Yorkshire CCGBA financial black-hole

Bowling News

Where has all the money gone? No use asking the Yorkshire County Green Bowling Association because they clearly haven't a clue!

Having not posted any year-end accounts since the pandemic year of 2020 and no sign of anything happening very soon, despite their promises, the organisation is obviously in an untenable position, although of course, they don't see that. They alone are responsible for the dire situation they have allowed to happen for some reason. Has anyone any faith that they are capable of rescuing the situation and producing some stability to an organisation that is rocking more than Elvis ever did but with much less chance of any success.

Things are getting worse all the time. On 1 June on this website we reported on the new practice that the YCCGBA had introduced of the use of personal bank accounts of individual officials for competition entry fee collections of over £7,000 contravening all good financial practice as well as commonsense. The previous day the Chief Executive had told to me that the missing accounts for two financial years were now ready and he would be issuing an update shortly.

The next day I reported on the receipt in writing of another reassurance from another YCCGBA official regarding the accounts and his intent to meet with the new Treasurer shortly. He said 'Mr Lofthouse is away on holiday, but I will set up a meeting with him and then get them audited to present to the council meeting in July, I will make sure you get a copy and get an invitation to the meeting.' Since then nothing. The July Council meeting never happened. Another self-imposed deadline missed. What is being held back from the membership? Surely Mr Lofthouse hasn't also gone on a foreign holiday never to return? Another Treasurer done a runner?

The Chief Executive has repeatedly said that he doesn't believe that there is anything suspicious about the sudden departure of the previous Treasurer to live abroad with no notice of his intent and no financial records available and no handover of information. How can he possibly say that nothing is amiss with any confidence? No financial information for almost three years now and no sign of that changing anytime soon and he defends the individual who dropped him in this mess. His misplaced loyalty shows a serious lack of good judgement.

The longer this fiasco goes on the more people are going to suspect that something untoward has taken place. Maybe the work they have undertaken in recovering the financial information has revealed something unexpected that is causing the unexplained delay? The longer it goes on people are going to speculate that there is something to hide and is being hidden by their current officers. What on earth is going on?

The lack of communication from the Association gives me the impression that they have given up trying to conduct County business. Their website hasn't been updated since mid-May. Trying to find out the latest results and draws for the County's own KO competitions is absolutely a waste of time and I might as well talk to the man in the moon about financial matters as to expect any kind of response on that topic that I can believe.

We are still paying these people to mismanage County business. Looks to me as if they are just keeping their heads down and not doing anything other than accepting their monthly honorarium payments and waiting to be relieved of their responsibilities at the next AGM. Will that meeting receive any believable information about the £50,000 turnover each season that rests uneasily in the hands of a troubled and discredited organisation?

Follow the links below to see previous HuddWeb postings on this same topic.