Charitable trust needs to serve the community
I have watched with dismay the ongoing debate about the future of the Scalloway Swimming Pool. That a perfectly usable and valuable resource should stand empty is an absolute disgrace. This should never have been allowed to happen.
The three bodies involved really need to get their acts together and get the pool reopened as soon as possible.
In particular Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT) with its £400 million plus investments should surely have managed to find a few hundred thousand of pounds to keep the pool open. It seems as though the SCT has tied itself in financial knots where growth of the reserves is paramount and the needs of the community don’t matter.
At any one time there is no fixed amount in the SCT reserves as investments in the Stock Market can vary widely from day to day. It would not be unknown for the reserves to gain or lose several million of pounds in a single day.
The withdrawal of up to £1 million would hardly be noticed. Why not have an emergency fund of say, £1 million that could be accessed in a special case scenario subject to the approval of trustees?
That would hardly risk the future of the reserves but could have real benefit to the community in a time of need such as in the case of the Scalloway Pool.
Can we please see some common sense applied to the administration of the SCT so that it serves the community better than it does at present.
Frank Hay
Weisdale
