C_steam

:shock: Don't worry, everyone else does.

Please point out where I've been 'nasty'.

Good question.

Not true, for those who know me. But a personal insult, hence banned. I'll let your alter-ego continue.

Intbel

Ashford has P.A.Y.E. accounts for all employees ... all verifiable and above board.

All as required by law.

Can the same be said for the Preston office or even the Birmingham office in this respect ...

... and just sometimes it is most useful to not ask the question unless you already know the answer ... what is known as covering one's ass ...

... I'm just askin' ...





UKIP website sux

Akebono

During Euro 2004 elections Ashford Call Centre was given the opportunity to generate money for UKIP and its workers. Sightings of the large billboards around the country and Kilroy becoming involved resulted in the most hectic time for the Party and promised a new dawn.

The following winter UKIP activity became increasingly lacklustre. Poor direction from the leader was one of the significant contributing factors.

Fundraising became tougher as Ashford were forced to make multiple calls to the ever-dwindling lists of contacts. The main database which Birmingham had exclusive access to and the one used by Ashford were kept separate.

Suggestions were made that telesales calls should be made to existing members and enquirers separate from the Ashford Call Centre. Previously the NEC had vetoed the notion of national telesales fundraising.

After months of lobbying Ashford was supplied with additional numbers from the main database.

Despite this, because of the public's lack of interest in domestic politics and UKIP's low visibility telesales were still disappointing.

It was suggested that some duties could be transferred from Birmingham to Ashford to make up for losses in workload from falling telesales activity.

The national freefone number was switched from Birmingham to Ashford despite the call centre already having a toll free facility. This caused some confusion when national generic leaflets were distributed; members of the public who wanted to discuss party policies and politics were contacting a call centre.

From here. a study was conducted to establish the viability of having a national call centre working permanently.

Despite some of Ashford's cost being subsidised it was decided that it would have to close.

Large portions of Party funds are generated by membership subscription renewals sent out by Head Office.

Branches retain any memberships if they recruit new members.

Intbel

Yup - but what about renewals?

When a someone whose membership is about to expire says "I have already renewed, I did this via my local branch and it only cost me a fiver" one has to wonder why there was so much pressure from some chairmen to have Ashford Call Centre closed.

Indeed, one chairman even went as far as to contact others to demand they had nothing to do with Ashford and told his branch members to report to him if they were contacted in any way by Ashford.

Perhaps there maybe a branch or two which may not be playing according to the rules?

Certainly regarding renewals ...

Too many petty people building petty little power bases instead of working together, imo.

Perhaps I should upload all details here along with other bits and pieces - or will someone with an ounce of integrity get things sorted once and for all?

Akebono

A worthy web site, immeasurably better than the official effort.
UKIP's official site, despite some recent cosmetic improvements and a few additional updates filtering through is thoroughly **** poor.

A dearth of suitable articles being written by press officers and slack/amateur management of the site is responsible.

Your unofficial site is aesthetically striking and the content up-to-date. A lot of hard work and expertise has gone into producing this. Excellent!

Using the time and effort to produce newsworthy stories for posting on the official site and keeping members informed by email updates should be more important that whining about lack of resources on any unofficial forum. But that does not APPEAR to be the case. That needs to be addressed for the Press Office to be effective.

Intbel

At what point does 'figuring it out as I go along' become expertise? LOL!

I hope to update it regularly ... when I find work I may not have the time available which I have now.

Thnx for the compliment

soundasapound

People associate Ashford with the south-east and Nigel Farage. Maybe its not an anti Ashford thing, its an Anti Nigel thing, especially with the leadership elections...

Hey, im getting good at this conspiracy theory lark!...

Intbel

Recently I was told by a member of the new N.E.C. that decisions re Ashford Call Centre were made before the new N.E.C. came into existence.

However ... last night I learned that a thorough report on the centre with a recommendation that it continue, albeit in perhaps a slightly different format and with reduced staffing levels, was put before the new N.E.C. and the new N.E.C. rejected it and the final decision to close the center was the new N.E.C.'s.

Anthony Butcher

I never received such a report to the best of my knowledge.

John Page

You took someone's word that the report was thorough, or you reached your own judgement?

Why are you still discussing this? The fact is, the NEC is an elected body, they made the decision.

Do you expect them to justify decisions taken behind closed doors to you?

Like it or not, time to move on, surely.

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