Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
13 December 2010
20:0784451I know I have put this post on the front page ,but some of the members do not post on that so I am again puting on the members only.
I put on the front page.
that both Councils are hard up and need to make very big cuts,(But do they) I know that they are siting on some very big assets that some of the public did not know about ,but some of us do. What am I talking about,? well it is the many oil paintings we have in big Boxs that never see daylight,and also Gold . the councils could sell them off and that funding could help go to keep services going for some years,yes it is nice to have them but just to keep them in boxs at times like this is wrong how much are we looking at,it could be up to or more then £1million pounds .I am not puting this on to get votes ,but I think it is time that the public did know that they are there.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
13 December 2010
20:3284458had no idea that was the case vic, however you are sounding like mr pickles here.
reserves are exactly that, money set aside in case of an emergency, sometimes earmarked for forthcoming projects.
a million pounds is chicken feed anyway, could be spent in the blink of an eye, no great improvements and we are left with no reserves.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
13 December 2010
20:4084459I thought all councils had paintings as well as other valuable items in their stores, it is a way of investing their money.
I do believe they should be displayed more often than they are so the general public can see them.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
13 December 2010
20:5084462Always been against selling the family silver, and though as you imply Vic it is a shame that these items are stored away out of public view, I fail to see why they can`t be exhibited occasionally and some profit made out of it in the process. Like Howard, I find a million pounds a paltry sum of money these days. Wouldn`t last 5 minute`s I`m sure.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
13 December 2010
21:1184478It could be alot more then what I am saying,or less, Lets put it this way,if you was so hard up at home and needed some Ex funding and you had some paintings or anything that was worth money,money you needed,what would you do?it has happen to me more then once and I sold off things that was worth money just to keeping going ,so it is the same for councils, and on the news just tonight other council are selling off their assets ,you can not have it both ways.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
13 December 2010
21:3284482Who do the paintings belong to Vic,not the Councils in so far they are entrusted to the people of Dover,even the Councils can't agree who owns them,and for your infomation I have seen the painings,as far as gold goes not sure about that unless you are on about selling of the Civic Regalia.
You would get a few bob for the Mayors chains and the mace,but I though they were keeping them in trust for when you were going to be Mayor,long wait then!
Going back to the paintings how would you split any proceeds,DDC DTC Deal Council Sandwich Council and all the parishes would want some.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
13 December 2010
21:4284485I have also seen some of them ,But that not the point,both councils could come to agreement in what can be done with them
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
13 December 2010
21:4784488I smell as slight hint of double standards here Vic - the assets are part of our heritage and history and should be sold..... and the docks.... ?
The Museum does a good job and is always rotating their displays when relevant and a lot does see the light of day eventually. As above lot of items are bequeathed to the councils so are only really there on 'loan' and not necessarily owned...
Been nice knowing you :)
13 December 2010
21:5084492Howard,
Reserves are for use in hard times. Not for such situations we have now where the community needs the extra money. Nor for some silly sod to say we must protect our reserves, what a diabolical nonsense!!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
13 December 2010
22:0184498this is becoming a good debating point, the family silver as desribed by colin, paul mentions about stuff being on loan only, vic speaks of turning stuff into money, not sure what jimmy's view is.
i still cling to the belief that reserves are like saving for a rainy day, only when it really precipitates will we value the nest egg.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
13 December 2010
22:1184500I think we have a rainy day now If they were all on show and the public seeing them,this post would not have been put on here by me, But they are they are all in boxs and do not forget they all have to be insurance etc all costing etc each year and that cost going up and up.As I already said"Other councils in the UK are looking what they have locked away.If the painters were still with us, do you think they would like to know that their life works ended up locked away in boxs ,I do not think so,do you.?
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
13 December 2010
22:2384503Good points you mention Vic, but lets not forget many items get snapped up into private collections, and therefore may never appear on public view and we certainly won`t be popular with our future decendent`s selling off our treasure`s. By the way, are we talking about local artists or views here?
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
13 December 2010
22:2484504Vic ,
You really have raised an issuie with me on this one .Some years ago this very point was raised .I made a point of going through all the paintings and all the so called treasures we have in our stores ,
I can assure they would not raise the money you suggest .Yes some lovely paintings I have a book showing what we have in our stores and all the Musuems in Kent Very good for history and I would love to see them on display but it costs money to this .
Personally I would like to see some of the paintings at Whitfield where they once graced the walls however current regime prefer paper pictures of what our district could look like in the future .
Reassured ladies if ever I had the key to THe Chairmans Office there would be lovely pictures of flowers .
Once sold our history would be gone .
Vic your post spells of desperation .
.
I also question who allowed you to wander round our stores .
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
13 December 2010
23:0684507susan
it would be nice if these excellent works of art were viewable to us proles.
to view guernica by picasso up at whitfield would be memorable, if that is not practical i have a print of a kitten with a ball of wool.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
14 December 2010
07:3384514vic,the selling of the famly silver is a kneejerk reaction we get every so often when cuts are mentiond.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
14 December 2010
08:1184515That is not so, They do not get talked about,and never to the public,there is alot of funds locked away in boxs,What I will go on to say then is"Show them all,or sell them that way the public would get some return on them,"and take it from me there is alot of it.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
14 December 2010
08:2584517Its never a good idea to sell off our assets Vic.
It is very much a short term fix. If we were to follow that route we would sell off not only our assets, but we would 'sell-out' the generations coming behind us.
To go national for a moment...there are vast treasures in British Galleries and Museums, they would certainly fix some problems in the short term if we sold them off, but the nation would be left without a vital treasured heritage. So it would be an outrageous thing to do, we would hugely shaft all the generations coming behind us.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
14 December 2010
09:3984524vic,lets try and make sence of this,you as a ukip member who wants to follow a tory guide line of selling famly silver for a short sharp fix.the question is where would this leave us in the future with no reserves or assets.the other question is how would we fund future projects.a council with no reserves is no council at all.
14 December 2010
13:0484534This council WITH reserves is still no council!!
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
14 December 2010
13:3284542I would be interested to know when these alleged works of art and gold were last professionally valued; what the original cost (if any) was; when they were acquired; why/how they were acquired; and what conditions were attached to them if they were a gift or bequeathed. I can feel a FOI request coming on, unless our eagerly watching newshounds would like to do that for us?
PG.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson