“Hypocrites get offended by the truth.” Jess C. Scott.
As a follow-up to my blog last week, The Yorkshire Post published the story (19/8), albeit with more holes than the pitches in question. Whether you like sport or not, just try to imagine the simple waste of money here.
I also had the following email.
I understand that the Bradford Cricket League and the Bradford Junior Cricket League were not consulted. But why would the council consult with these organisations, they include people who know about cricket!
Passing by another of these white elephants I took a look. Laughably, this sat on what used to be a Sunday morning quagmire so far as football was concerned. Smelly memories flooded back.
Rumbled, our hopeless council had sent the office trainee down with a brush and some white paint to evidence “maintenance”.
Executive Councillor Sarah Ferriby – cost to the public purse £39,402 year to 03/20 – was quoted in the YP.
“Our pitches are maintained by the council and our partners.” The truth is she is either too lazy to go inspect for herself or hoping a blatant lie will do.
A council source confirmed that the current allocation of funding from ECB for the NTPs includes the ‘capital’ cost…and also the funding for inspection and maintenance over the first 5 years after installation of the NTPs.
So what have they done with the money?
Challenged by the YP, the English Cricket Board (ECB) claimed they had provided more than £1m for clubs in Bradford since 2015.
This is totally misleading; if you strip out the admittedly admirable response to the Boxing Day 2015 floods and the Bradford Park Avenue Money Pit Stadium, what is left is peanuts relatively. The ECB has been led by the nose by local politics.
Consider the locations of the sites and the ward councillors, noting I have made the best guess at some wards.
2018
Bradford Park Ave – Labour 5 (inc member of Executive), Independent 1: assumes Little Horton & Great Horton
Haworth Road – Labour 3: Heaton
Hudson Avenue – see Bradford Park Avenue
Myra Shay* – Labour 3 (inc member of Executive): Bowling & Barkerend
Thornbury – Labour 2, Lib Dem 1: Bradford Moor
2021
Bowling Park – see Myra Shay
Cliffe Castle Park, Keighley – Labour 6, Conservative 3: Keighley Central, East & West
Highfield Recreation Ground, Keighley – as above
Horsfall Playing Fields – Labour 3: Royds
Myra Shay Sports Village* – see above
Northcliffe Park, Shipley – Greens 2, Independent 1: Shipley
Peel Park – Labour 2, Lib Dem 1: Bolton & Undercliffe
Wibsey Park – Labour 3
Wyke Sports Village – Labour 2 (inc member of Executive), Conservative 1: Wyke
*Myra Shay was mentioned in the first round but now gets a sports village too, having had millions poured in around 2007-8.
Howzat?
Rip-Off
The energy regulator OFGEM has announced a hike in energy bills for around 15m households by at least £139 a year. These are people on standard tariffs who, either choose not to or are unable to play the market.
For those most in need, those on pre-payment meters, there is a predicted £153 rise. How, when we live in a tech-led age where almost everybody has a phone of some description.
Would you judge me as cynical if I suggested that a fair percentage of the people affected could readily order a Deliveroo but simply cannot be bothered to visit Meerkat.com? Of course many, including the elderly, are stuffed by the system.
Longer-term energy prices are likely to continue to rise as Governments bring new technologies to the market, which we will all have to pay for. So why don’t we teach kids some fundamentally useful stuff in schools such as money management?
Instead, the Government announced that Latin would be reintroduced in schools. What possible real-life use will most kids derive from this?
More White Paint
The obsession with cycle lanes reflects an utter absence of original thought so far as how we work and travel.
Given that it has been perfectly possible to work effectively from home for decades, why has it taken a pandemic to awaken us? The daily grind to the office or hop across the landing? I realise some people are averse, but there are clear positives. Yet we remain wedded to “normal”.
Consider the millions spent on unused cycle lanes for the benefit of a handful of people skilled enough to change a flat tyre in the freezing rain, happy to arrive at work like a water rat?
Idle Road in Bradford is roughly a half-mile stretch with cycle lanes on both sides but you cannot access them if you wanted. Cars are parked the full length; where else can residents park?
Either we commit to efficient mass transit, which would be hugely expensive or think differently. Learning the lessons from lockdown would be far more effective than wasting millions.
Shameless?
The other day I received a call after an enquiry several months ago regarding bathroom aids for my Mum. I politely advised the lady that the old gal was still coping and then she asked if she could mention one more thing.
“Have you considered funeral plans?”
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