Pursued by man taking exception to my optimism

Why’ said the gent, ‘don’t you ever say anything good about Ashford in your column?

‘I read it every week and all you do is run the place down.’ Generally speaking, I prefer not to justify my deeds.

However, I don’t consider that I run the town down – I like the place. I do, though, mention areas where I think there’s room for the council to improve things. I remember well that my first column spoke highly about the town.

The day after the paper was in the shops, I was pursued and harangued along the full length of County Square by a chap who took exception to my optimistic view. Although it will apparently make no appreciable difference to the continuation of the education provided, I find it rather worrying to hear that our inspirational new college has gone into administration.

I have less than no understanding of such matters but it does cast something of a shadow over things. The college was/is the best item on the vaunted ‘Big Eight’ scheme.

The building itself is a credit to the town - as compared to that dreadful block of a building just down the road – and we must hope that any difficulties will be soon sorted out.

There has been a great deal in various news media about the problems faced by less welloff families during the summer holidays.

The problems arise because children don’t have access to breakfast clubs and free school meals.

In fact, some food bank managers predict a possible rise of 40% in demand during the summer. Incredibly, there has been a clear increase in demand from families in work.

Zero hours contracts and minimum wages are largely to blame and the problem is apparently exacerbated by the failures of the Universal Credit scheme.

I’ve spoken to people comfortably off in secure employment who claim not to believe that there really is a need for food banks.

They suggest that the real cause of poverty is fecklessness – that the money just goes on ‘booze and bingo.’

Shelter is reported as saying that many families are just one pay day away from losing their home, being unable to pay the rent or mortgage.