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Bollards! Confused Leadership or Confused thinking?

Reading this article in the Advertiser I was staggered on two levels.
First, that Shropshire Council is thinking of spending £50k on an automated bollard when that money may be better spent elsewhere to improve the appearance and overall shopping experience in Oswestry or to improve parking, traffic circulation and shopper footfall.

Secondly, and more worryingly that the Deputy Leader and the man in charge of Business and the Economy is at odds with the Council Officers he is err supposed to be leading. He seems to be in favour of opening up Cross Street to traffic – currently closed between 10 am and 4 pm Monday to Saturday. Opening up the road won’t ease congestion or improve pedestrian safety.

Opening up the road won’t ease congestion or improve pedestrian safety. Opening up the road won’t improve trade for retailers on Cross Steet. Opening up the street to traffic may allow ‘drive-by’ shopping but that isn’t really the answer. Increasing footfall will do that. To get more footfall you have to improve a host of things, not least making it a more desirable place to shop and a destination in its own right or when walking through from A  to B if it isn’t.

Whether you agree with opening up Cross Street or not what should be a priority, especially when finances are tight, is spending on things that increase leverage and revenue rather than one-off items of spending. I would argue an injection of £50k would be better spent elsewhere. If you spend it on something that makes shopping a better experience it will produce a more lasting dividend for years to come.

Back in 2002, during my time as a Town, District and County Councillor for Bridgnorth, I helped with officers and other members, to bring the £300k Bridgnorth Better Welcome Project (Inc £110k of EU money) to fruition in 2003. This investment revitalised low town, the benefits of which, are still seen today.

Getting the economy moving in the right direction and supporting business growth has to have a much higher priority than it currently has. With Business rates coming back to Shirehall this will be a hugely important stream of funding to Shropshire Council. Shropshire Council has failed to promote investment, failed o attract jobs to the area, failed to foster an entrepreneurial environment for the area and the county.  This short-sighted view means Shropshire will suffer due to his failure for years to come… More on that another time.

So the question that is the subject of this post… is this another example of confused Leadership or confused thinking? You decided, but it looks like both to me.