Once again these genius plotters and planners at Stoke-on-Trent city council have outdone themselves in the incompetent/stupidity category, demolishing half the bloody city without having contractors lined up to take the sites on. Now, they find themselves unable to carry on as the Homes and Communities Agency, Renew, and the other west midland based regen quangos, no longer have the funds available to complete, and it could be years before they do.
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| A familiar sight all over the city |
Once again Stoke-on-Trent city council have shown their utter inability to manage even the most straightforward of projects, and they leave the city with over 1300 less houses, but with a housing list of 12,000.
There are huge savings to be made in the city, so the council should now get its bloody finger out and start drawing in these savings. Some of the money to be had could then be used on building projects actually done by the city council through local contractors.
I've spoken to Phil Dawson from the councils neighbourhood renewal team a couple of times now, and shown him plans from a company called MapleTimberFrames, who design super efficient, pre constructed housing, who handed me plans for a pair of semis, water and wind tight, for £31,500.
This is the way forward, but you try getting it through to these morons at the top of the council food chain.
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| Fegg Hayes, still not demolished. |
Of course, the real problem with this situation is that hundreds of Stoke-on-Trent residents are now going to have to live next to rubble strewn demolition sites that are going to attract fly tippers, rats, and kids, none of which are welcome neighbours.
If you own your own property, watch in despair as its value tumbles because that plot next door to you just became a magnet for kids and youths doing who knows what.
And what the hell are the councillors doing in these affected areas of the city? Why would they allow this demolition to go ahead without guarantees of funding, and the name of the construction company contracted to do the building?
I feel particularly sorry for the people of Middleport, who have been afflicted by this council insanity for so long now, and its clear that neither the council, or the councillors involved have no idea how to end this ongoing saga.
It is apparent that the systems used to run this city have to change, or this city will be no more, and that is something that will only happen by changing councillors at the next election.
The choice is yours, new ideas from people who love this city, or the same old destructive crap you've got now.
