Letters - February 5, 2016

I am also infuriated neither the public nor councillors were consulted, or even made aware of these plans, until after it was approved by senior Labour figures.

While I am not against the idea of investing in our town, I am against the idea of gambling with public money at the expense of people’s jobs. It’s something someone with a gambling addiction would do.

Let’s look at the evidence:

The ABC cinema, or Syndicate night club. Purchased for £635,000 and spent a further £400,000 demolishing it to turn it into a car park, which they hope will generate £93,000 a year just to pay the loan they borrowed to create it; Then we have the Devonshire Road council car park, which is never used; The gym abandoned at the request of a rival.

There are also events they gambled on. The “switch on” 2013, with Gary Barlow as a last-minute replacement for The Script. That left the council with a debt of £372,109.

Last year’s switch-on was no better, with the Al Murray swear fest.

The list goes on and the same people are still in power throwing away our money and jobs on ill thought out ideas.

My point is that if this was a relative gambling away everything, you would be asking them to get help from Gamblers Anonymous before they lose the house.

Coun Colin Maycock

Bispham Ward Councillor

SPORT

The rift is so great it will never be healed

Excellent article about the situation at Blackpool Football Club (Gazette, January 28) and I hope that Coun Tony Williams’ plea is heeded by both sides.

However, I doubt that either the FA or Minister for Sport will get involved, as neither has shown any inclination to do so up to now.

I don’t know if people realise how strong the feelings against the owners are. The rift is so great now that it will never be healed.

The only way is for the Oystons to sell the club. A football club is at the heart of the community and they have ripped the heart out of ours.

I had been watching watching Blackpool for nearly 70 years, but I gave up my season ticket this season, along with six other members of my family who had had enough of the toxic atmosphere at home games, and the war of attrition between certain factions of supporters and the owners.

We will never return as long as the present owners are there.

I just want people to know the depth of feeling amongst us at what is happening to our beloved club.

Name and address supplied

CARE

In praise of our young carers

With all the bad press at the moment regarding care homes, I would just like to point out that there are many good ones doing a great job.

Three years ago, my 18-year-old niece Katie, after a lot of searching, found herself a job at Rosehaven NursingHome on Whitegate Drive.

From day one she gave her all to caring for the elderly residents and nothing is too much, in fact they are like family to her! Of course, it’s long hours, and the financial rewards are never enough, but she assures me the staff do their very best, and their efforts are appreciated.

Occasionally, our Katie comes home saddened when one of them passes away, but that’s just a measure of how attached she gets to each and every one of them.

In April, our now grown-up Katie will be celebrating her 21st birthday and, of course, there will be cakes and hugs to and from her “extended family” on the big day.

We don’t know where her future lies, but I’m pretty sure it will be in caring for others, because that’s in her nature. There are lots of young people doing great jobs in hospitals, care homes and children’s nurseries, etc, and they should be judged and appreciated for what they are worth.

A bit of encouragement goes a very long way, especially when you are just starting out!

Katie’s Aunty Joan

Address supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

Paddy can do better than toilet humour

After reading the report on last Friday’s Paddy McGuiness show at the Winter Gardens (The Diary, Gazette, February 1) I was left wondering if your correspondent watched the same show as I did.

The whole show was based on lavatorial humour, we were even shown a picture on the big screen of him on the toilet with his wife in the foreground.

Paddy is good enough to do a good show without that kind of humour and bad language.

Stan Bowden

via email