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. . .  by way of light relief after the elections I thought I'd run a little quiz this week - so here it is:

 

Question: Which of the following statements and promises were made during the development of the Marina?

  • A tram service would run between the marina and church street

  • A 4 -star hotel would be built at Navigation Point

  • Mandale purchased 20 pedalo boats to be hired out in the marina.

  • A bus 'shuttle service' would run from Jackson's Landing to the town centre.

  • A Tall Ships Centre to repair and refurbish large sailing ships would be built at Navigation Point.

  • The Imperial War Museum would locate its Maritime History Museum on the marina.

  • A 'Puffa' train would run from Navigation Point around the marina.

  • A thriving factory outlet facility would be based at Jackson's Landing

  • Retired person's bungalows would be built in front of Osprey House.

  • A huge Garden Centre would be built at Navigation Point.

 

I'm glad that the teachers at St Hild's School have finally got their printing facilities back after they were hijacked by the local labour group to print their election leaflets . . . still the school would have received a nice cash injection assuming that the group paid the market rate for the printing . . . er . . . you did pay for the printing didn't you?  . . . talking of schools . . . apparently 5% of the grant money paid to some of our schools in the posher areas of town are being redirected to those in 'deprived areas' with another 5% being re-allocated next year  . . I'm not familiar with the schools in question but Ward Jackson Primary, for example, looks to me like it could do with a coat of paint, which in turn suggests that internally things can't be that great either . . . I'm not unsympathetic to schools in deprived areas, far from it, but bearing in mind that such schools can already bid for NDC and NRF monies, I see the blood pressure of parents of children at Ward Jackson and Fens Primary set to rise significantly when they find out . . . oops, I think they just did ! . . .

 

oh yes . . . the quiz . . . bit of a trick question . . . I'm afraid they are all true :-)

 

 
 
 
 

 

Did You Know?

  • H.B.C. is planning to sell off publicly owned land at a knock down price to publicly funded Housing Hartlepool because the housing association can't afford to pay the market price for the land. Yes, that's the same Housing Hartlepool that recently threw a  party to celebrate its own 4th birthday at Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield complete with free dinner, dance and all the free drinks they could get down their throats before closing time.

  • During the recent local elections the Tories reneged on an agreement they had made to allow the contest for the Grange Ward to be a straight Labour/Independent fight. At the last minute, the Tories put up their own candidate which split the anti-labour vote and allowed the incumbent labour candidate, Carl Richardson, to win the seat.

  • H.B.C. is currently seeking to recruit a £25,000 per year Climate Change Officer complete with a rather inappropriate but generous car mileage allowance.

  • Braintree Borough Council recently ran an advertisement in the Guardian Society jobs page for a £36,000 'Climate Change Manager’ . The ad, which cost several thousand pounds to place and measured 13cms x 19cms, was blank save for two sentences and the council logo and a statement that it had saved ink. 

  • The Council will use up to £4m of its reserves to protect the salaries of staff who it now acknowledges have been overpaid - some as much as £5,000 p.a. - for years.

  • The current direct cost for the position of Mayor in Hartlepool stands at £73,000.

  • The average local authority is employing over nine times as many people on £50,000plus salaries than ten years ago – 66 people in 2006-07 compared with 20 people in 2001-02 and 7 people in 1996-97. By contrast, in the economy as a whole, the number of people earning more than £50,000 has increased by less than three times over the same period.
  • Hartlepool's flip-flop M.P. Iain Wright expressed an interesting point of view on planning issues recently.
    In a Housing Development debate on the 22nd April 2008 he stated, "I still maintain that it is vital that we have a plan-led system that includes public involvement and consultation in its key principles. To reiterate what I said earlier, it is not in anybodies interest for houses to be plonked somewhere without due regard to the area, the views of local people and the infrastructure on which they will rely". Somebody tell him about the Marina Park and Coronation Drive - please.
  • For the thirteenth year running, external auditors have refused to sign off the internal accounts of the E.U. citing numerous examples of sloppy financial management, over-payments and slack control of the expense claims of euro M.P.s. The European Parliament has, however, voted to accept the accounts.

 

while national TV channels, Radio Stations and Newspapers were announcing that Labour had lost control of 9 Councils - including Hartlepool - the local Lib Dems and Tories could be heard shouting a pantomime-like " Oh, no they haven't! ". . . and indeed a pantomime was precisely what we had more
Are the Developers slowly killing Hartlepool Marina? We take a look at the realities against the aspirations in view of the latest proposal to demolish the only green space on the marina to build yet more flats more
In just 10 years, the cost of running the Council's PR Department has risen by some 321% to £1.4m so we ask why a Council even needs a Public Relations Department and why their own appears to be Spinning Out of Control? more
Everyone's A Winner - Just when you thought it was safe to open your wallet H.B.C announces it wants another £10m to increase the salaries of 58% of its staff and to protect the salaries of those who it now acknowledges have been overpaid, some as much as £5,000 p.a., for years  more
Some are beautiful, some can be technically admired, some look like Lego and others are just plain ugly. Send us your suggestions for the best and the worst designed buildings in Hartlepool. There are plenty of gems - but sometimes you have to seek them out. Suggestions
Your e-mails. Send your e-mails to be published on High Tax Hartlepool to letterspage@high-tax-hartlepool.co.uk . Please try to limit your e-mails  to 500 words and include your full name and address. We do not accept anonymous letters and in all circumstances names and addresses (not house numbers) will be published alongside letters. We reserve the right to edit letters.

 

 

 

  inside pages . . .

  the things people say . . .

are the developers killing Hartlepool Marina?

A Navel War Museum, a Tall Ships Centre, a 4-Star Hotel, a Tram Service, a 'Puffa Train', Pedalos, a huge Garden Centre, a Factory Outlet Centre - we've ended up with none of them. But we did get lots of flats. more

does the town lack imagination?

Some interesting ideas sent in by visitors to the HTH web site to encourage Councillors and Administrators alike to be more imaginative in their decision making. more

the best and the worst buildings in Hartlepool

Hartlepool has the U.K.'s first, steel framed building - but can you name it? Some buildings are beautiful, some can be technically admired, some look like Lego and others are just plain ugly. Send us your suggestions for the best and the worst designed buildings in Hartlepool. There are plenty of gems - but sometimes you have to seek them out. Suggestions

 
" I was under the impression that an independently elected Mayor controlled Hartlepool" Stuart Drummond Hartlepool Mail May 7th

(Editor: OK Stuart, but don't keep it to yourself - Who is it?)
"One thing about Peter is that he is a little bit more loyal to the party and to Hartlepool than to run off and leave it in the lurch." Cllr and then Labour Agent Steve Wallace talking about MP Peter Mandelson in Feb 2001.
“the fight to save the hospital is over” Labour Group Leader Cllr Jonathon Brash speaking at a meeting of the Health Scrutiny Forum

 

 "I'm pleased that all councillors at the meeting pledged to stand with me to ensure that Hartlepool's hospital has a successful future..."

Iain Wright M.P. 18th September 2006 after a meeting with Hartlepool Councillors
? ". . . the Council cannot reject a (planning) proposal simply because a lot of people are against it . . "

a H.B.C. Planning Case Officer providing a new slant on local democracy in guidance notes to objectors