These are available as pdf file at http://www.thanet.gov.uk/pdf/Draft%20Statement%20of%20Accounts%2010-11%20updated.pdf the advantages here are mainly you can search the whole document, if you haven’t got a search box pressing Ctrl and f at the same time usually does the trick. For example if you want to find the chief executives golden handshake you put “chief executive” in the search box and keep pressing enter until the following comes up:
“The Authority terminated the contracts of a number of employees in 2011/12 incurring liabilities of £694k (£111 in 2010/11). Of this total, £92k is payable to the Chief Executive, in the form of compensation for loss of office and enhanced pension benefits of £81k, a further £67k was payable to the Director of Regeneration Services for loss of office and enhanced pension benefits of £83k, these would be disclosed in note 35 however, although the restructure was agreed in 10/11 and a as a result the cost accrued, the staff will not leave until 2011/12. The remaining £370k is payable to 13 officers from various services who were made redundant as part of the Authority’s restructure.”
If like me you are interested in Pleasurama type it in the search box and the following will come up:
The Council has entered into a development agreement with SFP Ventures (UK) Limited (SFP) for the Pleasurama site. The Council is the freehold owner of the property. The developer has agreed to carry out development works on the property in accordance with the agreement. The Council have granted leases to SFP and will transfer the freehold interest when the works have been completed. As the leases are long term (199 years) and the intention is to transfer the freehold assets, any sales will be treated as a disposal. An overage payment will be due from the developer on the sale of each unit developed on the site. These payments will be treated as capital receipts. However, due to the economic downturn in the property market, it is not possible to foresee when the overage payments may materialize and therefore a contingent liability has been shown within the accounts.
Alternatively if your computer has difficulties with pdf documents click on this link for the draft accounts published as a series of linked webpages http://www.thanet.gov.uk/council__democracy/council_budgets__spending/statement_of_accounts_2010.aspx when you get to the end of one page click on the link next to the word “next” to get to the next page.
I don’t know whether to read anything into this apparent reluctance to publish them, and of course now I am no longer a council accredited news source I don’t receive their press releases so I don’t know if they have issued one saying that their accounts have now been published. Possibly they just don’t think that they are that important, possibly they don’t think the unborn denizens of Thanet would be able to read a balance sheet.
A lot of money for roundabouts that go nowhere in the middle of some fields, no wonder they want to turn it into a housing estate.
I had a bit of a funny dialogue with the council over the accounts, back around the 20th of last month the council put a statement saying the accounts were coming out in the latest news part of their website.
I complained to them that this was important information and should have been included in their news feeds, they then moved it from the latest news section and told me that it wasn’t a news item but would be included in their news feeds next year.
I then asked them where the accounts actually were on their website and they said they would put them on their website on the 8th of this month. They didn’t appear then so I asked them again today and the said they were just going to put them on their website, well now the have done.
Searching the accounts for East Kent Opportunities helps to understand the Eurokent business, this is an example of what I mean.
“The additional £2.541m represents the liability owed to Kent County Council for the authority’s share of the cost of construction of the spine road at Westwood, as part of the East Kent Opportunities Partnership agreement. Kent County Council passed a decision on 10 June 2010 to defer repayment to 2013/14.”
