New website launched

New Club House scheme - independent website launched today

Over the years I have found V8 enthusiasts tend to be a reasonably shrewd and well informed group, often with technical and commercial experience. Over the last 15 months many V8 members have spoken with me at Club meetings or over the telephone and the phrases I hear time and again are "what is going on with this new Club Office project?" or "I cannot see how such an enormous place can be necessary" or "why are Club members not kept better informed with more consultation?" or "can the Club really afford such a costly scheme?" together with various comments about the design which most members feel is not suitable for the Club and certainly not suitable for the present Club Office location. Frankly as someone who has observed the process, initially as a Trustee of the Douglas Mickel Trust (the owners of the freehold of the present Club Office and the Club's landlords), but since my retirement from the DMT last week, as a Council Voting Member for the V8 Register, I have been horrified by what I have seen - or in the case of proper project appraisal information - not seen!

Some of you know that I have been involved in project development and finance of major projects for much of my career and earlier in construction, so I have a reasonably good understanding of how projects should be assessed at an early stage with an initial project appraisal, the need for a total project costs budget, a proper funding plan so the scheme can be shown to be fully funded, and of course evidence that the project sponsor can afford the scheme and any commercial debt service commitments. Since July 2004 I have seen the management of this scheme was poor, and in many ways amateur, but since August 2004 the danger signs have been growing. I have been Vice Chairman of the Club during two periods when we had to bring the Club back from the brink after very serious financial messes had been created by two Chairmen and their fellow directors, so I feel I can see the danger signs. As a longstanding member I have been caught between two feelings - first to protect our fine Club from adverse publicity but second to try and avoid another financial mess. I have to say all attempts at trying to help the present Chairman and his team have been met with not only a reluctance and disdain, but unpleasant hostility at times.

Over recent months a group of longstanding Club members has seen that the management of the New Club Office project is close to a "mystery tour" heading for the long announced release of a full information pack to Council members when a formal decision would be made. One hopes that information pack might be sufficiently detailed and complete to enable Council Voting Members to make an informed assessment of the scheme before voting at the forthcoming AGM on 15th October 2005. From what I have seen so far it is unlikely the information will be complete and I fear for the outcome. The serious lack of information released to Council members (and members generally) over the last 15 months that this scheme has been under preparation has been wholly inadequate - in fact in material terms virtually none of the information necessary to check the justification for the large floor space, or assess viability and affordability has been released. On top of this we have found the Chairman has been blocking articles and letters sent in for publication in Safety Fast! which have any comments or views which are critical of the their scheme. That is unacceptable in a members' club like ours.

So finally the group of Club members felt they had to act and issued a letter to the Club Chairman a week ago demanding an end to that censorship, failing which an independent website would be established to provide good quality information with analysis and comment so Club members would be better informed. No response was received to that letter so the website was launched earlier today. Through the Members' BB here you are now able to express your views for or against the scheme and the way it and the Club are being managed. The new website has been designed for both the casual browser and for those who want more substantial information. Most V8 members will fall into the second group so do let me know what you feel on the serious issues covered on the website. (25.6.05)

Victor Smith

Visit the new website providing independent information on the Directors' New Club Office scheme and two available alternative schemes.

New website