8 May (Part 1) - Voluntary giving?
I have mixed views on charities mainly because I know of an old lady, getting on for 100,
who gives nearly all her state pension to charities because they bombard her with up to a dozen
begging letters every week. She thinks that if they send her a useless pen or a raffle ticket
she is compelled to send them a cheque. Her family’s efforts to get charities to behave more
responsibly towards a near centenarian with little money have fallen on deaf ears.
Giving to charities should be a choice freely made without any element of compulsion. I watched
this charity page for quite a while until it petered out two months ago. It
shows an appeal for funds for the mayor of Bexley’s favoured charity, The
EllenorLions Hospice, and those who generously donated money to it - mainly
councillors and council staff. I was intrigued by the anonymous donation of
£1,000 but didn’t feel it was much of an issue. In an idle moment
I passed the link to Olly Cromwell because he likes to poke his nose into
murky areas. This morning I see he is giving his opinion about a nice round
£1,000 payment to the EllenorLions Hospice shown in Bexley’s accounts
and linking it to the anonymous donation. I have my doubts about it for several
reasons - one of which is Bexley council is skilled at cover ups and this isn’t
well executed - but why Bexley council is paying any money at all, beyond what
councillors choose to pay out of their own pockets, beats me. The total given to
The EllenorLions Hospice by Bexley council in recent months is £3,224.
I should probably ask you to go across to
Olly’s site
and read it for yourself but as usual it is not for those of a delicate
disposition. He also mentions the huge sums which regularly find their way from Bexley council to
Bexley Crossroads Care Ltd
and the extravagance of carving trees in woods
both of which have been covered here in recent days.