Yesterday saw a packed public meeting at Innellan Village Hall, addressed by the key players in the current closure of Castle Toward.
The emerging picture offers hope of one way in which the facility might continue but raises questions of railroading before alternatives, which might offer better security to the community, are fully considered.
The issues are complex.
The facts disclosed yesterday disguised as much as they revealed. There were legal issues which were not made known but which we have ourselves uncovered.
We have worked since the meeting – chaired with admirable precision to finish within its allotted time, by Tony Miles, of South Cowal Community Council – on a detailed piece, laying out the anatomy of the situation and clarifying the challenges and decisions ahead.
This will be published tonight.
In the meantime, we feel that celebration would be premature before the full picture is known; and that the community would be advised to do what was not initiated at the meeting – quickly form a Community Interest Team to monitor the situation and to involve itself as far as possible in the evolving story.
Transparency is a very real issue here, emphasised powerfully from the floor. There are procedural insecurities and improprieties in what is happening and this gives no confidence in the extent to which the common good is part of the considerations of those keeping their cards very close to their chests.
- The Council is looking after its own interests – which it seems to define solely as disposal of the property.
- Actual Reality, the current operator of the facility, is looking after its own interests which do not coincide on all fronts with those of the community.
Who is to look after the community interest? it will need muscle.
Our account, factual summaries and analysis will be available tonight.
Update 11.15 1st February: Our account and analysis of the meeting and related issues is now published. We apologise for the overnight delay. The matter is a complex one and we have worked to be as informative and as analytic as possible. It could not be done more quickly.
Here is the link to the article.
I was at the meeting yesterday and my understanding of what I heard is that A&B Council and Actual Reality have arrived at some accomodation. It doesn’t stack up any other way. I cannot imagine Actual Reality would spend the vast sums they have committed to if there was the slightest possibilty of any other outcome likely or even possible.
I share For Argyll’s concern about the process and the very obvious lack of openess. This however tends to be the way of Independent councils behave. They get very used to the comfortable position of facing no serious scrutiny and become inclined to think they have no obligation to keep hoi polloi informed.
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I also wish to commend Tony Miles for his skilled chairmanship of the meeting and for ensuring that everyone who wished to express their views was allowed to do so.
Mr Mather’s and Mr Reid’s presences were also most welcome and their contributions most constructive.
The principals, Christopher Mason and Dick Walsh, explained their positions with great clarity and dignity. If punches were pulled, I think it was because there was a tacit understanding that the Council and Actual Reality had started to work together towards a mutually acceptable solution. The reopening of Castle Toward for residential use on the 1st of March will, I think mark the beginning of a new working relationship between the Council and Actual Reality.
I very much look forward to reading Forargyll’s report.
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Firstly may I commend the learnered gentleman above on their postings, as always they make for good reading!
I would also love to know what the next date for our diaries is, do we have one?
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Whats another few weeks, of waiting… we have already waited over a decade for the Council to sort this out….my comments might not helpful but I have been waiting patiently for sometime now for someone to show some common sense!
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To all concerned residents of South Cowal re the possible/prospective developments within Castle Toward Estates – whether it be the land division within the grounds, the lack of access to scenic walks or the possible danger to protected species of trees, shrubs and flowers- Saturday was only the beginning of a saga which is likely to continue. It is up to you how you want this to go – either be apathetic and say that it is going to happen anyway or challenge and keep abreast of what developments are taking place. The community council is the forum to take your concerns. You showed your concern on Saturday long may it continue! You have a group of people on the community council who you now know are proactive and will present your interests as best they can. Please use us – 2nd Wednesday of each month 7.30pm Innellan Village Hall. Thank you forargyll.com for your comprehensive report from Saturday and for the background information.
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I regret having to repeat this point. The facts of the matter are that Actual Reality have been trying for the past 10-12 years to persuade YOUR local council to comply with its original undertaking to provide Actual Reality, a NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATION, with a lease for the use of the Castle Toward in order to enable the provision of outdoor education to the children of Scotland to continue.
As Baillie Dr Christopher Mason and Dr John Jamieson explained to those present at the Innellan meeting, the Castle Toward Estate was bought from the Coates family by the Corporation of the City of Glasgow in 1949 for use as a residential school. It was not gifted. It fell into the hands of YOUR council (Argyll & Bute Council) on the abolition of Strathclyde Regional Council on the condition that Actual Reality would be granted a long lease on the property to continue its work. i.e. the intention was that Castle Toward would CONTINUE to serve the children of the west of Scotland. It was not intended that it should serve Argyll only and it was most certainly not not envisaged that YOUR elected representatives would flog (please excuse my language) this important part of the heritage of the west of Scotland off for profit. The Council were supposed to act as custodians, not as barrow boys.
Linda Henderson would do well to research this history before she next puts on her editorialising hat. I do not know how Linda Henderson managed to conjure up a figure of 300,000 pounds per annum profit for Actual Reality but if this not-for-profit organisation had been achieving this level of surplus the education authorities of the west of Scotland would have been sending in the auditors. In fact Actual Reality generates a modest surplus which is ploughed back in every year to pay for equipment, outdoor clothing and refurbishment. Please understand that there are no fat cats involved. Friends of Castle Toward also make donations of time, effort and expertise to help keep things going.
The safety report by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue has been used by A&BC as a pretext for closing the Castle. However, Peter Wilson and Christopher Mason have responded to this challenge by enlisting the considerable professional expertise available to them through the Castle Toward Trust to address the safety issues (and why is Castle Toward suddenly unsafe after 12 years of Council custodianship?) and draw up a plan for the Castle to reopen to residential use, with Council approval, on the 1st of March, 2010.
Actual Reality have had enough of obfuscation and delay. As Dr Mason stated at the meeting, a lease is no longer sufficient. All that this would do is prolong the state of uncertainty and assist the dereliction of the Castle. In order for Castle Toward to be preserved as a public asset it must be taken out of Council ownership. Then real investment can be made to preserve the fabric of the building and install modern energy conservation measures. Actual Reality, with the support of the Castle Toward Trust and the Friends of Castle Toward, have announced their intention to make an offer to the Council with a view to taking ownership within the next twelve months.
As a citizen of the City of Glasgow who attended Castle Toward as a teenager more than forty years ago while it was owned and run by the Corporation of the City of Glasgow, having been purchased by that City for the benefit of the children of that City, I feel more than a little indignant that the future of this wonderful asset has been at risk for so many years. I hold YOUR elected representatives responsible for this state of affairs. However, short of maladministration being proved, I do not think there is any realistic alternative to Actual Reality buying out the Council’s title to the Estate.
Forargyll.com has highlighted the plight of Castle Toward but I fear that, in pursuit of a neat conspiracy theory, its editors have failed to do this story justice. I would urge the editors to research this matter more fully. The Friends of Castle Toward would dearly have loved to have seen this matter resolved many years ago by the compliance of Argyll & Bute Council with its original undertaking to provide a long lease to the current operators, Actual Reality. However, in these days of realpolitik, the best possible outcome seems to be for Actual Reality to negotiate with the Council to purchase the Estate and therefore the Friends of Castle Toward are pleased to support Actual Reality in this endeavour.
I look forward to reading more constructive coverage of this issue in forargyll.com (which, incidentially, I still think is a wonderful new resource for the benefit of the people of Argyll!)
With best wishes,
JJ.
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