At the February Council Meeting the Portfolio holder for Environment told us that the Council spends £4 million pounds a year picking up and disposing of litter.
This is a larger amount than we spend on highways and footpaths maintenance or preparing for the sorts of extreme weather that we have been getting.
With this money we have other options, it would cover the cost of several nurseries or a couple of primary schools. It would allow us to fund neighbourhood policing to help bear down on anti-social behaviour. We could renovate and improve War memorials across the district, we could better maintain parks, support youth groups and community organisations. There are strategies needed to improve education, care of the elderly. We could buy books for our libraries we could better support local institutions like Pontefract Museum. We could complete actions to improve access to Pontefract Castle, further support tourism events such as the Pontefract Liquorice Festival.
OR we could reduce the tax load on local residents.
Time that we made it clear that littering, graffiti, fly-tipping and other sorts of environmental anti social behaviour is just not acceptable or welcome.
We can use the money for other things!
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Pontefract Hospital ...Beds?
Over time I have aired a number of comments from others and expressed my own concerns about the sad state of affairs that we have where PGI is being replaced by the new smaller Pontefract Hospital. We are shortly to see a grand opening where our MP will take centre stage and will claim her victory, just in time for the General Election.
However certain facts are coming to light that take the gilt of the new project. Pontefract Hospital is about a third of the size of the existing hospital. It will have some beds, but they will be mostly in Wakefield and Dewsbury.
More and more people are finding that to receive their treatment will mean travel to Pinderfields (sorry Wakefield Hospital) or Dewsbury Hospital.
Balfour Beatty the PFI partner are now taking their revenue opportunities and car parking costs are starting to lift off. (BB did the same thing at Edinburgh Royal where the car parking became some of the most expensive in Edinburgh) Operations are being cancelled as staff from other hospitals are told "you can't park that here".
In April 2005 MPs Yvette Cooper and Jon Trickett made commitments to our community about the quality and quantity of local healthcare and they are doing it again.
Do we believe them?
Updated 22nd March 2010 And the answer is.............
Well based on talking to members of the public the penny is starting to drop with more and more people. MYHT talk about the new smaller Pontefract Hospital as providing 90% of the service/capacity. Many people have just spotted that the new hospital is only 30% of the size of the old and those numbers really do not add up.
However certain facts are coming to light that take the gilt of the new project. Pontefract Hospital is about a third of the size of the existing hospital. It will have some beds, but they will be mostly in Wakefield and Dewsbury.
More and more people are finding that to receive their treatment will mean travel to Pinderfields (sorry Wakefield Hospital) or Dewsbury Hospital.
Balfour Beatty the PFI partner are now taking their revenue opportunities and car parking costs are starting to lift off. (BB did the same thing at Edinburgh Royal where the car parking became some of the most expensive in Edinburgh) Operations are being cancelled as staff from other hospitals are told "you can't park that here".
In April 2005 MPs Yvette Cooper and Jon Trickett made commitments to our community about the quality and quantity of local healthcare and they are doing it again.
Do we believe them?
Updated 22nd March 2010 And the answer is.............
Well based on talking to members of the public the penny is starting to drop with more and more people. MYHT talk about the new smaller Pontefract Hospital as providing 90% of the service/capacity. Many people have just spotted that the new hospital is only 30% of the size of the old and those numbers really do not add up.
Sunday 14 February 2010
Local Conservative Candidate Appointed
At a local Conservative association meeting convened for the purpose and following prospective candidate interviews the gathered association members unanimously selected Nick Pickles as Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Constituency at the next General Election.
For the first time since the 80's we have a truly local candidate, living in Altofts, born in Pontefract,a QEGS old student and graduate of Durham University, Nick will be welcomed by the many across the constituency who will appreciate the benefit of a somebody with a strong understanding of local issues and local needs and a determination to look after the best interests of the people of the new constituency.
There is still resentment amongst many that our existing MP was parachuted in by NuLabour in 1997 to what was acknowledged as one of their safest seats. Since that time she has spent significant time building her ministerial career and faithfully supporting firstly Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown but for many she has not displayed the qualities of a good constituency MP of loyalty to her constituents that her predecessor displayed.
Interesting times ahead. Well done Nick!
For the first time since the 80's we have a truly local candidate, living in Altofts, born in Pontefract,a QEGS old student and graduate of Durham University, Nick will be welcomed by the many across the constituency who will appreciate the benefit of a somebody with a strong understanding of local issues and local needs and a determination to look after the best interests of the people of the new constituency.
There is still resentment amongst many that our existing MP was parachuted in by NuLabour in 1997 to what was acknowledged as one of their safest seats. Since that time she has spent significant time building her ministerial career and faithfully supporting firstly Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown but for many she has not displayed the qualities of a good constituency MP of loyalty to her constituents that her predecessor displayed.
Interesting times ahead. Well done Nick!
Friday 5 February 2010
We are a modern and radical Conservative Party
David Cameron talks about Conservatism our modern values linking to our radical history as a modern and radical political party.
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