Stourport is being asset stripped by Tory policies says Carol Warren Wyre Forest Labour
Posted by labourblogger on February 10, 2012
The main topic for discussion at our Branch meeting was the potential loss of social capital from Stourport as the one dimensional approach to the economic crisis bites deeper into public expenditure. It seems that we have been duped into thinking that there is no alternative to getting rid of jobs in the public sector and ask community groups to take over the running of facilities such as community centres and sports halls.
What this strategy fails to take account of is that, as more and more charitable trusts or companies limited by guarantee are set up, they will be competing for funding from trust funds to bridge the gap between the income they can realistically generate locally and the cost of heating, lighting and maintaining these community buildings. Anyone who has been involved with fundraising knows just how much effort is needed and that the path is strewn with many more rejections than successful bids.
We fear that Stourport will soon look like a dilapidated inner city suburb littered with boarded up buildings as we see the public sector move out of the Civic Centre and Sports Hall. And what of the future of County Buildings in Worcester Street or Tan Lane school?
These assets are not just buildings- they are part of the fabric that moulds community, encourages the arts and participative sports. What kind of Olympic legacy are we bequeathing to future generations in Stourport?
Carol Warren Wyre Forest Labour
