July 24, 2012  

Council wastes £100,000 on consultants

In July, Wandsworth Council decided to spend £100,000 to give our town centres an “identity”. Consultants will have a brief to give our town centres a purpose in this modern world. “Putney by the river”, “Clapham Junction – railway city”, “Tooting – South London’s Bengal city”, “Balham – Gateway to the South” – Wandsworth is a bit tricky I grant you.

OK, so we know that UK town centres are facing hard times with changes to shopping habits (out-of-town shopping malls and the internet) and the recession driving away their customer base. Cameron’s response is to appoint Mary Portas as shopping consultant. Months later her report is a re-hash of views what any halfway competent planner talked about as early as the 1970s. But one end result is that the Government is granting £10 million for nationwide schemes.

Wandsworth’s cut of that is £100,000 or 1% of the whole – we have approximately 0.5% of the population. We also have, despite pockets of deprivation, some of the most flourishing town centres in the country – if you don’t believe me take a look at Preston or Walsall or any of another 100 towns in the north. But what can you possibly do with £100,000? It might just pay to paint one big store.

So what has the Council decided to do with the £100K? Put out a tender to consultants to come up with a vision for our town centres. It seems to me to be money straight from the taxpayer to the ever-growing consultancy industry – better by far I say to give £100 vouchers to 1,000 families on benefits redeemable only in defined shops in Wandsworth.

What do you reckon?

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About Tony Belton

Labour Councillor for Latchmere Ward 1972-2022, now Battersea Park Ward, London Borough of Wandsworth Ever hopeful Spurs supporter; Lane visit to the Lane, 1948 Olympics. Why don't they simply call the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, The Lane? Once understood IT but no longer

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