SHE WRITES BETTER THAN SHE KNOWS!

A snippet caught my eye whilst reading last week’s Reporter. (21 Nov’ 2013)

It carried a letter from a prolific, yet totally unoffending correspondent, whose innocent account of her travelling jaunts, has once again high-lighted the obvious chink in the council’s argument that the Metro will boost trade in Ashton.

Ashton Market currently has 140 stalls. 

Bury, on the other hand boasts 370 stalls, that’s over 2.5 times more to offer, which could explain why Bury welcomes over 250,000 shoppers every week!

In order to remedy this, our councillors are planning to spend £4.5 million destroying redesigning Ashton’s historic market ground.

Unfortunately, the plan so far includes reducing the number of traditional free standing outside stalls to 50, supported by 6 pop-up stalls and 7 Kiosks.

 – A shopaholic’s dream, if ever I saw one!  

WHO WANTS PUDDING?

'Twas 4 weeks before Christmas and all through Santa's workshop, deep within the bowels of Tameside's Town Hall were busy little civic elves. Among them was the long-term Deputy Leader of the elves and workshop convener of the Labour controlled ‘Easily Led Vacuous Electorate’ trade union, (E.L.V.E.) - Tea-total-Taylor, an ornery elf who habitually reaches for his massive tea urn to cope with each difficult day.

Repeat after me. "Have a cuppa tea and vote for me." "Have a cuppa tea and vote for me"

…Can anyone think of a more frightening prospect for what should be a Happy Christmas season for the poor Senior Citizens of Dukinfield, than the eerie shadow of a huge metal tea-pot falling across them, in the grip of a heavily tattooed fist, being brandished by a leering councillour called Jonny the elf? It's enough to make the poor old dears choke on their figgy

pudding! 

Typical of Tameside, the very site of a career councillour venturing into the human world with his council mates once a year to offer the elderly tea and a ‘free’ game of Bingo; is tantamount to bringing Christmas into disrepute! And as soon as Christmas is over, they’ll be creating holy hell by issuing fines to people who've put their wrapping paper, ribbons and bows in the wrong bin and be nonchalant in dragging shivering residents to the magistrates court for choosing to heat & eat, rather pay their inflated council tax.

If the holiday season has already begun to grate on your nerves - the round-the-clock Christmas music, the crowded markets (they wish!) filled with crying children, the obnoxiously cheery sales clerks, wearing silly hats and reindeer ‘onesies’; the very last thing we need when we open our ‘newspapers’ is the site of career councillours, dressed in silly garb in a sad bid for cheap publicity.

People would have more respect for their councillours and their ‘charitable works’ if they did it without the ubiquitous - ‘vote for me, I’m a good guy’ - photo-call.

MORE CONCRETE HEADING FOR HATTERSLEY?

Last December, I regaled of an angry rant at the Longdendale and Hattersley’s District Assembly, when someone touched a raw nerve and Councillor Fitzpatrick responded by ‘going on the offensive’ and apparently slammed people who he accused of warning residents of the possible consequences should the council amend the delivery hours at the Hattersley TESCO, as those people who ‘put Hattersley down’.

 

Last week, overheard in a conversation toward the end of the Speakers’ Panel meeting, Councillor Peter Robinson was heard to proclaim that the Hattersley Green Belt and playing field is “already an industrial area”.

“No it is not”, said, Conservative Councillor Dickinson, correcting him.

“Oh yes it is”, he replied.

Councillor Dickinson was then heard to lament to Councillor Reynolds, “Is that right; that in 6 months that area will be an industrial estate?” To which, Councillor Reynolds nodded her head.

First, 24hr deliveries, next we loose the playing fields, then they bring the concrete.

So, now that TESCO have succeeded at the second attempt to persuade the council to amend their terms of agreement and allow 24hr-7 days a week deliveries; and in conjunction with Councillor Robinson's unguarded remarks, it make one wonder where all these murky arrangement have been leading and just what is in store for Hattersley’s Playing Fields and surrounding Green Belt?

Let us not forget that the preferred option for Tameside’s Strategic Development Plan, is still in place, and the Councillors on the Strategic Planning Team are due to meet this coming Thursday.

Just to remind you what Tameside councils preferred plan for Hattersley is:

Site: Mottram M67

Located at the eastern end of the M67 between Hattersley and Mottram. Suitable for employment led development for research, light and general industrial purposes, and distribution. 

If this goes ahead, it will be interesting to see just who as been instrumental in putting down Hattersley!