Never mind the Buzzcocks, what about the dustcarts?

[dutchman]

Richard Littlejohn asks why councils are spending thousands on bands for pop concerts when they can't afford basic services



For years we’ve been told that councils are having to slash services because of the ‘savage cuts’ imposed on them by the wicked Tories.

In the wake of the election, the Local Government Association has been complaining that Town Halls have had to reduce spending by 40 per cent since 2010 and there is no scope for further savings.

Everything from road-sweeping and rubbish collections to nursery schools and libraries has been hit.

Take, for instance, Coventry City Council, which recently announced it would have to cut its budget by £65 million over the next two years. Services such as street cleaning, parks and road maintenance will all be scaled back.

The annual Godiva music festival, which is sponsored by the council, may be held only every two years. Why not scrap it altogether?

It has just been revealed that Coventry council paid three acts £47,500 to appear at the festival.

The Happy Mondays got £25,000, some outfit called We Are Scientists received £12,500 and the Seventies punk band Buzzcocks trousered £10,000, which seems excessive.

When the Buzzcocks played my old London Weekend TV show a few years ago, they were only paid £500.

But more to the point, why is Coventry council spending taxpayers’ money — almost £100,000 last time around — on promoting a pop festival?

If they can’t afford to sweep the streets or maintain the roads, where do they find the cash to hire the Happy Mondays?

It’s not as if these groups have got anything to do with Coventry.

Happy Mondays and Buzzcocks are from Manchester and We Are Scientists hail from Berkeley, California.

Parts of Coventry look like the Ghost Town which local band The Specials sang about in 1981 — plenty of boarded-up buildings and vandalised bus shelters.

So how on earth can any [council] even begin to countenance frittering away taxpayers’ hard-earned money on pop concerts and curry competitions?

Especially at a time when we are subjected to the constant drumbeat of complaint about the ‘savage Tory cuts’ to services across the board, from home helps to public transport.

Never mind the Buzzcocks, what about the bus cuts?