BOOTIFUL BOOTS
It has been a month of contrasts in Nottinghamshire. Arnold had the distinction of being named Britain's burglary capital and four suburbs namely the aforementioned Arnold, West Bridgford, Sherwood and Bilborough made the UK top 20 list giving Nottingham the unfortunate distinction of 20% of the UK's top burglary spots.
The local highlight of my month has been Boots' attitude to the council parking levy. Boots are one of the very few pharma companies located outside the south east. They have made an enormous contribution to the local economy and I have to confess to being a great fan of theirs as they have consistently good value and one of the best store loyalty schemes of any company. Nationally and interntionally, they have made a huge contribution to the world of medicine. In terms of cosmetics, they cross the whole spectrum from affordable make up for tentative teenagers to the highest quality cosmetics for those of us who need a bit more help with age. They currently have an exhibition of their history at the Lakeside Pavilion at Nottingham University to mark their 160th anniversary which I intend to visit.
What really made my day was their statement on the proposed Nottingham parking levy. Nottingham has the above crime figures; appalling transport links into the city from the motorway compared to most cities and now plan to bring in this taxation for workplace parking to fund new tram links which will be fixed lines and benefit few people. At least if they introduced electric buses which could be flexible it would be more logical but more tram lines, especially for people who live outside the city and cannot benefit from it but pay for the privelage I find it hard to justify. Have you seen how many shops along the tramlines have closed down as there is no parking for drop in purchases ? Combined with the current economic climate and the way some other councils actively try to encourage new business to their area, what planet are the council on to introduce another barrier to business investment in the area ? Hurrah therefore to Boots for proposing to change their parking area in their extensive grounds from inside the city limits to outside to benifit their employees. Those of us who work in industry know life is very tough at the moment and this is a pragmatic approach for their employees from a huge contributor to the local and national economy.
Finally, if you are interested in books or writing, you are very welcome to come along to County Hall on Saturday the 19th of September for the latest New Writers UK festival. Since the first festival, thegrop has gone from strength to strength and several aspiring writers have now had the great pleasure of getting their work published. This year, through the Nottingham library services, a children's writing competition was launched to encourage children to express themselves in writing – prizes will be awarded at the festival. Parking and entry is free we would love to see you if you like us love books and writing.
Best wishes to you all,
Awen
|
