Councillor Lockey, for someone who has been around as long as you have, your naivety astounds me. As for you rattling my cage, the phrase once used by former Labour Minister Denis Healey springs to mind when, after being criticised by former Chancellor Geoffrey Howe, he commented “that it was like being savaged by a dead sheep”. How apt.
The high profile companies that you alluded to in your letter and numerous previous letters, Wetherspoons and Peacocks would really have added a certain quality to our High St. Probably a quality that most do not want, and certainly not in the case of Wetherspoons.
Wetherspoons is a pub chain which sells beer at a pound a pint. It was rumoured a few years ago that it wanted to set up where the Revolution Gym now stands. So at 3pm when all the children of Waterloo Rd, St Paul’s and Whitstone are leaving school, the children would have had to run the gauntlet, past inebriated people swilling beer and behaving as only drunken people can. Is that really what our esteemed Councillor would want for our children or is it all part of growing up, learning to cope with drunks?
Do you not think that we have enough establishments like this on the High St already? Does the Councillor not think that we have enough drunken and lewd behaviour, most if not all fuelled by drink, and that actually, another Public House might not be too good an idea?
As for Peacocks, I am pretty sure that any interest that they registered in coming to the Town was soon quelled when they realised the Councillors that they would have had to deal with and what was expected of them.
You raise the issue of people objecting to these establishments. Correct me if I am wrong, and no doubt you will, but no attempts were even made by these companies to put any applications either before the planning or the Licensing boards. So Councillor, where were the objections?
It just goes to show, that as a Councillor who mourns the loss of these two great Companies to our High St, what little ambition you actually have for it.
In respect of the jobs created at the Townsend Retail Park; for your information, it is a well known fact that for every job created by Tesco, two jobs are lost through loss of shops, loss of suppliers, delivery men etc. But I get the feeling that this does not cause you too many sleepless nights.
I take it from your response that you consider the Townsend development a barn storming success. I believe even you Councillor, could run a successful shop if you had been given carte blanche to do what you want. I am told that you are a very good customer of both Tesco and Dobbies stores and you have to be admired and commended for supporting local businesses the way you do.
I do however find it quite amusing when I see Tesco staff, including management, shopping for meat and other items in Aldi. I wonder if it is anything to do with Tesco selling Halal meat without labelling it as such, (See Daily Mail of 25.09.10) or maybe they can see through the Tesco Marketing Department and its often bogus claims.
That aside Councillor, by your actions and those of some of your fellow craven Councillors, you have allowed Tesco to put itself into a position where you cannot say no. You dare not. You are afraid of them to the point of being subservient.
Time and again people have given Councillors the reason to refuse Tesco’s application with the High St and the impact of the Townsend development would have on it being top of the list. But that does not appear good enough. Town upon Town around the Country are trying to fight back Lots of them are at least trying to give Tesco a little bit of a bloody nose. You only seen bothered with powdering it.
I have often wondered over the last 5 years why Tesco bother to employ a Public Relations Department when you have done such a good job for them personally. I hope they pay you for all the good work that you do. Or at the very least, they could give you a special Clubcard to reward you for your efforts.
As for Dobbies, for which you campaigned so vociferously and almost singularly, it is not quite the shining beacon of hope that you portray it to be.
Maybe It has escaped your attention, but Dobbies appears to be doing rather badly, lots of 50% off’s, lots of empty car parking spaces, lots of empty promises. Hardly Cadbury Garden Centre is it. Oh and by the way, just where are the 100 full jobs and dedicated bus service that were promised and to which you set great store by?
I am afraid Councillor that Tesco and Dobbies, or should we just say Tesco, because they are really one and the same, have pulled the wool over your eyes big time and are continuing to do so. You are a pawn, a useful one for them at the moment, but a pawn nevertheless.
