over W J King. Nevertheless, we are sure that it is all going to end in tears for Horsham's talentless, despotic and biased Council Cabinet. The common denominator between certain local press publications is that they seem to think that the Horsham public will be so easily 'brainwashed'. Therefore as we say elsewhere on this site - go and see for yourself! However, don't forget to dress up warm, unless you want to risk having a blanket draped over your legs like a granny of more mature years (no disrespect to grannys).

Thanks goes to the reader who sent us this particular review below. Keep those Bill's reviews - good or bad - coming (although we haven't yet been notified of any independent 'glowing' ones!) 

“Not a good first impression” Reviewed 9 February 2013

I regularly visit Bill's in Lewes and have been very happy with the food and atmosphere. Unfortunately Horsham's restaurant didn't deliver the same.

I had to use the gents and while I was washing my hands one of the chef came out of a cubicle and went straight to the kitchen without washing his hands. Concerned about this I made the manager aware of this and was given a very strange explanation, the best solution would have been to go in the kitchen and stop everyone from what they were doing and wash their hands. The restaurant wasn't very busy so it wouldn’t have slowed the service for anyone. Despite this incident we ordered our burgers and we were served the wrong meat I got a medium rare which was meant for my wife and the well done which I requested went to my wife. It's a real pity as the restaurant is very funky. I think they should send the staff to Lewes for some training. Will give it a go again!

Next update: Back to HDC - or more independent Bill's reviews if we get them in.

84

posted 22nd March 2013

Question: Do you have a future in Horsham?

Answer: Yes, eventually! According to the Times Horsham is a great place to retire. Perhaps this scenario is a reflection the average age of Horsham District Councillors.

Meanwhile, here is another review of Bill's that was sent on to us by a reader ....

“You can't judge a book by the cover” Reviewed 15 February 2013 NEW via mobile

Very impressive building and the interior decor is good too but all in all this place did not live up to its promise. The service whilst friendly was somewhat amateurish. The food was okay but okay really isn't good enough. The portions were a bit on the small side and the absence of any sides was also a bit of a let down. Would be happy to give in another try ...sometime

Our comment: What a waste of an impressive building and its tourist potential that would have otherwise benefited all Horsham residents.

Next update: We will definitely get around to the trouble in Francis Maude's back yard.

85

posted 27th March 2013

Question: Does Bill's have a future in Horsham?

Answer: We keep trying to get around to an update about Francis Maude's 'open government' (ha, ha! - as regards Horsham!) and back onto the shambles that is Horsham District Council, but people keep sending us Bill's reviews. Here is the latest review we have been sent to keep you going for the next couple of days.

Seriously though - keep those Bill's reviews coming - and thanks to all those who have contributed so far.

“Unwelcoming” Reviewed 19 March 2013 NEW

We didn't get to eat here, met by quiet an abrupt waitress who told us that they were fully booked, (only about 6 eating) and to come back in half an hour. We went elsewhere, but looked in later and it was still empty, wonder why?

86

posted 29th March 2013

Question: Is Horsham's Bill's in the Old Town Hall in trouble?

Answer: Yes, we think so. First, we have the apology for the rubbish build-up on the steps in this weeks West Sussex Council Times. In our view, the WSHDCT sort of falsely claimed the credit for the apology ("It followed a complaint to the County Times") but as readers know, the issue has been regularly featured on our site for weeks. We are also aware that there were public complaints to HDC and the Fire Officer about the rubbish going back some weeks. The content of the article in the West Sussex Council Times is also rubbish.

The WSHDCT says "The bin store at the back of the building had to be kept small to comply with planning permission and listed building consent..."

However, no bin store should have been granted permission at all - as it was outside the jurisdiction of HDC - a jurisdiction that only extended as far as the footprint of the building. According to Bill's owners Cote, the extra rubbish will now be retained inside the building while collections are sorted out. We are not sure what health and safety implications might arise from this.

The main reason we think that Bill's in Horsham might be in trouble though - is Gary Shipton's article in this weeks WSHDCT - a close resemblance perhaps to the recent article in All About Horsham magazine. We think that the local press 'protesteth Bill's (alleged) success too much'. After the AAH article that claimed Bill's was full, even on a Monday, we checked out Bill's on the following Monday night and it was virtually empty, for example. The local press have a vested interest in Bill's potential advertising of course - and Gary Shipton was 'in bed' with Horsham District Council as a result of the Council's quango (one of many), the ineffectual Community Development Partnership. So here, by contrast, is the latest independent review that has been sent in by a reader:

“Different and a bit surreal” Reviewed 25 March 2013 NEW

We arrived early on a Friday evening and were seated quickly. However, it was freezing outside and not much warmer inside. We looked around for a radiator to sit next to but couldn't find any. When the waitress came over I told her how cold I was and she brought me a blanket! The service went down from then on, although another waitress did bring me a hot water bottle! I did use both all evening.

We had some olives and bread to start while we were choosing, the olives were nice but the bread was dry and tasteless. I had squid to start from the specials menu, which was fine, I have had better and had worse. Then I had the chicken skewers for main, the chicken was well cooked, nicely moist, but the garnish was almost non existent, had to look hard to find it!

The place itself is very nice, rustic, although not sure about the exposed pipes. If they sorted out their heating, had more polite waiting staff and increased their portion size we would go back. Visited March 2013

Reviews apart - we believe that Bill's in the Old Town Hall and the long-standing controversy is fast becoming an embarrassment to Cote - and that it risks having an adverse effect on the Bill's franchise model nationally. We are confident therefore that Cote will cut Bill's loose from Horsham in the next year. We think that the local press are therefore making desperate attempts to stave off this prospect which would be a huge embarrassment for HDC. However, we believe that such newspaper features will further only antagonise the other hard-working Horsham businesses that have to pay for their advertising. These other businesses were also not the recipients of Council bias that saw Bill's enter the OTH at £15,000 per annum below market value and saw them granted a vastly disproportionate share of Market Square (at the expense of another community space). On the back of all this, we feel that these other local Horsham restaurants (that were not born with a golden HDC spoon), will work even more creatively and harder to justifiably drive Bill's out of town.  

Next update: A full response to the WSHDCT article by Gary Shipton. Update after that - HDC secrecy and Francis Maude's laughable 'openness' agenda.

A Happy Easter to all our readers.

87

posted 1st April 2013

Question: Why is Editor-in-chief Gary Shipton of the West Sussex Council Times
(WSHDCT) talking rubbish about Bill's?

  Answer: It's a good question. In his latest article, Gary Shipton extols the virtues of the private sector. However, to us the private sector is all about 'fair competition'. Mr. Shipton would have to explain how using his position in this way to talk up Bill's is fair to the other hard working Horsham restaurants, many of which didn't start with the backing of billionaire backing and finance from an offshore consortium.

  Our question is: If Bill's is so successful as claimed - why does Mr Shipton need to take the risk and write such an article? We can only conclude that Bill's, as HDC's flagpole project, is in trouble.

Last weekend the Bluebell Railway steamed into East Grinstead. You could sense the excitement as the town turned out in force to support. Many people in the East Grinstead community had been working hard as volunteers and dreaming of the day for years. The conductor had a tremble in his voice as he jokingly, but accurately, announced on the way from Sheffield Park "Change at East Grinstead for connections to London". The landmark success of this project will be a unique attraction to East Grinstead town, and so boost tourism and benefit local, businesses. The Bluebell Railway has received unstinting support from successive town councils of different political persuasions over the years (Conservatives most recently).

  The challenge of finding a unique attraction for Horsham similarly was laid down by consultants to HDC (Locum Destination Consulting Ltd) in 2003. The community came up with the answer based on Horsham's unique, nationally recognised, folk history and it's connection with the great composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams. Like the Bluebell railway, there was local enthusiasm behind the Horsham project based at the Old Town Hall, with packed public gatherings and a demonstration of expertise through the staging of the Horsham Community Festival in September 2006. The project was unfortunately destroyed by a despotic Cabinet who felt threatened by the community taking the initiative. The more destructive and irrational the decision to pursue a restaurant solution for the Old Town Hall, the more it underlined their misplaced sense of power and self-importance. It is Horsham's tourism potential and benefits to local residents and businesses that has paid the heavy price.

The challenge still goes out to HDC and the HDC led quango - the Community Development Partnership (chaired by Gary Shipton) - to come up with the unique attraction for Horsham, similar to the one that was destroyed by HDC. As far as we know, they haven't a clue. Certainly, another chain restaurant - one that doesn't even seem to have the acclaim of Lewes and Brighton - is not going to 'cut the mustard'. 

  As increasingly usual, HDC's Orwellian 'Ministry of Truth' (the WSHDCT) rewrites history. "Horsham District Council, while at first enthused by such suggestions, ultimately determined that a more commercial route was the only way of underpinning the future of the landmark." However, the sequence of events was:

(i) February 2006 - Council Old Town Hall Advisory Group selects and recommends 'folk arts' community bid after due diligence.

(ii) February 2006 - In an effort to 'see off' the community bid, HDC Cabinet sanctions secret negotiations with Bill's in contravention of Council policy for community use of the Old Town Hall.

(iii) August 2006 - Bill's pulls out because it feels they cannot co-exist with the Registrar. Leisure Services have been ordered to find alternatives but none of the three locations are acceptable to the County Council.

(iv) August 2006 - Winning community bidders are asked by HDC to slightly amend plans to co-exist with the Registrar which they gladly do.                 

(v) September 2006 - Council reneges on the agreement and decides it wants to do its own community solution via a second Old Town Hall Advisory Group.

(vi) October 2007 - Second Old Town Hall Advisory Group collapses in a confused and incompetent heap. Council reaches for Bill's once more in desperation - having given up Park House to the Registrar (which they could have done previously and had Bill's in the Old Town Hall in early 2007 [six years earlier]). The rental would have probably been much higher at the time with a market value of £75,000 (as valued by Crickmay). The taxpayer lost out on nearly half a million pounds simply because the Cabinet did not want to give up their 'creature comforts' at Park House therefore.

  In contrast to the facts, Gary Shipton writes "The final outcome with Bill's now in charge is a remarkable triumph for all involved, not least HDC." Planet Earth to Mr Shipton "We don't think so!"

The taxpayer lost out on another half million pounds when Bill's was biasedly selected by HDC over Gondola in 2009 (Gondola offering a vastly superior £72,500 per annum). Turning down Gondola also created another three and a half years of delay. Contrary to Council procurement guidelines, there was never any restaurant solution; there was only Bill's in the minds of HDC.

"But last year, HDC finally had its way. Bill's was chosen as the new custodian and they moved swiftly to open it in time for Christmas with a speed and efficiency that continues to mark the difference between the public and private sectors".

We are not public sector but third sector. In September 2006 the community supporters of the preferred 'folk arts' solution staged a major three stage music festival in just one month, from inception to completion. It is a feat that will not be easily replicated anywhere, any time in the world - not even with paid employees as opposed to volunteers. Bill's opened because it had pots of money to pay contractors to do it for them. However, the Horsham community had the passion, the heart and the talent that money can't buy.   

"HDC was right. Bills is a huge success.  Virtually every day it is packed".

However, we immediately checked out 'All About Horsham’ magazine's reported claim of 'even on a Monday'. Bill's was virtually empty on that Monday night. Bill's pulled out of the Horsham deal in 2010 because it didn't make the expected profits at its Reading branch in the first six weeks. In business, turnover is not a recognised measure of success - net profits are.

"They are youthful, polite, good looking, enthusiastic, cheerful and give the impression that they are genuinely pleased to see you."   

All we can say is that this does not seem to match the description in the independent reviews that have been sent into us.

"Objectors to a restaurant plan felt the County Times had rather sold out when it switched sides in the debate - but that was simply because I took an hour to chat to shoppers in the street to find out what they thought."

Gary Shipton seems to have developed a rather selective memory. We are aware that he canvassed opinion in much more relevant contexts and got answers in opposition to Bill's.

"...extraordinarily popular..", "....huge success... "...prime weekend dining..." "remarkable triumph..." "..far better than anyone could have imagined ..." leaves us asking ourselves - "Is this journalism, or an exercise in hyperbole?" It sure smacks of desperation.

By the way, Horsham did not feature at all in the recent table by the Times for food; best foodies were, Shoreditch, Mayfair, Brighton, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Marlow, Padstow, St Ives and Whitstable.

Next update: The secrecy and insecurity of a despotic HDC Cabinet.

88

posted 3rd April 2013

Question: Why is Horsham District Council so secretive and insecure?

Answer: Because, in our view, they are power mad and on the basis of the available evidence - useless with it.

Francis Maude, Horsham's MP, wrote an interesting article recently 'Openness can be transformational'.

"Transparency is one of those things - rather like motherhood and apple pie - of which everyone says they are in favour. But genuine openness can be transformational. Transparency gives citizens the tools they need to hold governments to account".

Wise words, but unfortunately, the principle doesn't extend to local government in his own back yard.

Theo Cronin wrote an interesting article in the week's West Sussex Council Times (28th March 2013) 'Gagged by bureaucratic and myopic over-controlling  district council'. Mr Cronin was apparently denied the opportunity to interview Horsham's town centre manager with; "It is a policy that Cabinet Members speak to the media". He writes: "Do they (the HDC Cabinet) no longer trust what their staff might say? Must we now discuss this with a politician in the cabinet, who by definition is an amateur with a party political agenda rather than an impartial officer. Such a policy is more akin to a one-party Third World state ....." And so on.

At least it seems that the reporters of the Council Times (rather than the Editor-in-chief perhaps) have woken up and smelled the coffee. The tendency of the HDC Cabinet to micro-manage its staff - often with catastrophic results - has long been featured on this site. We also remember when a former Leader of the Council crashed the Horsham Societies 'Question time with Tom Crowley' (Tom Crowley is HDC's Chief Executive). The Leader crassly justified the move as "He works for me".

Yet, when things go 'tits up' such as the Acorn Project overspend (over two accounting years) the Cabinet is quick to point the finger - opting not to comment because of dubiously applied 'possible staff disciplinary matters' and 'commercial sensitivity'. However, the real picture is that HDC is too arrogant to admit a mistake and learn from it. The taxpayer therefore ends up the loser. The HDC Cabinet is also just too arrogant to trust their staff and listen to the staff's expert advice, leading to more and bigger mistakes. In the HDC Cabinet - a blinkered sense of their own power and self-importance is underpinned by 'delusions of adequacy'.

The only way out of this of course, is secrecy and control. For example, HDC is thought to be in 'the premier league' when it comes to the refusal of Freedom of Information Act requests on the alleged grounds of 'commercial sensitivity'. Hence the public cannot know about how Bill's was dubiously selected over W J King for the Old Town Hall (as HDC refused to give up the individual scoring sheets). The public cannot know the terms of the Bill's lease and how easily they might walk away from Horsham. The public cannot even know if Bill's is to pay what was in their bid (£15,000 less than market value and £12,000 less than what was previously offered by Gondola) and if there is provision for 'upwards only' rent reviews. These are just a few examples. It is hard to see how such things could be construed as 'commercially sensitive', especially when weighed up against the 'public interest' (and taxpayer’s interest).

Content of next update? We haven't currently decided. However, due to the lack of HDC performance and the refusal of HDC to change it's ways - we are never short of material!

89

posted 6th April 3013

Question: Given the current fall out between Horsham District Councillors,
what does the Council have in common?

Answer: Yes it's true, according to the West Sussex Council Times, Horsham District Councillors are squabbling about national party politics when in our view they should be getting on with righting all their wrongs and restoring the fortunes of the district. However, what does the Council (particularly the HDC Cabinet) have in common? The answer is simple - poor performance; a despotic rule that includes the micro-management of their staff; and turning a blind eye to unethical behaviour (please see elsewhere on this site for details). When the majority defect to the obscurity of the political wilderness Horsham residents will be so much better off.

Next update: More on HDC performance (or lack of!) and how it costs the taxpayer.

90

posted 9th April 2013

Question: Will Bill's really get away with a porch at Horsham Old Town Hall?

Answer: We had this interesting review sent on to us by a reader.....

“Lovely Food but wrap up warm!” Reviewed 2 April 2013 NEW

We had booked for Easter Saturday a week in advance, but when we arrived they did not have our booking although I had given my telephone number when booking. We were seated near the door as there were no other tables and it was very cold. We are told that this problem is being addressed by the addition of a porch. (our emphasis).The food was good, although a bit pricey, and the service a bit slow, but we were catching up with friends so time wasn't really an issue. Overcharged on the bill and had to be corrected twice, BUT overall, very pleasant staff and would go again, and would request to be seated upstairs as we were told it was warmer. 

A porch at the Old Town Hall would be a highly inappropriate change for a Grade II listed building of course. As another reader put it "I can't even put a sky dish on my Grade II." If the claim is accurate, we will object to any planning application of course. However, we think that Horsham District Council's historical bias towards Bill's would prevail in any event. The 'bin store' was thought to be inappropriate because it was outside the footprint of the building. We see that Bill's rubbish is still spilling out from this store even after the latest apology. We believe that granting the lion’s share of Market Square to Bill's at the expense of a community space and other local businesses was also inappropriate. Cutting a hole in the floor between the two levels was against planning guidance and it stupidly created the 'chimney effect' causing the draft and cold. As we understand it, people continue to complain about the noisy fans and the smelly fumes that come spilling out of the vents. English Heritage also 'rolled over' to HDC on the inappropriate removal of the historical solid arches (a total reversal of their 2005 position). We expect them to 'roll over' again. We feel that Bill's could demolish the bandstand and open a new purple and yellow spotted building in the middle of the Carfax and HDC would let them.              

Another sharp-eyed reader apparently spotted that Gary Shipton's (Editor in Chief of the West Sussex Council Times [WSHDCT]) article was sponsored (the article summarily dismissed elsewhere on this site). If this is true, the article might have been even less independent than we first thought. The reader questioned whether there was any connection, financial or otherwise, between Bill's and the sponsor. The answer is - we don't currently know.

Next update: More on HDC - or more reviews on Bill's if we get them in. 

91

posted 12th April 2013

Question: How is Bill's doing in the Old Town Hall after a few months?

Answer: As previously posted, we think they are struggling with the issues covered elsewhere on this site - and predict that COTE will 'pull the plug' in the next year. We were going to cover a bit more on HDC - but got two Bill's reviews forwarded on to us:

"It was ok but not great" Reviewed 9 April 2013

Having dined at Bills in Lewes we were expecting great things and although the staff were fab the food was mediocre and at £70 for 2 pax 2 courses and a shared dessert it was a little steep price wise. My macaroni cheese had mushrooms that were inedible and when this was pointed out the staff simply apologised. I will go back but not quickly......sadly.

“Too clever by half” Reviewed 28 March 2013

Clever use of much loved building and terribly 'on trend' decor. Shame the coffee is like syrup and the seats uncomfortable.

Next update: More on HDC

92

posted 17th April 2013

Question: Are Bill's apologies a lot of hot air?

Answer: We think so - yes! - as much hot air as emerging from the vent in question. On the 28th February 2013 the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) published an article "Neighbours who vented frustration get a result". However, eye witness reports - and nose witness reports - appear to disagree. On the basis of information received, it seems to us that nothing is resolved. Apparently, even after Editor-in-chief Gary Shipton's fawning (and perhaps less than independent) recent article supporting Bill's - the problems at Bill's in Horsham Old Town Hall remain the same. It appears rubbish is reported as still regularly spilling out of the bin-store beside the building and unpleasant smells are still spilling out of the vent. Here is a reminder.....

"People working in nearby offices  have complained about unpleasant smells  and, on at least one occasion, greasy smoke. There was also a problem with unsightly bin bags being left beside the building."

   Project manager for Bill's parent company Cote apologised and said that something would be done. It appears to us that this has not happened - or at least - has not happened adequately. The people are asking - where was Horsham District Council's planning, environmental and conservation officers in all this? We feel that the answer is - nowhere! That is not to say that the Council officers are not up to the job. The overwhelming evidence suggests that they are simply micro-managed and dictated to by a despotic Council Cabinet. We feel that HDC's historical bias towards Bill's smells is as much as the controversial vent in question.

   HDC described Bill's at Horsham Old Town hall as the "Cherry on the cake". The cake appears to be crumbling - very apt - considering the difference between a cake and a biscuit. A cake goes hard and a biscuit goes soft as it ages. In the short term we think there will be a cherry (somewhat discoloured) and no cake! We read with dismay that the nearby River Kwai (not a big chain) lease may be up for sale. Will it be replaced by another restaurant? - we don't know. However, it seems likely - as we predicted elsewhere on this site - that more restaurants will leave than come (particularly the almost unique, or unique, ones) - and will leave the Council's restaurant strategy in tatters.

   We feel that Horsham District Council's double standards towards Bill's are just as reportedly smelly as Bill's vent. We hear that another person made an application to widen a door on their Grade II house to make for disabled access and that this was initially resisted by HDC before others supported the cause. Watch out therefore, for a fawning, smell ridden, granting of an inappropriate possible Bill's porch by HDC (on a Grade II listed Old Town Hall) in order to solve its draught problem. Or was this application (none observed so far) just another bit of Bill's 'hot air'? 

   The bin-store, however small, was still outside the footprint of the building - and in our contention - should not have been granted at all. In our opinion, the Old Town Hall's Bill's bin-store could have taken the whole of the Carfax as far as the biased HDC was concerned (courtesy of a disproportionate latitude granted to HDC by their political mates at West Sussex County Council.

Overall, we feel that Bill's in Horsham's Old Town Hall is just an increasing embarrassment and that the COTE masters, as we predicted, will cut it loose within a year. We don't expect that HDC will be able to stop them - due to HDC's (so far undeclared) blinkered and biased lease negotiations. In any event, what a mess!

   In the meantime - here is another Bill's review that we have been forwarded (an independent one) below....

“Lovely location and atmosphere but food disappointing” Reviewed April 13, 2013 NEW

Last night I ate in Biil's for the second time and although the old Town Hall has been beautifully transformed into a restaurant the food did not live up to the surroundings. We had the pork terrine to start which was totally tasteless - on advising the waiter he was very apologetic and when he took away our plates said we would not be charged for it (much appreciated). I was really looking forward to my main course which sounded great on the menu - again a complete disappointment. The base ingredients were good quality but the food again had no taste and was extremely boring to eat - the chef needs to season his food. My husband had the steak which although good quality again lacked any inspiration.  

Staff were very helpful and attentive but food was boring and tasteless - I will not be returning.

Next update: More on HDC (honest!)

93

posted 19th April 2013

Question: Is Horsham District Council in meltdown?

Answer: Yes, by the looks of it. However, the real point of interest this week was Waitrose and the other local businesses (including a restaurant) complaining about the evening charges at selected Horsham car parks. The Council's addiction to parking income due to its financial mismanagement over the last ten years has long been featured on this site. It also formed part of our detailed submission on HDC mismanagement to the District Auditor three years ago and was copied to government. David Cameron's office promised a response from Francis Maude's Cabinet Office but it never came. It seemed that the truth hurt and it was all too hot to handle.

HDC is a self-serving bureaucracy, full of self-important Councillors who couldn't run an ice cream cart. They are all focused on their petty squabbles about national policy or the state of the coalition. They 'fiddle', while Horsham 'burns'. Local residents and local businesses are the unfortunate losers.

Next update: More on HDC

94

posted 24th April 2013

Question: What makes you think that Horsham District Council Councillors are talentless?

Answer: In our view, they are focused on petty politics, power and self-importance (underpinned by the need to childishly 'get their way') - when they really need to be focused on restoring, or at least maintaining the prosperity of Horsham District.

  Attending meetings and drawing their allowance simply won't 'cut the mustard' and substitute for creative thinking in this respect. When others do the creative thinking for them, rather than embrace and join with the initiative, they crush it out of insecurity and that sense of powerful self-importance. As far as the HDC Cabinet is concerned, we also think that there may be a more sinister political motive i.e. bleed Horsham Town dry and divert resources to their own areas - before on the grounds of cost, the Government decrees a big unitary authority like the Cornwall model. It would leave the distinct possibility of a non-Conservative Horsham Town Council with nothing to play with.

  The Lib Dem Leader suddenly woke up this week and complained that too many meetings were being cancelled. But leader of the council Ray Dawe said in each case there was a legitimate reason for cancelling the meeting. “There did not seem any point in holding a meeting where there is nothing to discuss.” Enough said! It just so happens that there are County Council elections going on - and they are out campaigning for votes. We believe that as far as the public is concerned, there is not much of a choice. Horsham badly needs a competent coalition of independent candidates to gain power in the Horsham District Council elections of 2015 in order to save us from a painful, lingering decline.

  What makes us really think that HDC Councillors are talentless however, is that they think they can ignore the contents of this site and sit permanently in an unaccountable position. Sooner or later, another Governmental Inquiry was going to come along as is now the case! Soon therefore, HDC's unethical behaviour will be laid bare nationally.

Next update: More on HDC unless we get any more Bill's reviews in.

95

posted 26th April 2013

Question: What happened to Horsham District Council's
‘Cherry on the cake,’ Bill's Restaurant?

Answer: It seems that the cherry is sinking down through the cake. Out of 92, TripAdvisor put Artisan at 3rd, Cote (Bill's masters) came 11th and Bill's (backed by heavy Council bias) came 22nd. In another apparent victory for this site, it seems to us that Bill's decided to 'back off' from the idea of an external porch and there has now been a reported attempt to sort out the draughts from the 'chimney effect' (resulting from the 'vandalism' of the Grade II floor) with an internal 'porch'. Furthermore, it seems that in response to other criticisms levelled on our site, the Council has backed off from further disproportionate bias towards Bill's - i.e. in granting similarly disproportionate 'free space' to Bill's tables and chairs in Market Square. Artisan at least, is getting a 'look in', we observed recently - although it is still at the loss of a former community space. As stated previously, we think that the Horsham Bill's is ultimately doomed to be 'cut loose' by COTE within a year.

HDC is similarly struggling with its East Street project, particularly on disabled issues. Having identified the need for the Old Town Hall to be Disability Discrimination Act compliant in 2005 (forming part of the selected and recommended community proposal) it dropped a disabled lift from the plans. These plans were unsuitably paid for by the taxpayer and improperly 'self-approved' by the Council - before being handed over to Bill's (unethically selected by HDC over Gondola). The overall 'stink' metaphorically goes beyond that which was reported as emerging from Bill's vent at the Old Town Hall.

Next update: More on the forthcoming Public Administration select Committee inquiry.

96

posted 30th April 2013

Question: What are the details of the Public Administration Select Committee's latest Inquiry?

Answer: It's called 'Complaints: Do they make a difference?' In the case of bodies like the Mid-Staff's Board or Horsham District Council the answer is an emphatic no! If a public body is determined to act immorally or unethically then ultimately, regulators of services and Ombudsmen will simply 'get in the way' (please see our previous update on the Francis Report). It could also be argued that the very existence of quango's like the Audit Commission give people a false sense of assurance and deter the electorate from properly scrutinising the actions of public bodies. The existence of the Local Government Ombudsman further prevents proper scrutiny and redress by the Courts. On the basis of much legal precedent, Ombudsman have an almost absolute discretion in whether they will investigate and how they will investigate - no matter how irrational the exercising of that discretion might seem to be. We will lay out the evidence of this to the Committee in respect of HDC. Also, the evidence of how bodies like the Audit Commission and English Heritage ultimately 'ran away' when faced with HDC intransigence over ethics; and arrogant denial of their poor performance.

Next update: More on HDC.                  

97

posted 2nd May 2013

Question: What else makes you think that Horsham District Council is poor performing?

Answer: Wow - where do we start? This weekend it is the Broadwood Day of Dance. Horsham has one of the highest concentrations of folk dance sides in the country and some fantastic local musicians in all genres. Coupled with its folk connections to the great composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Horsham is a nationally recognised bastion of 'English culture', which is why we wanted to exploit this tourist potential with the community Old Town Hall project - ably demonstrating that potential with the Horsham Community Festival in 2006 and the Vaughan Williams '50 year' commemoration celebrations in 2008. One of the Councils officers (one that is not allowed to speak to the local press apparently) quietly took on the idea and attempted to develop the Broadwood Day of Dance into an English Culture Festival. HDC even put the domain name on the internet. Three years later - we are back to the Day of Dance again. HDC simply cannot 'cut the mustard' on a sustainable basis. Why?

   The answer is a despotic and destructive HDC Cabinet. They demobilised the folk and artistic community over the Old Town Hall in 2006. They alienated many local musicians with the stopping of Horsham Music Week which was Horsham's most cost-effective, kudos winning festival. The HDC Cabinet will apparently crush anything that is not their idea, and crush anything that they do not have exclusive control over; so much for Francis Maude's 'Big Society' agenda in his own backyard. To cover their tracks (because they have no ideas and ability to deliver on them of their own) HDC forms hand-picked 'quango's to abdicate their responsibility for Horsham town's slow, lingering death (like the Horsham Christmas lights fading over the years). A fawning West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) is only going to be able to protect the Council to a certain point.

   Another parking 'fine mess' has hit the headlines and the internet (on top of our own site) this week. Not only does HDC's financial mismanagement over ten years addict them to parking income from the meters, it means that they seem to be further addicted to income from parking fines too. You can't drop off your child, or a patient, or even your dry cleaning; without emerging to find a nasty HDC ‘stormtrooper’ (HDC parking enforcement officer) swarming over your car in a metaphorical second. Contrast this bad publicity with other Councils that have hit the headlines for boosting the fortunes of their towns by doing the opposite; like Braintree (parking 10p after 3pm) and Altrincham (parking 10p per hour). The Cabinet's answer to the bad publicity; abdicate responsibility and blame it on their own staff in their usual cowardly way. So it's nothing to do with any possible commission pay on the fines issued then? Nothing to do with the fact that the Council banks the income then? One organisation has the motto 'Death before dishonour'. The HDC Cabinet's suggested motto is 'Dishonour before a slow lingering death for Horsham town'.

   Horsham District Council's message about Horsham town gets worse when you consider the recent Waitrose complaints about the recently introduced evening parking charge - the charge that has significantly reduced takings. Waitrose looks set to pull out of Piries Place when the current lease expires in 2015. This is a poor message to any new potential occupier that might take over from Waitrose. However, HDC's Chief Executive has explained to the Horsham Society:

   "Tom (Crowley) has confirmed that the Council is in touch with the owners of Piries Place and has offered its support and advice in finding a new occupier."

   Our comment: With support like that - who needs enemies? The largely 'out-of-town' HDC Cabinet is slowly killing the town centre and Piries Place along with it. Any new superstore complex west of Albion Way will not help the town's ailing fortunes either. 'Seagull style' shoppers to the new out-of-town- centre site will swoop in; shop; and swoop out again. Throw in the mess that is their East Street project and the evidence of Horsham District Council incompetence (and the likely results) is overwhelming. However, with the proper resistance, it doesn't have to be this way. We'll cover the various options in future updates.

Meanwhile, a Happy Bank Holiday to all our readers.

P.S. It's also worth pointing out that the Horsham Day of Dance was a folk community initiative that existed anyway. Although HDC sponsorship is no doubt very welcome, HDC still can't sustainably launch and manage anything of their own it seems.

Next update: Why does Bill's former owner Bill Collison reportedly meet at Esquires Coffee Shop rather than the Old Town Hall?

98

posted 6th May 2013

Question: Is Bill's in Horsham's Old Town Hall hanging by a thread?

Answer: Yes we think so - the financial position is thought to be just too volatile. COTE looks set to be sold to Bridgepoint which will see Andy Bassadone (project manager for Bill's) part company with COTE - and put COTE in direct competition with Bill's. COTE outperformed Bill's by some 11 places in a recent TripAdvisor rating. Additionally, we believe that Bill's in Horsham has become an ever increasing embarrassment to the brand and will have to go. Andy Bassadone ( of  Billionaire Richard Caring's Caprice Holdings and Strada fame) didn't get where he was by being silly we feel - and think he will likely cut Horsham loose in the near future.

   This might also help explain reports (on two separate occasions) why Bill Collison was allegedly meeting up with persons unknown in Esquires Coffee House at Horsham's forum. Why would he not meet up on the Bill's premises? Is there something he did not want his staff to know? The answer is - if the reports of the sightings are true - we don't know either. Whatever the situation - in our opinion, Bill's in Horsham is not going to easily woo potential franchisees at an attractive price and also, potentially deter other possible franchisees around the country too. 

   This is why we feel Horsham District Council was stupid (as they were with the previously superior Gondola bid) to go for Bill's over W J King, who had a local loyalty as well as matching the Bill's financial offer (radically reduced from the initial verbal offer and market value of £75,000; and below the £72,500 offered by Gondola). No-one can currently know for sure whether HDC fiddled the scoring of the bids for a second time in order to give Bill's as the answer once more - as HDC refuse to give up the scoring sheets for Bill's v W J King under the Freedom of Information Act. It seems likely however. By contrast to the local W J King, Bill's had already walked away from Horsham twice:

   i) In 2006 when HDC couldn't move the Registrar, and when the Council didn't initially want to give up their 'creature comforts' at Park House.

   ii) In 2010 when Bill's didn't make as much profit as it would have liked at its Reading Branch in the first six weeks.

   Oh dear then - it seems that it is all going to end in tears soon for HDC and the West Sussex Council Times newspaper (WSHDCT).

Meanwhile, here is another recent Bill's review forwarded by a reader........

 “Was hoping for something a bit better” Reviewed May 4, 2013

Went on a Monday evening with a friend and I had tuna which was on the specials list. The flavours were very good but the tuna was overcooked and dry my friend had a salmon dish that was similarly over cooked. We were also disappointed with the quantity. For dessert I had the Eton mess which was delicious while my friends pecan pie was ok but again not a large portion. So with just one glass of wine and 2 coffees between us I would have expected better quality for our £55 meal

   On the bright side, Bill's pulling out of Horsham will be the one thing that the cowardly HDC Cabinet won't be able to blame on the staff. We have had an unusual amount of sympathy in e-mails received for HDC's parking enforcement officers after the fawning West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) gave them a metaphorical kicking on behalf of the Cabinet in the paper last week. Thank goodness for the internet's power to eat into what we see as HDC's Ministry of Truth (WSHDCT) and give two sides of the story then (what used to be called 'balanced journalism'). 'The people' rightly asked: As well as bank the money, isn't HDC responsible for training these people? Isn't HDC responsible for supervising these wardens and issuing their guidelines, patches and rotas etc? Good questions we think. Whatever the situation, we believe that HDC must be a terrible place to work if you are constantly under threat of being metaphorically 'stabbed in the back by the Cabinet' all the time.

Next update: More news on Bill's and/or our Select Committee submission..  

99

posted 10th May 2013

Question: Are people waking up to Horsham District Council's
'Ministry of Truth' (West Sussex County Times)?

Answer: At least one person seems to have done that in this weeks paper. .."in over 30 years of living in Horsham I have never seen such a sycophantic, biased and badly researched comment piece by an Editor as that following the county elections on May 2nd. That the County Times can now be recognised for what it is, an entirely partisan, right wing media outlet, is a pity for the people and District and for democracy."

   From the recent, sponsored article by Editor-in-Chief, Gary Shipton on Bill's (please see our recent update on this site) we would comment:

Sycophantic, biased (or at least non-independent), badly researched, partisan - definitely!

Right wing? We're not so sure. We think that:

   a) Gary Shipton was all too easily flattered by chairing the Council led quango - the ineffective, Community Development Partnership.

   b) Gary Shipton simply 'sucks up' to the party in charge in order to retain Council advertising.  In the days before competition from 'The Resident' (now District Post) we were used to balanced articles where opponents of the Council view (like ourselves) were routinely approached to give their side of the story. These days, the Council view is mostly an 'open goal' that is often further supported by the Editorial comment. There used to be debates in the paper with equal space being given to the opposing sides to make their case. No more however! The people are spoon-fed one side of the story and no longer enabled to make up their own minds on an informed basis.  

   Meanwhile, we had another Bill's review forwarded to us:

'Was hoping for something better' Reviewed May 3, 2013

Nice use of the old Town Hall building and décor quite nice. Service ok but slow (waited an hour for main). Food average and unfortunately mine wasn't very warm. Puddings ok, not bad but nothing special. Food is also too expensive for what it is! Bill's overall just isn't what it used to be since it changed hands. It's basically been changed into an upmarket burger joint. Just not as special as it was and food is average - just nothing like how it was. Such a shame! As for this restaurant, it's ok, but to be honest, I prefer the Lewes one.

100

updated 13th May 2013

Question: Can HDC always 'get away with it' in Court?

Answer: It seems not; a Henfield couple have been awarded more than £18,000 in a High Court challenge over two enforcement notices issued by Horsham District Council.

Our reading of this is that the Council refused in its usual arrogant way to admit a simple mistake. The enforcement notices in question came into effect on January 4 2012, but in order for that to be the case, the rules required them to have been served to the Claimant on December 6 2011. The enforcement notices were sent by first class post December 6, but not received until December 9. It all seems a bit silly.

   In our view, the Council may have got a misplaced sense of immunity from the Courts via our own case over the Old Town Hall. There was an obviously erroneous judgement in our case because the Council had failed to disclose its own Old Town Hall planning application paid for by the taxpayer (£10,000 for the plans and £300 for the application, as confirmed by the District Auditor). The plans were subsequently handed over to Bill's  (revealed to us under Freedom of Information). All planning applicants would like to have their plans paid for by the Council of course, but unless you are the inexplicably favoured Bill's, it is unlikely to happen. With its usual lack of honour, HDC offered us a meeting during the week that we could lodge an Appeal. After the Appeal period (1 week) had passed, the offer of a meeting was withdrawn by HDC.

Meanwhile, thanks to the reader that forwarded us another Bill's review:

“wouldn't go again” Reviewed May 7, 2013

  Overcooked and cold steak, nothing special and not very tasty, no better than basic pub grub with a hefty price tag. Waiter was very sweet but service was dreadfully slow. After all the hype i was really looking forward to our visit.... but sorry Bills, I won't be back.

101

posted 15th May 2013

Question: What's the news on Bill's, West Sussex Council Times and
Horsham District Council this week?

Answer: Firstly, we had another review on Bill's forwarded onto us as follows:

“Lunch 10th May 2013” Reviewed 10 May 2013 NEW

 Thought my Husband and I would treat ourselves to lunch and on a good friends recommendation went to Bill's. Felt rushed into making a decision about our drinks and food choices. Wine was warm, food mediocre. Not sure if the wrong shift was on duty but we will not be returning, enjoy!!

The particular reader also reported that Bill's seemed to have slipped from 22nd to 24th to 26th in the TripAdviser ratings in just a couple of weeks.

It appears that the Editor in Chief of the West Sussex Council Times (the one who allegedly used his position to write a less than independent article about Bill's recently) put up a defence to the 'political bias' allegations in the letter that was mentioned in our recent update:

"It (the newspaper) does seek to reflect the mood of the local community - who in these elections voted overwhelmingly for the two right wing parties, the Conservatives and UKIP. It would be very odd if we failed to acknowledge that fact and extraordinarily bad form if I omitted to congratulate them on their success. It is the Lib Dems who appear to have abandoned the local debate in these pages....The Lib Dems should treat these results as a wake-up call and up their game."

We didn't actually agree  with the allegation - more that the WSHDCT is sucking up to those in power. However, to us, the response simply proves how much Mr. Shipton has been sucked into the 'political world' since being seduced by the chairmanship of the ineffectual Community Development Partnership - the Council led quango. He can no longer see past the political parties it seems. The WSCT now uses its own dodgy political analysis re, 'mood of the local community', when it once used to give a direct voice to non-political community organisations such as our own. For example, our authority to speak on Old Town Hall issues was granted by a High Court Judge and the WSHDCT knows that. Yet we haven't had an approach from the paper in recent years like we used to. It's up to Mr. Shipton to explain why.

People predominantly voted for Tories and UKIP in winning 'low-numbers' because they don't have any real choice. Most people are clearly dis-illusioned with all of the parties. He is right about the Lib Dems though. Lib Dem Councillors are very like the Tories on HDC in our opinion:

1) Self-importance

2) Being part of the Council 'Club'

3) The interests of the District (which they have no real ideas about and make a hash of)

The only difference is that with the Tories you can throw 'getting off' on unaccountable power into the mix - and with the Liberals, 'getting off' on the fact that one day they might be 'thrown a bone' and being given a turn at Chairman for a year. It seems to us that the Lib Dems have abandoned the debate (along with their principles) unless they upset the Tory bone throwers.

It's all a bit of a sad state of affairs as far as the voters are concerned however. Add in the lack of a Town Council (with the out-of-town Tories denying the opportunity of this) and the picture is complete. Under the current system, even if every single voter in Horsham town voted non-Tory, the town would still see itself dictated to by a largely out-of-town Cabinet - and probably further see it's assets sold to the benefit of Tory voting areas.

The only answer is a coalition of independents contesting every seat based on a 'District wide interests' manifesto.

Horsham District Council's answer to this disillusionment is more 'window dressing' to further fool the electorate of course. Town Hall surgeries that will (if things run to form) ; give the appearance of listening ; whilst instantly forgetting ; and doing nothing. What have been the achievements of all the Council quangos for example? We think that you could write it on the back of the proverbial fag packet and still leave room for a name and address.

On the plus side, a woman Councillor is actually running with these surgeries in response to the criticisms levelled on our site. Unfortunately, it is non-political organisations such as the Trust - and other community groups and campaigns - that have had to stand up for the town (rather than the Lib Dems).

No doubt, when the Lib Dems are rightly wiped out at the next local elections for their lack of principle and performance - Mr. Shipton can give the Tories and UKIP an even bigger 'pat on the back'. It will be a bit of a hollow sounding 'pat' however, as unless things change radically, Horsham's prosperity and potential will have further declined markedly in the meantime. We feel that not even HDC's Ministry of Truth (the WSHDCT) will be able to put sufficient gloss on it.

Next update: More news, including our submission to the Public Administration Select Committee on HDC.

102

posted 17th May 2013

Question: What else makes you think the West Sussex County Times

has got it all wrong, particularly about Bill's?

Answer: The anecdotal evidence is stashing up. Here are two more 'appalling' reviews for Bill's that have been forwarded to us .....

“Not worth the money” Reviewed 12 May 2013

Portion sizes small, food nothing special but that's about it. Service was pleasant but slow. Ambiance and shabby chic decor best part about the restaurant. With so many other great restaurants in Horsham we will not be rushing back.

“Extremely disappointing - overpriced - poor quality food.”  Reviewed 12 May 2013

There are plenty of other restaurants in Horsham - my tip would be to give most of them a try before you bother with this one. - It's like opening an expensively wrapped present to find a cheap bauble inside.

Visited this restaurant on Saturday in a group of 9. Anticipation was high because the outside of the building (the old Horsham town hall) is fabulous and full of character. It's a shame we couldn't say the same thing about the food - when it eventually arrived - the service was appallingly slow.

The starters (served over an hour after we had ordered them) were average - and the 'special' scallops dish was extortionately overpriced at £9.95 for 4 small scallops.

Whilst we were waiting for our mains to arrive the waiter kept apologizing for the delay and asking if we wanted drinks etc. But of course, passing the time away by drinking, at £4.50 for a small bottle of beer, adds a hefty chunk to your bill.

A full 45 minutes after they had taken our starter dishes away we received our mains.

Chicken skewers on a bed of couscous - those who had this said the kebabs tasted suspiciously like the ready made ones you can buy from M & S and the couscous was courtesy of an Ainsley Harriott packet.

The beer battered haddock was, quite frankly, disgusting with a thick. hard brown batter and grey flesh.

I had the fish pie. This cost £14.95. It was bland, dry, and the potato topping tasted like it had been made with Smash - again pretty disgusting.

On the plus side, the waitress who was obviously embarrassed by the long wait we endured, offered us two bottles of wine on the house. (See underlined section above for this customer’s last comment).

This stuff is obviously in stark contrast to the West Sussex Council Times' Editor in Chief's fawning article about Bill's a month ago.

It's not the first time the Editor has written a load of tosh. We seem to recall him writing previously, that Horsham District Council refused a Community Governance Review (and hence the possibility of forming a Horsham Town Council) on financial grounds alone. Proper democracy costs a little bit of money of course (not much in this case), but sensibly, it represented for example, just one twentieth of the Council's incompetent overspend on the Acorn Project over two accounting years.

So why does the West Sussex Council Times (WSHDCT) want the HDC Conservative Cabinet to hang on to disproportionate power? Our  answer - it makes life simple for the Sussex Newspaper Group, who then won't have to adjust their WSCT Editorial policy for Horsham town. They can 'suck up' to the Tories 'across the board' i.e. across the County (simply on the basis of the fact that they are in power).

Incidentally, we once said that the Bill's brand was 'all over the place'. Now it seems that Bill's has become an Italian restaurant as well - sponsoring a hamper for Piazza Italia and consequently getting an Old Town Hall location picture courtesy of the 'Weekend' freebie (instead of something actually to do with Piazza Italia).

Talking to other hard-working and hard-earning restaurants in Horsham (often independents); they have privately and understandably become increasingly sick of the HDC and West Sussex County Times bias towards Bill's.

In our view, the WSHDCT is guilty of rank hypocrisy. Check out its 'Power to the People' piece this week - about the power of social media and the internet ...

But many people who have viewed it have understandably expressed their outrage online.

plus...

HDC must demonstrate that it understands just how frustrated parts of the community are becoming - and respond fully and explicitly, explaining the action it is taking.

Firstly, this is a piece about parking enforcement, which was an issue recently covered on our site. Before our posting, the WSHDCT was seemingly content to 'toe the usual HDC Cabinet line' of 'blame it on the specific staff' (although perhaps recruited, trained and incentivised by HDC). Now, internet power has forced a partial rethink at the WSHDCT it seems.

Of course, the proper response of any accountable body would be:

1) Provide a reasoned argument as to why things are the way they are, OR;

2) Apologise and communicate the actual implementation of corrective action.

But this is HDC. Not a chance we think. By experience, they are far too arrogant and unaccountable to admit any mistakes and therefore, there will be nothing to correct. Why are HDC this way? Because the WSHDCT has in recent years, 'propped up' HDC's unaccountable, bad behaviour. Look no further than the unethical selection of Bill's over Gondola at a projected cost of half a million pounds to the taxpayer. The WSHDCT remained silent (as did the Lib Dems). Why should HDC change its ways therefore?

The WSHDCT are also hypocrites in our view, because they seem to rely on the same unaccountable power as HDC. Rather than answer the criticisms on our "online" site, or change their ways, they appear to remain silent (same as HDC). As we understand it, when people write in to complain about the County Times Editor allegedly (ab)using his position, the WSHDCT doesn't print the letter etc.

Perhaps, the highest ranking piece of hypocrisy by the WSHDCT - is to get fully behind 'Independents Day' to celebrate the independent businesses in Horsham. Yet, the WSHDCT supported (and continues to support) a big business backed chain restaurant in the Old Town Hall (i.e. Bill's). Furthermore, in our view, the WSHDCT has been unfairly disadvantaging independent restaurants in Horsham on a regular basis in recent months with its fawning over Bill's on behalf of their HDC masters.

The power of the internet? In spite of its high and mighty words, the WSHDCT clearly doesn't 'get it' either. People say that for every bad experience, the customer tells ten others. In the internet age they tell more like 100. Add up the bad reviews - even just the ones that we have been alerted to - and it follows that thousands of people may have already been put off of Bill's. We believe that as things stand, the more that the WSHDCT biasedly hypes Bill's, the more people are going to be disappointed. Also, we feel that even more residents are going to wake up to the fact that the WSHDCT has 'lost its way' and 'sold its soul'; regularly spouting a load of tosh as the Ministry of Truth on behalf of its HDC masters. In one respect, we believe that the WSHDCT is right though: due to the power and potential power of the internet - the likes of HDC, Bill's and the West Sussex County Times will soon all sink together. 

Next update: Our submission to the Public Administration Select Committee (honest).  

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