Cinema, small independents and ‘destination store’ needed in Bromsgrove town centre

MAY I compliment Michael Shaughnessy on his letter on last week’s Standard, and complement it!

The conversion of the Dorothy Perkins, Burton and M and Co. premises into small, more affordable retail units and residential apartments is a good idea, and one hopes landlords with other large empty retail premises and potential accommodation above will follow this initiative.

It would be beneficial also to the top of the High Street if a ‘destination store’ could be attracted there, as it would draw shoppers, and thus other shops / market stalls, to that end of the town centre

Bromsgrove District Council and the North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration Unit has won a grant of £14.5million for improving the High Street, and another hope is they use some of this revenue to improve Windsor Street by redeveloping the old fire station and its adjoining buildings – affordable housing and a 2/3 small screens cinema, each screen seating eg 50 to 80 people, would be ideas worth considering and would increase the footfall in the High Street

Bromsgrove is directly connected by the West Midlands train services to 30 other communities and Cross Country train services travel through the station – the latter used to stop at it, but do so no longer, although there is no technical reason why they could not.

There are three bus services connecting the railway station directly to the town centre bus station, so it is easy for visitors from outside Bromsgrove to travel to the High Street by public transport.

Improved rail services, and better marketing of the town centre and what it offers, will increase the numbers of visitors – two challenges for the council and the NWEDR to work on in 2022!

Nick Taylor

Conservatives are ‘out of touch’ with the electorate

THE RECENT interview by The Times with the treasurer of the Bromsgrove Conservative Association and the comments of our MP show out of touch the Conservatives are.

Simon Nock, also a former chair of the local Tories, told the Times: “There are bigger and better things to be getting on with than worrying about something that happened over a year ago.

“To my mind this is just something being built up by the media, especially the BBC.

“Making a link with people who were unable to visit loved ones who died is just outrageous.”

Sajid Javid stated: “I completely understand why people feel let down.

“The PM did the right thing by apologising.

“Now we need to let the investigation complete its work.”

Our experience on the doorstep is that moderate Conservatives are as outraged by the Downing Street parties as we are.

As Liberal Democrats we will continue to hold this government to account.

The failure of our MP to call for Boris Johnson to go is an indication of his lack of courage.

Civil servant Sue Gray was appointed by the PM to conduct an inquiry into the PM and his staff and their behaviour- it is not within her remit to call for the PM to go, but it is within Mr Javid’s.

As Liberal Democrats we will welcome any moderate Conservatives to join us to hold this shower of a government to account.

Dr David Nicholl

Chair of Bromsgrove Liberal Democrats

Sympathy for Worcestershire’s Tory MPs in ‘incompetent and untrustworthy’ Government

AT TIMES one can almost feel sympathy for our Worcestershire Conservative MPs.

First the Whip’s Office, under the direction of this incompetent and untrustworthy Government, have forced them repeatedly to vote for many things, one assumes, go against both their better judgement and their personal integrity.

This includes supporting pollution of our rivers with raw sewage, failing to retain the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift despite soaring inflation, the manifestly unfair approach to social care costs which hits less affluent families hardest and the disgraceful attempt to change the rules on lobbying to protect Owen Paterson.

To compound the problem, some of these policies were rapidly reversed after public outcries, leaving these poor, loyal MPs looking foolish!

Now we have many serious revelations about those at the heart of Government, including the Prime Minister, flouting Covid rules which the rest of us sought to comply with.

Their smugly entitled frivolity on numerous occasions during lockdowns was deeply offensive to those who suffered during the pandemic, while trying to keep to the rules for the good of their community.

Meanwhile our local Conservative MPs remain silent on this issue, unlike some of their braver colleagues.

We call on them to publicly condemn such behaviour and dishonesty shown in repeatedly trying to deny or cover up what happened.

That way they might rescue a degree of self-respect and some vestige of public support, rather than again toeing the party line, even if it be at the cost of advancement in this discredited Government.

Dr Peter Daw

Mid-Worcestershire Labour Party

EDITOR’S COMMENT

IT IS absolutely shocking that three quarters of the £5.8billion fraudulently claimed from Covid assistant schemes will just be ‘written off’.

The Government was, rightly, praised for the assistance it gave to people and firms through furlough and other funding schemes, but those who deliberately stole from them should not be keeping their ill-gotten gains.

Whilst schemes had to be set up quickly, clearly not enough time, thought or diligence was used to properly assess people’s needs against their applications.

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