french_disko Posted May 10, 2004 Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 Story in tonights Evening Express - http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=84106&command=displayContent&sourceNode=83936&contentPK=9902042FURY AT LEMON TREE DEBT 16:00 - 10 May 2004 A top Aberdeen concert venue has notched up huge losses.The Lemon Tree ran up a 140,000 deficit for the last year. Finance chiefs and councillors say they were repeatedly reassured through 2003 by senior staff that the venue was breaking even. But the figures released by Lemon Tree director Kathy McArdle in February suddenly revealed wide-scale inaccuracies in previous monthly reports on the accounts.End of financial year losses of 100,000 were then forecast.Problems included:Double counting grants as income. Counting grants intended to cover three years as a single sum for 2003/04. Wrongly adding up sponsorship cash. Over-estimating income and under-estimating expenditure. The figure soon mounted to 140,000 after a more detailed investigation by city finance chiefs.Chairman of the board of directors Scott Cassie this week resigned in disgust and frustration with the finances and with the management of the city council-funded venue, which is lauded as one of the finest in Scotland.Mr Cassie has told board members and officials that he has no confidence in Ms McArdle's ability to run the East North Street performance place.No board member is suggesting money has been misappropriated.Sloppy accounting is being blamed for the mess.The venue has had its successes, attracting top names like Sir Bob Geldof. Legendary American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega is due to play there next month.But relations between Lemon Tree Trust board members and senior staff are said to have to have broken down as the true financial figures emerged earlier this year.Mr Cassie tendered his resignation on Wednesday with a stark warning that the Lemon Tree "is drinking at the last chance saloon".He told the Evening Express: "I resigned because I have had enough of the place."We did not get the financial information that we were expecting."We were anticipating that financial matters were in order."It transpired that they were not."I was assured, the board of trustees was assured and the city finance department was assured that it was breaking even."Mr Cassie said the effort to sort out the mess had taken a toll on his family life, prompting him to quit.The Lemon Tree Trust was wound up last month and is being replaced by a new company called Lemon Tree Aberdeen Ltd, which will fully take up the reins in September.The move, planned many months ago, was designed to put the Lemon Tree on a more business-like footing.Mr Cassie, who chaired the previous board of trustees, became chairman of the new board of directors in April.The 16 trustees, made up of 10 councillors and six people with an interest in arts administration, stood down.The new organisation now has five councillors on the board of directors and 11 other members.One non-council member, Jackie Doyle, has already quit.The new directors believed they were going to be running a company which was breaking even but are understood to have been shocked by the scale of the losses they feared they might inherit.But the future of the Lemon Tree, which opened in 1993, has now been secured after resources management committee members agreed to offer the venue extra cash to cover the losses.A confidential report on the financial foul-up was discussed behind closed doors by the council's resources management committee in April.The committee passed the matter to the powerful standards and scrutiny committee to investigate.Standards convener councillor John Porter said the issues had been dealt with by his committee in private.He refused to reveal the committee's ruling.But council insiders have confirmed that the city's auditors are probing further.Ms McArdle and former general manager Karen Laing have been accused privately by some members of the board of trustees for the allowing finances to slide.Ms Laing left earlier this year to take up a job with the University of Aberdeen.A new general manager, who unlike his predecessor is a qualified accountant, is now in post.Mr Cassie has told trustees that he believes that the buck stops with Ms McArdle as Lemon Tree director.She has been asked to attend a meeting of the board of the new company on Thursday to explain how the Lemon Tree finances went astray.The city council funds the venue to the tune of 199,000 a year and gives it a further 40,000 from the Common Good fund.Ms McArdle declined to comment on the Lemon Tree's accounting problems.She referred queries to the acting chairman of the new board, John Loveday.Mr Loveday confirmed that the city council had bailed out the venue.He said the new board was starting with a clean slate and all previous problems were the responsibility of the previous trust.Mr Loveday said: "We are taking the place forward."This is a new start for the whole board."There is a tremendous range of expertise there."We intend to run the Lemon Tree in a different way - the board will have a much more hands-on approach."It will be run as a business and we will have to look very carefully at our finances, how we do things and how we pay for things."The city council is the main funder so we have to keep our noses clean."The Lemon Tree is already one of the best venues in Scotland."We intend to make it even better."Finance 'mismanagement' claim The Lemon Tree's books revealed a catalogue of accounting failures.Grants which were supposed to be spread across three years had been added in total to the 2003/04 accounts.Single grants from public bodies were also listed under a number of headings and were double-counted.Sponsorship cash had been added up wrongly.Income from the venue's music, dance and theatre programmes had been over-estimated.The Lemon Tree also underestimated how much it was spending on acts booked to play there.A confidential report by finance chiefs to councillors states: "The budget figures did not reflect accurately the true activities of the organisation."The Lemon Tree Trust's finance sub-committee was reviewing the financial figures monthly.But the report says: "While questions were repeatedly raised regarding figures, repeated reassurances were provided by the Lemon Tree management that the finances were in order."Further intensive investigations are ongoing to establish why this level of deficit has arisen."City council accountants say the full picture may not emerge until the trust's annual accounts are finalised in June.An internal email, seen by the EE, from new board member John Wood to several fellow members sums up the feelings of the new body.It states: "The financial mismanagement over the last few years would not have been tolerated in any properly run organisation."The first action of the new board must be to make sure that sound financial management controls are put in place before any more money starts haemorrhaging."Mr Wood says Ms McArdle should attend Thursday's board meeting to explain herself.He adds: "I feel that failure to satisfy the board with satisfactory answers to these points, which surely are fundamental to the director's post, should result in a review of her employment."Ms McArdle was appointed as the new boss of the venue in summer June 2002.She was previously the artistic director of the renowned Projects Arts Centre in Dublin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 10, 2004 Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted May 10, 2004 Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 how can they be skint with the price they charge for a fucking pint ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Originally posted by french_disko:Story in tonights Evening Express - http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=84106&command=displayContent&sourceNode=83936&contentPK=9902042FURY AT LEMON TREE DEBT The city council funds the venue to the tune of 199,000 a year and gives it a further 40,000 from the Common Good fund.Mr Loveday confirmed that the city council had bailed out the venue. WTF, can I have 239,000 pounds a year for both the venues I work in (each, oh and a nice little lottery grant), I promise it'll be good. I even promise not to spend 140,000 by mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psydoll Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Originally posted by betamax:how can they be skint with the price they charge for a fucking pint ! That's what I thought when I read that article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Hey, I got drunk there once for 15, including 6 to get in....might have been something to do with the fact that i can't handle beer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psydoll Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Sounds most like it if I'm honest I know places have to make a profit but does LT ever have drinks promotions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 I fucking hate the EE. They're worse than the Daily Record when it comes to being pompous, judgemental, ignorant twats (and the bar was set high by the DR!).Utter, utter, cunts.</rant> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragudave Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Originally posted by ghost:I fucking hate the EE. They're worse than the Daily Record when it comes to being pompous, judgemental, ignorant twats (and the bar was set high by the DR!).</rant> You should have a look at the Daily Mail sometime ! Middle class, smug, ignorant, family orientated, conservative - a daily version of the Readers Digest. And full of crap about celebs, the royal family.Well to be honest I would be a bit surprised if the Ltree made a profit - its a charity after all which caters for a diverse range of tastes. We've all seen some great things there so lets hope they continue to operate for another decade. Lets hope their financial management improves from now on...Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Re: Re: The Lemon Tree "Drinking in the Last Chance Saloon"Originally posted by soundian:WTF, can I have 239,000 pounds a year for both the venues I work in (each, oh and a nice little lottery grant), I promise it'll be good. I even promise not to spend 140,000 by mistake. dont beleive youit would all be plugged into a fruit machine within a week never to be seen again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 That would be some fruit machine. The jackpot would be HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 you haven't seen christie play the games machine in drummonds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 exactlyits probably the only reason Eric keeps him employedhes actually funding Drummonds single handedly with his chronic quiz machine addictionimagine if he spent as much time working that sound desk........maybe then he could be slightly better than 'adequate'*waits for the Christie to attack* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragudave Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Here is a link to a recent report on funding "The Arts" in the UK etchttp://www.culturalpolicy.arts.gla.ac.uk/Research%20documents/Cultstats_spendingbriefing_Apr04.pdf http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3698315.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Originally posted by betamax:exactlyits probably the only reason Eric keeps him employedhes actually funding Drummonds single handedly with his chronic quiz machine addictionimagine if he spent as much time working that sound desk........maybe then he could be slightly better than 'adequate'*waits for the Christie to attack* It's not a chronic quiz machine addiction, it's chronic boredom from having to listen to some bands two,three times a month. Originally posted by ragudave: Well to be honest I would be a bit surprised if the Ltree made a profit - its a charity after all which caters for a diverse range of tastes. It's not a charity any more, it's a Ltd company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ghost Of Fudge Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 i think the lemon tree bar is run bu a different company than the actual lemon tree. it's maybe run by a brewery or something. i forgot the details... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Didn't this change a few years ago to actually being run by The Lemon Tree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Originally posted by betamax:exactlyits probably the only reason Eric keeps him employedhes actually funding Drummonds single handedly with his chronic quiz machine addictionimagine if he spent as much time working that sound desk........maybe then he could be slightly better than 'adequate'*waits for the Christie to attack* plus his chronic alcohol addiction, in fact christie almost single handidly keeps drummonds afloat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Never mind all that for now, AKA The Fox are supporting Dogs Die in Hot Cars tonight so get down to The Lemon Tree to see the champions of the last Drummonds Battle of the Bands.They are on at 9.30pm, plus further support from Gisli.Dogs Die in Hot Carsplus Gisli & AKA The FoxThursday 13th MayDoors 9pm | 1st Act 9.30pm6 (4 concessions & Regulars)Box office 01224 642230 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camie Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Style! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Storm Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 HEY... I RUN A LTD COMPANY! THINK I'LL POP DOWN TO THE COUNCIL AND GET THEM TO HAND OVER SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF POUNDS TO MAKE DRAKE'S A LITTLE SMARTER!!! Amazing that the money is always found when it's needed!!!!! So how exactly does a Ltd company recieve funding without going through the usual million months of form filling and dead phone lines?! Or is it because it isn't effectively a ltd company yet? All in the timing huh?!No I'm not pissed off!!!!!!!!!! RIGHT!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Ponds would only make you wet!I think you are pissed off aren't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Storm Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Edited it Graeme! No more ponds! Your post looks silly now hehehehehe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cynic Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 If you do give Drakes a makeover, don't overdo it. It'd be like seeing your much-loved granny in a Vivienne Westwood oufit, which would be scary (unless she WAS Vivienne Westwood, of course).I think dinky sailor-boy outfits for the staff would be a good move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Storm Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Just Brian and Ziggy! MAKEOVER???????? Bring in a few tins of 'scuzzy' was about all I was going to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.