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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Derbyshire Council wasting £70k

34 replies

NLwNH · 26/10/2014 21:16

AIBU to think that Derbyshire Council have totally lost the plot, to be spending £70,000 on "upgrading" a rocky track on a mountain near Mam Tor?

Surely the money would be better spent on Social Care or Children’s Services? Or if it had to remain within Highways, then how about filling in some more potholes, or improving pavements for buggies and wheelchairs? Or maybe even reducing the Council Tax?

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 26/10/2014 21:21

I assume it's a walking area and they've made it safe

All of these things have to be paid for and if you want to influence the hierarchy of things then run for local council?

I for one would likely disagree as I think that keeping the countryside open for the good health of it's inhabitants is worthwhile

effinandjeffin · 26/10/2014 21:25

laurie it is a walking area and Mam Tor gets a huge amount of visitors per year, a lot of who, I assume, pay council tax.

Nothing else to add apart from I agree with what laurie said

KnackeredMuchly · 26/10/2014 21:29

Yabu, they need tourism.

Pensionerpeep · 26/10/2014 21:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

VileStatistyx · 26/10/2014 21:29

Have you got a link? Whereabouts are they repairing?
I know it's a lot of money but tourism is the lifeblood of the hope valley and vale of edale and anything that brings the tourists in is worth a hell of a lot to the local economy

scousadelic · 26/10/2014 21:30

You are lucky you don't live near Blackpool, our council never had a plot to lose!. We have a failing town with huge deprivation, many social problems and a large number of hotels that are struggling for enough visitors yet, rather than putting the money into anything useful they plan to loan £9million to Holiday Inn to build a 125 bedroom hotel! I don't understand how normal people, once elected to councils, make such idiotic decisions

NLwNH · 26/10/2014 21:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LaurieFairyCake · 26/10/2014 21:51

I dont understand Confused

Why did you put that you wanted the money spent on other things when actually you object because of safety - why didn't you put that in your original post?

If you're not involved in the decision how can you know this - surely the council have done a study to check for safety ?

Original poster
NLwNH · 26/10/2014 22:17

Sorry, Laurie, my OP was too brief. Yes, I'm concerned about safety, but also about tourism and the local economy, and access to the countryside, and conserving fragile environments, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Too much for an opening post, surely?

This track is down to the bedrock, with a series of rocky steps, making it particularly enjoyable for ramblers, horse riders and mountain bikers. Destroying this type of more challenging trail will reduce the attraction of the area for "adventure tourists".

OP posts:
Original poster
NLwNH · 26/10/2014 22:21

No, I don't believe the council have done an adequate risk assessment. There have been some very nasty accidents on other "improved" trails, including one yesterday on the Long Causeway at Stanage.

OP posts:
Original poster
NLwNH · 27/10/2014 16:01

It's starting to hit the media today, so here's a link
(unfortunately there wasn't much other info, beyond FB groups, until now)

OP posts:
Scholes34 · 27/10/2014 16:32

How much would a resident get if the Council Tax overall were reduced by £70,000?

Nomama · 27/10/2014 16:37

But it is a BOAT and so should be kept available to all, not just for mountain bikers!

So it could be that horse riders, walkers, motorbike riders, quad bike riders, etc have moaned about the state of the roadway.

Without knowing what prompted the upgrade it is hard to tell who, if anyone is BU!

Serenitysutton · 27/10/2014 16:44

I think when it comes to local authority wastage that's pretty inconsequential!

BabyMarmoset · 27/10/2014 17:09

Councils have a huge remit.

Why have libraries, or parks, or recycling, or pot hole repairs or etc etc when they could [fill in what ever your priority is here].

makemineabacardi · 27/10/2014 19:41

How do you know their risk assessment isnt adequate? Have you seen it? Are you an expert in risk assessment yourself? Hmm

HearMyRoar · 27/10/2014 20:21

As others have said this could be part of a ring fenced budget or specific funding that can only be used on a certain type of project.

Or it might be that they have had accidents and complaints from regular users about that particular footpath.

It always annoys me when people do the 'why is the council spending xxx on footpaths when they could spend the money on fixing pot holes'. Councils are responsible for the needs of everyone in the community and that means that money has to be shared out. It also means that sometimes some money will be spent on things you don't think are important. Other people might not think pot holes are that important. That's life. Deal with it!

ChelsyHandy · 27/10/2014 20:29

they plan to loan £9million to Holiday Inn to build a 125 bedroom hotel!

What?!

And YANBU OP. Its not one of those stupid exercises in concreting over a hill path to make it more "accessible", is it? Do any other countries do stupid stuff like this?

The more people that speak out about the increasingly distant and bizarre decisions of local government, the better!

trainersandaches · 27/10/2014 20:32

I wouldn't say it's 'wasted', just that it's not being used on what you would personally spend it on.

Original poster
NLwNH · 27/10/2014 21:03

It's interesting to hear the opinions of "normal" people (Mumsnetters are normal, yes? Wink ), as well the stuff I've been reading on the "outdoor pursuits" websites. So thank you for your comments.

OP posts:
askyfullofstars · 27/10/2014 21:14

Not to hijack but Blackpool Council arent giving millions to Holiday Inn. The Council are funding the cost of the build, the business will be managed, they hope, by Holiday Inn. The Council will profit from this.
Many hoteliers struggle to fill hotel bedspaces because they are not offering what people want anymore. Chain hotels in good locations do well because people book them knowing what the standard is.

Anyway, sorry for the hijack.

ChelsyHandy · 27/10/2014 21:29

Why on earth would it be a Council's job to build a commercial hotel?

Original poster
NLwNH · 27/10/2014 21:30

The Blackpool hotel development is indeed worth a mention. I'm aware of other councils offering generous financial deals, to entice new businesses into their own area.

OP posts:
Original poster
NLwNH · 27/10/2014 21:33

Regeneration, innit? Blackpool Gazette article

OP posts:
scousadelic · 27/10/2014 23:36

I think the concerns a lot of people I know locally have about this scheme is that Blackpool Council are borrowing this money to fund the scheme and, the consultants report has highlighted that it does not have adequate parking (they are building it on a car park when there is already a problem finding parking in the town)

I agree that many of the smaller hotels are not good enough, Lord knows I wouldn't stay in most of them, but what will happen if they lose more business? Those that have failed already have become HMOs that are then filled up by people, often those with problems, that other councils want to rehouse cheaply. It is no good having a luxury hotel if the rest of the town becomes a ghetto as a result