A £26-million waste of taxpayers' money?
PLANS to build a new sports academy in Scunthorpe and to revamp the Baths Hall have prompted much debate in the letter pages of the Scunthorpe Telegraph.
Read this contributor's submission to Viewpoint and then have your say on the issue.
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The Baths Hall in Scunthorpe
WITH reference to many other letters on the subjects that have gone unanswered, I would like to ask Coun Kirk to please give answers to the questions asked.
Why is the council still going ahead with the planned building of a new venue, when they own a brand new, large capacity, state-of-the-art venue with catering facilities that they have not even opened in three years?
Is this not a total waste of £26-million of taxpayers’ money?
We have an excellent theatre and an excellent venue already. You have demolished the Baths Hall, it is gone forever, there is no need to waste our money.
Also, the new sports hall, why is the cost £26-million?
In the initial stages the council said it would cost £6-million to £8-million, then after all the planning applications had gone through it is an unbelievable £26-million.
There were 11 objections to the project, enough to stop an application not favourable to the council, and I believe there would have been a lot more if people knew what the cost was going to be and what the full plans were.
Our council tax has doubled in the past 10 years and gone up again this year and no doubt will go up again next year to pay for these dreams; unemployment is at a record high in this area, with the prospect of even more job losses, and yet the council can find more than £50-million for projects that they want to build.
There have been no toilet facilities at Central Park for years because the council said it could not afford them, yet we have £52-million to spend – at least there should be some toilets!
Do we need a new sports hall? Do we need another big venue? More importantly, can we afford these extravagances?
Ian Charles
Small business owner
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8 Comments
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by ED, Crowle
Monday, July 06 2009, 12:47PM
“£50 Million for a sports complex? for whom? the majority of Scunthonians are obese and not interested in interactive sport of any description! That leaves the visiting sporting organisations all subsidised no doubt. The population of Scunthorpe as I can find, is just over 70.000 cunthorpe United can only manage an average of 5.000 supporters to a home match and they only expand their lungs hurling abuse at the players or the Ref or a combination of both, not very sporting here then, never mind do any excercise, they are also a successful business, so why should S.U.F.C take on a "White Elephant" in conjunction with the Council? thanks but no thanks. The Baths Hall is a joke, what people were told and won votes on are one and the same, but reality comes through, look at the state of the frontage now, we could have looked at photographs for memories of the place! What we need is for the people who run the Council Offices to get out a bit more not for a glance and to "tick a few boxes" but get out at night and see what the future generations want, see a few elderly people during the day and discover there needs! But, most of all "Get into the jobcentres" have a look at what is created every day by "recession, credit crunch", call it what you will, these are the real areas of discomfort. No Job, no money for entrance fee's to the Baths Hall, the Sports Complex, Club 2000 whatever it turns into? its called reality! It should be a rule that all serving Councillors get out at least once per week (not just election times) for a few hours to find the problems facing there constituents, and then the Councillors should have to report back to the complainants on just what has been acheived for them? I fear it would be as it is now, once the publicity has gone you would not see a councillor again till voting time or the cameras were back. My final question open to all Councillors; When I apply for a post I am always asked "what Qualifications and experiance do you have" does the same apply to you? in a councillor application, apart from the local party deciding who will be their candidate, what for example, qualifies Mark Kirk to be a Councillor? where are his and others credentials? as up to now all they would get across all parties from the public of this town are "Dear John's" and "Must do better" especially to fill all those houses behind Tesco! no job, no mortgage, NO LEISURE! wake up. Those with a job now budget, those without have nowt!! God Bless them.
ED”
by Jack, Scunny
Monday, July 06 2009, 9:41AM
“So you've been in contact with the council, who are public servants and you've asked democratically elected public representatives and you're still not getting answers or being told the truth ?
Well, Imagine that !”
by AH, Scunny
Sunday, July 05 2009, 5:37PM
“I have been all over YF website and cant find anything about Club 2000 belonging to them, and the council just keep you on the phone for ages and you dont get an answer.
No wonder people give up and the council gets its own way all the time.
Anyhow, as far as I can see it belongs to NLC .
So come on John, am I right ?”
by Po, Scunny
Friday, July 03 2009, 12:54PM
“I say build the venue and the sports hall. Them and the old club 2000 can house all the unemployed theres going to be, after the council have demolished the houses they had left.”
by Joe, Bewildered
Thursday, July 02 2009, 4:56PM
“Great reply from NLC, well Cllr c Osullivan in todays ST. Didn't answer any of the questions but got in in it will cost significantly less, well, how much then. And a significant sum from Yorkshire Forward, well how much then.And isn't YF just taxpayers money anyway.I want to know how its going ahead with 11 objections, this could be very interesting over the next few weeks ; - )”