We're doomed Captain, we're doomed...............

[mk1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10373105/Ministers-urged-to-forget-about-saving-failing-cities-and-towns-such-as-Hull-Hartlepool-and-Burnley.html



Ministers have been urged to abandon "failing" cities and towns across the north of England such as Hull, Hartlepool and Burnley and concentrate instead on helping the locals to get jobs elsewhere..........

[DRiddle]

A spokesman for Hartlepool County Council added: "We know unemployment is high but there are tremendous amount of positives. We know what the problems are."

Why when it's something bad is it always 'a spokesman' for HBC, yet when it's something good (ish) certain councillors fall over themselves to attach their name to the article.

That's not leadership...

[Stevef]

I seem to remember this being touted back in Thatcher's time. They has the sense to quietly drop it. Unfortunately this lot may well be thick enough to go for it.

[mk1]

The fact is Hartlepool  can not be supported by the amount of  jobs in the surrounding area.  Leave emotion out of it and the town should be allowed to shrink to a sustainable size. The town has had 2 bursts of expansion. Around 1880-1900 the town more than  doubled in size. 1945-55 it almost doubled again. We now see plans to expand to Wynard. I can not see any hope of providing jobs for the new areas.
If the town were 50,000 strong it would be viable.

If we look to the USA we can see what happens when you leave a city to rot. Detroit would be a good example of  what to expect if this decay is sanctioned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23383361

I believe large numbers of dwellings in the Marina are standing empty.