Forum Topic

Walpole Park kiosk and Soanes kitchen

So it seems Soanes kitchen and the kiosk in walpole Park are to close. I lost my business to make way for the new operator Alex Head (Social Pantry), who was meant to provide an all singing and dancing restaurant and cafe for the people of Ealing. My staff lost their jobs literally overnight, we got no payment or compensation for the business we had developed over 10 years, I didn’t even want the restaurant but just to continue running the kiosk. I even offered to increase my rent by over 40%. The  behaviour of Julian Bell, Clare Gough, Sherard Cowper-Coles and the entire board of trustees was appalling and they need to be held to account. 8,000 local residents signed and protested and warned Social Pantry were inexperienced, but they steam rolled ahead anyway and didn’t listen to the community. Where is the accountability?

Alan Dillon ● 1712d18 Comments

And Mr Dillon also knows just how vindictive LBE can be.

Rosco White ● 1705d

I don’t think they would ever ask me. I caused them too much unwanted publicity for daring to question the process.

Alan Dillon ● 1705d

Alan, can we take it that there is no chance of you being invited to resume the operation of the Walpole Park kiosk even if you were interested?

Christine Mulligan ● 1706d

Again, I say, let The Residents contest Local Elections and take back control.See how Epsom & Ewell Council has survived & thrived for 80 years!

Rosco White ● 1706d

The same thing is going on in Gunnersbury Park with an autocratic CIC. They blame the councils for their actions and the councils say they can do nothing.But they are all one big clique.How these organisations cannot be made transparent and answerable for their actions and methods when this is a public park owned ultimately by the residents of the 2 districts with the councils as custodians is quite unbelievable.The treatment over a proper public amenity and the deliberate harassing of the Bowling Club, there since 1931 is, from what I've heard of late, not much short of criminal.

Raymond Havelock ● 1706d

Yes Alan,no loyalty at all to the people that gave them a break. Unlike you whose loyalty counted for nothing.

Peter Chadburn ● 1707d

The council had nothing to do with the tendering process. They handed all power to Pitzhanger Trustees. The tendering process was corrupt from day one, Cowper- coles and clare Gough knew they were going to appoint social pantry. I tried to get the trustees to release details of their scoring matrix but they refused. You are right about lack of accountability. Odd isn’t it that social pantry have just opened another new cafe called Cranes Kitchen in Peckham, yet have walked away from the kiosk and restaurant?

Alan Dillon ● 1707d

I take Raymond's point about the nature of Social Pantry. I wouldn't personally classify it as a small local business — it was a well funded chain which might not be a national name but was far from being a one man (one woman) band. The council is a corporation and prefers to deal with other corporations — an owner managed business makes them uncomfortable. It's a national problem and a fundamental weakness in our economy.

Gordon Southwell ● 1707d

Given that the Tories at national level give contracts to their chums who don't deliver, why would you give that same power to the local Tories?

Kevin Wilson ● 1707d

But it has been the case that incumbents in the bunny park and gunnersbury and many other parks have been replaced by brands. One factor is that the tendering processes become more complex so discriminating against local businesses and also the comfort factor of brands and their power of persuasion. when we should be supporting local businesses we see a situation whether for other council works or else these cafes the local little guys always lose out.

Peter Chadburn ● 1707d

There are damned good people working at LBE but they are all surpassed by the insidious culture of local authority executives. They move from Authority to Authority and take top jobs in CICs and other spin offs.So very few actually have any ability apart from how to climb the greasy pole and stay there.If they had skill and talent we would probable have a much better town. But they simply milk it and having like minded councillors makes it all so much easier.Hugely depressing. Especially after watching some of them performing on You Tube links.Most would never hold a job down outside of the state culture

Raymond Havelock ● 1708d

And, of course, we don't talk about one or more Councillors, Management in the LBE Planning Department, and/or Members of the Planning Committee where there may be a "suggestion of conflicts of interest" or "connected parties".Do we?  😉How anyone can even TRY to defend and/or explain away the rotten crock festering at The Ealing Kremlin is an insult to ones intelligence.

Rosco White ● 1708d

The incumbent was a small business with social connections, one of which was the  Chair of the Trustees, the other link was to a director of the manor.But the business was a start up with massively overpriced produce in a highly affluent part of Battersea.The ousted business was built up with life savings and hard work and no silver spoon leg up and genuinely local.Several council figures manipulated this including the council leader and a senior officer and ward councillors sat by and did nothing.What goes around=, comes around and so many are starting to realise that something really corrupt must be going on here.One can only hope that sooner rather than later these people get rumbled and brought to account in the proper way.

Raymond Havelock ● 1708d

An interesting and reasonable point, but one which doesn't preclude LBE from its "dealings" in other areas with small companies / individuals?  😉

Rosco White ● 1708d

Without seeking to excuse the council's behaviour over this matter it does seem to be a general issue with government bodies that they feel more comfortable dealing with larger companies. This is particularly the case at the local level which means that smaller operations are increasingly excluded from council procurement. I don't believe this is because larger firms do a better job or provide better value but it is probably because it makes it less likely there will be any suggestion of conflicts of interest. A local small business owner may know a councillor personally or may have other dealings with them and it just makes life simpler not to give them any council contracts.

Gordon Southwell ● 1708d

Correct.

Rosco White ● 1712d

It really is time for people to look beyond party politics and start voting selfishly for the candidate of whatever party will 'do right by Ealing' The current administration is the most inept and divisive in my memory and are only there because people 'have always voted Labour'.

N V Brooks ● 1712d

There isn't any, BellEnd does what he likes, with impunity.The Idiots of Ealing gave him that mandate in the last local elections.

Rosco White ● 1712d