THIS weeks Redditch Standard letters.
‘HS2 disappointment’
SO Sunak has run away from HS2.
Probably because A) The Tories want some room for tax cuts for their pals ahead of the election and B) so they can flog all the land they compulsory purchased from ordinary folk to those same donors and pals.
Watching a bungled regeneration programme nationally allows us to reflect on similar pressures locally.
Inflation made HS2 costs balloon, so the Tories poured more taxpayer money in.
Local folk objected.
They carried on regardless.
Eventually the roof caved in on their vanity project and they decided to walk away leaving a mess for the next administration to clear up.
If you live in Redditch that might sound familiar!
Tories love a vanity project. As long as taxpayers are there to pick up the bill. All Labour can do from opposition is warn them. Sadly it seems Tories are not great listeners.
There is no fresh approach. Just more of the same. We are all paying the cost of that.
Tory administrations cannot and will not reform themselves. Therefore they must be replaced.
Coun Ian Woodall
Labour
Headless Cross and Oakenshaw
‘Misleading claims’
I NOTE our MP Racheal Maclean’s support for the Three Counties Medical School in Worcester of 50 doctors to be trained from next September and who could disagree this is good news?
But for our MP to claim it will boost the fight of the return of maternity and children’s services back to the Alex is somewhat misleading and more of an opportunistic publicity stunt.
Firstly – It would take years for doctors to qualify.
Secondly – There is no guarantee any of them would be working in the fields that would be needed
Thirdly: There’s no guarantee to say any of the doctors would be working at the Alex.
Fourthly: There’s been no agreement made in over four years since Rachel announced her campaign for the services to be returned.
Last year the Government stopped funding for training nearly 800 junior doctors’ places and not one single training place was given to the newly built Three Counties Medical and training centre.
Dare we even think it’s likely to happen at all, given the Government’s broken promises and our MP’s record of not delivering on this campaign.
A Berry
Redditch Resident
‘Waste of time’
IS THIS really what the oh-so-limited police force is doing with their time?
Chasing people on e-scooters? That they thought it was worth showing as an example of them stamping down on crime?
I feel oh so much better now four people have had their property seized and destroyed to appease the madding law that makes their ownership legal but to use them anywhere practical illegal.
That it was fine to tolerate them when it was being used by a foreign private company to rent them out to own one yourself is somehow beyond the pale?
Electric bikes are fine but not these?
Why are these scooters seen as such a massive issue that the police saw fit to show off how they seized four of them and that it was worthy of its own article?
William Boyd
‘Library plans absurd’
THE PLANS and subsequent decision to relocate the library a few metres down the road have always seemed absurd and self serving.
But, during a recent conversation with a friend of mine who is very active in the community, another worrying aspect was brought to my attention.
The library being located in the same building as drug and alcohol teams, and healthy minds is not without avoidable risk.
These user groups are often very different cohorts.
People with drug and alcohol dependency issues, and those with other mental health needs are nearly always people in crisis by the time they get help and reach services.
Library users include children and older residents using the library for a range of educational and leisure activities.
This is in no way a criticism of specialist service users, rather, an acknowledgment of the difficulties they face and some of the behaviours that will manifest, partly exacerbated by years of decaying and depleted specialist mental health and drugs and alcohol services, under our current incompetent and dying government.
It is not sensible or professional to bundle a set of random services into a building without due consideration to the effect this may have on those disparate groups.
With the growing county lines problems, increased drug use amongst lower and lower age groups and increased elderly abuse, it seems to me that safeguarding risk assessments should be carried out by appropriate partner agencies without delay.
I can only imagine some of the headlines in this paper at some future date if these risks aren’t addressed properly.
The risks are not just financial, but also societal.
The plans demonstrate a regressive, ill considered set of actions rather reminiscent of HS2.
Let’s hope Dormer’s library plans mirror Sunak’s plans for Birmingham to Manchester.
Jayne Sillitoe
Editors Comment
WHILST Redditch was unfortunate to miss out on the Government Levelling Up funding for a third time for cash to spend on the Winyates and Matchborough centres, the two areas’ residents and business owners have reiterated their views about not liking the plans.
Maybe before applying for the next round of funding, the council should consult those living and working there to see what can be done to get two centres everyone wants and can be proud of.
