One item on this mornings TDC Executive agenda was a report back from the BBC Big Week End with a request for a further payment of £34,000, with an additional £15,000 coming from “contingencies!” This means that council tax payers from Teignbridge and Exeter shared a £300,000 spend on a “free” pop concert. I have said many times that this was not the best use of public money and we Lib Dems would not have entered into this expenditure. This morning we were subjected to an almost laughable outpouring of self justification from every single Conservative present. Many never speak, but on this occasion it was very obvious that they had all been requested to “say something nice abiout the event”.One Councillor claimed a large number of young people had come up to him, in his ward, and thanked him for putting the event on. Who does he think he’s kidding? Others spoke in similar vein…and they expected those present to believe them! They had apparently not met anyone who opposed this expenditure. Well, I have. Large numbers of residents have spoken to me, or emailed me with angry negative comments regarding this huge waste of money.
Later today I was in conversation with a 17 year old. I explained the costings, and our alternative, costed, proposal of a free bus pass for 16 – 19 year olds. Which would he have wanted, I asked.
Without a moments hesitation, he said the bus pass, which was currently costing him ( I pointed out it was of course his parents) something in the region of £550 pa. Locally Lib Dems will continue to call for a free bus pass for this age group, which is hugely more advantageous than any number of free pop concerts.