THIS weeks Redditch Standard letters.
‘Library will be bigger’
I FIND it astonishing the Chair of Redditch Lib Dems has such a poor grasp of what is actually happening and how local government finances actually work.
Firstly the new library will actually be bigger than the current library so let’s put that misconception to bed once and for all. It will also be more accessible for those with mobility issues.
Secondly this is not a vanity project, it comes after years of work which was incidentally started by Labour.
I would like to draw your attention to the article published in this paper on March 13, 2018: ‘Radical plans including demolishing the town hall and library to make Redditch Vibrant’.
The plans have improved dramatically since then. For example the library isn’t moving all the way to Smallwood House like Labour had wanted.
Thirdly the extra £1million is to be expected since the original amounts were created before interest rates went up. In fact it is still a fantastic deal fiscally. Due to this project, the council will be financially better off by over £400k a year even with the loan repayments.
Coun Emma Marshall
Greenlands Ward
‘Thanks a million’
WHAT’S another million?
For the vast majority a jackpot/lottery win the only way they’ll ever know.
In certain circles its about status, power and influence.
It’s also about what individuals and society values.
In recent weeks the first £1million footballer, Trevor Francis, passed away.
Then seven-figure sums for players less talented became commonplace and these days transfers reach nine-figures.
With the Saudi billions it won’t be long until the first £1million-a-week player.
In sharp contrast, many struggle to make ends meet, some in ‘reasonably well paid jobs’ having to use foodbanks.
In electing them to make the best use of public finances (taxation/charges/grants/reserves) politicians are trusted to deliver what is of most benefit and value to the population they serve.
Another million would have met costs for Community House to continue and also meet environmental regulations applying, depending on the changing ‘green policies’ of those with status and power in Westminster.
What are the people of Redditch going to get from the millions already deemed and another million now required for the regeneration of the town centre?
For all those millions, the potential commercial value for sale/lease of a library building and land, the cost of demolishing the library – the people of Redditch will be getting: no new amenities, no new attractions, no new facilities.
What’s another million?
We’ve seen with the revival of the Redditch Carnival just what can bring the town together: the social, enjoyment, community, economy value involving all ages, without but deserving of major funding justified by the brilliant dedication of the event organisers.
This year some thanks a million farewells and tributes have been seen with passing of senior Redditch politicians.
Are we going to remember the present incumbents for their contribution in the years to come?
Alan Godwin
‘A financial risk’
The Redditch Conservatives plough ahead with borrowing money to move the library despite the risks of financial ruin.
At Monday’s full council meeting, heated words of exchange were made by both Labour and Conservative councillors.
The item in question was the Conservatives wanting to borrow £1million to plug the gap in their failed budget to move the library into the town hall.
The council has also failed to hit its efficiency savings targets and has had to dip into its reserves to balance a wobbly budget which shows it cannot be trusted with finance.
The plan would see the council overspend which will potentially put the council in to a budget disaster creating massive caps in spending and the potential of an asset wide sell off.
Not only do they now have to start selling council assets, but they now have to start borrowing money for a vanity project that a blinkered Matt Dormer insists on pushing through.
It is now becoming more obvious that the Conservative members are blindly playing follow the leader as they are being thrown under the bus at each election, the public simply do not want this plan to go ahead.
In two years, this has cost Coun Dormer nine councillors, yet again this clearly shows Redditch does not want his project to go ahead.
The Labour group is not against the Town Hall Hub, we are only against the moving of the library and putting this council in financial ruin.
At the end of the day, you will have the opportunity to make your feelings known at the ballot box in May 2024 and usher in a new Labour administration which will actually listen to you and put forward a plan that puts you at the heart of decision making.
Coun Joe Baker,
Leader of Redditch Labour
