Estate should not be given town status

The question from Eastfield Parish Council is being asked – should Eastfield estate become a town?

As a person who lives and works in Eastfield and in my early years went to two local schools in Eastfield, my view is this: Eastfield estate should not have town status.

Eastfield is an estate, although from its beginnings after the Second World War the council was going to build a new town a few miles away from the town of Scarborough. Eastfield would have had many amenities from a cinema to a swimming pool and many, many shops, but this did not happen.

The council went on to build an estate with many hundreds of council houses for rent, because Scarborough people and those coming to live and work in the borough needed a home. The planning and outlook to the mass of space when building all these dwellings was very good.

Eastfield estate over time has become one of the biggest, if not the biggest, estates in North Yorkshire, and that’s what it is, an estate – sorry, not a town. The local parish council has ideas of grandeur, saying that Eastfield town could have its own mayor. What?!

Today in 2015 there are many issues to be addressed before wasting one penny on this idea “the town issue”.

We are still in austerity measures under this government, but you wouldn’t know it due to massive hikes in the Eastfield’s Parish Precept Tax rises over the past few years.

I think those who sit on the parish council should look at what is really needed for the people of Eastfield first.

Finally, I would say to improve the “status” of Eastfield estate look at the everyday vision. We need another medical centre, more schools, cheaper transport, roads need resurfacing, road markings need repainting, grass cutting and verges need sorting, and, above all, a place where the young can go like The Street centre in Scarborough.

A swimming pool would be nice as once promised, wouldn’t it?

Rob England in his response was right when he said: “The town status plan is a disgusting ego trip.” To that I say the parish council as well. Please get real and drop this daft idea now. John Large, Shire Croft,

Eastfield