Monday, July 31, 2006

Grantham: centre of our Universe?

A couple of years ago, South Kesteven District Council changed its priorities on what they'd spend our council tax on.

Instead of investing in concessionary fares for our elderly and disabled people, for example, they decided to focus instead on making Grantham a sub-regional centre.

That's fine if you live in or near Grantham I suppose.

But most of us in the Deepings don't have much or any interest in Grantham. I'm sure it's a pleasant enough place but I wonder how many of us have even visited the town!

Besides, we don't need a sub-regional centre. We already have our own fully fledged regional centre on our doorsteps.

Grantham-based SKDC seems never to have quite accepted that those in the south of the district will always use Peterborough hospitals and Queensgate shopping centre -even if Grantham is promoted to the exalted heights of "sub-regional centre".

I picked up a Grantham Journal the other day which contained a quote on the subject from Duncan Kerr, Chief Executive of SKDC.

He told a "Question Time" style public meeting:

"Our aspirations should be to have a high quality development of the town centre so Grantham can punch its weight as a sub-regional centre."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Duncan Kerr is always good for a tired phrase.

Grantham needs all the friends it can get, punching their weight or otherwise.

But your point is a good one.

Grantham's magnetic pull conks out well before Bourne and he badly needs some messages for the rest of us.

fairdealphil said...

thanks brynley and samantha.

i wonder which part of our universe Duncan Kerr - and his senior management team - choose to live.

certainly not these parts.

interesting that you suggest Spalding as a better bet for us.

the district council borders that lump us in with Grantham make no sense.

whether we'd be better served from Spalding would be an interesting debate.