Well the railway people look like they have run the job and supposedly not back until the end of the year although of course this is only gossip. Cranes have been and cranes have gone, Soss Lane being the straw that broke the camel's back, no room to manoeuvre. So they have left mighty big piles of this and that and left a bit of a trail of destruction. No wonder the railways are in trouble if they carry on like this; doesn't anybody do a proper surveys now? Concrete is coming from Ireland now, to do the bridge on Soss, again bits of gossip, so that should be interesting, assuming of course any of the stuff they have left is still here when they come back.
Article in Gainsborough Standard about that historic landmark, the Victoria Institute! I shall wait with baited breath for the for sale sign going up.
According to the parish council agenda, they are considering a property strategy. Don't like the sound of that, especially since the old library site is an item in the confidential session. I have heard that they intend to put a bid in for library site, which given the potential for that site, will have to involve borrowing a lot of money. Knock it down and rebuild, a village hall? Do we want one? What ever happens some people appear to have grandiose ideas the cost of which residents are going to have to pay for years. Bet we don't have a public meeting for that. It is to be hoped that we have a few level headed members on the parish council to burst that balloon before it gets over inflated. Try to borrow money on our behalf and you might find that whilst there was apathy on the Victoria Institute there is a completely different attitude on borrowing money, particularly when many of us already have mortgages to pay off and children to raise (and boy do they cost you money). A substantial rise in our council tax to pay for this, I don't think so.
Here's a bit of the other: the old chestnut that won't go away. The Parish Council doesn't need a 'Property' Strategy; it needs a 'Proper' Strategy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I tell people that it's Parish Council policy to prevent discussion about the 2009/10 anonymous and forged letter attacks on the former administration, they look at me in disbelief and say things like, "I didn't think councils could carry on like that". Neither did I until the current administration took over.
Well, actually, the Parish Council minute doesn't exactly block all discussion, but that's the way it's been implemented. All requests for meetings to discuss the evidence are refused by the Clerk.
I was discussing the matter with a former Rotherham MBC colleague in Firbeck this morning, and he found it hard to believe that Misterton Parish Council can refuse to help it's own people.
I stress that not every member of the Parish Council supports this Humpty Dumpty policy - but policy it is! The policy, of course, begs the question as to the motive behind it. Unfortunately, openness and transparency have gone out the window at this former Quality-accredited parish council - at least insofar as this policy is concerned.
David Wright - former Clerk to Misterton Parish Council