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July 21st, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Private contractor was
brought in to run catering at facility in Trowbridge, Wilts
By
Daily Mail Reporter
06:31 EST, 21 July 2012
|
06:33 EST, 21 July 2012
A council-owned civic centre is under fire after charging an astonishing £18 for a single bowl of nuts.
The centre in Trowbridge, Wilts., recently re-opened after a £5million refit and a private contractor was brought in to run the catering facilities.
But several users have complained of sky-high prices, including a delegation from Wiltshire College who hired a function room for a celebration event.
They forked out £240 for a selection of snacks – but arrived to find just handful of bowls filled with peanuts and crisps, working out at £18 per portion.
Caterers at Trowbridge Civic Centre charge £18 for a bowl of peanuts
A letter of complaint from the college read: ‘We ordered a selection of snacks with a budget of £200 including VAT £240.
‘What was presented on the day was a bowl on each table with not a selection but filled up with either one type of crisps or peanuts.
‘This worked out at over £18 per bowl! This we believe was totally unacceptable.’
Trowbridge Civic Centre, which is owned by Trowbridge Town Council, was reopened in December after receiving new kitchens, a cafeteria and bar areas.
Crown Catering fended off strong competition to win the contract to provide food and run the bar, with 40 per cent of the profits going to the council.
But the company could now lose the contract following a string of complaints.
In a report to the management committee, Karl Buckingham, facilities manager at the venue, said that he was very concerned that Crown Catering was not able to provide a simple service with out his intervention.
He said: ‘It concerns me greatly that Crown are not able to provide a simple service effectively and professionally without the need for myself to intervene and provide solutions, or for me to provide my own staff to assist with their poor planning.
‘I strongly feel that we should look to terminate the contract and revert back to the way the service was provided before.’
He added that Crown seems to struggle
with orders of more than 100 covers, and high prices and lack of sales
meant the council was taking a 40 per cent cut of ‘nothing’.
There have been several complaints of sky-high prices at the Civic Centre, including a delegation from Wiltshire College who hired a function room for a celebration event
There are several clauses that would allow either party to terminate the contract, including if the town council believed Crown were failing to perform.
Councillor Bob Brice, who chairs the centre’s management committee, said: ‘We’re under contract and we’re working through it.
‘We’re looking for some improvement which hasn’t quite happened.
‘There’s some disappointment as to the service and the fact is maybe we can do better independently. We’re trying to get the best for the Civic Centre.’
Graham Payne, a town councillor, said that he was concerned that unless the Civic Centre established a good reputation it could become a ‘white elephant around the neck of the taxpayer’.
He added that the number of complaints he had seen in the eight months since he started seemed ‘to be excessive’.
However Darren Gadd, director of Crown Catering, defended his company’s service, stating that complaints were not always justified.
He said: ‘We provide an excellent service. We are wedding caterers of the year for the south west.
‘We have a very good relationship with the management at the Civic Centre.
‘The contract is not under review, it is for three years. People have complained about the food at the Civic Centre and those complaints have not always been justified.
‘Some are, as they are in any food business, and when that happens we aim to make improvements to our menu.’
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Trowbridge Town Council, a Tory and LibDem Council; all is explained, it’s the usual mixture of greed and incompetence.
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stiff competition ???? what would the other caterer`s charging.
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This is a Parish Council perhaps they should have got Contract advice from Wiltshire Council.
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greedy company
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Sounds like to me the company has realised that 40% is too much to pay and are trying to find a way to make money, at the publics expense !!
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The greed in this country unbelievable
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Sounds like a case of got Council/Government contract, now have a licence to print money. Simple solution is to make it very clear and public that the centre will not be hired until the catering is changed.
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Why are the Councils locked into solid contracts so they cant get rid of companies that are rubbish. Councils need to be able to easily get rid of contractors thats cost more than their worth.
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People complain about ‘Council inefficiency’, then complain when something is outsourced to the private sector. You can’t have it both ways.
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People like these need to feel real shame. If they don’t we will end up paying again, they must be made to feel it.
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