Anything is possible with our cash!

Sir I saw a letter from Karl Battersby, RMBC Strategic Director, Environment & Development Services(Advertiser, June 15th). In it, Mr Battersby wished to clarify that the £30k which was spent on "window dressing" the ever-increasing number of boarded up shops in the town centre was money from central Government rather than than money from RMBC.

Well I guess that we all feel slightly relieved that it's not from our hard-earned council tax contributions and can rest easy that it stems from our wealthy Government.

Remind me, where would this money come from ? Oh yes, it's all very compicated and unless you have strategy in your job title, better leave it to the experts.

Could this be the same Mr Battersby who was featured in the Rotherham Advertiser on May 18 with the headline 'Housing plan sensible for borough, claim'.

Mr Battersby was commenting on the proposed reduction of new homes required in the borough.

He said: ""e had a regional spatial strategy which was for 24,000 new homes over 15 years and we've gone for 12,750".

He went on to say "that's for two reasons, one because we think it's sensible for Rotherham - the regional targets were unachievable - and two, because it would have a detrimental effect on areas of green belt across the borough".

What Mr Battersby forgot to mention was that RMBC actually applied for and were successful in gaining additional funding to increase the target by 2,197-plus houses.

So one minute it's build as many houses as quickly as you can while there are grants to be had and then under a new Government and their policies, try and convince the good folks of Rotherham that it was a crazy idea in the first place.

More strategy and more money wasted on LDF consultation. Maybe Mr Battersby could come up with a strategy whereby RMBC take over one of the boarded up shops in the town centre and sells discounted pipe dreams?

There has to be a central Government fund which he could tap into. A good strategy, few tins of paint and some rose-tinted specs  . . .  anything's possible with someone else's cash.

J Guest, Ravenfield.