IN MARCH 2011, Lancashire Constabulary were told to make average savings of £10.5m per year for the next four years.
They said this would result in 550 officer and 250 civilian positions being cut, including 160 front line staff. In November 2011, police bosses decided that in addition, six Fylde police stations must close in order to save £1m per year.
Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said;
“Even though reducing crime will be a big ask as the impact of the cuts start to bite, I am clear that reducing crime is core business and will remain our focus”
Amidst this barren environment of cuts, at the start of February 2012 the Gasjet reported that Lancashire Constabulary had managed to find a colossal £21m to build themselves a brand new headquarters as part of Blackpool Council’s Talbot Gateway shambles, closing their existing HQ at Bonny Street in doing so. The Gasjet reckon that £5m is already in the pot for this, and the remaining £16m will be put in over four years.
OUT WITH THE OLD: Bonny Street police HQ
Given that Lancashire Constabulary have to cut £10.5m per year for four years, it could therefore be said that around 50% of these cuts could have been avoided and around 400 jobs could have been protected for the next four years if the police had decided not to build themselves a new £21m base.
Chief Constable Finnigan said that reducing crime was his core business, but this new police station won’t improve response times or front line presence because of the cuts and closures that have happened to fund it.
Considering the sum of money available, it may well have been a better option to invest smaller sums of cash in existing police stations or build an additional, smaller, sub-headquarters in the Blackpool North area in order to improve response time and presence in out-of-town areas, rather than simply moving the headquarters half a mile from a highly accessible location to shared space hell, all because it makes it look like something is happening with respect to the Talbot Gateway.
What do you think? Is this Talbot Gateway vanity project worth the loss of 400 police jobs and 6 local police stations?
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I did hear that this building was not only unsuitable but also unsafe. I heard this some years ago when the carpark at the side of the station was demolished due to structural problems.
If there are structural problems then there may be no other suitable remedies to this problem, other than to demolish the building and rebuild.
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If it was unsafe they wouldn’t be in it now, would they? I know some have said the building is ‘end of life’ and other boardroom jargon, but most properties in Blackpool are much older than that building and are occupied.
Ian Cosh from the police said;
“The current building is simply costing too much to maintain and isn’t fit for what we need operationally for the future so it has now become a business need to deal with the building and invest in a new station.”
This is the same argument the council used to build their new offices at the Talbot Gateway, they said the town hall wasn’t efficient enough and that their new offices would achieve savings of around £250,000 per year. Of course, since the offices are costing £50m, this means it will take 200 years to make a real terms saving.
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Hi Phil it isnt quite that simple to determine the return on such a project, to evaluate such a project would require a net present value/ Internal Rate of Return(NPV) (IRR)analysis,taking into account of the weighted average cost of capital,risk,inflation and by implication the time value of money.It would be interesting to see how this analysis was reached though;for scrutiny.I suspect certain cash flows would have been over estimated to justify a positive NPV.I find the idea of new council offices abhorrent and all too typical of these twats,does anyone have news on the snow dome, a letter in the gazette indicated that its still being considered?
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Its easy to be pedantic and flippant however why would a building which doesnt have fault cost so much to maintain? Th station was built at the same time as the long since knocked down car-park which had structural problems. The building may not be technically unsafe yet but in the future it will be classified as unsafe as will Bispham collage. The failed collage on Central drive was proposed because of the structural problems at Bispham from what my friend told me. He also told me about the tesco bid for the council offices and also that the airport wanted their land back at westgate house,also that the new lighting on birley street was a potential hazard for the fire service who could not get to the middle of Birley street. So who would I listen to someone who has no proven track record on council matters or someone who has been consistently correct. This may go against your little theory trying to show that savings can be made to protect front line police with a reduced budget however sometimes things have to be done for no other reason than they have reached the end of their life.To be fair the police station has lasted a lot longer than most of the Tory projects of late for example the prom and waterloo/lytham road roundabout
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Blackpool desperately needs investment to pull in revenue,not new council offices or wedding sheds whilst whole swathes of the town fall prey to slum lords and the mountain of human excremental detritus that drags the town down.I hope these new offices fall on their unworthy heads,just like out of the scene in the film the medusa touch, first day of opening and that bastard shower of cretin rapists gets squashed by the monstrous edifice of public sector arrogance and profligacy,cos those scum suckers deserve it.
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Bispham college is a great example that backs up my ‘theory’, thanks for bringing it up. It was going to relocate because they believed that the government had a massive pot of billions of pounds of free money to spend on a new build, which was the same driving force behind the entire Talbot Gateway project.
Then, once everyone realised the Labour government were promising money they didn’t have (no surprises there), the scheme was axed, just like the other 144 colleges around the country that were relying on this money but had to scrap their projects.
In January 2011 they spent millions on the Cleveleys Building at Bispham campus instead. Rather than breaking the bank to relocate as part of some grand vanity project (though I did support it), but instead spent a fraction and updated their current buildings.
I don’t suppose your mate, lets call him “Common Sense Dave”, was involved in telling the council that Crystal Road was a safe bet, was he?
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I don’t suppose your mate, lets call him “Common Sense Dave”, was involved in telling the council that Crystal Road was a safe bet, was he?
No, that was the party of the people Shallow Callow and co.You know you can trust a Tory….not
This covering up the cracks policy comes back to haunt you in future years.All that money has now been spent tarting up a building which has structural problems. Perhaps in a few years time when they are spending a few more million on it like the Bonney Street station and its high maintainance costs you will realize that they are throwing good money after bad. Here is another example Thames road Primary school had their roof repaired which covered the main hall.They then spent rather a lot of money updating the hall,new flooring,widening doors decorating etc and guess what happened yes the roof started leaking ruining the decoration. Now you would think they could claim of their insurance but because the school is so old and the roof is not fit for purpose they cannot claim so the tax payer footed the bill.This is another example of throwing good money after bad.I know we cannot have everything at once however when the cash is there to demolish these money pits they should be demolished.New builds are far better insulated and come with a guarentee so maintainance costs disappear.In the long term there is a real benefit to the tax payer. I was in a secondary school last year which had water running down the walls and mould growing in a classroom I wouldnt like my child to be taught in those conditions.T.B. the local Tory Councillor for Squires Gate didnt mind the fact our schools had these conditions and yet he bitched about student fees. Perhaps if he had to be taught in those conditions he may have changed his mind.Just why do we need shiny schools when we can have damp and mouldy ones? If this happened in a third world country our illustrious Government would be sending donations for a rebuild. Just like they are doing in Afghan building a military acadamy so that when the Taliban take control they have a nice shiny terrorism school.
Phil just where are the Tory Government getting the money for their school building projects?Thought we were bankrupt!!!
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I agree cardy,and those Afghan turdbags are rioting over the koran,cos it got ripped up, for fucks sake! yet British soldiers have died for those maggots,and British taxpayers money has been spent on that festering slum,my answer? Use TRIDENT on these flies, problem solved, vapourise this festering slurry sucking scumballs.
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Obviously the roof wasn’t repaired very well at Thames, or the faults were not all identified and fixed; wasn’t you that did the shit repair was it Cardy? Or was it Common Sense Dave?
I understand the benefits of new builds, but I also understand that 800 police jobs are being lost and 6 local police stations are being closed, and less grandiose plans should be considered in order to save jobs.
Not sure what your point is linking tuition fees with schools. Tuition fees are not ‘paying for’ school rebuilds. The fees go to the universities, not the government, and represent a short term cut in public spending.
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Are you in a relationship with Councillor Cox? Its funny how when I have a go at him you jump to his defence and start swearing, you obviously care a lot for him. That thought has just put me off my breakfast.No tongues Phil. The point I was making about tuition fees is this children from this country are being taught in substandard conditions in many cases. The Government as you keep bleeting on about only have so much money, so is it right to keep paying for ADULT education when we cannot afford to keep the schools we have at the moment at an exceptable level of repair? I believe all adults should pay for their own education.I am and I am also paying for my sons futher education. Councillor Cox on the other hand believes Adult education should be free and blames labour for this and is opposed to new shiny schools.
The cost of replacing the roof at Thames Road is not attainable from their budget and so it will carry on getting spot repaired with the knock on effects of those repairs.
The question you should be asking Phil is whether those police jobs would be lost if the build didnt go ahead I suspect they would?
I wonder why you argue so pationately for the protection of jobs when it comes to the police and yet when it comes to other civil servents you argue its fine for them to lose their jobs?
Have you ever considered the knock on effect to the private sector with all these job loses?All these civil servents live in homes and the vast majority of them do no repairs to their homes themselves they use contractors from the private sector.If they lose their jobs will they be having work carried out on their homes? Will they still be spending in the shops to the same extent they did whilst earning a wage.In my opinion you are arguing for the shrinkage of our economy (and in particular the private sector) we are now seeing.
I like the fact you point out money has been spent on Bispham Collage the good news is in the future more will be needed to be spent on it creating employment as with the roof at Thames Road.
For a country which is Bankrupt we seem to be moving towards plan B with more spending.
Next time you slate labour for not dealing with the bankers perhaps you should consider todays news about the RBS and its loses and the amount it has paid out in bonuses.Just what are the Tory party doing about this mostly state owned institution….. Nothing
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Its cut its bonus pool by 60 odd percent Cardy, does that not count for anything? You can’t pay people nothing and expect them to forge a career out of it.
The legacy of Fred Goodwin will be long and painful.
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Name one other state or part owned state business that is losing money and paying staff bonuses?
So no it counts for nothing just the usual Tory hot air we are all so accustomed to hearing.
Perhaps the £750 million in bonuses could and should have been paid back to the taxpayer.It could have been used to cover the cost of this police station and protected jobs as well. Tory.s tough on what?
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Why should it? It’s part of their pay deal.
Same argument as the public sector pensions row and you support them keeping their gold plated mega lucrative deals ‘because its what they signed up to’. On that basis bankers should get normal bonus payments ‘because its what they signed up to’.
The Tories have been far tougher than Labour. Gordon Brown and Tony Blair allowed Fred Goodwin to fuck up the UK’s banking system and pay himself shit loads of bonuses for doing so, then gave the twat a knighthood for services to banking. What a joke!
This new bloke has reduced RBS toxic debt exposure greatly and done a good job: I think he should have taken his bonus and then resigned due to the media storm organised by Labour.
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Plus, RBS losses are misleading, they took a big hit on PPI and Greek toxicity – one off writedowns.
It’s the legacy of your banking messiah, Fred Goodwin.
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Lets put this debate to bed once and for all.You are getting more like T.B. every day.I prove nurses and frontline workers are losing their jobs,yet you wont accept it.You now argue that police jobs should be saved rather than having a new station.
Here comes the PHILTHEONE hypocricy
its ok for bankers to recieve bonuses whilst their collegues are made redundant.YOUR THEORY with the police station SHOULD equally apply to the banks .WHY should a loss making institution who are making people redundant give out bonuses?
This in my opinion is immoral.
MORE PHILTHEONE hypocricy.
Why buy the tower,winter gardens or loan the pleasure beach £5 million this money could have protected long term jobs,ones you argue we cannot afford.Should the NHS buy the latest machinery to save lives we could protect jobs? At least TRY to stick to the same line of argument, as of late you are looking like your opinion is that of Camercon talking out of your backside to justify the cuts.
QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED BY PHILTHEONE
Why protect police jobs and not other civil servants?
Will the lose of the civil servants jobs lead to a shrinkage of the private sector?
Are front line nurses losing their jobs?
Is it right for frontline nurses to lose their jobs whilst protecting a scout hut?
Name one other institution which pays out bonuses when making a loss?
Should UK children be taught in damp mouldy classrooms?
Jump onto the banking argument to camouflage the weakness of your argument once again Phil.
If you cannot answer these quwestions honestly this again will show your hypocricy.
I admire your courage having this blog and posting your opinion but when you are proved wrong with emperical facts (I do live using educated words,not bad for a thicko like myself) Rather than defending your point it would be wise to adapt that opinion and come to a new conclusion something an educated person would do.You do not do this as with frontline nurses being handed redundancy notices you bury your head and stated that the newspaper which revealed the story didnt prove that the redundancy notices had been given out. I think that if the newspaper was wrong this Tory Government would have jumped all over the story to discredit it however the fact the Health Secretary has confirmed frontline nurses may well be losing their jobs should be a clear indicator that this is happening, at the time I told you to get your head out of the sand it sounds like it is still buried.
Please note I still havent stooped to your levels of personal insults something yourself and Councillor Cox have in common. How very Tory!!!
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You may live using educated words, it’s just a shame you can’t spell them.
I don’t see how I can be called a hypocrite for playing devils’ advocate.
The police are not a profit making business so you can’t compare them with banks.
My personal view of the police is that it should be service oriented, after all, they are a service now not a force. I couldn’t give a shit where the police stations are and I couldn’t give a shit how many staff work for them as long as crime is reduced and as long as they turn up when you ring them.
You think I should just believe everything in the newspaper, but unlike you I question what I read. In many ways that’s the point of this site.
Since RBS is more or less state owned we can compare it with the public sector. Will public sector unions take a pensions cut to save jobs? No they will not. Will they take a pay cut to save jobs? No they will not. Yet you argue that RBS should cut its bonus pool to save jobs. Why one rule for the private sector and one for the public sector?
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You think I should just believe everything in the newspaper, but unlike you I question what I read. In many ways that’s the point of this site
Sorry Phil that is just total rubbish,If you question things when you are informed about certain facts why not investigate those facts instead of backing a totally incorrect view point.If you belive a mostly state owned loss making business should pay out bonuses whilst making over 1000 redundancies is correct then why hide the fact that nurses are losing their jobs? They to are just a number in what can be regarded as a loss making institution be proud they have lost their jobs like the redundant bankers.
Why print stories which are backing the Tory view for example the one about” if you believe labour front line nurses are losing their jobs this is incorrect” Perhaps you should have questioned that before spouting more Tory rubbish and print a true story with the headline cameron has stated that front line nurses wont be losing their jobs when indeed they are? Is it that hard to print the truth? This point alone proves you do not question what you read but actually spew out the Tory line.
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“Just why do we need shiny schools when we can have damp and mouldy ones? If this happened in a third world country our illustrious Government would be sending donations for a rebuild. Just like they are doing in Afghan building a military acadamy so that when the Taliban take control they have a nice shiny terrorism school.”
Er…just who was it who got us into the Afghan mess in the first place? Er… just who was it who sent this country into a financial tailspin that we’re still trying to drag ourselves out of?
Fucking zanulabour bolshevik cunts that’s who.
The old adage of people in glass houses should not throw stones definitely applies here.
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Have you taken a look at South shore and Bispham police station lately, the amount of police vehicles just standing idle suggests that they have far to many, perhaps they should be looking at cutting the vehicle budget and putting more front line policemen on the beat. I have to agree with you Phil I would rather see more policemen in the town than a fancy, no doubt ultra modern monstrosity of a building if the wedding chapel is anything to go by
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The tabot gateway will go down as that wanker Donellons finest fuck up to date,it will be a case study in its own right, a bench mark of public sector mismangement.And as for the comment that new police headquarters will regenerate the town,its nearly as derisory as the comments that 400 houses off rigby rd will regenerate central drive (400 houses to fill with the dreggs,400 houses bought by slumlords who will advertise for the scum to flock to Blackpool and sponge like they normally do),Nope, I honestly believe that the council has absolutely no idea how to improve the town,no idea at all.How long before the gateway starts to crumble? weeks months?.I have never felt as much despair about Blackpool as I do now, I really cannot see an end to the decay.The town is in terminal decline and the council wastes millions on uselss projects,crumbling roads,wedding sheds etc orchestrated by public sector desk jockeys like Donellon and Cross.Time for an e-petition to have these 2 turdbags sacked?
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What is the sense in putting an enormous Police Station in the town centre or Talbot Gateway area. Much of the building is offices, but it is still the main location for all our operational Police services. Are these Police and office workers also part of the ‘regeneration’ plan?
Far better to have a site somewhere a little further out, that is cheaper to buy and has that much needed attribute – PARKING. Not just for the staff but for the fleet of Police and ancillary vehicles that are always in use. Surely there are other options for developing Talbot Gateway. If not then I seriously question the value of this development. A Police Station forming a core part of a Central Business District? Why for goodness sake?
This was the major mistake when the current building was designed. It must be borne in mind that the current building only opened in 1974 – so it has hardly proved value for money and was obsolete within months of opening. (1 x lift for 6 people – serving 8 floors.) Problems with the concrete and rusting metal structure have already required areas to be demolished.
It was a bonus in the 70′s to have Police and courts co-located, something which is now an irrelevance. By all means put the courts in the Talbot area, they are a booming business.
The current building suffered from too much input and personal preference, in the design, from senior police officers. They after all not architects and are in no way qualified to design this sort of facility. The last folly is testament to this. Hence the reason that the present builing was so quickly obsolete – it had no ‘future-proofing’.
Police stations serve the same functions, whichever town or city they serve. Surely it is cheaaper and more cost effective to utilise a proven design, rather than have some aethestic crap that will be out of date in 5 years.
Fire Stations were always located in the town centres. Not any more. Traffic problems for one and less expensive, larger sites available. There are ample cheaper locations for siting a Police Station – Devonshire Rd hospital site for one, in addition to the many sites slightly further afield.
All that is needed in the town centre is a ‘shop front’ type facility as utilised by the Post Office. Sell the expensive Central site for leisure and tourism use and build in an easily accesible area on a cheaper, traffic free site. The Police could also take their pick from the dozens of empty shops in town to develop for enquiries and ‘counter’ services. Another option might be to move the enquiry office into the cafe area of the ‘Wedding Shed’. I don’t think there will be anyone rushing to lease it otherwise.
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Splendid argument of common sense!
The council will fight tooth and nail to get the police to locate in the Talbot Gateway though, otherwise there will just be an empty space (though we are used to that in the area around Blackpool North).
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It’s not so much the demolision and re-siting I have issue with, more the hidden agendas.
Town centres are failing, for many reasons. Councils want the centres to be the main area for shopping and business (why do they have to be ?) so to achieve this, increase footfall and make themselves look good they want to move as many peripheral services into the town centre – having a police station relocate there helps achieve this. However Lancs police may decide not to move to Talbot Gateway and go somewhere else. It’s not the councils decision and therefore not a done deal.
But if they did, and along with the closure of other council offices and their moving to the town hall and Gateway area, several years down the line some shiny-arse council officer will be able to shout about how successful they’ve been about revitalising the town centre and how many more people now visit it (increased footfall). Well of course more people would be going into town, they have no choice as the places they used to go to had now shut. We’ve already seen it with the wedding chapel and how ‘successful’ its been and how many people use it – but would it be so successful if the registry office was still open ?
But will this increased footfall lead to more spending in the centre, or as I predict people will go to town to visit the council offices and/or the police station then get back into their cars and drive to Tesco to do their shopping. Having all the council services and a police station in town won’t make you shop there if you already don’t – and when was the last time you had cause to visit a council office or police station anyway ? I go to the town hall once a year to renew my taxi badge and that’s it, and I don’t hang around to do any shopping, straight in and out again. I suspect the vast majority of residents have never been to a police station or council office in years, so increased footfall yes, but other than maybe a slight increase in parking revenue, an increase in shopping spending no, or negligible.
But lets say everyone does start doing all their shopping in the centre, that means less spending in the other areas such as Layton, Highfield, South Shore and of course the already barren Central Drive. Just moving boarded up shops from one area to another……..at least it’ll keep officers busy with re-generation schemes for new areas !!
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Great points.
The police station has always been part of the Talbot Gateway plans, ever since Roy Fisher and co dreamt the scheme up. I’d be amazed if they chose another location!
You’re right to highlight the impact of a busier town centre on local high streets as well; fundamentally there are just too many shops.
The police would be better off donating their £21m to compulsory purchase and demolition of Central Drive: it would probably bring about a massive reduction in crime!
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message from Argentina, not the best message to send out to visitors coming into the town by the North Station rail route, whats the first point of view “a police station”, it dosent actually indicate a warm welcome now does it.
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Traitor!
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Well Tang I havent seen anyone burning our flag yet, and I hope I dont. There is nothing on the news over here about Britain good or bad, or whats going on in and around the Falklands. One of my sons friends said arent you worried about your mum going to Buenos Aries with all this trouble going on and Stuart said if anyone kidnapped my mum they would find it easier all round if they left her back where they found her. Thats my boy ( well man actually ) I think he was implying I was a bit of a handful……;o)
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I’ve been back in Blackpool for two weeks now. What an all round disaster. Driving round is a nightmare and when you eventually get near to where you want to be…. all the disabled bays are full!
Bond Street, Central Drive, Dickson Road are so dreadfully shabby. Just what do these so called planners of excellence do all day except maybe to dream of how to drag out their six figure salaries into pension pots whilst blaming the consultants they had to call in because they couldn’t do the job they were employed to do in the first place? Gasp!
What on earth is that hideous lump near the St Annes Road Fire Station, surely there is no one that would lay claim to having designed it. Has anyone from the planning department actually seen it? Does it look anything at all like the submitted drawings? Mind you, it’s just a smaller grubbier version of the ghastly replacement for Devonshire Road School.
Then there is the absolutely awful cobbled together structure that has been dumped on the prom. I’m told that some couple was wild with delight at being the first to be married there. Really.
Actually, I always thought there was something in the Blackpool Byelaws about not building on the sea side of the tram tracks? I suppose the writing was on the wall when the lifeboat station was allowed to be built. Who can object to a lifeboat station, hey? Actually, the lifeboat station area seems to be turning into a big free car park for a the privileged!
Thinks…. must remember to do the online book in, back to the Costa Del Sol campo….
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The link may give you some idea as to why the Talbot area might be considered more suitable..
http://www.police.uk/crime/?q=Blackpool,%20UK
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Not sure that argument works, there’s tons of crime in the area in close proximity to Bonny Street!
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You may have noticed Phil that this country has developed a Blair-ite culture, One that still exists amongst many of its politicians and hierarchy, A culture in which people are lead to believe something to the point that they believe it to be true; therefore the example is: if we have a police presence in the centre of a new economic development; investors will believe it is more secure and invest their money, offenders will believe the station has a police presence and the outcome from the belief will be a reduction of offending in that area.
So the Police Centre will be located to suit the beliefs of those; who have the power and authority to justify their belief and by those who control of the finances for its construction.
Perhaps they believe: the location will! reduce crime and eventually justify reducing the police presence and therefore justify their spending V’s cuts,
But as we all suspect; crime will just move elsewhere; in particular where their is a belief that there are not many police at hand becasuse they are all too busy in the town centre..
Sadly Blackpool is facing a lack of overall confidence; in its Politicians its Council Management and Public Servants. A lack of confidence brought about by a belief that failure is rewarded, non compliance is ignored and that ignorance and arrogance are accepted behaviours when dealing with residents of the town.
I believe it is time for change and for local people to stand and make a difference. So to be Blair-ite. If enough of us develop a belief; it should happen.
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I heard there was more theft and break in from cars in the car park right on Bonny Street than any other area in Blackpool, what does that tell you, and that came from a long serving experienced traffic warden or whatever they are called these days. I still say Squires Gate Lane is an ideal site for the police station, it ticks all the boxes and wouldnt be as expensive to build as the one in the Gateway.
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Hi Kate, It would tell me that car theft and car break in’s are being committed by people from out of town as it has a direct access to the motorway and cars or items stolen can be fifty miles away in an hour. The largest car park in Europe also serves as the largest thieves take away with many victims not even reporting their loss of contents. I have no preference for a location; my only concern is the standard of policing and a hope that our police force work within the law rather than above it. Slightly off beat; excuse the pun, What is! the fitness criteria for the police these days? Every time you see the police on the TV you see rather large snow men or huge florescent bollards and its not all stab jackets, truncheons or camera angles…..
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I suspect your comment is more sarcastic than serious Fred but it is a fact that locating a Police Station like Blackpool Divisional HQ, in a particular area has little (if any) effect on crime. Remember that most of the Divisional HQ is actually offices, occupied by pen-pushers, working 9 to 5. These staff have nothing to do with day to day policing. As you would expect the highest crime figures are in the town centre area. Having the current station in the present location has never had any effect whatsoever upon crime in that area.
Certainly moving the police from the town centre to an outer location will have little effect on crime. More front line officers and the long overdue reduction in needless paperwork will solve that problem.
Whilst on the subject, we again had the ‘horses’ patrolling the town centre in pairs. Apart from the excercise, what on earth do they come to Blackpool for, in the early evening when there is no-one about? What possible useful purpose can they serve? If the Police are so desperate to save money should the Mounted department, which is a throw back to a previous era, not be looked at from a ‘ value for money’ perspective. I do think that it is impossible to maintain such a massively expensive department for football matches. Apart from football matches and police competitions, what else do they do to add value to police services? How many more ‘bobbies’ could be put back on the streets if this department were to be ‘sacriificed’? These questions need to be addressed as part of the ‘hard’ decision making progress.
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Check this out:-
http://philtheone.com/2009/11/busy-as-ever/
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Says it all really!
I have heard all the arguments put forward supporting mounted police on the streets in Blackpool, such as visible presence, crime deterrent etc. but in truth it is bull. They only come out in their very expensive horse boxes, from the stables for excercise and to justify their existence. They are of no use at all for routine policing and a very, very expensive way for police to travel about. Better to leave the horses back at the ranch and send out the riders on bikes, to do some real police work.
Better to close down the mounted section than many of the smaller stations currently under scrutiny.
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I agree the current HQ is office space and as you say pen pushers, with just a few real officers working around the area. I am not for any hotels in the town centre or the police station. The prom would look so much better if a lot of the hotels were pulled down and bigger and better were put in there place. The crescent next to me starts demolision in June, I dont know why the council are dragging their feet on the issue of allowing the other hoteliers to demolish theirs at least Blackpool Prom would have a classier look to it as you drive along the New South Prom and we wouldnt have to wait long for the new look properties to go up in there place. The town needs a face lift, if these hoteliers are prepared to spend their own money to benefit the look of the town the council need to get their finger out and grant the permission. Its starting to look like a doss hole at this end with hoteliers getting sick of waiting so they are closing the hotels of their own accord. These are not small hotels that are being left empty, it dosent send the right message out at all.
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There is a problem with knocking down a hotel and building a new one. You have to then provide more parking space. Anyone remember when the Viking bought out the row to the south of them (the Avondale belonged to my wife’s Aunt) and applied for planning permission to extend. The amount of parking space they were going to have to provide made it not feasible. It’s been a parking space since then.
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why not use the wedding shed as a police hq? Nobody will want to commit crime and risk getting locked up in that atrocity,its revolting appearance will act as a deterrent,commit crime and you will be locked up in the SHED,lol
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Lincolnshire Police Authority have never exactly been at the cutting edge of Police innovation but it appears that they are the first Police Authority to enter into an arrangement with a private security company, to build and design a police station.
G4S will, upon completion, be involved in the runiing of the building.
The expected saving to the Police Authority is £5m over 10 years.
This does seem to be a way for the future, to have properly designed buildings, with the private sector bearing the up-front costs. The ‘office’ side of Police Stations is just that, whereas the operational side needs a little more thinking about.
Both Greater Manchester Police and New Scotland Yard, in the Met were designed and built as Office blocks not Police H.Q.’s. They were purchased as empty office buildings and have been ‘converted’ for Police use. Much much cheaper than building from scratch.
Problems in the past have been caused locally by Divisional boundary changes, departmental re-organisations and changes to the nature of Policing itself. Many departments that existed 10 years ago have since been either dis-banded, centralised or fundamentally altered. This was the problem initially with Blackpool Divisional HQ, it was built to suit the structure that existed in 1972. There is a 2 storey building forming part of the current police station, that more or less runs between the court building and the main 8 storey block. This was built to house the No.1 District Task Force as a self contained unit, (the old Z cars). Unfortunately the Task Force was disbanded within about 5 years of moving in.
The structure of the Police will obviously continue to change and evolve in an attempt to respond to the demands from society. Buildings are needed on an operational level that will allow for the changes that will come about over fairly short periods of time.
Maybe the idea from Lincolnshire is the solution. Rest assured G4S would make sure that any site they chose would be both suitable and the right price. This could well scupper the Central Business District location. With the money from the sale of the existing site, Lancashire Police Authority would already have sufficient funding to pay for several years in the new building
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I’ll lay odds that the projected savings of £5 million becomes a £5 million or more debt. It will be a real money spinner for G4S, £100 to change a light bulb, £500 to add a phone extension, £1000 to re-arrange partitions and desks, No worker in the building allowed to do anything. The smallest repair has to be requisitioned in triplicate, with a survey and costing by a G4S employee, report back to committee and debated before any action takes place…. by an outside contractor.
I’ve been in that situation.
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Underwhelmed once again that whilst all the hype of 220m spent is only the tip of the iceberg.
http://england.unitedkingdom-tenders.co.uk/766_Blackpool_Council_offices_-_CAT_A__CAT_B_fit-out_car_parking__public_realm_2011_Manchester
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