Why can't Ormskirk parish church dip into its coffers to help pay for a town Christmas tree?

That's the gist of this reader's letter from County Coun Nikki Hennessy sent to QLocal after it was e-mailed to Coun. Ian Davis of OWL which has now launched another appeal for donations to fund a tree and crib for Ormskirk this Christmas.

Morning Ian,

I hope you are keeping well and in good health.

I am writing to you regarding your request for donations for a Christmas Tree at Ormskirk Parish Church as reported in The Champion last week.

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from ‘A Concerned Ormskirk Resident - that Adrian Owens has shares in The Champion’.

The letter made remarks regarding your political party, the Rev Bicknell’s loyalty to your party and the scruples of your leader (nothing I wasn’t already aware of).

It also went into detail about local councils across the country using up their reserves to combat austerity imposed by the Conservative Government (Your leader was mentioned as a former member of the Conservatives).

I was surprised to read that Ormskirk Church is sitting on over £58,000 in usable reserves. The concerned resident gave me the link to the Church accounts which I am sharing with you below. They are from 2017 and they were signed off 19th March 2018. The Church hasn’t as yet published 2018 statement of accounts - maybe you could ask to see them.

I am suggesting that if the Church does in fact have over £58,000 in useable reserves and with you now being an experience WLBC you will ask Rev Birknell to use £1,300 of the reserves to purchase a Christmas Tree and stop fooling the public and asking them to make donations when the Church has adequate funding.

https://www.ormskirkparishchurch.org...1522741392.pdf

Thank you for taking the time in reading this letter.

Regards

Nikki Hennessy

Originally Posted by rogerblaxall

Why can't Ormskirk parish church dip into its coffers to help pay for a town Christmas tree?

That's the gist of this reader's letter from County Coun Nikki Hennessy sent to QLocal after it was e-mailed to Coun. Ian Davis of OWL which has now launched another appeal for donations to fund a tree and crib for Ormskirk this Christmas.

Morning Ian,

I hope you are keeping well and in good health.

I am writing to you regarding your request for donations for a Christmas Tree at Ormskirk Parish Church as reported in The Champion last week.

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from ‘A Concerned Ormskirk Resident - that Adrian Owens has shares in The Champion’.

The letter made remarks regarding your political party, the Rev Bicknell’s loyalty to your party and the scruples of your leader (nothing I wasn’t already aware of).

It also went into detail about local councils across the country using up their reserves to combat austerity imposed by the Conservative Government (Your leader was mentioned as a former member of the Conservatives).

I was surprised to read that Ormskirk Church is sitting on over £58,000 in usable reserves. The concerned resident gave me the link to the Church accounts which I am sharing with you below. They are from 2017 and they were signed off 19th March 2018. The Church hasn’t as yet published 2018 statement of accounts - maybe you could ask to see them.

I am suggesting that if the Church does in fact have over £58,000 in useable reserves and with you now being an experience WLBC you will ask Rev Birknell to use £1,300 of the reserves to purchase a Christmas Tree and stop fooling the public and asking them to make donations when the Church has adequate funding.

https://www.ormskirkparishchurch.org...1522741392.pdf

Thank you for taking the time in reading this letter.

Regards

Nikki Hennessy

Looking into this further especially the Church accounts , I would respectfully point out some interesting facts, which in my opinion puts this issue in an entirely different perspective. Accounts statement for 2017 shows total income as £162,874 and expenditure as £215,021 , a loss of £52,147. In 2016 Income was £164, 911 and expenditure £184,993, a loss of £20,082. No doubt the reserves of the church as plugged these substantial losses. The reserves in 2017 were £191,000 but according your figures are now just £58,00 a staggering reduction. A few years ago the Church put out an appeal for financial assistance to help with the Christmas tree, Crib and Lights, OWL stepped in and led the appeal and for the last 2 years this has been successful, unfortunately the kitty this year was depleted so another was sent out by OWL and the good folks of Ormskirk and Businesses have stepped in again so that we can all enjoy this great tradition of our Parish Church,Everyone should be happy... This has not cost WLBC a single penny unlike the massive £300,000 loss in the aborted Local Plan, despised by almost the whole of Ormskirks residents, well at least the rate paying residents. The Parish Church which also looks after Lathom Chapel has to keep substantial reserves to comply with the Charity Commission rules. Falling attendances in all Churches throughout the Uk,they, our Parish Church has to be seen to to be making savings, and well done to them. I detect a big bunch of sour grapes here with Nikki losing her seat this year as a WLBC to an OWL ,Kate Mitchell

You also have to remember Maths is not one of Labours strong points, unless that is somebody has discovers the whereabouts of the magic money tree.

why dont they just do a crowd fund appeal ?
also we are not seing what is in the latest accounts for 2018/2019
it may be better or maybe worse but no one seemas to know
but i wouldnt of thought it hard to raise 1300 pound ?
prehaps edge hill could do a charity fund raiser and show they arent all bad to th people that keep moaning about them !

Originally Posted by reevsy

You also have to remember Maths is not one of Labours strong points, unless that is somebody has discovers the whereabouts of the magic money tree.

I am pretty sure that May and Johnson appear to have found the magic money forest! To go back to the subject this is more of an accounting issue, yes the Church could find the tree from its reserves but as pointed out expenditure has exceeded income recently and I also note the Church quite prudently keeps a reserve of funds for 4 months expenditure which amounts to a minimum of £58,690. I suspect this is where the original 58k came from

Oh dear - Sour Grapes from ex WBC councillor Hennessey who lost her seat to an independent OWL councillor in May's elections. "A concerned Resident of Ormskirk wrote to her ", - does she really think we believe this ? Her letter was a pathetic attempt at point scoring in the guise of a so called letter from a concerned resident - and one with little knowledge of finance ecclesiastical or otherwise. I reread Cllr Davis' Champion article and he clearly pointed out that while he was involved with the finance for the tree, the initiative for the tree is now a community/business effort.
The Parish church does provide a tree inside the church to be enjoyed by those attending services or visiting.
Clearly Labour Councillors continue to be embarrassed by their petty meanness in withdrawing funding for the tree and crib outside the Parish Church - oh, and whilst continuing to decide to pay themselves allowances above the Lancs average!!