Many will remember the beautiful lawn at the side of Sacred heart Church and the garden and tree's which had been painstakingly tended for decades. The area which was once the lawn, where kids could have a kick about, is now fenced off with a 8 foot high fence, and the beautiful lawn has been destroyed, despite the 'Community Environmental Task Team' being there to stop it. The Environmental Task team was created by Government funding and is, for now, a subsidised alternative to using Council workers or other Labour.The Team has been quicker than the Council to respond to certain problems. Some people have pointed out that they are glad of the service.

The Priest's garden was destroyed when Northwood house was renovated and turned into an office for pen pushers, most of whom do not live in Northwood. This wanton vandalism was allowed to happen by the local people involved in the dubious management committee. Now, after the old garden has been dug up by JCB's, Kirkby's 'Environmental Task Team', has the contract to build another garden. This garden is laughably called a 'community garden' but its actual placement will mean that it is more a nice picnic area for the people who work there. God knows (so do i now - from £10,000 to £14,000) how much SRB money has been wasted on this garden. They could have built it with a few scraps begged and borrowed. Anyone local who disagrees can have the space here to argue for the garden.

Football Pitch and Play area proposal ignored by Idiots at Northwood House.

The spare land which now has sat idle beside Northwood House for a while, was originally proposed to be used as a football pitch/play area by a local man working with the credit union. These comments were recorded in a meeting and then ignored, despite local people being for the proposal. Too many kids in the immediate surrounding area have nowhere safe to play, and this 'safe haven' would have been welcomed by parents and young ones. The Idiots at Northwood house refused to allow such a common sense idea to take off. They would sooner spend the limited funding on a nice little garden so a dozen or so pen pushers can sip tea and remark how well regeneration is coming along.

Riding the Gravy Train

Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted here recently in Northwood on a variety of schemes, and it's about time the people involved in Northwood House produced some record of the money that's been spent. We paid the manager of the place, Dick Tracey, some £42,000 per year to manage it. We cannot get a few thousand to fund a much needed play area. That's Northwood House all over. They are in it for themselves, and as soon as the funds run out, they will hop onto the next gravy train. Dick Tracey has already jumped ship.

Where's all the money gone?

A lot of money has vanished from the SRB funds. The potential is always there for some kind of corruption when such large sums of money are being controlled by, in effect, cliques of people who generally all know each other. 99% of people here don't really keep an eye on SRB funds, most people would not be able to tell you what SRB means, despite what the people involved may have us believe.

Note - this article was altered on Oct 10 2003) Back to top