Strensall ward Conservative Councillor Paul Doughty has raised concern that the LibDem-led Council are yet again “failing in the most basic of duties for facility provision for residents and visitors to the city.”
Councillor Doughty said,
On recent visits to the city centre, I have been struck by the wholly inadequate provision of street benches, let alone the worsening standard of public toilets. At a time when the LibDem-led authority has been making it harder for disabled residents to access the city centre with its hostile anti-blue badge holder action, I find it astounding that there is the double-whammy that there is not even one single street bench in the whole of St. Sampson’s Square currently! Where have all our benches gone?
Last year local media reported from a council press release (unsurprisingly on April Fools day!) that the LibDem authority had earmarked £130,000 of taxpayers cash for temporary seating, ‘pods’ and tipi tents as we came out of lockdown. Residents will remember the makeshift basic picnic tables/benches. Most of these have now vanished but even if they are all returned, they were of rudimentary quality which will not stand the test of time.
In the last two year’s Council budget setting sessions, the Conservative Group put in amendments which would have led to much-needed improved public toilet provision (this year) but also for 40 additional high quality, permanent street benches for the city centre with some for other shopping areas such as Acomb and Haxby. The 40 benches (including on-going maintenance) would have cost £50,000; a fraction of what has been wasted on temporary provision!
Last night, our back-to-basics suggestions were sadly rejected by the LibDem-Green coalition once again and instead they continue to waste your money on their pet-projects, despite their Executive members rhetoric about how good they are!
