Hull City Council and the Concrete Jungle By Steve Walker

Thought I'd share my thoughts with you over the council putting a car park where LAs is/was. Glad to see our creative and pro-active council always thinking of exciting new ways to develop the city. Another car park will be great for the city: with more cars coming into the city centre we could employ some more traffic wardens creating more jobs and more revenue for the council.

Please don't pretend that the council is interested in young people; we've the highest child obesity rates, the poorest education, and they wanted to build an £8m youth centre. If they really cared they would have opened up the Albemarle Music Building/School/Academy, whatever it is, to all the musicians in this city.

We have some of the best rock n roll and indie music in the country and that building is restricted to the orchestra and the posh kids with their oboes and clarinets. If the council was that interested in youth then why does it take a secret millionaire to give The Warren some support? If they cared about youth so much then why does the new Hull Truck Theatre have such a small ensemble of Youth Actors?

Why has Northern Theatre, specifically aimed at youth work, been left to rot in an old leaky building without a real creative director to give them vision and a focus?

If they want to really excite the people they should build some more empty, over-priced, exclusive apartments, a new shopping centre or supermarket, or as has been suggested, the greatest idea of all, a flat piece of land with cars on it. This is a knee jerk reaction council with no real plans of its own. They are being swayed by building developers and the rest of their money grabbing, fund grabbing, economic redevelopment money snatching, out of town cronies.

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