At the public meeting in early January about saving Goole hospital, held in the market hall, it was great to see such an enormous turn out. It was also great to see the town buzzing with people once the meeting ended. It shows how attracting people into the town centre makes it come alive and brings welcome custom to local businesses and other services which operate in the town centre.

Seeing how many people turned up at the market hall and listening to speakers saying things like no more out of towners forcing decisions on residents, prompted the thought that it would have been much better if there had been such meetings to ask residents what their priorities were for spending the town deal money. Instead East Riding council choose the people who would make up the town deal board and implement what East Riding Council wants.

The stands at the Victoria pleasure grounds are now a pile of rubble after a week of pounding by the demolition crew. Soon they 400 metre running track will be destroyed sacrificing a valuable facility for athletes to make room for a hospitality venue and a car park.

This weekend has seen the aforementioned running track used as a car park 2 days running. After a week of all the racket from the demolition crews Sunday afternoon has been shattered in this area by the boom boom boom of very loud music and some bloke screaming down a very poor quality tannoy. Welcome to the wonderful impact on quality of life of the Town Deal.

There's a very clear message that the residents who live around the VPG count for nothing with councillors and board members except when money can be extracted from them. Some councillors have expressed unhappiness at the lack of appreciation and criticism they receive from residents. 

After the last week around the Victoria Pleasure Grounds, a nineteenty century facility hemmed in by housing and unsuited to 21st century needs, Councillors and Town Deal Board members should not hold their breath that attitudes towards them are going to improve among those they have antagonised and ignored. They won’t care of course because they got what they wanted. Community unity has been endangered in the process.

It is a great pity residents were not asked what their priorities are for spending the Town Deal money. There are plenty of people who feel the money is being frittered away. We’re stuck with it now. It will be very difficult to repair the damage to relationships and trust.