Sutton Bridge hotel: South Holland District Council won't risk taxpayers' cash

Coun Gambba-Jones was speaking at Tuesday’s parish council meeting.

He admitted the council hadn’t recovered all of the money spent when it boarded up Spalding’s Bull and Monkie pub and the authority won’t risk spending on the hotel.

He said: “We didn’t get back anything like the amount of money as taxpayers that we spent on The Bull and Monkie site.”

Parish councillor Peter Clery asked: “While you can act, you won’t because of the risk of being caught out by the lawyers?”

Coun Gambba-Jones replied: “Obviously, the answer you want - then, basically, yes.”

Parish clerk Robert Smith wrote to the district council in March explaining it could act under a different legislation from that used for the Bull and Monkie.

Mr Smith explained the authority can step in when a building is in a ruinous or dilapidated condition and considered harmful to the area. A charge can then be placed on the land owner.

No reply has been received to the clerk’s letter but Coun Gambba-Jones promised to try to help.

Coun Gambba-Jones explained the hotel ownership has not passed to the widow of Mark Andrews - and rests in probate - although the council is in contact with her and she has responded to council requests to remedy problems.

Also from Tuesday's meeting:

* The Suttons must be ready to act in case there is a repeat of the Essex truck deaths tragedy when 39 people perished in a refrigerated lorry on October 23, the parish council heard.

District and parish councillor Michael Booth said it has been known for lorries to come onto farms with illegal immigrants on board - and mentioned a case two years ago at Lutton.

He said it is vital the Suttons Emergency Committee continues and it's not just there for flooding.

Coun Booth said: "It's not an emergency when they can climb out the back but once you open those doors and there's some dead bodies it immediately becomes an emergency."

* The parish council isn't supporting a resident's request for closure of a Bridge Road lay-by.

The resident complained the lay-by has become a toilet, noisy refrigerated lorries parking overnight cause disturbance, bins are often full and rats live off the detritus.

Coun Michael Booth said lorries would park on the road causing traffic hazards if the lay-by closed.

The parish council is allowing Long Sutton U3A group to do 'soft archery' practice in Memorial Park.

Targets will be backed by stop nets and arrows have either 25mm rubber tips or round nosed, blunt tips.

Coun Michael Booth asked tongue-in-cheek: "How soft is the point on the arrow?"

And Coun Chris Brewis said: "Every day story of country folk, isn't it?"

* The county council is again under fire over the near £1million marina built with public money in Sutton Bridge.

Before it was built, the county claimed it would bring benefits worth £200,000 a year to the village.

Now the county has replied to parish council questions on the benefits, saying the marina "has helped raise the profile of the area" and drawn visitors from the county and beyond.

Parish councillor Peter Clery dismissed the county response as "completely unsatisfactory".

But fellow councillor Michael Booth said: "As far as going into the financial detail, what's the benefit because we are not going to get anything back, so I say, Mr chairman, we move on."

Money for the marina came from a variety of sources, including the Sutton Bridge Power Station Fund, which was intended to benefit village projects.

The county recently announced the marina is likely to be expanded.

* Parish clerk Robert Smith reported that a dead fox found in Memorial Park was "possibly poisoned".

He said: "It has been collected by the district council today."