THE Cotswold Water Park Trust is holding its AGM on September 24 and I am calling on every member who cares about the future of the park to attend.

Many local people are disappointed that the fresh start and new era of transparency promised when the new Trust was launched two years ago have not materialised.

The Gloucestershire County Council investigation into the affair following the criminal prosecution of the Water Park Society's former Chief Executive, Dennis Grant, uncovered a number of legal agreements central to the fraud relating to Keynes Country Park that had been signed by Water Park board members.

I have for several months been helping the City of London Police in their efforts to discover the true extent of wrongdoing in the Water Park and it would appear there were a number of documents with no foundation in law that were authorised by CWPS board members at the time and some of these have since been endorsed by the current Cotswold Water Park Trustees.

I believe we must demand that the current Trustees explain their decisions to endorse the Keynes Country Park agreements. Until we receive a full explanation, we can have no faith in the current Trustees.

The Trust is wholly dependent on public funds to survive which means that local electors and taxpayers must have a say in how the organisation is run.

I expressed grave concerns over the Trustee appointment process in 2010, when it was apparent that it had been endorsed by the same individuals who rubberstamped Dennis Grant's regime.

As members of the new Trust we must all demand that we nominate replacement Trustees and that we vote them in this time rather than have them appointed without real democratic accountability.

The forthcoming AGM should not meekly accept the election of Trustees who have failed to deliver on the promises made to the community.

Finally, as a safeguard, and in case we are not satisfied on September 24, we need the support of 40 members to force an Extraordinary General Meeting at which our concerns will be aired. To that end I call upon members who will support such a demand to email me at Esmond.Jenkins@Cotswold.gov.uk

Esmond Jenkins

Shorncote

Somerford Keynes