Council to spend £2.5m on Queen’s Park Sports Centre

[Pete]

Yep - let me make it clear, I do stick up for the old, poor and infirm members of society - the ones who suffer most under the present government.

@K4blades - I don't find your posts offensive - only your language.

[therealjr]

>> Unfortunately Pete you've got your local authorities mixed up.

Never thought of that.

and there in lies the problem when it comes to local elections (and this is not a political argument all the parties are as guilty as each other). it's easy for the party in opposition nationally to blame the government for all ills and use this tactic to get the local council voted out. It was the tactic used by the Lib dems succesfully when they came to power in Chesterfield and the Labour party were equally as succesful blaming the local council for the failings of the coalition government and also managing to pin the blame on them for the snow clearing fiasco which was of course the failings of the tory controlled county council. Personally I'd like to see organised political parties banned from local elections.

[Slacker]

I've worked on parish council elections (as a council officer) where all candidates were independents. This was however in a close knit village community where I assume they were all personally known.
Labour and LibDems will have a go at each other in elections at district council level but much of the time we are working together in committees to try and make decisions for the good of the community, putting political rivalry aside. I have also been involved in decision making processes (eg the extension of the conservation are round Saltergate) where the vote went totally against party divisions.

[k4blades]

Yep - let me make it clear, I do stick up for the old, poor and infirm members of society - the ones who suffer most under the present government.

@K4blades - I don't find your posts offensive - only your language.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because you might be on the left politically, it doesn't give you a monopoly on caring for the vulnerable.

I also said, and emphasised, in my OP that it was a matter of if the  money is available, there are other priorities. I also said that I agree, in that money should be used for a mixture of initiatives.

However, the point remains, and it appears to be one you seem to be struggling to answer, but where does it say that this particular initiative is for the use of the middle classes, and not the poor. That was the point of your OP, yet you can't justify the comment!

[k4blades]

>> Unfortunately Pete you've got your local authorities mixed up.

Never thought of that.

and there in lies the problem when it comes to local elections (and this is not a political argument all the parties are as guilty as each other). it's easy for the party in opposition nationally to blame the government for all ills and use this tactic to get the local council voted out. It was the tactic used by the Lib dems succesfully when they came to power in Chesterfield and the Labour party were equally as succesful blaming the local council for the failings of the coalition government and also managing to pin the blame on them for the snow clearing fiasco which was of course the failings of the tory controlled county council. Personally I'd like to see organised political parties banned from local elections.

Good post JR, though I would go further and say that I would like to see political parties banned from ALL elections, then we might see some progress in this country. And at least we would have real democracy, not the pretend democracy that the political elite try to con us into thinking we currently have.

 

[mycul]

>Incidentally, during the summer months we often take our kids to Queens Park, as the play area is very good, sand pits, etc. It gets very busy with parents from all backgrounds, its free to use so not just there for the middle classes,<

No it is not free to use.  This facility is paid for by the middle classes who pay their rates and taxes.

[mycul]

And at least we would have real democracy, not the pretend democracy that the political elite try to con us into thinking we currently have.

And how would this democracy work?
Leave it to the officers of the Council, who you say are left wing?
Have a public vote everytime a decision has to be made.
Nowadays Councils are a business where decisions have to be made about profit and loss.
Would you like to make the decision about where money has to saved?
Could you make that decision based on the good for everyone or just yourself.
Doubt it.

[k4blades]

Its much easier to make a financial decision when you are not motivated by political allegiances, millions of businesses do it all the time!

[therealjr]

Its much easier to make a financial decision when you are not motivated by political allegiances, millions of businesses do it all the time!

True but they are invariably motivated by profit which means the decisions are not necessarily in the best interests of the people.
If you made local authority decisions on those lines you'd close the Pomegranate. The Winding Wheel, both sports centres, The Museum and probably Hasland Village Hall.

[Pete]

I think if they go down that route, eventually some business will buy the town and turn it into a theme park...

[Old Cruser]

My thoughts on the chesterfield swimming baths - if DCC have any money to spend they should start with spending it on the water heating system in the pool.
I took a young person swimming there a couple of months ago and am still traumatised by it  - it was freezing in there. I would have hoped that especially in the cold weather they would turn the dial up a few notches! 
I won't be going back I can tell you! 

[Slacker]

DCC?

[Fly]

Elaborate please Slacker.
Did you mean to say DCC don't run the pool.
CBC do 

[Slacker]

Yep

[therealjr]

My thoughts on the chesterfield swimming baths - if DCC have any money to spend they should start with spending it on the water heating system in the pool.
I took a young person swimming there a couple of months ago and am still traumatised by it  - it was freezing in there. I would have hoped that especially in the cold weather they would turn the dial up a few notches! 
I won't be going back I can tell you! 

popular misconception. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the temperature of the water at QPSC. It's constantly monitored and kept at a temperature which is deemed the best for swimming whilst also keeping the risk of water borne viruses to a minimum. The PROBLEM with QPSC is that all the glass in there means the air temperature is far too high which makes the water seem colder than it is.