County Hall , Council Offices

[Maggie/915]

Maintain , pull down , rebuild.

There is a hugh debate on these issues at this point in time.

A referendum is even seen as a way forward,

My feelings are that we should not 'live now pay late'

The PFI initiatives seem to introduce problems for our children and our children's children.

To quote the Moody Blues!

I remember Ellen Mitchell taking the Bedlington History Society on a tour of the new County Hall. The building ,  the stain glass ,the thought that went into the building was impressive. Regardless of 'party politics' I do not think it should be pulled down.

Our own council offices could be utilised for so very many things  Why pull them down? Devise some plan to use them for civic purposes.

In 1976 the library in Bedlington  is said to be the new library.

If we destroy every new build after a few years then we have no heritage .

My feeling is that we maintain and protect our heritage. I cannot believe we build ,not for the future, but simply to destroy .

Surely we destroy our World by using up precious resources in this way.

Maybe I am just too old to accept the new arguments , given by our NCC leader Grant Davey.

[Symptoms]

Ah, the Council Offices ... a place holding many childhood memories. Playing footie with mates in the rear carpark and breaking so many of those big windows with misplaced kicks on goal.  Pulling down the timber planks which formed the fence around part of the car park ... those planks were perfect to build our tree houses in 'The Cut' (the wooded section in the allotments between East Rigg & Windsor Gardens ... sadly, now built over). Signing-on in the SS office when in the 6th Form and getting 'holiday' Giros.  Standing out the front and chucking stink bombs at the marching bands on Picnic Day.

Happy days!

[Maggie/915]

You could always consider a career in demolition Symptoms.

Or maybe becoming an author.

[Steve]

County Hall, a lovely building, dating from the 1980's - Yet no good now? Sue the builders if it's really as bad as they'll have us believe.

A lovely LARGE building I might add, if that's not big enough for the council and it's 'services' then I'd say there's a problem with the council itself and not the building.

But as mentioned above, PFI is the way our council think everything should go, they've demolished schools so that we can 'rent' them, hospitals are 'rented'.. etc etc

When John Major looked into PFI (and yes that was the start of it), it was promptly stopped. Only to be revived and brought on mass by Tony Bliar, now we own nothing, we rent everything, and pay exorbitant amounts of *our* money to fund it. I've heard of schools being charged an extra £10K just to get a noticeboard put up thanks to PFI and renting all our amenities.

Of course we pay the 6th highest council tax in the country, so NCC can afford to squander our money in such a fashion. Where the rest gets squandered is anybodies guess, but it certainly isn't spent on improvements.

We the people have NO need for new council offices, but seems some people who have too much of our money think different because they *want*.