Pool protest man told by councillor to drop questions (From Bucks Free Press)
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Holywell Mead protest man told by councillor to drop questions
12:00pm Friday 17th July 2009 in News By Oliver Evans
Pool protest man told by councillor to drop questions
AN angry resident blasted a council for calling a consultation meeting on green plans but not the closure of Holywell Mead swimming pool – and was told to be quiet.
The man questioned why Wycombe District Council did not call a public meeting on the cash-saving pool closure but did to discuss “sustainability” issues, attended by about 20 people last night.
He asked Haidrun Breith, natural environment officer: “Why didn’t the council consult before it closed air swimming pool?”
But planning boss Jean Teesdale stepped in and said: “We are not here to talk about that. It is not fair to ask that question to this young lady.
“The decision was made on cost effectiveness. We have to accept the fact that we had a lot of problems there but I am not prepared to talk about it tonight.”
Cllr Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability, said he could write to the relevant WDC cabinet member.
“I’m sure she will give you the answer you want but it is not for this evening,” she said.
The Tory-dominated council voted to close the pool in February to save £66,000-a-year.
They said the pool, by The Rye, was under-used and needed expensive maintenance.
Last night's meeting at John Hampden Grammar School, High Wycombe was one of a series of council meetings to discuss its "development plan".
This outlines what the council will allow to be built to 2026, including thousands of homes.
Comments(23)
678
says...
12:21pm Fri 17 Jul 09
TheT0nemeister
says...
12:35pm Fri 17 Jul 09
yog
says...
12:58pm Fri 17 Jul 09
TheT0nemeister wrote:Only one battle was lost when Conservative Councillors voted to close the pool without any consultation with local residents.
I was in support of the pool to be reopened, but to be honest I am getting a bit fed up of people banging on about the dam thing, the battle has been lost. Its in the past you need to move on and fight a new front, protest about something else like traffic lights or roundabouts that are in fact still T-junctions!
Local residents have responded by saying to WDC "ok you don't want to run the pool but we do"
http://www.holywellm
eadpool.org.uk/
WDC just need to give the green light to this group and the pool can reopen next year.
I hope WDC see sense.
chris740
says...
1:42pm Fri 17 Jul 09
no matter what the tax payer is asking for,
the more money they can con out of us the better they are,
dont forget the poor unpaid council staf and hangers on.
cant fill there back pockets , if they give us what we pay for. closing down places gives them more money to have a good time on
J B Blackett
says...
2:15pm Fri 17 Jul 09
No sense, bad mannered and self-selecting gang members.
Who voted for them ?
If you did , think a bit more about it next time, please.
Wycombe doesn't deserve this presumptuous shower.
am i the only one
says...
2:50pm Fri 17 Jul 09
green damage limitation
says...
2:59pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Bring on the district elections --Time to get rid of this Tory council and their dont care attitude
bakerbill
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4:16pm Fri 17 Jul 09
demoness
says...
4:29pm Fri 17 Jul 09
The man was asknig the wrong person at the wrong time.
He was told the question would be answered but not at that point.
Sorry - can't see what the issue is here.
yog
says...
5:57pm Fri 17 Jul 09
demoness wrote:Why doesn't that surprise me!
Hang on a minute before you all go jumping on to your high horses..
The man was asknig the wrong person at the wrong time.
He was told the question would be answered but not at that point.
Sorry - can't see what the issue is here.
Perhaps if there had been a public consultation then residents would not be forced to grab their moment whenever the chance arises.
demoness
says...
6:04pm Fri 17 Jul 09
yog wrote:I'm not disputing that yog. I agree with you - there should have been.
demoness wrote: Hang on a minute before you all go jumping on to your high horses.. The man was asknig the wrong person at the wrong time. He was told the question would be answered but not at that point. Sorry - can't see what the issue is here.Why doesn't that surprise me! Perhaps if there had been a public consultation then residents would not be forced to grab their moment whenever the chance arises.
BUT I am questioning the tactics of the person asking the questions.
It was an enviromental evening and the person who was asked the question would not have known the answer.
This was a bullying tactic and was frowned upon and rightly so.
J B Blackett
says...
8:05pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Planning boss Jean Teesdale and associated committee 'members' and officials were observed by accident covertly cavorting, frolicking and disporting themselves around the deserted facilities at a private(s) party at shut-to-the-public open-air Holywell Mead swimming pool on the Rye, High Wycombe, Bucks.
Publicly funded meat-paste, chicken and tomato sandwiches (soggy) were spotted littering the pool-side. A half deflated blow-up ride-on plastic facsimile of David Cameron was floating at the deep end of the pool just under the diving board.
Another blow-up ,one of David Shakespeare (BCC), - completely deflated (flat as a pancake in fact) with a pretend but realistic-looking rubber beer bottle in its right hand was draped over the steps close to the paddling pool
Copious amounts of liquid refreshment appeared to have been imbibed and raucous brass(neck) band music was said to be bouncing off the walls of the changing rooms - audible as far as the Eden Centre.
Well really !!
How the other half live, if it's allegedly true.
Plus ça change...
says...
9:07pm Fri 17 Jul 09
I wouldn't waste any emotion on an old facility like that.
Makes me embarassed to see some of the old stuff & facilities we put up with & still get excited about sometimes.
However, I could get up steam about a modern leisure centre with modern pools & water features.
That would be worth fighting for.
And Roman villas.
demoness
says...
9:14pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Plus ça change... wrote:I am with you..
I wouldn't waste any emotion on an old facility like that. Makes me embarassed to see some of the old stuff & facilities we put up with & still get excited about sometimes. However, I could get up steam about a modern leisure centre with modern pools & water features. That would be worth fighting for. And Roman villas.
I would love the Roman Villa back. The pool was never that popular... ever.
I just think it is being used as a political pawn and cheap point scoring.
yog
says...
12:31am Sat 18 Jul 09
demoness wrote:Really - the pool was never popular?????
Plus ça change... wrote: I wouldn't waste any emotion on an old facility like that. Makes me embarassed to see some of the old stuff & facilities we put up with & still get excited about sometimes. However, I could get up steam about a modern leisure centre with modern pools & water features. That would be worth fighting for. And Roman villas.I am with you.. I would love the Roman Villa back. The pool was never that popular... ever. I just think it is being used as a political pawn and cheap point scoring.
It has been used every summer since it opened. There must have been some demand!
The last decent summer we had (3 years ago) the number was 15000. Only in the last 2 years have the numbers been down (when little marketing was done and poor weather) and yet it has still averaged 10000 over the last 5 years.
How many people would have used it in the recent hot spell?
With the improvements suggested by the group at www.holywellmeadpool
.org.uk/ we can have a facility Wycombe residents can take pride in.
WDC should just let them get on with it and they can then put this embarrassing episode behind them.
Plus ça change...
says...
9:23am Sat 18 Jul 09
Presumably, the 10000 would have included people that went multiple times.
Merpeople.
The actual number of individual users could be much less because they go several or even many more times.
We need a larger modern facility that encompasses several sporting activities and would attract many, many, many tens of thousands of swimmers.
Money must indeed be very tight at the moment.
But once we have got some I'd love to see a lot more spent on new facilities for the District.
We deserve it!
yog
says...
10:15am Sat 18 Jul 09
www.hamptonpool.co.u
k
irish john
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8:25am Sun 19 Jul 09
J B Blackett
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10:39am Sun 19 Jul 09
Plus ça change...
says...
3:15pm Sun 19 Jul 09
Do you think the people in Wycombe & South Bucks 2,000 years ago moaned and whinged as much as now?
...about a new new 'forum' in Verulamium with the high roof and no doors?
...or about the quality of paint finish on the villa doors?
... or about the new chariot lane...?
... or about the increasing number of roadside oil lamps on the Via Londinium?
J B Blackett
says...
2:16pm Mon 20 Jul 09
Salt of the earth they are up there
Up Pompeii
PS Why would / should Wycombe folk worry about buildings in St Albans ?
Plus ça change...
says...
9:03pm Mon 20 Jul 09
I assume it was the largest Roman town to us.
You can imagine what 'Ivorus the Scribe' thought about its new developments!
yog says...
12:07pm Fri 17 Jul 09