Hadleigh town councillor Angela Gregg has responded to a list of allegations of financial irregularities made against her in regards to her position within Hadleigh Foodbank.

A series of claims were made by her former community group partner Neil Bevis on social media on October 4, full story here.

Mrs Gregg has thanked the support she has received from other food bank volunteers and is using her right to reply by making her response and as Nub News published the original allegations it is only fair and proper she is allowed give her side. Mr Bevis will be permitted to correct anything he regards as inaccurate or unfair comments.

Mrs Gregg said in a statement, which is unedited:

I joined Neil in July 2019 after he posted on Facebook he was looking for help with Hadleigh Foodbank. However, at that point I'd like to make it perfectly clear there was no food, no volunteers, no storage unit, no support from the Church communities, so in fact it was just a name at that point.

Documented evidence regarding expenditure:

Mr Bevis alludes to being quite unaware about the Foodbank operations. Attached are many posts of the conversations on Whatsapp between Mr Bevis and I that clearly demonstrates he was kept informed of everything including any expenditure?

During the last 14 months I have built the Foodbank to what it is today with very little input or support from Neil. There are 130 pages of dialogue (I've shared those that are relevant to the accusations) ) that proves Neil was indeed consulted on everything and he rarely made comment, except "yeah baby" , in fact quite the opposite, there are many entries giving me praise on the "excellent work you are doing". Mr Bevis suggests that he knew nothing of Flowers being delivered to volunteers however this was a gesture of kindness as they would not accept costs. A % of a grant was awarded specifically for the purpose of paying volunteers costs, so this is acceptable. You can clearly see in the documentation below that indeed on more than one occasion Mr Bevis was agreeable to this gesture. He was agreeable to giving our Foodbank recipients a takeaway as a treat due to Covid. This is a benefit Mr Bevis enjoyed too.

Within the evidence below shows that Mr Bevis was fully aware of the Bicycle Project and agreed to the Hire Charges before they were published.

No decisions were ever made with regards to running the Foodbank and associated fundraising without Mr Bevis being involved.

Hadleigh Festival

There is confirmation he was asked and advised about the joint Rugby & Foodbank Film Festival as early as July 2nd and it had his full approval. He mentioned he thought there was a a "significant' loss from this event. Unfortunately the Rugby Club decided they could not support the event half way through organising the event and we were advised all costs were the liability of the Foodbank not 50/50 as originally planned. The loss was approx £1300, however, a majority of the goods bought for the event we have recycled into meals which we sell and other items can be used for a further fundraising events, therefore we are making an effort to reduce the loss we made. Due to weather and anxiety of the Covid pandemic it was not supported as well as we hoped. This event was to give Hadleigh something to look forward to as Covid had been quite a challenge for many. Neil actually made a comment the next day that he had heard it went well and congratulated me on its success. (Documented below) Neil didn't attend or provide any help with this event.

Goods for the homeless

There is evidence I asked Neil about buying home goods for people recently re-housed in Hadleigh and he agreed to it all.

Meals for Volunteers

He mentioned the meals to the Marquis and the Volunteer thank you meal held on 4th September at Boxford Cafe. In July 2020 I suggested to Neil (documented) that we thank the very loyal volunteers as they had been working very hard throughout Covid, risking their own safety for the benefit of others. I suggested the Marquis and said it may come to around £500 and he agreed with the venue and the cost and gave me dates he could attend. (document attached confirming this conversation.) However, having looked into the Marquis it would have cost considerably more for 17 people so instead 5 of us from the Foodbank went to discuss strategy and the way forward for the Foodbank. In hindsight this was an extravagant venue and one that I should have thought through more and considered the cost for which I apologise.

Before the Festival a volunteer (now trustee) suggested that we take all the volunteers to a new venue recently opened in Boxford owned by a volunteer. In support of her new venue and as a fellow volunteer we decided it would be a great place to invite all volunteers and support this new venue in such difficult times. Again Mr Bevis was fully aware about the event and was asked to join us "to thank his volunteers" as the Founder of the Foodbank, again he declined to attend saying it was "not his thing" and he didn't "eat meat or cheese". More than half of the volunteers have never met Mr Bevis and they are all long standing with us. There were 17 who came along to this event at a cost of £20 a head. For 14 months hard work as a volunteer I hope you can appreciate this was not an extravagant expense at all and one that we had a budget for volunteer expenses through a grant.

National Lottery Grant £10,000

Item 3 of Mr Bevis's statement relates to an allegation that I applied for a Grant to the National Lottery in his name without him knowing. Within the documents below I have posted a copy of a letter (sent by email) from the National Lottery dated 23rd May 2020. You will see this is was addressed to Neil's personal email and copied to the Hadleigh Foodbank Gmail account. This letter clearly states "If you don't know anything about this application for funding please call us straight away". Mr Bevis did not contact anyone in May to advise the Charity he knew nothing of the grant application because he was aware of it!

Mr Bevis was fully aware that I had applied for this grant for a new Project called "Hadleigh Foodbikes" as I felt the community didn't have this facility and I was told by the Visit Hadleigh Team they were frequently asked if Hadleigh had a bike hire scheme. Neil actually approved of the name for it.

The Grant was approved and funds were in our account fairly swiftly. We went on to buy a variety of bikes including two Trikes and this became subject to a lot of Media attention of which Neil attended every photo opportunity. There have only been 2 hire's both of which completed Hire agreements and can be seen. Due to Covid we haven't pushed this project but plan to launch in the New Year when hopefully things become more stable. Most of the grant was used to purchase bikes and accessories. Mr Bevis alludes to the grant not being spent correctly. A proportion of the grant was for storage of these bikes, but a neighbour kindly offered us somewhere close that I could use temporarily, free of charge, until we found a more suitable place for them. This money is in reserves to pay for the storage when it's found. Mr Bevis also knew we intended to hire these bikes for a small fee and again this can be seen in the evidence below. He was sent the flyer for approval with figures on and agreed to it. He made no mention that this was not allowed and to this day I have not seen anywhere that we can't charge a small fee that goes back into the Foodbank. Mr Bevis suggests that bikes have been sold and he does not know where the money is. The two Trikes have been sold due to lack of storage space and they were too large. Both payments have been accounted for in the accounts.

• **IMPORTAN***

In July I received a whatsapp message from Mr Bevis asking if I knew we had another £10,000 grant coming. (Documented) I said I didn't as I had not applied for any grants of this size again. .On the 15th July I was shown an email by Mr Bevis that was only sent to his personal email address, advising him that he had been awarded a Grant from the National Lottery for £10,000. I advised Mr Bevis to contact the National Lottery and ask to review it. Mr Bevis chose not to. Instead Mr Bevis suggested we "keep it". The day the money went into the Bank Account I screen shot it and sent Mr Bevis a Whatsapp message asking "So you think we should just leave it? His reply was "Yeah let's play ignorant about it" followed by 2 laughing emojis. (documented below) This £10k is still in the bank unused. However, this grant was in Mr Bevis name, it went solely to his email account and I knew nothing about it. This was not my responsibility. Mr Bevis only contacted the National Lottery the week before he raised his concerns publicly on 4th October. This grant was nothing to do with me and solely the responsibility of Mr Bevis to return it or contact the National lottery. He chose to keep the money and "plead ignorant."

Bank Account Reconciliation

I understand the Book Keeping of the Foodbank Bank account has been completed. All entries are accounted for and it balances, with a credit balance of approx £23.5k in the account. The Trustees have reviewed these entries and can see no anomalies. Two independent accountants have been asked to 1) complete the accounts from January 2020 – September 2020 or 2) Complete an Audit of the entries. Neither of these options can be done at this time because Mr Bevis has been asked on several occasions to give the passwords back for the PayPal Account and the Foodbank Gmail account, as both contain receipts and entries needed to complete the accounts. Mr Bevis is also withholding the Sum-Card payment devises password so we cannot use these to continue to take payments.

Babergh District Council and Hadleigh Foodbank Joint Pilot of Recycling Computers

In late August I was contacted by a Babergh Grants team member asking if I would support a new pilot they were doing regarding Recycling computers to give to the vulnerable and isolated and those that needed a devise who couldn't afford it. The pilot was to help reduce Mental Health issues where people felt isolated from the world due to Covid. This pilot was to see if it could be done by Foodbanks as they could identity those in need. Because Hadleigh Foodbank had diversified its offerings already we were chosen to be part of this. I referred this pilot to Neil as he has his own computer business and it all fell into place. There were 3 members from different teams in Babergh, Neil and I involved. We were to have weekly Skype calls to update on the progress and were told that the lead of the pilot was preparing a big presentation to the board at Babergh and after week 2 could we supply her with some figures. We were advised there was a small grant and that I was going to be sent the application to complete and apply for on behalf of the project. This was for expenses to recycle as many devises as cheaply as possible including any marketing we would do. Approaching the 3rd week meeting I asked Mr Bevis for the spreadsheet to be able to give figures at the meeting to Babergh as they had been requested the week before. He became quite angry that I wanted this information and told me I should have nothing to do with it. He went on to say that he wasn't involved with the Foodbank operation and never asked me anything about it and trusted me so why should he tell me about the Computer pilot figures as it was his thing. I was quite stunned by this reaction as this was a Foodbank pilot not a Home Computing Services project. Therefore at that meeting I left Neil to reveal his figures. He had sent me , 1 hour prior, to this meeting a spreadsheet and when I analysed the data I received it was nothing like the figures he mentioned at the meeting? It was a most unprofessional and uncomfortable meeting. The Hadleigh Festival was on 30th August, a Sunday and as mentioned Neil suggested he could not attend this event.. However, on Tuesday 1st September I receive an email from the lead of the project at Babergh , copying all parties in, thanking Mr Bevis for his email and figures that he had only shared with her that Sunday. As I hadn't received this I asked for a copy of the email and the spreadsheet so I could be kept in the loop. I was surprised to read that Neil had asked for a 1-1 with the lead of the project and that he would like to discuss his fee's in private for the pilot and the Foodbank didn't need to be involved. Furthermore he had written that his fees, 2 weeks into the pilot, were £1106.00! The grant was only £2k. Hardly in the spirit of the Foodbank especially from a Founder who apparently wants to support his community? This was never a commercial pilot and Neil even suggested to me that they should give two grants for this 1) to him 2) the Foodbank. He went on to tell me "he was glad of the work as he had to recover his losses from last year's accident". (Documented below)

Babergh contacted me that same week and I suggested due to Mr Bevis's but they said No because they particularly wanted it to go through Foodbanks who can identify the recipients and receive any grants available.. Mr Bevis clearly wanted to manipulate this project into a commercial opportunity for his self gain rather than a charitable exercise and if successful receive good recognition and marketing for his company which it would have created.

Mr Bevis again suggests that I have stopped the grant and tried to have it reinstated as I have a new business involved now. Attached is a letter from Babergh advising me that although a grant has been agreed for this pilot it is being withheld until Mr Bevis's dispute with the Foodbank was complete. I understand Mr Bevis has made a nuisance of himself bombarding the Babergh staff with text, emails and phone calls about this pilot. Babergh and Hadleigh Foodbank are continuing with the Pilot without Mr Bevis and the new company we are using Hadleigh Computer Services based at Kersey Mill who are supporting it as it was intended, to help those in need, not for profit or personal gain.

Mr Bevis still has 18 devises he is withholding from the project. Once the grant is released Mr Bevis has been told he will be paid.

Summary

Mr Bevis wrote his statement with malicious intent to ruin my reputation with untrue statements & no evidence. For 14 months on a voluntary basis myself and other volunteers built the Foodbank to become one of the most recognised Foodbanks in the county for its diversity and support to those in need in Hadleigh and Surrounding Villages. I personally have received letters from Parliament, local Radio and letters of gratitude from Agencies and the recipients we support. None of these mention Neil Bevis. Mr Bevis on several occasions was asked to make the Foodbank a Charity or an organisation which has a constitution with rules and regulations but he point blankly refused saying he did not want any 'Red tape' or bureaucracy involved. Perhaps if he had agreed we would not be in the position we are now. Therefore, the Foodbank was just a voluntary community organisation set up by two people who both had access to the Barclays Bank Account. There were no responsibilities or roles as Mr Bevis did not want this.

I have revealed how Mr Bevis accepted a £10k grant in his name into the Foodbank account. Mr Bevis also revealed in a conversation with my daughter that he was visiting the Storage Unit and taking vast quantities of food to 14 families and the Foodbank knew nothing about these or the locations of these recipients. He admits (documented below) to taking a large quantity of Pasta, Rice, Cous Cous and much more from the Storage unit suggesting it was to be sold an the money paid back to the Foodbank. He sold 1 box of rice for approx £10 on Ebay there is no documentation to show where the other stock is. Mr Bevis also says he has contacted Suffolk County Council, Councillor Mick Fraser, Barclays Bank and others expressing his concerns about me. These are clearly bullying tactics of which I have suffered greatly.

Perhaps those that follow Mr Bevis and praise him should be aware of the detrimental comments he wrote to me about you including those of Mick Fraser, Tracey Botwright and her friend Claire who accused me of not supporting them with a Foodbank donation when in fact it was Mr Bevis and you will find the evidence in the documents below.

When I joined Hadleigh Foodbank in July 2019 it was just a name. We now have a pool of 20 volunteers all of whom have been with me for some time, two storage units, an abundance of food, 19 bikes to allow residents to explore their home towns, we supply frozen meals to those who just need a good nutritional meal as they are alone or elderly. We support those that have recently been re-housed with items to make them comfortable or essential items just to get them started. We support those who are struggling mentally with emotional support from qualified therapists. We gave those that work hard (our volunteers) one night out as a thank you at £20 a person and yet Mr Bevis can take £1106 for a charitable pilot scheme within 2 weeks of the start of it from a grant that was only £2k. We supported children whose go karts had been stolen and replaced them as they had no insurance. We gave a bike to a young girl re-housed with her parents to a village and she had no friends and no way to get about. We bought a tumble dryer for a young mum with 4 children who was drying clothes on a rack next to a gas fire. We deliver to over 40 families a week vast amounts of food and regularly buy stocks which we have run out of. The numbers keep rising.

This is where grants have been spent. On those that need our support.

I have been devastated by the allegations made by Mr Bevis and my family has also been greatly affected. The High School asked for the post to be removed as they knew my daughter would be bullied, and she was and had to be sent home twice because of this post, but Mr Bevis even refused their request. I have made some poor judgments along the way and admitted to these above but nothing that is a criminal nature.

I assure you my heart is in the right place and having worked so hard in the last 14 months it's the most rewarding job I have ever had and I don't get paid a penny for doing it for those less fortunate than myself.

I hope I have proved to you that all allegations made by Mr Bevis were totally untrue and malicious with the intent to damage the Foodbank reputation and my personal reputation. I believe Mr Bevis was angry to lose the computer pilot scheme income and would not accept my post as a Councillor or my views on the Hadleigh High Street. These two things and our decision to make the Foodbank a Charity led to his malicious post and false allegations. If I may remind you that it was in fact Mr Bevis who has accepted a £10k grant of which I had no participation in. He secretly visited the Storage unit late at night to take food & toiletries and to this day to 14 families I still have no idea where these people are. Mr Bevis who wants paying £1106 (2 weeks into the pilot) from a grant of just £2000 for a project the Foodbank were asked to do in the context of a being a Charity. Not a very charitable charge or attitude towards a pilot or showing any support to the community in my opinion.