Shafted Again By Government - Page 3

JohnW · 26-05-2004, 18:02

Unfortunately, I am only in England for one Sunday, and we have a night booked at an hotel in the Lake District and won't be back until Monday night when we have a dinner booked with family. Otherwise, I'd come and join your "Stag" night. However, I'll no doubt be over the pond again sometime.

So, I presume you are working in London and not getting back to Accy as often as you would like eh?

slater_scott · 03-06-2004, 10:12

Why does everyone who lives near blackburn hate them. I`m sure a lot of people here use the facilities blackburn has to offer i know i do. Since oswaldtwistle has no facilities, if blackburn with darwen joined i would hope ossy would finally get some money for facilities, and i`m sure accrington would benefit a lot too, look at all the new buildings and investment going into blackburn now: soccerdome, b&q, college buildings, new part of the shopping centre etc. What is going on in accrington? Look at the new shopping units in broadway, Some of them are boarded up and have not got new tenants. I know what council i would rather have governing my area.

Acrylic-bob · 03-06-2004, 15:07

All good points! Seems that the more you compare and contrast, the more glaring HBC's failings become. One then has to ask what are the differences between the two Authorities (HBC & Blackburn with Darwen). Why is it that Blackburn seems able to attract investment and is not afraid to spend money on adventurous improvement schemes, while HBC merely wrings it's hands and tries to shift the responsiblity onto central government and seems to be reliant on faceless funding bodies for the money to make improvements? Not that they appear to have a great deal of success.

slater_scott · 03-06-2004, 15:11

Its because blackburn with darwen has the ambition to become a city and hynburn has the chance to be part of that, blackburn tries to improve. And when darwen people say they dont get investment they are having a new health centre and leisure facilities. And with hyndburn currently cutting down on costs and services surley its time for a change for the better. Thats what i think anyways.

Acrylic-bob · 03-06-2004, 15:26

It would be interesting and no doubt instructive to hear what The people of Blackburn with Darwen have to say on the matter.

Tealeaf · 03-06-2004, 15:43

I don't know where you get your "adventourous improvement schemes" from...Blackburn Town Centre is a far bigger mess than Accy; The shopping centre, even with it's recent upgrade, looks cheap & tawdry. as regards the new Darwin Health Centre, that is a PFI LIFT scheme & has sod all to do with those plonkers in Blackburn Town Hall.

If you want to live in a "City" such as Blackburn then I suggest you move out there; personally, I think the place is the pits; We might have a shortage of tennis courts in Hyndburn (a puffters game anyway), but we do have 4 Lancashire League cricket teams in Hyndburn, unlike Blackburns solitary 1.

slater_scott · 03-06-2004, 15:49

If tennis is a pufters game then so is cricket.

And i think you are lieing to yourself about the state of accrington town centre compared to blackburn.

lettie · 03-06-2004, 15:59

Quite frankly, the new buildings going up in the Queens Park area of Blackburn, big JJB etc are a bloody eyesore. I have to endure driving past them at least 3 days a week. I used to enjoy having a walk round the lovely reservoir in the summer, but the whole place is now in ruins. The view from our windows at Queens Park was spectacular when you were on nights in the summer. The sun reflects on the reservoir as it is rising, beautiful sight. Now you look out and see yet another 'built in 6 months' housing estate (while good solid housing is empty and left to rot), roadworks galore, the building of the big new retail park, and don't get me started on the building work at QPH at the moment, but at least we need a decent hospital. The rest of these buildings are totally unnecessary.

slater_scott · 03-06-2004, 16:05

JJB soccerdomes are very popular and provide great leisure facilities, isnt this what the government want. It will also have a fitness centre with it. Hospitals are needed. But it may look an eyesore now but when it is finished it may look superb and the soccerdome will have people from all over the region visiting to play in the football leagues it organises, i for one cant wait for these to be built. It also create a lot of new jobs which is good for the region.

Acrylic-bob · 03-06-2004, 16:19

I have to admit it is a while since I have been to Blackburn and so am on shaky ground here, but I think that the Church Street Improvements and the Boulevard and the Station do look a lot better than anything that HBC has come up with. Blackburn does tend to give the impression that they are going somewhere. We may not agree with the direction but at least they are not travelling in ever decreasing circles like HBC.

Tealeaf · 03-06-2004, 16:27

Look - do you really believe that if we go in with Blackburn, Accrington Town Centre will suddenley become alive and smart? You're in cloud cuckoo land if you believe that....A town centre is exactly that, the centre of the town....and should Accy get sucked into Blackburn, there is no way that the Town Centre will be Accrington. The only thing that will happen will be a further decline as more shops get boarded up, turned into Kebab houses or Sari Centres.

I remember 30 years ago when Church had a thriving town centre with 2 banks and numerous shops....then we got sucked into "Hyndburn"...we don't have a town centre anymore...

Acrylic-bob · 03-06-2004, 19:30

Whoa there Tealeaf. I am not defending this ludicrous proposal. Far from it, I think it is probably the worst thing that could possibly happen. But the fact of the matter is that it will happen whatever the people of Accrington, Hyndburn or Blackburn with Darwen think. It has already been decided! So much for democracy and hoping to effect change through the ballot box. The substance of my comments was to the effect that B with D seems to have their heads screwed on a little better than HBC, at least when it comes to town planning and securing funding to improve the built environment. I should like to know why. Surely our councilors are no better or no worse than those in Blackburn? Why is it that HBC lurches from cock-up to cock-up. Why is it that whatever they do they can never get it right the first time. Why are we afflicted with people who are more content arguing national politics rather than tackling the job they were elected to do?

mez · 17-06-2004, 14:58

just been talking to an employee of the h.b.c. & he told me that they have sold off the land in willows lane, both sides not just one, so were are they going to operate from now & were will all the machinery & spares dept go ? wot will the council think of next?

Tealeaf · 17-06-2004, 15:31

They'll probably go to Whitebirk or Huncoat (makes sense to the Council)

Acrylic-bob · 17-06-2004, 16:36

Knowing HBC, as we do all too well, they will probably end up next to the Market Hall on the bus station site which is why they are pushing for that to be moved over to the viaduct.

Anyway, I was on Church Street this afternoon and noticed a big square hole has been dug in the flowerbeds behind St James' Church. Anyone know what that is all about??