Council is broke

gazter

daveyjp wrote: »

Except that is not a decision a local Council can make. Councillor numbers are a national constitutional issue so needs a national decision. I have heard no one in Govt arguing for a reduction in councillor numbers.

A decision on how many councillors a council is is a decision of a boundary commission, but they are heavily influenced by the relevant council.

michaels

But councillors aren't paid are they?

Loughton_Monkey

lemonjelly wrote: »

......The worry is that Wolverhampton could end up like walsall has. Walsall, through council mismanagement, & even corruption, has been neglected & allowed to die.

I disagree that Merry Hill has taken too much away - I think a lot of locals actually dislike merry hill, though it is seen as a viable day out for many at the same time.

I worked around the Black Country mid 70's - based in Dudley, living in Stourbridge. Even then I was staggered at the amount of 'industry' going on - albeit in very small premises behind dirty greasy doors.

On a visit back in 2006, though, I was disappointed to see most of this having gone, and in particular Stuart Crystal and Brierley Hill Glass had turned into a museum and boutique shop.....

I needed some more 15 ounce Gin & Tonic glasses [see my Avatar] because I was down to the last couple, and they made me half a dozen bespoke.

Can you still get a pint of Banks's Mild and a bag of scratchings there? If so, then life can't all be bad.

seven-day-weekend

Yo con still get o pint o' Bonks's and scratchings, ower kid. The Banks's brewery is still in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton. It must be one of the major employers I would think.

Springfield Brewery closed down many years ago and the site is derelict because no-one can agree on what to do with it.

grizzly1911

michaels wrote: »

But councillors aren't paid are they?

I am sure ours are. Happy to be corrected but the basic ones get something like £15K and those with a seat at top table with a portfolio something like £25K give or take a few quid plus travel at full rates.

grizzly1911

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Yo con still get o pint o' Bonks's and scratchings, ower kid. The Banks's brewery is still in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton. It must be one of the major employers I would think.

Springfield Brewery closed down many years ago and the site is derelict because no-one can agree on what to do with it.

A pub crawl round the bBlack Country was a pleasure in years gone by. Holdens, Ma Pardoes, Bathams, all old fashioned local brewers. Just have to be careful you didn't fall in the cut on the way home.

Bonk's used to brew 4 times as much mild as bitter. It was weaker and those in the foundries and heavy metal bashing could drink lots more of it to quench their thirst than the heavier bitter. Made it easier to get up in the morning.

grizzly1911

lemonjelly wrote: »

I disagree that Merry Hill has taken too much away - I think a lot of locals actually dislike merry hill, though it is seen as a viable day out for many at the same time.

IIRC Merry Hill was ortiginally zoned for industrial use. It was on the site of the Round Oak Steel works which was closed in the early 80s tearing the heart of Brierley Hill/Dudley. Eventually the developers got the retail centre.

Last tie I went to Dudley that was a ghost town.


It has been a long time since I went there but by modern developments, like the Trafford Centre, it was pretty tired. Telford was/is a much better proposition IMO. For those on the west of Wolverhampton it doesn't take much longer to get into and for many years had free parking.

seven-day-weekend

grizzly1911 wrote: »

A pub crawl round the bBlack Country was a pleasure in years gone by. Holdens, Ma Pardoes, Bathams, all old fashioned local brewers. Just have to be careful you didn't fall in the cut on the way home.

Bonk's used to brew 4 times as much mild as bitter. It was weaker and those in the foundries and heavy metal bashing could drink lots more of it to quench their thirst than the heavier bitter. Made it easier to get up in the morning.

You can still get Holdens and Bathams, don't know about Ma Pardoes, but there are several good independent breweries such as Enville.

These are actually more Black Country, Wolverhampton isn't in the Black Country other than a tiny bit in the south-east of the city.

grizzly1911

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

You can still get Holdens and Bathams, don't know about Ma Pardoes, but there are several good independent breweries such as Enville.

These are actually more Black Country, Wolverhampton isn't in the Black Country other than a tiny bit in the south-east of the city.

There used to be a little hostelry between Sedgley and Dudley called the Britannia. You could sit in a little old ladies front parlour, she had a slight hump on her back and would serve from hand pulls mounted on the wall.

I appreciate the Black Country distinction but it is interesting how it gets used, for publicity, when it suits.

seven-day-weekend

This is still in the Black Country, in Tipton:

http://www.madorourkes.com/

So is this, at Himley:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=crooked+house+pub&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=ueeahqvBwDZJlM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcRTjzICowA-KEudBeqAW3338NHMzDe1IcvLbksPdg5WcrnjPZsn3Q%253B640%253B480%253BK44iPGCYpVfNfM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.sedgleymanor.com%25252Fhistorical%25252Fcrooked_house.html&sa=X&ei=Xu3OUuPXNcuB7QaGvwE&ved=0CGEQ9QEwAw&biw=1024&bih=510#facrc=_&imgrc=ueeahqvBwDZJlM%253A%3BK44iPGCYpVfNfM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.sedgleymanor.com%252Fgraphics%252Fcrooked_house.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.sedgleymanor.com%252Fhistorical%252Fcrooked_house.html%3B640%3B480


And of course, this in Wolverhampton, just up the road from where I live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN1gWMJDfm4