Taking a dim view of saving money

THE FRIDAY THING: HAS Charlie turned off some of the lights? Apparently council bosses (and no one doubts that Charlie Parker is the boss) have turned off or dimmed street lights after dark to save money.

It seems 73 per cent of councils have either switched off or dimmed street lights to help balance their budget.

Every street light turned off means money saved, except, of course, by the poor souls who get mugged by opportunist thieves (and I suspect that Oldham has its fair share of those) or those who walk into lampposts in the dark.

There are other potential dangers too: that boy, girl, man or woman you are chatting up in the gloom of the taxi queue might seem ratherd ifferent in a bright light.

So please, Charlie, keep the lights on.


HOW’S your Romanian? Bulgarian? Don’t think it doesn’t matter, because it might.
Some 29 million Bulgarians and Romanians will soon gain the right to live and work in Britain, thanks to the marvellous European Union’s freedom-of-movement rules and our open-door (well, no-door) policy on welcoming visitors.

Home Secretary Theresa May hopes to bring an end to the free movement of EU workers and she has two chances of being successful; fat and no.

The Government is keeping quiet about likely numbers coming here to work. The last time the borders were opened the prediction was for 20,000 new arrivals. In fact there were 669,000.


Five candidates hope to become the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, four party representatives and one independent and, lucky us, we are all to get a booklet about them in the post.
The candidates are a pretty anonymous bunch and we can have no idea if they are up to the job - or indeed how they will get on with the existing police hierarchy.

How many of you will turn out to vote? Those who think they know reckon on a turn-out of eight per cent.

Does a share of a turn-out of 8 per cent really give anyone a mandate for doing anything? Even councillors do better than that.

And what was wrong with police committees, made up of councillors from all areas and with a great deal of local contacts and local knowledge?



FINAL WORD: There are a lot of people out there who don’t know their, shall we say, arm from their elbow and there are those planning the new Oldham who clearly don’t know their East End from their West End and don’t mention North and South.
For the so-called New West End which, not surprisingly, used to be at the west end of the town is now in what was the Eastern Gateway. Perhaps the council should give the team planning the new town centre a compass, to give them a fighting chance of knowing where they are.

We are indebted to the no-doubt geographically-aware Imogen of the Economy, Place and Skills Directorate, who tells us what was once the eastern side of Oldham is now in a southerly or central location, but is to be called the New West End.

I do hope you’re following me so far. One thing is clear, don’t follow the Economy Place and Skills people; they’re sure to get you lost.