Mustard wrote:
Ah, we're talking about different things. I'm talking about towns that aren't big enough to have cinemas, sports venues, malls and ice rinks.
Coincidentally, on London BBC news just now, there was a report that the Hemel Hempstead ice rink (privately run but I think on council property) was about to close. What was surprising (if I heard correctly) is that there are now only ten ice rinks left in the country!
Widening the discussion further, it’s yet another example of the erosion of public services that we see taking place on a daily basis. If something isn’t making any money it gets the chop – it doesn’t matter if hundreds, sometime thousands, of people lose something they really need in the process - Mammon must be fed.
We’ve all heard of the village post office closing down at huge inconvenience to the locals but here are two examples of the closure of two post offices here (once a town now a city). The first was the central post office, closed a few years ago, moved to the upper floor of WH Smith (with limited access for peeps with mobility issues) and the former PO premises now used as a small supermarket. Second was the PO that served a very large housing estate (several thousand houses) just out of town for many years – part of a square with a supermarket, optician’s, dental and doctor’s surgery etc and with an old folks home just minute’s away. Closed and now a charity shop. Nearest PO for a couple of years was the one above – fifteen minute bus ride into town. One a bit nearer now but still five minutes by car. Crazy.
If we stop wasting billions on upgrading Trident, HS2 and got our priorities right the country’d be a lot better off. Still think a tunnel for Stonehenge is a worthwhile project though – ten times better than a high speed train that will only line the pockets of those who build it and can afford to travel on it.
