Revisiting a post from 2008 when I promised to eat my hat for charity if WMDC fixed the traffic congestion and air quality issues by October 2008. In fact it took them till 2016 to make a start, to go back to the future (removing the mass of traffic lights that created jams of stationary trucks, buses and cars at peak times or when the A1 closes for repairs or rescues) reinstalling roundabouts at Town End to ease matters. Well they reluctantly dragged their heels until the issues were so significant they had to do something. Eight years later...
There is much to do!
Eight years later we still see collapsing roads, a need to resolve our infrastructure issues, improved road and rail services more school places, GP and Healthcare provision as the Town faces surging growth with up to 4000 additional homes being built around it. Not forgetting the town itself and the need to make the most of our heritage and improve what we have.
Thursdays local election has real significance. Please cast your vote and a vote for Walsh is a vote for Pontefract. In Pontefract North please vote for my colleague Chris Hyomes.
THE CHARITY EVENT WILL BE IN AID OF TINY TICKERS.
A Yorkshire based Infant heart research charity
25 Jan 2008
I think I just promised to eat my hat....
Last night, I attended Carleton Neighbourhood Watch's monthly meeting. Always an interesting evening, good mix of people from across the community, if Carleton had a Parish Council it would look like this and do good work.
Anyhoo a member was sharing some information about the proposed traffic survey about Pontefract's traffic problems. This has been wheeled out smartish as our MP and one of the ruling group councillors gave an interview to the local paper saying that they intended in conjunction with senior officers of WMDC to have a summit to find solutions for our problems.
Thing is Yvette was promising something and included Trevor the councillor, she usually does something similar each year with whichever Labour Councillor is up for re-election or to introduce their candidate. In 2006 on election day she was found in a local chip shop at Carleton Park drumming up support from the evening rush to go out and vote for the person announced as the next Deputy Mayor (in this case it seemed not to work 42 more people voted for me than him and the rest is history).
Well this time somebody checked the story by asking a WMDC senior officer in a public meeting what WMDC knew about Yvette's initiative.
Nothing was the reply, more questions were asked and it suddenly starts to look like this was one of Yvette's aspirational press releases. Nobody at Wakefield knew anything. Result piece in paper shortly followed by an embarassed Trevor having to say details not agreed yet.
Then all of a sudden we do get some officers of the council doing a version of a human suggestion box in Pontefract Town Hall to avoid any embarrassment. So after the comment that this was really the consultation to end all consultations and would really get things sorted, I reminded the assembled group that the same exercise happened in 2002, 2004, 2006 and that if any real action resulted that lead to a significant improvement before October this year, I will eat my hat at a charity event organised for the purpose
I have a cunning plan...
Anyhoo a member was sharing some information about the proposed traffic survey about Pontefract's traffic problems. This has been wheeled out smartish as our MP and one of the ruling group councillors gave an interview to the local paper saying that they intended in conjunction with senior officers of WMDC to have a summit to find solutions for our problems.
Thing is Yvette was promising something and included Trevor the councillor, she usually does something similar each year with whichever Labour Councillor is up for re-election or to introduce their candidate. In 2006 on election day she was found in a local chip shop at Carleton Park drumming up support from the evening rush to go out and vote for the person announced as the next Deputy Mayor (in this case it seemed not to work 42 more people voted for me than him and the rest is history).
Well this time somebody checked the story by asking a WMDC senior officer in a public meeting what WMDC knew about Yvette's initiative.
Nothing was the reply, more questions were asked and it suddenly starts to look like this was one of Yvette's aspirational press releases. Nobody at Wakefield knew anything. Result piece in paper shortly followed by an embarassed Trevor having to say details not agreed yet.
Then all of a sudden we do get some officers of the council doing a version of a human suggestion box in Pontefract Town Hall to avoid any embarrassment. So after the comment that this was really the consultation to end all consultations and would really get things sorted, I reminded the assembled group that the same exercise happened in 2002, 2004, 2006 and that if any real action resulted that lead to a significant improvement before October this year, I will eat my hat at a charity event organised for the purpose
I have a cunning plan...
No comments:
Post a Comment