You can tell there is an election in the offing- the front page story in the Obtiser is Millions to be poured into Morley. When you look closer though, a lot of this money is for the regeneration of the area known as Morley Bottoms and going on highway improvements, traffic signals, one way system, traffic bays, a zebra crossing. etc. Seeing as how all of the Civil Works involved with something as simple as a Puffin Crossing cost about £40k, then £1m won’t go very far in the scheme of things.

I was also alarmed to see the following phrase:

The clean-up plans have been boosted with the news that Leeds City Council’s policy on issuing enforcement notices on untidy shops has been backed by the courts.

(My emphasis).

Also, from the Bansturbator in chief:

“Owners who allow their shop fronts to become run-down should be held accountable,” Coun Finnigan said.

To who? Why? It is their property, for the sake of Farquad. By all means Cajole, persuade, encourage, shame, all fine. Use force, no. An Englishman’s shop is his Castle, it is irrelevant how rich, lazy, indifferent or rude the owner is, at the end of the day, if you don’t respect his property rights then you are no better than a burglar.

Speaking of criminals, I noticed the following poster in Town yesterday, as I hobbled round the Town Hall. The story is in the Obtiser and online:

In a bid to put a stop to the damage a group of local councillors has now put up a £300 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the “artist” responsible for the leisure centre damage.

Coun Judith Elliott (MBI, Morley South) has put forward the reward, which has come out of party funds, in an attempt to put paid to petty vandalism and yobs acting in an anti-social way.

(My emphasis)

Hmm. Coming out of party funds? Candidate re-standing for election in May? Where is the Imprint? Breach of section 66 of the EA Act I wonder? Well, maybe the election hasn’t started yet, but the leaflets coming through all have imprints.

It is not as though the MBIs are not aware of the need to do this. I can recall them furiously sticking imprint labels on the strings of Vote Finnigan Helium Balloons when he stood for Parliament.

Speaking of Parliament, outgoing watermelon MP Colin Challen is taking the local elections to Westminster:

I would be interested to hear whether the hon. Gentleman has any influence in Leeds city council, which is a Conservative-led body. It recently raised tens of millions of pounds through the sale of Leeds Bradford airport. It should spend that money tackling depredation by providing better transport throughout the city and, perhaps, even a bus station in Morley, which we do not have, despite being a town of 25,000 people. That would help to get people into work with more mobility. Will he write to his colleagues on the council and urge them to do that?

Colin, come on. Your Labour cronies ran Leeds like a personal fiefdom for the previous couple of decades. Where was the Bus station then?

The other thing is that Leeds probably needs the sale of the Airport to be able to fund the ever increasing drain on the public purse known as Public Sector Pensions. (£43.1m in 2007/8).