MINEHEAD Mayor Nick Messarra continued to court controversy this week following revelations of a series of financial irregularities and a 'solo' decision committing the town to host a major event before consulting fellow councillors. Cllr Messarra even drew criticism from Tory colleagues on the town council on Wednesday night, while town clerk Sue Sanders also publicly voiced concern over a number of issues. As reported in last week's Free Press, Cllr Messarra faced questions over an overspend - estimated at £409 by council finance committee chairman Cllr Tony Berry - of his £900 civic allowance. But he also came under fire over what the money had been spent on and further revelations that he had allegedly: l Given a verbal 'promise' for a £500 grant to the Homestart organisation. l Single-handedly given the go-ahead for a Wing Parade involving around 500 air cadets from across the South West and a possible 'fly past' of gliders to take place in Minehead at the end of April. In addition, Cllr Messarra apparently told the Williton-based Quantock Squadron of the Air Training Corps, which is organising the event, that the council would pay for a new banner and flag. On Wednesday night it emerged that the first Cllr Berry or council staff knew about the 'pledge' was when the bill for the items arrived through the Town Hall letterbox. Cllr Berry told councillors that he had since returned the bill with the authority's standard grant application form to allow the ATC to apply for financial assistance in the same way as all other organisations. And he also told the meeting that money already spent from the Mayor's allowance, which is designated for hospitality, had breached the council's financial regulations. In addition to £300 paid to a group of Lithuanian dancers who visited the town and a further £200 to a Minehead pre-school, Cllr Messarra also spent a budget-busting £804 on a new noticeboard in Wellington Square for the Regal Theatre. Controversially, money for the new sign was taken from the council's building and maintenance budget. Cllr Berry said moving funds from one budget to another without any reference to the finance committee was totally against the authority's regulations. "What concerns me is that this money should simply not have been transferred - the Mayor or the finance officer should have come to the finance committee." Cllr Berry said he and the clerk - who was not in post at the time of the transfer of cash - had "a hell of a job" tracing the money trail. And he said the transfer and the overspend had been done without any authority. Concerned councillors have now ordered a tightening up of procedures, including calling for a firm definition of 'hospitality' and how future mayors can spend their allowance. The finance committee has also been given the task of deciding how it is going to tackle the overspend. In his defence, Cllr Messarra maintained that he had only been trying to help the town, its people and local organisations. He said that when he was elected he was given the £900 budget and told he could do whatever he wanted with it - a claim disputed by former Mayor Terry Venner. Cllr Venner, who has held the civic office twice and received wide praise for his terms in office, told Cllr Messarra: "I spoke to you last October and gave you advice. "I was told what I could spend it on when I was Mayor and I did try to explain to you what it should be used for." But Cllr Messarra said: "I chose to give the money to something worthy - it is public money, not my money." Cllr Messarra said he had handed over £300 to the Lithuanian dancers after feeling embarrassed to discover that books he was presenting them had been paid for by another organisation and not the council. He had been approached by the pre-school for help but admitted that he had made the first move to the Regal Theatre. He said he felt the resulting new noticeboard was something "that needed to be done". Cllr Messarra insisted that the cost of the sign was nearer £600 without the VAT and said that, when the previous clerk Des Dobson had pointed out the cost might mean an overspend in the mayoral allowance, he had offered to pay for it out of his own pocket. The wording on the noticeboard - which states that Cllr Messarra donated it as mayor - also attracted criticism, with Cllr John Malin calling for it to be changed. But Cllr Messarra insisted that he had not sought publicity. "The first thing people see on the sign is the town council crest and people who speak to me about it do not say, 'well done Mayor' - they say, 'well done town council." Cllr Messarra said he had paid for the council staff Christmas dinner out of his own pocket and claimed the overspend in his budget was only £274. But Cllr Simon Stokes said the council had a clear policy and system in place for giving grants to organisations "because it is the people's money - not ours". He told Cllr Messarra: "I agree with you that the Regal is a wonderful organisation but to say that you did not get any publicity from this sign when your name is on it is a bit unfair. "The inscription should have said presented to the town by the town's folk." Councillors deferred a decision on whether the wording on the sign should be changed - which Cllr Malin said many people found offensive because it was factually incorrect - until the cost of the alterations needed is known. Cllr Martyn Snell described the current situation as "sad" but said the council had to ensure it never found itself in the same unfortunate position again. Further criticism landed on Cllr Messarra's head over his handling of the ATC Wing Parade, an event most councillors only became aware of when they received their invitations to it last weekend. Town clerk Mrs Sanders expressed concern as to whether risk assessments for the parade had been carried out and public liability insurance secured by the organisers. She said she was "quite worried" about the whole affair because she had no paperwork as no formal consultations or approaches had been made by the ATC. But after a heated debate it was agreed that the council would make it clear that it could commit no funds to the event and would have no responsibility for anything taking place as the cadets would be mustering in West Somerset District Council-owned Blenheim Gardens and marching on Somerset County Council-owned highways. Cllr Stokes said it had to be accepted that Cllr Messarra had not followed procedures when the ATC approached him about the parade. "We are frustrated that we have been brought in at the last minute and that the only official contact with the council over this has been at this meeting tonight," he said. Cllr Messarra, clearly feeling the strain from an evening of verbal attacks, told his colleagues: "All you do is criticise. I know you all hate me." He said the police and the highways authority were well aware of the parade and that he had personally "clarified everything" with district council chief executive Tim Howes. Cllr Messarra said a salute would be taken outside the Town Hall and all the town council had to do was give its moral support and raise two flags for the occasion. "When the air cadets came to me, of course I was going to offer my support to them - what else was I going to do?"
