20 June (Part 4) - It’s a jungle out there
You
have probably seen the pictures of dogs getting lost in the long grass in Bursted Woods or the hard to see
football in Old Farm Park. You’ve probably seen
similar things every time you venture outdoors. Bexley Council no longer
regularly collects litter, sweeps footpaths or cuts grass any more.
The primary cause is lack of money and the poor financial management of Bexley Council over the last
half dozen years cannot be blameless.
Councillors, Tory ones anyway, have put their own election and allowances before the needs of
the borough. Twice the Conservatives have voted against Labour’s alternative
budget and once against UKIP’s call to reduce Councillor’s allowances by a
third. Their reason was that they were not sure how much money that might save.
Any excuse will do.
I took a stroll up the nearest hill this afternoon to see how bad things were on the ground. Pretty
bad. I think I have wrecked a pair of shoes in the long wet grass and my trousers were soaked
to within inches of my waist.
Cabinet Member Alex Sawyer warned everyone that if Old Farm Park (and 25 others)
was not sold Bexley would degenerate into an unkempt jungle. I think it already has.
The grass next to Sidcup War Memorial was cut twice last week, but that is
because James Brokenshire MP was due to pay a visit to it last Saturday. Nearer
to home nothing has been cut and path side nettles are thriving.
However I did find a bit of grass that had been cut. It was a short car trip away but it was worth the visit. See the panorama picture below.
Burr Farm Park freshly mown. It’s the park that lies behind Council Leader Teresa O’Neill’s house.
Related blog.
St. Michael’s ward residents have the opportunity to fire a warning shot at Teresa O’Neill on 30th June.
All of these pictures were taken today.