More futility with our money
I came back from The Moor last night; it’s surreal!
There I found two park wardens on motor bikes in LCC livery (see attached image) by the most popular BBQ patch accepting complaints from an Ice Cream van that other vans were trespassing on his patch! When I asked them whether he was illegal in driving round the park in his van they said no- he pays LCC a rent to do so! Can you believe it! When I pointed out that some students were BBQ’ing in front of them in direct violation of the byelaws they said they had instructions not to do anything; there were hundreds of byelaws and it was nothing to do with them! They had a TV unit on one bike and they said they took pictures of all that was happening and their manager would decide whether to take any action; the assumption is that he would not. When I pointed out the litter one group were leaving they said staff would clear this up in the morning; they would not intervene. Think what all this costs; two bikes two riders at 8.30pm one TV unit, staff to clear the mess and still no-one puts a stop or does anything to intervene or even say what the byelaws are!
Have I gone mad! Even the riders admitted their presence was completely futile.
Richard Hellawell
6 thoughts on “More futility with our money”
Should this go to the papers or to the MP or both? The councillors are obviously doing nothing to uphold bye laws! Is this liberal democracy gone mad or are they providing labour for the clean up squad who are desperately needed to conserve the quality of this green space?
Helen. It should go to both. I also think things have reached the stage where we need to consider asking the government to intervene.
Yes, let us ask the government to intervene. We must be quite clear about the goal. We must say NO, NO, NO, NO, NO TO BARBECUING ON THIS LAND OR IN ANY OF OUR PARKS. The university has enough land to make provision for malpractices such as barbecuing if it so wishes. The present situation is ridiculous and the longer we, the electorate in Leeds, allow this to continue
the more we are ourselves at fault.
On Saturday last May, 30 I came back on a bus from Leeds to Hyde Park and there were barbecues all over the park. I got talking to one family from Bramley and they told me that they has come from Bramley since ” Hyde Park is the only park we are allowed to barbecue on” (their words). On Sunday morning, I took a stroll along the park and it looked as if a tsunami had hit the place with bottles, cans , the remains of barbecues, papers, packaging strewn all over the place. The council workers were cleaning the place, and I told one of them he should have left it the way it was, so that it might dawn on those who use the place to do something about their shit when they see it the following day, as they head off to the park for yet another party/barbecue.
This whole situation is maddening, and very depressing. The councilors are a joke. I really do not know what to do.
Richard. There’s lots you can do. Write to the paper and let them know your views. Email the INWAC councillors and ask them why they excluded residents from the meetings held in May, June and July last year which came up with this barbeque proposal. Tell everyone about what’s happening on the park and let them know who’s responsible for allowing it to continue.
What’s happening here is very wrong. We will get it stopped if we keep on making our views known. Then hopefully, you’ll never again have to witness scenes like those you saw on Saturday and Sunday.
I’ll make one in with anybody who’s willing to stand up and be counted, by writing to the Ombudsman at York – telling them that Leeds City Council is allowing things to happen on Woodhouse Moor because it’s an inner city open space, which they wouldn’t dream of allowing in places like Roundhay Park, Soldiers Field, Hill 60, or green open space in Harewood, Otley and Wetherby!!
The maxim is;
“The law locks up the man or woman who steals the goose from off the common, but lets the greater villain loose who steals the common from the goose!”