Saturday 28 February 2009

Hiding The Evidence...

England's High Streets are in danger of becoming "ghost towns" unless action is taken to fill empty shops hit by the recession, council leaders have warned.
Looks like the LGA isn't swallowing Gordon's optimistic spin on the economy...

And how do they plan to fix it? By stealing property:
The Local Government Association (LGA) says four out of five councils have reported an increase in empty premises.

It is calling for new powers to allow town halls to temporarily use shops as sites for community projects.
Such as?
The LGA wants to make it easier and cheaper to use the premises for libraries, youth clubs, training centres and bring-and-buy sales.

It is asking for new powers to allow councils to take over shops once they have been vacant for three months.
But if we are heading into recession and everyone is tightening their belts and making job cuts, where will councils find the staff to run th...

Oh. Right.
The town of Dursley in Gloucestershire is trying out the idea, with a parade of closed-down shops transformed into an gallery where artists can display their work.
Because in the teeth of a deepening recession, everyone will be buying artwork. Really...?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They wouldn't think of reducing rents or business rates or do something remotely bloody useful would they? These municipal socialists can only think in these vague terms of 'community projects' - e.g. more DJ / human beatbox classes for young [black] people, one of my favourite pointless schemes trotted out with alarming regularity. ANd spending more taxpayer money on outreach and other community worker wages.
There are enough youth clubs around that haven't got anough youth workers or volunteers to help (due to the need for criminal record checks and the awful behaviour of 'the kids'), there are libraries all over too, many don't open all the time due to the falling demand for their services, training centres? Training for what? Bring and buy sales - again why? It is 'boot fair' season soon, traffic blocking back for miles all around on Saturdays and Sundays.
How about stop letting Tescos and Sainsburys et al building their stores everywhere. I've nothing against them as I use them all the time but theres so many of them and they do suck the life out of nearby shops, and not just grocery stores as they sell almost everything.
How about letting these places become mini Mosques? Why not they will only have to wait a few more years before the church on your village green becomes one anyway.

North Northwester said...

With a Nineteen-Thirties-style depression upon us, is it any surprise that the old fantasies of essentially good, middle-of-the-road and definitely-not-wicked-bankers entertainments should be upon us again?
This is Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney thinking.

You know: 'Hey kids, why don't we do the show right here in the barn?' …That way the evil banks who never lend us / our orphanage enough money won’t prevent us raising enough money to carry on…

“bring-and-buy sales” – Ebay anyone, Amazon?

Er, look, I don’t want anyone to think I’m a big fan of Judy Garland or anything. I mean, it’s not like I own very many of her films and keep them in my impeccably tasteful and well-furnished home…
Anyway, I’m off to the rugger, and then out to get drunk and into a fist fight…

North Northwester said...

Er, when I said "fist fight", I didn't mean...
Oh, never mind.

Anonymous said...

So they want to use an economic downturn to vastly expand the powers of the state and impinge on property rights? There's going to be a lot more ideas like this.

Anonymous said...

"Collectivisation" ther Russian friends called it in the 30s.

"Every day I hope and pray I become more like Stalin in every way" Incapability Brown and friends are showing PERFECTLY that the idiots in the 70s school common rooms who were the naive stary eyed "better red than dead" mouthpieces for the "young socialists" and "communist youth", are alive and well and living in Westminster.

Von Brandenburg-Preußen.

JuliaM said...

"They wouldn't think of reducing rents or business rates or do something remotely bloody useful would they? "

Of course not. As you note, to us, it's a recession; to them, it's an opportunity...

"Er, when I said "fist fight", I didn't mean...
Oh, never mind."


;)

"There's going to be a lot more ideas like this."

Oh, yes. Indeed there will...