Having a town council is not just a good idea - it is essential
I HAVE read in the Loughborough Echo, that views on giving Loughborough its own town council are being considered and writing to you is recommended.
Firstly I believe that expressing an opinion on what happens to Loughborough the person should show some credibility towards the town.
I am a Loughborough person; my family have been Loughborough people for at least eight generations and I therefore claim the right to an opinion of what happens to my town.
I consider the idea that Loughborough should have its own town council has long been not just a good idea, but essential to the future of the town probable since the inauguration of the Charnwood Borough Council when the town’s control over its affairs was basically dissolved amongst the surrounding villages.
My family have always had a local (Loughborough) sporting bent, a couple of professional footballers, the Tiger regiment’s finest all round athlete etc. so my opinions of a town council lean towards the subject of sporting facilities available to the community of Loughborough.
Having competed with, and now as a community volunteer worker in sport for Loughborough, I have seen the sterling work done by the parish councils in the surrounding villages in terms of community facilities.
The town needs to be in control of its own affairs and by the way we would like our Mayor, along with the gold chain returned to the town of Loughborough.
Having travelled with the Loughborough Football Club’s first team to play Rugby Borough for the first time I walked into a two million pound state of the art sports complex and was suitable impressed. Financed by Sport England, The Football Foundation and various other organisations but supported by their local council, on council land with 125 year lease.
Having wandered around admiring everything it suddenly dawned on me that we would have to entertain this club later in the season in Loughborough for the return fixture and I felt ashamed.
I began a series of grovelling apologies in advance explaining they would be changing in second hand porta cabins and the showers might work if it rain sufficiently and hoped it wouldn’t be dark or cold because there was no electricity on the site.
I suppose you can be magnanimous when you have such a magnificent facility they took it very well, nice people.
Upon returning to Loughborough and pausing at the Forest Gate for a beer there was an immediate telephone call from the Leicester club Allexton and New Parks who had played the Loughborough Second team in Loughborough and were complaining the showers didn’t work. They of course are part of the 15 million pound investment into sporting facilities in Leicester, so grovelling again “sorry about that please don’t report us to the league we could get thrown out”.
This was quickly followed by a complaint from the Measham Football club who had played the Loughborough “A” team in Loughborough and were complaining there was no showers or toilets in their second hand cabins. Grovelling again “sorry about that please don’t report us to the league we could get thrown out”.
I felt ashamed; ashamed of my own town of Loughborough.
If the introduction of a town council can improve our lot then please get on with it quickly I would like to regain my pride of my own town of Loughborough.