“You’re not allowed to call them dinosaurs any more,” said Yo-less. “It’s speciesist. You have to call them pre-petroleum persons.”
Terry Pratchett, Johnny and the Bomb.
As England crumbled at the hands of the Aussies, more ducking and diving down at City Hall…read on…
Well over a month since I first raised the issue, there are now rumblings down at City Hall over the Council’s plans to blow over £15m on a sports strategy with more holes in it than the England batting line up. Even the local rag has now had an about turn, initially supportive via the Editorial (11/7) but now questioning the sell-off of facilities (8/8) across the district to fund this.
In Sport For Votes I made the point that the Council’s reliance on two external reports – at a cost of over £54k – with numerous inaccuracies was simply a smokescreen to rubber stamp certain high value projects to soothe Labour controlled areas. It certainly has nothing to do with sport.
At last it seems that our local Councillor Sunderland (Idle & Thackley) has been moved to raise this issue – see here – surely proof that she must read The Trumpit. She was involved many years ago shovelling millions into one of the proposed so-called “hubs” – Myra Shay; once bitten, twice shy?
I’ve also been chasing answers from Hapless Hinchcliffe, but she’s been blocking me better than Geoffrey Boycott. Her lack of willingness to play a straight bat may suggest a suspect defence but it’s not me sending down the spin.
Having read the most recent report, I asked for clarity concerning the money pit that is Myra Shay.
Here is an extract from my email:
The report (p66) makes the following comments:
Cricket – A standard quality square consisting of two grass wickets. The pitch is available for community use but is currently unused.
Football – Three adult pitches, one youth 9v9 pitch, one mini 7v7 pitch and two mini 5v5 pitches, all of which are standard quality. The adult pitches and mini 5v5 pitches currently have actual spare capacity whereas the mini 7v7 and youth 9v9 pitches have no additional capacity at peak periods.
Good quality ancillary facilities.
Is it not natural to wonder why a) the cricket pitch is unused especially given the outlay barely a decade ago and b) when spare capacity is available and the facilities are “good quality” why the need to spend millions?
I also posed the following question:
Finally, the Council commissioned a report from the same consultants in 2014. Why has it taken you five years to act, notwithstanding, commissioning yet another report at yet more cost?
We should be able to challenge how the Council spends our money; as public servants they are accountable to us and not to their chosen pet projects. It is shameful that they can seek to avoid the issue having been caught out.
Howzat?
My Favourite Sandwich Shop
Taken from this month’s Trumpit.
I am a big fan of shopping local. Way back when I had a proper job, life on the road was tempered by my daily lunchtime treat courtesy of Day’s Confectioners. Regardless of whether I was starving on my way back from an appointment miles away, the lure of Mrs Day’s stale baguettes was always irresistible. Before you think this cruel, trust me the old gal gives every bit as good as she gets; so, with stomach rumbling it would be foot down and homeward bound.
The sandwich shop has come a long way since I started working in the early Eighties but I dare say that Day’s will barely have changed. Locally, we now have several excellent coffee houses also serving fine food. We also have the major players such as Greggs and Subway, plus numerous other outlets. Despite them all, little old Mrs Day rolls on.
I called in the other day to deliver her supplies of The Trumpit and succumbed shamelessly to the offer of two free lukewarm sausages she was about to send to the local pigs. I cautioned her that bribing the free press was no guarantee of getting nice things written about her nor a Michelin Star.
Often, I take a bag of loose change from the car but never ever return with anything other than the plastic bag, save for an armful of cakes – “For your Mum!” – as she shoos me out of the shop, a little glint in her eye. Sharp as a tack.
“Have you got any fresh baguettes?” I teased the other day. “No!” came the reply “but I’ve got a few here from last week that the mice haven’t touched!” “I’ll have the lot” I said as she calmly emptied my bulging bag of change.
“You’ve not spent up yet” she said with the counted change in neat piles on the counter, a sort of No-Man’s Land between us albeit never any serious prospect of recovering my loot. “How about a pack of vanillas – for your Mum?” The killer line again shamelessly added a la I’ve only one left/It’s a very special price/You know you want it.
I hope this little shop is here for a long time yet; one day I might even get a fresh baguette!
The Trumpit
For those of you outside God’s County, we have started a subscription service with a year’s supply – 11 editions – posting anywhere in the UK for only £20. If you would like a copy of The Trumpit each month please let me know.
The Return Of The Pundit
In case you had not noticed, football is back and with it an army of pundits well versed in stating the bleedin’ obvious. On R5 Live this week came this gem from one Clinton Morrison referring to the proposed sale of a Crystal Palace striker for another obscene sum of money.
“‘e won dem a lot o games last season single ‘andedly…by ‘imself!”
They think its all over…
Leave a Reply