An expensive report that will end up gathering dust - Fleet News and Mail Online

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Home Local News Business Sport What's On Competitions Leisure Features Got a Story? Email the Editor Message Board Junior News and Mail Family Notices Horoscopes Letters 2008 Sponsored Events Battle Proms Competition Ladbrokes Challenge Home and Garden Paper Subscriptions Photosales Jobs Homes Lettings Cars Place An Advert Classified Ads Advertising Features Travel & Events Local Links Contacts Advertise with Us About Us Broadband Rental Property Interest Free Credit Card Driving Experience Holiday Rentals Hotels Search the Web	8/3/2007 Letters An expensive report that will end up gathering dust An expensive report that will end up gathering dust In the Fleet News of February 23 , you published a fulsome description of Fleet in 20 years’ time as envisioned by Cllr Denis Gotel. He took as his inspiration, a report entitled Fleet Town Centre Urban Design Framework and Analysis Report, submitted to Hart Council in November 2006 by the management consultancy firm W S Atkins. I have on my desk a copy of that report. Because of the considerable expense Hart Council incurred commissioning it, I asked the Hart legal department, under the Freedom of Information Act, to let me know was it had cost. Here is the reply I received: Advertisementyour story continues below “Under the act, the council has 20 days in which to respond to requests and I am hopeful that you will receive a response within the time limit.” You may well ask as I did why, when the information is now available, I have to wait 20 days to get an answer to my question. More to the point, why was such a report commissioned in the first place. Wearing my former hat, I can estimate that the work undertaken by W S Atkins, will have cost the Fleet tax payers hundreds of thousands of pounds. Given the parlous state of the council’s finances — income £8.5million, expenditure £10m — this report will end up like many others gathering dust on the council’s shelves. It will never be implemented. Some of the huge cost involved detailed examination of the options for the future of the town’s layout, hotel and leisure facilities. When a councillor was asked why the people of Fleet were not invited to give their views on the future of their town, the councillor replied, such views would only be opinions and not evidence. What hope have we for the sensible governance of our town when such arrogant assumptions are made by our concillors about our inability to suggest what is good for our future? John Lidstone Fleet via email First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail Email to a friend	Other Letters Fight hard if you are opposing a development Alternate week bin collections trial is an ordeal Library cuts of £1m are not an investment We’ve heard all the Aldershot talk before Yes, please focus on our hospitals Gordon Brown Town is slowly being driven into the ground Help improve the quality of life for home’s residents Our faith in QEB inspector already dashed Thanks to man who came to mother's rescue It's too late to rescue our rundown town Barracks site minitown needs its own surgery Hospital is actually one of the safest in the country Who are they trying to fool now over Galleries fiasco?Bingo is much needed and far from a mindless game Council's majority party can actually be defeated at the polls MP wrong about borough’s affordable housing record Improved sex education must be a priority Join the brown envelope protest at tax increases Compensation would ease effect of extra flights Make easy cuts to pay for CCTV Noise can cause serious stress problems Depot scheme is a trade-off I cannot accept Points without having a licence are not logical Bridge story sounds like an April Fool Gurkhas have earned the right to equal respect Leisure centre is made dirty by people who use it One way to cut costs is to reduce collection time MP should be grateful that we have the Gurkhas Petition the Prime Minister for fairer Gurkha pensions Golf course trees will grow slower than envisaged Lack of parking will put pressure on neighbours Thanks for your support of the glorious Gurkhas An expensive report that will end up gathering dust Graffiti swastika offensive in Home of the British Army MPs expenses are tiny compared with workload NHS reforms need more consultation and more time Board of experts to run council is a brilliant idea There is no real alternative to this vital link road Please press for review of town's crazy parking Fatal combination that has spawned ineffective council There are also plenty of positives in the district Extra flights will bring benefits for Farnborough I would love to live on the edge of the airport Abolishing free parking amounts to a gross betrayal I do not want a huge airport on my doorstep Silent majority has no problem with extra flying TAG appeal will ensure maximum fairness all round Frimley Park has the solution to parking problem Appeal is all about rich and powerful greedy for more My joint interests with MP are not commercial So, does our MP provide us with a 'junk' service?NHS experts must give us realistic options for future Yes, judges should be tough on speeding Village needs recycling centre at supermarket Traffic problems in rat-run lane getting worse No, commercial waste does not get a subsidy Councillors seem unable to take tough action Widening tracks the only way to improve railways Hospital parking problem could get even worse Lib Dems have a plan to save post offices Unitary county article ignored important issues Empty office sites could be made available for housing AWC subsidies commercial waste going to landfill Station's neighbours suffer from shortage of parking spaces Town badly needs a minor injuries unit The planning process is so frustrating What does the county do with our money? 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