YOUR VIEWS

WHAT you’ve been saying on our Facebook page:

●●PARENTS slam price ‘quadrupled price’ to use 3G football pitch (July 15):

Ross Endale: Bravo because we can’t have kids exercising no no they need to be at home on the Xbox stuffing their faces with sugar.

Ken Masser: The off-peak group price (£20) is available from 9am to

5pm weekdays and on weekend afternoons.

Kim O’Brien: Talking about damage, the amount of times we have used it and there’s been rubbish, water bottles etc in the cages after the adults use it. Can’t just blame the kids. There’s hardly anything affordable for kids except parks and as they get older I don’t want mine just hanging about parks. I understand safeguarding risk but price increase doesn’t change this.

Darren Stocks: Plenty of grass pitches around that you can use for free all day.

Nathan McLean:

My son and three of his friends booked a pitch

(via a friend’s Mum) at 11.00 am on Thursday 2nd June - a group of four 11/12 year olds were charged the £36 or £37... absolutely ridiculous. Another Rossendale Leisure Trust site told me that they should have been charged £3.50p per head. I was at Marl Pits last week, so I questioned them on this and they advised that the fee used to be £3 per head but it was pulled because groups of youths were paying for a few, but large numbers were turning up. I asked RLT when the £3 fee was removed and I was advised that it was back in April. A manager then came and advised that they have introduced a new £20 fee to hire a pitch before 5.00pm between Monday and Friday, with no age restrictions - this was to encourage kids and not out price them. I then asked when this new pricing scheme was brought in and I was advised May - so, if this new pricing structure was introduced in May,why did my son and his friends get charged the higher fee? After some pressing, RLT agreed to issue a refund, but this can only be done to the person who made the booking. Jamie Rowell: Don’t use it then. Prices will come down then. Common sense

●●PLAN to turn empty Bay Horse pub into offices backed by planners (July 15):

Jonathan Faulkner: Just what is needed in Haslingden that, offices!

Jean Howarth: Needed desperately sensible prices.

Janette Allen: Why doesn’t the council buy it and turn it into a couple of apartments

David Camm: Should still be a pub!

Andrew James Rodbourne: That could have been a decent pub if it was a free house or free of tie. With the immediate local competition of Commercial Hotel, Green Squirrel etc; Thwaites (or Marstons who I think bought Thwaites) were never going to make it work with their range of beers and the tied model. Also I laugh at the suggestion that the applicant has advised that The Grey Mare, The Holden Arms, Robin

Hood Inn, The Woolpack, Sunny Bank Club, Griffin Inn, The Station, are all competition. It’s a fair walk from this empty pub to those listed in the article.

Craig Barnes: Surely we could do with a takeaway!! Kirsty Jayne: It should be turned into a youth centre. Like the old days, get them off the streets and have somewhere to go instead of coming up with pointless dead end journeys. Yes funding is rubbish for that, but surely the council could find something to accommodate if they’re going to use it for other things. Julie Fenwick: Why don’t they let the homeless use it

Carole Blakeley: Another gone, shame Hassy used to be great. It was a good night out

David Evans: Why not turn it into homes for the homeless?

Rosie Miah: Good luck whatever it turns into.

●●PEOPLE’S views could help shape housing strategy (p2):

Ashley Meller: Create affordable housing in borough sure there’s disused buildings that be converted into flats or houses

Eileen Webster: More social housing is needed. Also remember our first house, made possible by a mortgage from the council? Could this be an option once more, making it easier for the younger ones who can, get their foot on the property ladder. It would also stop ruthless landlords from having a monopoly. Agree Also that disused properties could be converted providing more affordable housing.

Peter Hargreaves: Stop wasting money on empty homes

Gavin Mcnulty: Sort the empty properties out

Alan Boon: Stop building £250000 housing

Luke South: Sounds like the Conservative Councillor wants to appropriate the property of “rogue landlords”. Crossed my mind he might want to sort out the empty homes fiasco before he points his dirty fingers at the private rented sector. That’s why there are housing issues in Rossendale. It’s always someone else’s fault, never the council’s fault!!