Another £100k+ loss projcet to close – ITeC

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  • #155853

    Council Watcher
    Participant

    It appears that yet again for a variety of reasons (as yet not fully declared) the Council are to close ITeC – this once thriving money making project has turned into a loss maker. In the Council budget papers for the last couple of years you can pull out some figures which would indicate £100k a year loss but can’t tell what the accumulated losses will be by the time of closure.

    In the early days when run by the Economic Development Department it made substantial profits which were then ploughed back into some of the ‘extras’ that the town needed. The cash cow as it was often referred to within Council circles never had much attention from Council Members leaving officers the freedom to develop income.

    The type of provision now available from the likes of Coleg Cambria have developed a competitive marketplace with ITeC not moving with the times having been focussed on getting grant income that has now dried up.

    Perhaps if ITeC was subject to the new ‘Project Management Toolkit’ which the Council have stated in reports about Sprouts that fincial loss projects wouldn’t happen again then the closure notice would not have been issued.

    #155902

    Andrewmackembailey
    Participant

    Now come on CW as ITEC reserves had been used to exhaustion for many a budget round the “ golden goose “ is now basically kaput!

    #155931

    Council Watcher
    Participant

    Andrew were you not a Labour Councillor in coalition when the ITEc piggy bank was raided!

    #155933

    wrexview
    Participant

    How come another £100,000 per annum loss making project has survived several years of budget cuts ? Where is the real scrutiny? Had this closed earlier maybe music education would have been sustainable, with money left over !

    #155949

    Andrewmackembailey
    Participant

    Ironic that it is now 4 years since the then leader of my group ( and his 9 minions)decided he was “Independent “ despite standing on a Labour ticket in four different decades.
    That meant “ Council Watcher” the Labour Party part of any coalition, as you put it was led ( sic) by some who ultimately did not believe in not selling off family silver- a practice they put into practice ever since!

    #156058

    Rhodri844
    Participant

    Wrexham ITEC has also been affected by the debacle at Sprouts, as it shared the same management. The HR difficulty that Cllr Wynn alludes to is a reference to a botched attempt by WCBC to dismiss the manager of Sprouts/ITEC which is understood to have resulted in costs to WCBC in excess of £100,000. This was not included in the Sprouts accounts as it was settled post-closure, so the cost was probably dropped on Wrexham ITEC to be buried somewhere in their closure accounts, perhaps this explains more clearly the reported shortfall for this year. Shame people have to lose their jobs to cover up incompetence elsewhere.

    Perhaps Cllr Wynn could clarify?

    #156106

    The Voice 2018
    Participant

    Itec categorically did not make a loss, nor has it cost the council any money. It was given an income target on the recommendation of PWC which this year stood at £181k. The target was totally unachievable, yet was increased year on year by the council. Itec has always covered its own costs but because the target was unachievable, the shortfall caused by income target was taken out of Itec’s reserves which had been built up through the hard work of staff past and present. In addition to covering their own costs, Itec has been supplementing the education department’s budget since the target was put in place.

    There has been zero investment in the service, and now the reserves (mostly built up with public money) have been plundered year on year to balance the education budget, the decision is made to close.

    If this £181k still needs to be found every year, where will this come from? And if it is being wiped, why couldn’t Itec have continued without this ridiculous financial burden, and turned over excess income every year as it was doing in the first place?

    #156128

    CarolThomas
    Participant

    I presume The Voice is an employee from within ITEc – if what you have written is correct then it looks like the mud being slung around about Sprouts and Ty Pawb has now landed possibly in the wrong place. At a time of loss making services though I cant understand why the Council will close ITEc- is there something else gone on we have not been told about yet.. logic and silence dont match up at the moment

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