The Sheriff of Nottingham rides again! But does he have to pay to tie his horse up?

Thank you so much for giving such excellent coverage to the issue of parking charges. No-one seems to have picked up on the increase necessary in the Town Council’s budgets in Midsomer Norton and Radstock to cover the electricity bill for the Christmas lights. Studying the Budget in more detail it seems that ‘the poor’ are being robbed to pay the rich in Bath, who pay considerably less Council Tax proportionate to their house value than the majority of my residents. We certainly cannot afford electric cars, or even bicycles, so much more expensive than when I bought mine in 2005. Local taxes and charges for Council services are even more of an issue than in Robin Hood’s day, but good Yorkshire man that he was, he expected value for money compassion for the poor.

When I worked in India, I learnt that poverty is relative, and that a positive outlook and hard work combined with free school meals and grants for the dalit castes (once called ‘untouchable’) meant individuals and whole villages could move up. But here we have short termism by the administration making life harder. 

Perhaps Michael Gove will ask for his ‘levelling up’ money back, give the impact of parking charges on the traders.

Next surgery 20th January, 10-11 am, at Trinity Methodist Church hall, opposite the Elm Tree Avenue shops.