Lack of logic in economy proposals

Just a few more comments on the borough council's proposed economies.
Suspending the Party in the Park will apparently save £82,000 (strange that it only cost £25,000 a couple of years ago but that's inflation for you!) Apparently there is potential to reinstate the event in 2010/11, but it will be subject to review.
The party was originally staged to mark the millennium, but the then ruling regime had a childish love of fireworks and for some reason decided to run it year in, year out.
It has long since passed its sell-by date, and in this day and age it seems impossibly stupid to think that any council in its right mind would resume blowing so much money on a booze-up (and incidentally having the hypocrisy to rescind its own by-laws on drinking in public places in order to do so.
But then, impossibly stupid ... council not in its right mind ... hypocritical ... are all words often associated with the current ruling party.
It also seems that a £2 million investment will bring the popular and conveniently located Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre into the 21st century, which makes us wonder why on earth the borough continues pouring even vaster sums into the unpopular PRSA when it has it failed so spectacularly to deliver its promises either to the disabled or the rest of the local sporting community.
Continuing to fund it as a competitor to the Moulder Centre would seem to be downright stupid.
But then .....
We're told that the biggest saving – £723,000 – will come from "restructuring and staffing proposals."
Chief executive Mick Gallagher has told the local papers that this will mean there will be some redundancies but that they would be kept to a minimum.
It's a bleak day when anyone when loses their job but it has become a sad fact of life in recent months.
The private sector is pragmatic in this respect, and cuts as many jobs as it takes to stop the rot.
To say that redundancies will be kept to a minimum implies that more might be made but are not for the sake of kindness.
It's the equivalent of being told by your surgeon "we could have removed the whole cancer, but kept it down to a minimum."
And finally, another £481,000 is expected to be saved by raising additional income and finding new funding. One idea is to increase the cost of parking for season ticket holders, and to start charging staff and councillors.
We think that season ticket holders should not be used as a cash cow in this way - it could rebound on the council's income in unexpected ways.
As far as charging staff and councillors is concerned .... why on earth were they ever exempted in the first place?

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