The Town Deal projects are now well underway, they cannot be stopped. How they turn out remains to be seen, but there is far from a universal welcome so far. There hasn’t been an petition update for a while. I thought it worth sending one out. It is quite long, looking at a number of issues and themes.
LET’S TALK ABOUT DRAINS…
Work continues on the subway drainage project. If I understand correctly the pump, a tank and other equipment is now in the garden area of the station, making it more easily accessible for maintenance and repair.
Hopefully that will resolve the drainage issues in the subways. I don’t have any detailed knowledge of this project, but my impression is that a lot of thought and care has gone into the engineering side of it. Most of the time the station side work has been going on, the subway link between the platforms has been kept open, which has also meant that there was a shorter route for pedestrians from Wesley Square and pedestrianised Boothferry Road to the Pasture Road side than via the other subway. Some disruption and inconvenience though was unavoidable.
HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?
On the matter of the level crossing itself, your writer often feels that the ideal solution would be to put the railway and the station platforms on a viaduct (there would be advantages in having one platform with the tracks on either side). That would remove what is a barrier between two sides of town, Kingsway Footbridge could be replaced with a road, and and Pasture Road and Wesley Square could be joined, perhaps with car parking space under the railway viaduct from Kingsway Bridge to Boothferry Road.
The obstacle to doing this of course is the cost, but there would be advantages in joining up the town. A side benefit would be that the subways, problematic because Goole is built on a seventeenth century Dutch technology polder, would no longer be needed. The frequent train services are an asset to the town, but there is no denying the repeated and often prolonged closures of the level crossing gates are hugely frustrating to road users.
Obstacles can be viewed as unmoveable, or, on the principle of how-do-you-eat-an-elepant-one-bight-at-a-time, human ingenuity can be applied to overcoming them. How could the funding be obtained to put the railway on a viaduct and unite the two sides of the commercial part of town? Melbourne, Australia, has a big level-crossing elimination project underway. Melbourne is a big city of course, a bit over half the size of London, but if you want to get an idea, have a look at the new Mooroolbark station for example: https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/680615/SEPA6397_Mooroolbark-Station-Opening_WORKING_A5_V19_WEB02.pdf
TAX TENSIONS, AND RESENTMENTS
The founder of a business I know, like and respect, has expressed enormous frustration at the impact of decisions made by the current chancellor. The business founder feels, and if I understand correctly family farm owners have similar feelings, that changes to inheritance tax deplete capital – primarily though not exclusively working capital, and the proportions will vary from business to business – meaning the business, or family farm that is a business, are not financially sustainable.
Income and inheritance taxes are very contentious issues. I’ve seen statements that just 8 men own 50% of the wealth of the entire world. There are suggestions that at least income tax should be abolished, and replaced by taxes on sales. Is that a good idea? What would be the advantages and disadvantages? Is too much wealth and power in the world concentrated in too few hands? Should we be doing more to redistribute wealth, and power, using the tax system? What do you think?
PEERSPECTIVES FROM LIVING AND WORKING OUTSIDE THE AREA
As I’ve said before, my late Dad asked me to base myself here because, as it turned out, my Mum had dementia. The decision had to be taken over a weekend and meant abandoning much in my life that I valued, and cannot now get back.
In my professional life, I’ve worked with very senior people, interviewed regulators and ministers, been part of a panel that scrutinises and advises on EU and UK legislation, chaired events, spent time professionally with some very well-known people. I’ve experienced, as many do, how people assess you for how much use you are to their ambitions and agendas. I’ve experienced insincere flattery and praise from people who thought I might be useful. I’ve also been accepted and treated with respect because of my abilities. I don’t normally talk about that.
I wouldn’t now, but based back here to support my family I had to step away from a lot of my life away from Goole, and I’ve experienced how decision makers and people in senior positions treat people from Goole, and the part of Goole I am from, the area round the VPG.
The contrast between the respectful way people with significant power have treated me in my professional life and the condescending and rude way some people round here with a heightened sense of their own importance have behaved is striking. I’ve set out to use my experience to give people who are being shut out, people in the area of town I was brought up, more of a voice.
HANDLING DISAGREEMENT AND CONFLICT IN THE COMMUNITY – SQUASHING DISSENT IS AUTHORITARIANISM, NOT DEMOCRACY
The Victoria Pleasure Grounds project has clearly brought great joy to local people who are fans of rugby and football.
However, of all the projects currently underway in Goole, this is one on which opinion, and support, is the most divided.
I know, because I am based here and talk to them, that there are residents around the ground impacted by the scheme who are definitely not feeling the joy. They are worried about quality of life and the value of their proprty. Speaking personally, the VPG project has done for my reserves of goodwill towards the two councils and the football and rugby clubs, what the atomic bomb did for the city of Hiroshima eighty years ago, at the end of World War Two.
The VPG developments and significant changes of use made what has been my family’s home since 1960, before I was born, somewhere I don’t want to be. I know other people in this area are very unhappy with the impact on their lives too.
The attempts to prevent those of us who are unhappy with the project expressing ourselves on the grounds that we are being divisive, negative, running the town down, and rubbishing the great work of talented people praised by Westminster, have done nothing to win us round and regenerate destroyed goodwill.
We should always try to see others’ perspectives, not solely look at things from our own point of view. Does sport bring benefits? Yes. Do a good number of people love sport? Yes. Is it good for their wellbeing? Yes. But all that said, is spending £24 million on a leisure centre-cum-hub and a football stadium with wedding an conference facilities on a cramped site surrounded by housing and nineteenth century roads giving the people of this town facilities fit to meet the needs of the 21st century? I don’t believe it is. Do you?
Telling people who are unhappy, even angry about something that they are being divisive, disruptive, negative, that their dissatisfaction is the problem rather than the issues they are unhappy about is a hallmark of bullying, and abusive relationships.
COMMUNICATING ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOCAL PEOPLE
I’ve increasingly had the impression that at least some East Riding Council staff feel very uncomfortable being in my company because I have expressed unhappiness with decisions taken, not least the VPG. Understandable, because they depend on the Council for their income. With a certain sadness I came to the conclusion it was probably best if I stopped going to the library, museum and other East Riding Council facilities in the town centre. With regret I ended my library membership. Given how little trust I have in the two local councils now, I prefer all communication to be in writing.
I had however already sent photos of the ABBA-themed display in the library to ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm who has been a valued friend for about 30 years, because I was impressed, love ABBA’s music and greatly admire the four members. He sent a message that was very complimentary about the display. I did an article on my LinkedIn profile weaving together a podcasts two copyright experts had done with Magnus, the recent debate about the future of libraries held in the UK Parliament, and Carl Magnus’s compliments about the ABBA themed display in Goole library (where I was a Saturday assistant when I was in the sixth form).
The current President of the professional body for libraries, CILIP, saw the article I wrote after I emailed her about it, and likes the library display too. I was a Saturday assistant at Goole public library while in the sixth form and studying for my degree.
I’ve not worked in a public library since that Saturday job, but close friends have, and do, work professionally in public libraries. I believe in the good libraries can and do contribute, and I try to do what I can to support them. I was glad to be able to show the good work done at the library where I was so happy to be part of the team in my teens and early twenties, and that people of significant ability and achievement, were impressed with what is being achieved by others in Goole, and East Riding, today, though.
I submitted a piece with a link to the LinkedIn article mentioned above to the All About Goole Facebook group. It wasn’t approved, it wasn’t rejected, it just disappeared. I messaged the administrators asking if there had been a problem with it. That message hasn’t been read. Not sure what has happened there…
If anyone is interested in reading the ABBA-themed article with Goole referenced on LinkedIn, it’s here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/g-richard-coult-22562810_activity-7330339399768903680-acQR?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAI6YT0Bn4iaqXpYLjyEhQPh8mW-eh4a5A8
While both councils, and many members of the sporting community, appear not happy with those of us who have persistently questioned, and even criticised, decisions which have been made, as I’ve said above, I know there are also people who feel ignored and shut out. I’ve tried to give these people, many of whom are not confident writing, and some not confident speaking, a voice. This is the part of town I was brought up in. This is where my late parents lived most of their married life. This is where my late Dad asked me to come back to. While I’m here, I’m standing up for the part of this town that I come from, as my Dad wished.
MARK THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO BY STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY AND BUILDING TRUST
In the East Yorkshire Mayoral Elections the Reform Candidate won, with the Liberal Democrats a comfortable second. The reform and Libdem candidates between them secured 62% of the vote. The two traditionally dominant parties, Conservative and Labour, the last Govt and the present Govt, only got around 28% - less than a third of the votes - between them. You can see the figures here: https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/news/article/?entry=3060
From that result it looks like the two traditional parties will need to do some serious thinking about what they are delivering, and how they treat members of the public. Perhaps proportional representation rather than the current first past the post in national and other important elections will help address the current levels of dissatisfaction with local and national government, and restore trust in democracy.
As we commemorate the end of World War Two, celebrate victory, and give thanks for all those who brought about that victory so future generations could live in freedom, we should remember that the war was fought to protect democracy, not to enable authoritarianism and kleptocracy (leaders using power to take hold of the wealth of the territory and people they govern), of which there are worrying signs around the world today.
Best wishes to all. Richard Coult