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Tuesday 15 February 2011

No need to close Tunstall pool.


                                             Now it's targeted for closure, will this be sold off 
                                                               to the highest bidder?



 Just back from a peaceful demonstration outside Tunstall swimming pool, where 40 or so people had gathered to fight the closure of this important community amenity, yet despite rhetoric to the opposite, not one of Tunstalls three councillors could be bothered to show up, neither could the Labour communist MP, Joan Whalley.



                                                           Another Labour no show.
                    Clearly not too concerned with the potential loss of another city swimming pool.
                                                  

 I spoke to numerous people while there, one of whom took me inside the building to view the swimming pool and then ask me where the £360,000's worth of repairs were. This is a very good point, and it highlights a well known council tactic of  exaggerating the costs of repairs/upkeep in order for them to push through closures, though the qwuestion should be asked, which of the useless council officers is going to be fired for allowing the maintainence of the swimming pool to slip so far behind its schedule?

  The answer to that is of course, none. No-one will be sacked, in fact, they will probably get a promotion for helping the city council to once again do what it wants to, irrespective of what the people want.

  But whilst we're on the subject of the councils duty to the people of this city, why are they claiming to be closing this pool for savings when they have general fund cash reserves of over £41 million in the DMO?

Even if the cost of repairs to Tunstall swimming pool were £350,000- and they're not, £150,000 at most- surely with cash reserves of £41 million the money for repairs could be found? If it was a senior officer leaving the city council, you can bet your arse they'd find the £100,000+ for a golden goodbye, yet the people of the city don't rate the repairs to a much used local amenity.

  I'm told that Cllr Megan Ryan already has it on her website that Tunstall pool will close in March, and that the so called leader of our council, Pervez, is blaming the coalition cuts for this closure, when it is a well known fact that the closure of Tunstall pool has been on the agenda for well over 12 months now.

  Some of the senior officers and councillors are a bunch of liars, determined to paint a picture of the finances that differs greatly from the facts, and the only way the people of this city will get the services they deserve, will be to change the faces that represent them in the council chamber from the third rate crap they've got now, to people who have a genuine affection for this city and its people, and by not doing this, you will seal a future for this city of the removal of more and more services, yet the chargeas to you will rise and rise.

 If you decide to vote for the same old faces, don't say you weren't warned.

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