“'Stinks' yes. 'Greed and corruption' probably not.

100% incompetence by all involved most certainly.

No doubt all will be revealed after Mrs Raikes is long gone, together with her pot of gold.

Scandalous lack of public information here.”

“This was one of Nick Bye's little ideas, it was going to bring in untold wealth to Torbay, just like the gay festival. Nick Bye always liked getting his picture in the paper and the Herald were always happy to oblige. See if the Herald can get in touch with him and get his side of the story. I don't think the Herald like doing any work these days though, just printing press releases and advertising seems to be as far as they go.”

“Smacks of greed, incompetence & corruption - why isn't this being followed up by the council - a backhander or can't be bothered attitude perhaps?

If Nick Bye is responsible in some part to this venture getting on the green he should help retrieve the funds or some clarity on the whole matter. Transparency is required.”

“Inquiry: a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.
Investigation: a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts; detailed or careful examination.

Looking at the two definitions, I would suggest an Investigation should be implemented by the Council or, preferably, an outside body.

£50k. Can the Council afford to 'lose' this money especially when the Council budget has been slashed by millions.

I agree, there is a scandalous lack of information for the residents of Torbay regarding this issue. There is a somebody, or somebodies, who have to be held accountable. Surely there must have been a contract drawn up between the site operator and the Council.”

“**** Conspiracy Theory Alert ****

Makes me wonder if the demise of the Balloon was the result of a high wind freak accident or a figure on a grassy knoll in Tor Abbey Gardens with a high powered Air Rifle ;]”

“Stranger things have happened, Bod66!

Could it really happen in sleepy, worst place to live in, Torquay? I see what you are getting at, but you would need something a little more powerful than an air rifle. A suppressed .22 long rifle with a hyper velocity hollow point projectile might fit the bill.”

“@ID was thinking .22 but thats as far as my gun knowledge goes, well in public that is ;] lol.

just need to locate the grassy knoll,probably that bit behind the........Council works.....the plot thickens.....^.^”

“I dont think greed or corruption. Just the same old fashioned incompetence. The same pressure should be applied by the council to collect EVERY rent due, or the concession should be withdrawn. Review the lease to collect quarterly payements. Or better, turn the concession over to one of the disabled charities and engage their members to run it on a daily basis.”

“I agree with geeljay - pure incompetence by the council officers who should have been policing this lease of our public land. Don't expect any internal inquiry to be fair - they protect their own. It is only when threatened by an outside body, such as the Ombudsman, that any action is taken”

“I don't think there was anything at all shady about the arrangement but as someone who is familiar with local government financial procedures I cannot understand why annual payments were not due in a minimum of quarterly submissions and then chased when they were not forthcoming. When 'contracts' do not run according to plan and when payments are overdue there is usually a strict reporting procedure. What happened here?
Furthermore, it would appear that Lindstrand Highfliers or Lindstrand AeroPlatforms Limited or whoever it was who entered into the original agreement might still be trading. Unless I have missed a statement (if indeed one has been made) there is still a body corporate responsible for the debt. If this is the case why is the debt not being chased?
There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding this matter which, it would seem, a simple brief explanation would quickly and simply clarify. Any chance?”

“The reported reason for the dismal failure to collect the rent over three years was that legal action was ongoing over the terms of the lease and, accordingly, nothing could be discussed publicly.

As the lease will have been drawn up by Torbay's own officers then clearly the blame rests with them.

The failure to secure receipt of rental payments over such a long period, together with the failure to put a charge on the tangible assets (winches etc.) seems to amount to nothing less than misfeasance in public office by senior officials and councillors.”

“Good answer; thank you.
Sub judice is a common excuse to refuse to answer a difficult question but it is so often a lame and unreasonable attempt to avoid a public admission. Sub Judice is particularly appropriate when a case is current i.e. actually in court and under consideration by a judge/jury and it is of particularly relevance in criminal cases where public discussion could result in charges of 'contempt of court' . This, I don't think, applies in civil cases.
This is a civil matter which has either no declared court dates(?) or for which the Council has decided not to pursue civil action.
Whichever is true I would have thought the public have a right to know more detail than has so far been given ?”

“Perhaps a precedent is now established. If tennant owe the Council monies, they ought to ask for an enquiry into the debt. It may still have to be paid, but payment would be deferred 2 or 3 years, whilst the enquiry takes place. The 'enquiry' is a move used by government to defer a decision, or kick it into the long grass until it gets lost in time.”

“Calls for an inquiry are all very well and ultimately there may be one. But the legal dispute has to be resolved first so its not good voting on this site for an inquiry in the meantime, its merely mischief making.

Once it is known if the rent is to be paid and other details of the legal settlement, there can be an inquiry into the outcome of the whole thing. I suspect that there were mistakes at the outset when there was such rampant enthusiasm for having the balloon on covenanted public space, all other considerations might also have been dealt with badly. Maybe they will have to bring back Mr. Bye to give his take on what went wrong on his watch?”

“If you want to now if it's incompetence or corruption follow the money - or in this instance follow the one who is allowing this scam to continue/covering it up.

If it is simple incompetence, why are instances of wasting public money happening ALL THE TIME? Where are the MISSING MILLIONS they refuse to account for?

There is NO doubt in my mind about Torybay Council's management agenda: I call it CORRUPTION and will continue to do so until proven wrong. And I'm not holding my breath...”