29 May (Part 3) - Mary thinks it’s funny
Bexley’s
Town Centre Manager says he has asked the government’s newly appointed
Shopping Czar, Mary Portas to take a look at Bexleyheath. His plan is to get
businesses to chip in 1·15% of their business rates to fund “markets, events
and (ominously) wardens”. 239 businesses will be balloted to see if they think
it’s a good idea. It’s not known what Ms. Portas, otherwise known as Mary Queen of
Shops, thinks of the idea but seeing her go head to head with Peter
surveillance King of Bus Stops might be fun.
King Craske’s parking price hikes
are “driving people away from local shops”. It is very bad to be “blatantly exploiting the
needs of people to park by hiking the charges many times above the rate of inflation”. Who
said that? None other than Conservative councillor Colin Tandy so it must be true!
Source :
News Shopper news archive kindly resurrected by Orpington reader Derek A.
Note how a Labour councillor said “the money raised may also be used to meet
cuts in this year’s council budget”. They all come out with the same tired excuses.