If the Council have to make cuts then why are they not looking at the 1.155 million p.a. they pay to support Leisure East Devon. Let L.E.D stand on their own two feet instead of handing out increased Council tax for residents of East Devon. L.E.D is an Independent trust why are we paying for them?
Whilst I would agree that LED is ripe for some pruning. I personally think it would be much better to start at the top of the tree and prune some of the deadwood, that delivers no useful services to the council tax payer. At least LED provides a service to the public, which is useful. Whereas there are many other areas of profligate waste that the council could trim first. We have a top heavy beaurocracy in need of radical streamlining and some overpaid executive officers who need to be thinned out first.
Ian It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal a crown. The blame diminishes as the guilt increases
I note from the news on today's Journal site that trees in the Strand Gardens are getting cut down shortly, as the start of the regeneration process. Am I missing something?? Services are due to get cut back, but £3m is being spent on something that (it appears) the majority don't want or need - but they do want their services kept.
Whilst I agree whole heartedly with Ian about removing some of the top weight, I would like to suggest that we do something about cut-backs in services, instead of grumbling into our teacups. If we all just picked up rubbish instead of throwing it down and swept the pavements outside our homes, Exmouth would not suffer so badly from a cutback in street cleaners. Any other ideas, anyone?
so where are all the loud mouths who didn't want a decent supermarket but don't mind the desicration of the strand then? what a terrible thing to do we are in despirate need of facilities not ruining the only slightly reasonable place we have in the town
And isn't it convenient that all the trees that needed to be felled for the strand regeneration just all happened to be diseased. They were lovely trees, and there would have been a lot of complaints about felling them if it wasn't for the 'diseases'.
The strand is a perfectly nice area, the money would be better off being spent on improving facilities such as the library , or improving run down areas of the town such as the magnolia center.
Absolutely heartbreaking, having seen the state of the Strand gardens last night - sheer and utter desecration!! How ever have they been allowed to get away with it? If a member of the public wants to trim a tree in their garden, they have to apply for planning permission - seems the council can just give it to them themselves, without, apparently, recourse to the planning process.
I am reserving judgment at the moment. It could be (hopefully) that we will end up with a great new-look Strand which will offer the town some much-needed boost. I am sure there will be new trees planted in time. Let's give the councils a chance. Let's see the finished product before we start to criticise. This is typical of a certain group of Exmothians who complain about everything - hence plans come and go and nothing ever happens. The town needs to change. I was in a shop last week and the owner told me that several shops' takings were down because fewer and fewer people were coming to the town centre. Come on, let's give things a chance.
Whilst it may well be that we end up with a "great new look strand".....I for one cannot see the justification for spending £3.000.000 pounds of council tax payers money on a square of garden!!! I don't know if any of the blinkered individuals in favour of this desecration have noticed lately, but we are in the middle of a recession and the Council is making cutbacks...Yes that's right people are losing their jobs, the elderly are being thrown out of care homes and moved regardless of their wishes. The handicapped have seen both Danby House and I believe the Doyle Centre close and further cuts are in the pipeline to enable the Council to cap their increases in council tax within government limits. The public are being bled dry by the local authorities whilst seeing our roads and services stripped of funding, we hear the "colony" area is suffering from flooding due to a lack of maintenance, we can all see the pitiful level of housekeeping that is now operated by EDDC and Devon County...Nothing is "serviced" anymore. We see drains cleaned when they overflow, not as a matter of routine, potholes are filled when people complain, not as a matter of routine etc etc I could go on.
Fair enough, tart up Exmouth Town Centre, but I would rather see Old People safe in council homes or handicapped kids warm safe and cared for, than some treeless post apocalyptic "Town Centre"....Then perhaps I have the wrong priorities in life? It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal a crown. The blame diminishes as the guilt increases
I would not disagree with you, except that something has to be done to regenerate Exmouth town centre before the place dies on its feet. Businesses are closing, trade is massively down and we cannot attract visitors with charity shops! It's no good allowing the town to decay. Walk round Exmouth on a gloomy day and the place is miserable. Walk round Budleigh or Sidmouth and there is still a buzz. Vibrant individual shops. The places look as though someone cares. Perhaps we should bite the bullet and put up taxes, instead of trying to win votes all the time. A small increase would go a long way. And perhaps we should look at cutting jobs at EDDC and DCC, freezing pay awards and closing final pensions schemes - in the same way that many businesses have done in the past year.
PS From what I recall, The Strand revamp will be something more than a small square of garden...
unfortunately exmouth is already virtually dead, the desicration of the strand is just another nail ln the coffin. Budleigh too is dead the only place around here that is still breathing is Sidmouth, why have they got it right and we have got it sooooooooo very wrong????????
"unfortunately exmouth is already virtually dead, the desicration of the strand is just another nail ln the coffin. Budleigh too is dead the only place around here that is still breathing is Sidmouth, why have they got it right and we have got it sooooooooo very wrong????????"
Nothing to do with the fact that EDDC operate out of Sidmouth, of course........???!!!
"unfortunately exmouth is already virtually dead, the desicration of the strand is just another nail ln the coffin. Budleigh too is dead the only place around here that is still breathing is Sidmouth, why have they got it right and we have got it sooooooooo very wrong????????"
Nothing to do with the fact that EDDC operate out of Sidmouth, of course........???!!!