‘Remember this before New Year election’
IN 2024 it will be 60 years since Redditch was designated a new town and thanks to our wonderful Conservative borough and county councils it looks set to be the best yet.
They are going to get rid of the, admittedly much prized, recreational green space of top Ipsley Meadow and replace it with a fantastic new municipal cemetery.
I’ve often sat up there thinking the view, good as it is, would be improved by the sight of graves spreading across it.
With the sort of joined up thinking Labour supporters cannot appreciate, the town is getting a wonderful new toxic chemical refinery from Kaug. thanks to our Conservative Worcestershire County Council, meaning, if things go badly wrong, we might need a large cemetery.
Our purpose-built town library will be demolished and replaced by a glorious new square, sorry, plaza, with fountains and yet more coffee shops.
This will mean many of those currently in the Kingfisher Centre can move out to these new outlets freeing up the units in the centre to be decorated with life size murals of countryside scenes to replace the real ones lost at Ipsley meadow. More joined up thinking by the Conservatives!
The library, with its mother and toddler and pensioner groups, will relocate to the town hall hub to join the drink, drug and mental health facilities there. What could possibly go wrong?
Elsewhere in the town, the unsightly field in Matchborough will be built on and those dreadful woods out Mappleborough Green way will become a brilliant new housing estate, despite there being no new school or health centre being built to cater for the increased numbers – and the poor old Alex doubtless continuing to lose services to the Worcestershire Royal, for political rather than medical reasons.
2024 will also bring council elections across the borough, so please remember all these things the Conservatives have done for the town when the time comes to vote.
K Wass
Peter Andre’s rubbish bins- council to blame?
IN LAST week’s edition a letter referred to Redditch Borough Council’s failure to provide enough rubbish bins for the Christmas lights switch-on event.
Perhaps it’s not the fault of RBC.
It has been suggested the blame should be directed to the organiser – the Redditch BID Team and the event’s management by the company Events Warwickshire.
The current RBC can, and should, be blamed for many things, however in this specific case it might be that this complaint about not enough bins should be referred to the Redditch BID manager and his team.
Southcrest Resident
‘Council’s financial management a concern’
I WRITE regarding financial management.
Once again Redditch Borough Council has been served with a Section 24 notice for not producing audited accounts.
How can a council be properly run if they do not know the exact state of their own budgets?
We Redditch residents should be able to trust that our council tax is wisely spent and this goes to show that the council have failed to do this for multiple years.
Sorting out this fiasco should be a much bigger priority than borrowing more money to fund the vanity project of knocking down the library.
Andrew Fieldsend-Roxborough
Redditch Liberal Democrats Parliamentary spokesperson
‘Not much to cheer about before Christmas’
IS IT time to worry?
Every other council across the land served with a Section 24 notice has declared bankruptcy.
Whilst we currently debate replacing one perfectly good railway station with another and moving the Libary 20ft to the left can I suggest leave well alone!
Ridiculous speed bumps on Bromsgrove Road, why?
Bat lighting deposited all over the town glowing bright red, why?
Scale the stupidity back, mow the grass this coming August instead of July and start balancing your books RBC!
Merry Christmas
Roger Pynecoffin
Thank to to the Alex
THANKS to our wonderful Alexandra Hospital.
After a referral from my GP, I was seen by Mr Purser and his wonderful team of nurses in the Rainbow Suite and then also for a mammogram – again the staff were second to none.
Let us never ever stop fighting for our Alex and its wonderful staff, even the coffee shop run by volunteers.
We are indeed lucky.
Mrs Lynne Farman
Waiting lists at record levels
CARDIOLOGY waiting lists are at record levels in England with more than 400,000 people waiting for an appointment at the end of September 2023.
There has been a 76 per cent rise in people waiting for cardiac care since February 2020.
This is an increase of 176,000 – enough people to fill Wembley stadium twice over.
The longer people wait for treatment, the higher their risk of becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely.
Today in England, around 375 people will die from a heart or circulatory disease. That’s one death every four minutes.
The British Heart Foundation is deeply concerned by these figures. At BHF we know that delays in the diagnosis and treatment of a heart condition can have devastating consequences.
We also understand the human impact behind these numbers – the families dealing with grief and loss, worry and anxiety.
That’s why we are asking members of the public who have been impacted by cardiology waiting times to get in touch to see if you can help us raise awareness of the impact they have on heart patients.
If you are willing to share your experience of waiting for a cardiology appointment in England with the BHF, please e-mail [email protected] to speak to our team.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths
Chief Executive
British Heart Foundation
EDITOR’S COMMENT
IT IS fantastic news Redditch youngster Emilia Mackay has had her successful stem cell transplant and is now recovering at home.
As well as highlighting Emilia’s Aplastic Anaemia battle, her story also raised awareness of the urgent need for stem cell donors and inspired 345 people to come forward.
Only three per cent of the UK population are on the stem cell register making ‘finding a match’ for those who need it almost impossible.
Please visit dkms.org.uk and help those like Emilia in their time of need.
We welcome your letters….
We welcome your letters for the Bromsgrove and Droitwich Standard on any subject but please keep them to no more than 350 words. Email them to [email protected]
