Two cases have recently come to our attention, one in Stockton, Cleveland, the other in Richmond, London. Both have brought a lot of objections from the local communities.

The first is Preston Park, in Stockport, Cleveland.

Here with the full backing of a local MP (in this case Labour), who was elected after being brought in from outside, and thus probably unaware of the local opposition. Here, the local park, Preston Park, long the popular place for local people, both able bodied and disabled, to get a bit of fresh air, has been placed on the list for being used as the site of a new school, thus closing the park to others. Arguments about children having to cross a railway line to get to the alternatives would appear to be unfounded. Equally, the figures given for the students who would attend this new school would appear to be very dubious. There is no question in this instance about the need to replace Eaglescliffe School, but there is ample room on the site where it is at present.  So why?
We had a similar problem in Washington a year or two back when Sunderland Council had plans to build a new college for Sunderland University on Princess Ann Park. In this case there was such an outcry that eventually they built it on an old school ground near Usworth. My bet is that at the end of the day Stockport will back down and all this will end up having been an extremely expensive exercise at the rate payers expense.

The second came to my notice as a headline, ‘Susan Kramer MP, condemns Government go ahead for Richmond Park car parking charges!’ No I am certainly not up on the arguments for or against this one, but once more this is a park that has long given, in this case Londoners, somewhere to exercise and get some fresh air. These are both things that the government has been trying to encourage, so why stick a parking charge on, thus making it a lot more expensive for many Londoners to visit? Incidentally, locals are once more up in arms.

Where parking charges are concerned the arguments for and against free parking for disabled people is still on going. Whereas many disabled people have had free parking for many years, and are not willing to give those rights up without a fight, it has been proven that there is much less misuse of disabled parking spaces where all pay the same.

John Killick

Editor