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Charitable Trust, independent of Council


marlin13
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No change is needed with the way the charitable is set up ,

As JustMe notes, due to changes in regulation, "no change" is no longer a feasible option. Even those wanting no change accept that the law is different now. Having such an option on the list is quite strange.

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But why is it that everytime someone says jump ,we ask how high instead of WHY.

 

We should stand our ground & defy this order .

I'm not so sure about defying the order but I agree wholeheartedly with your "how" rather than "why" point. The public debate has been dominated by individuals with the agenda that the SIC and CT should not be singing to the same hymn sheet.

 

My fear is that the CT will be forced into a position where it becomes a soap box for SIC bashers. I don't think such an extra institutional layer will do anything other than clog up local government and waste energy and focus. The SIC along with the other Islands Councils pioneered single tier local government. Back in the 80s when living in Edinburgh I used to find the double tier system remarkably confusing and pointless. Having a CT with a different agenda to the SIC seems to me to be heading back to multi-tier government. If that happens it will be an ironic reversal, now that other councils have been reformed to be single tier.

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EM--The way I see the charitable trust was an additional commitment privelidged to SIC members to administer for the benefit of the community of Shetland .The funding having been derived from the oil industry.

 

The way this money has been spent is in many cases is questionable ,but the way the trust is run would to me appear to fully democratic .

 

Every council in the UK would love to have such a charity & in my mind this is an additional function added to our councilors over and above there normal council duties & should not be linked in anyway to the normal duties of these councilors.

 

In other words the charitable trust is separate from the council only with the exception that it is run by our elected members. This in my mind is about the only fair way to operate such a charity .

 

It has to be remembered that not only has Shetland benefited from this fund, but what about all the companys & workers outside shetland who have also benifited.

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Once again this current crop are making a Shetland a laughing stock.

 

I would have welcomed a trust of 7 councillors (one from each ward) and 8 independent appointees. It would provide a great opportunity to get some expertise on board whether it be someone from the voluntary sector, business leaders or professionals. It would have been a great opportunity to enhance community planning in Shetland too.

 

But no. With a referendum the public will choose a fully elected trust because they are told that elections are democatic and so must be correct. We'll end up with a bunch of politicians who will act in their constituents' interests as opposed to what's best for Shetland as a whole. We'll end up with a Whalsay man wanting a £100m super dooper ferry service to Whalsay.

 

Look at how the Council's reserves have dwindled under the current councillors, look at the £15m wasted on bridges and schools that never appeared. Now let's see what will happen when the second class politicians (those who weren't successful at SIC elections) are voted on to the Trust.

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I would have welcomed a trust of 7 councillors (one from each ward) and 8 independent appointees. It would provide a great opportunity to get some expertise on board whether it be someone from the voluntary sector, business leaders or professionals. It would have been a great opportunity to enhance community planning in Shetland too.

 

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And Mutton ,why would these 8 appointees be any better than 8 elected councillors . Who would they be !

 

We actually have a very good team on the council .They are all very honest & dedicated I'm sure. The problem is there is so much to learn in the council , but by the time they get there up comes voteing day ,some will lose there seat .

 

Experience can only be gained once on the council & this council has had a hard time with the financial constraints & some nasty political issues ,but this has all been "lessons learned" hopefully

 

The problem with this council they think to big & should learn some lessons from the Edinburgh Tram fiasco .We could easily find ourselfs in the same position --held to ransome with a partly completed project with all money spent !

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Looks like OSCR is getting heavy with the SIC

 

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/11/28/regulator-orders-shetland-charitable-trust-to-drop-referendum-plan-and-threatens-court-action?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

The charity regulator OSCR has ordered Shetland Charitable Trust to scrap its plan for a referendum.

 

It is also threatening to seek powers from the Court of Session to control the charity unless trustees act promptly to dilute Shetland Island Council’s stranglehold over trustee membership.

 

Ultimately the court could grant OSCR the right to suspend or remove those who control or manage the trust and to appoint its own trustee. Other powers available include stopping the trust spending its funds and removing its right to exist as a charity.

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Yeh, saw this and simply think that OSCR should bog off and leave Shetland to make its own decisions.

 

Typical Scottish heirarchy trying to interfere in Shetland's affairs and make Shetland fit their mould.....

 

I'm not saying things are perfect but think it's the people of Shetland who should make the decisons regarding any changes, if wanted.

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I think it's about time the Trust reforms. They must have wasted so much time and money on this matter.

 

My preference would be 50% councillors (one from each ward) and 50% public appointments. I think that it's essential that the accountability of having councillors on the board is matched by public/private sector expertise. As mentioned above even Edinburgh councillors are starting to admit they didn't have the expertise for the trams project: and look what happened there!

 

If we have a fully elected Trust all we'll have is a bunch of folk with their pet projects for their own particular area. A Whalsay trustee will want a new super duper ferry, a Yell trustee will want a Mareel from Yell...

 

With 'independents' who don't have to worry about re-election we should have people acting in the best interests of Shetland as a whole. We could have accountants, lawyers, business people, representatives from other public bodies etc. Would save money on consultants' fees!

 

I also fear that with a fully elected Trust we'll end up with second class councillors - and look what the first class councillors have done with the finances of our Council!

 

In otherwords, just because someone is elected to a body, doesn't mean they'll be the right person for the job!

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