Hmmmm. The closed tennis courts at Oldway Mansion
As I started to write I felt a shiver run through me and I
am sure that you have experienced similar feelings. They are, mostly,
inexplicable but often seem to herald events. Perhaps that is how the prophets
of old felt when they were in the business of foretelling and foreseeing. You
have to wonder where the prophets of today exist; certainly not amongst our
political elite and probably not amongst the broad spectrum of religious
leaders. In truth you might argue that
the business of foretelling is not prophetic at all. Too often it is simply
stating the obvious to people who refuse to listen. For example saying that
parking charges, parking meters and enthusiastic enforcement officers will
drive people away from the town centre is really stating the obvious. That sort
of foretelling quite often makes prophets of us all!
It amused me, or at least I think that it was amusement, the
other day when Torbay Council decided to remove a number of yellow lines to
encourage folk to use the urban area. That news came shortly after I paid 70p
at a parking meter to pick up my £1.10 Herald Express. Hmm. I’ve had my say on
local traffic management over the years but too often felt like the proverbial
lonely voice. That doesn’t worry me but the lack of joined up thinking by the
decision makers does. Understanding the difference between traffic control and
a parking tax (for that is what a parking meter does) is important. It is one
thing ensuring that the flow of traffic is efficient but continually taxing
visitors to a town centre to raise revenue is another. Bleating on about the
death of town centres and then hammering another nail in the coffin by taxing
all motorists attempting to visit is, it seems to me, ridiculous!
So here we are in April already with longer daylight hours
and the promise of a sunny summer ahead. In a couple of months we will all be
cheering on the annual tennis adventure that is Wimbledon. Last year we had the
joy of Andy Murray’s stunning victory that had us all cheering. Tennis took on
a life of its own as the joy of Andy’s win spread far and wide. Aspirant
Wimbledon champions attempted to find court space and even the least athletic
of us felt the urge to knock around uncontrollable tennis balls.
Of course locally we watched Torbay Council close the twelve
lovely courts at Oldway Mansion because of the anticipated redevelopment there.
So for the summer of 2013 those expensively built floodlit courts were ‘de-netted’
and locked. But as far as I know the lease has still not be signed and so the
courts will again be empty for the summer of 2014. If and when the lease is
signed I am told that there is a plan to build six new hard courts that will be
open to the public. Hopefully the charges will not be prohibitive. To me keeping
the courts closed for another summer is madness but there you go. I did write
about my disappointment last year and was saddened by the comparative lack of
interest.
Talking about madness do pay attention to the increasing
volume of political rhetoric as we get caught up in the period of headline
catching promises whilst rocketing toward the 2015 elections in little over a
year. Of course the European elections happen before then and so being ever
vigilant is hugely important. Listen to the words and balance the possible
outcome. Too often the promise is given with the right hand and then taken with
the left. The trick is not to take the headline at face value. There are many
changes happening on a daily basis and as usual the people already taking the
financial pain take the hit first. That has been evidenced by the recent
hurtful local government funding cuts. That worrying socio-economic gap is
getting wider on a daily basis. I used to worry whether we were lemmings or
hamsters when it came to the economic landscape. Being a hamster might be a
worry at times but lemmings have a bit of a reputation for self-harm and that
my friends might be a bigger worry for us all!
I’ve said before and I make no apology for repeating myself
that we all need to keep in contact with our local councillors and our elected
mayor. You have a voice and a responsibility to make your views clear. Without
your input too often decisions will be made that might make you feel
uncomfortable. If that is the case you have to ask how that happened without
you having your say. These are challenging times with it seems to me many
opportunities if we keep an open mind.
Seek the positive rather than the negative and of course
keep the smile!
No comments:
Post a Comment