20 January - When the music stops
The
advertised music
event in Danson Park will
not take place.
There was always something rather
odd about how it came to be proposed and readers have not been slow to pick
up on the vibes, but the following is all that is known for certain.
There are links to the Thank You party for volunteers.
The decision to hold that party was taken in May 2021 and it was held on 8th
August, expertly - so I was told - organised by a company called City Events. It
must have taken quite some organising; marquees, flooring, toilets, generators,
waiters etc. Lucy Beckwith, the company Director is well known in Bexley as the
owner of Blend in the Broadway.
Despite what must have been lengthy preparations, legal permission to bypass the tendering
process and to place a contract was not given until 3rd August. The bill came to £37,475.
A Freedom of Information Request was ignored until the Information Commissioner
intervened but it revealed only the tender waiving process. What went on behind closed doors in June
and July is not known for sure but one Councillor has said it was taken up by
abortive sub-Committee meetings.
It is said by another Councillor that the Director of City Events was so
impressed by Danson Park that she decided to use her associate company to stage
a music festival there. Ms. Beckwith, a lady with local connections, apparently
did not, before the tea party, know anything about Bexley’s biggest park.
And now Dream Valley is off. Bexley Council says it never signed the contract
and got cold feet about the impact locally.
It has been rumoured that there are close links between Lucy Beckwith and a senior
Bexley Conservative Councillor. This I can confirm is true, they have known each
other since their teenage years.
There is no real evidence at all that anything untoward has taken place and
certainly there is nothing that reflects badly on the company that stepped into
Bexley’s breach, but Bexley Council appears to be on a mission to reclaim their reputation for making things
look more than a little ‘fishy’.