Waste of taxpayers' money

Lots of councils give money to arts and music etc. Ours still has a thriving parks department which helps keep the local towns looking very attractive.
The towns would be much less pleasant places without this expenditure. Attractive surroundings actual make people feel happier.

However that could be considered by some as a complete waste of taxpayer's money.

I think there is great value to the odd carnival and parades and a bit of community jollying to keep people cheerful and engaged with their communities.

Sorry -
rationalwiki.org/wiki/Christian_Voice

And
pinkuk.com/events/
Just in case anyone thinks Gay Pride has died.
I have gay friends too

Just to stoke up the fire a little - lots of councils give money/sponsor to minority issues - all tax payers money - haven't heard any of you moan about that yet.

To hark back to the beginning: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Christian_Voice .

And whoever started connecting floods and gays in the news? ....that daft UKIP man. Is he one of them too?

re NHS consultation meetings - there are a lot of legal obligations on publicly funded organisations to consult. I know this from being a school governor. Long list of things where you had to write to all the parents and some where you had to consult other interested parties. A few of these have been scrapped e.g. the obligation for the governors to hold an annual meeting for parents - to which about 3 people turned up if you were lucky. But still many remain.
Government departments too are obliged to consult on all kinds of things - generally these days they seem to consult, ignore feedback and carry on regardless but they can tick the box.

Yes, and that's controversial in itself. I mean if you have a coronary in Hexham, do you really want to travel by ambulance 30 miles before you're treated, or do you want to be treated on your doorstep like you were before?

Sorry to have deviated from the OP everyone.

I agree with that, Jane. It's not as if you have that much choice where you go, whatever NHS Choices says. I think the Cramlington hospital is an emergency one anyway, taking over from Wansbeck, Hexham and North Tyneside.

Oh well, that's good to know Jen.
I still don't think the NHS needs to advertise itself on buses, though.

Jane, the hospital in Cramlington had its topping out ceremony yesterday, so it has been built, just not finished and fitted out.

Nellie, what I meant about the local income tax versus council tax was that the government would still decide how much the council could spend on the people who paid it.

too!!!

Well, I hope they've stopped funding all the other diverse groups to.

Thank you Ana yes I did know it was deleted. Although I thought I knew what I had said in my post and accepted it was right to be deleted, I was beginning to wonder what I actually HAD written. Oh dear!

I apologise if this point has already been made, but even the DM article stated that a) the march in question was in 2009 and the EA have stopped giving financial support to gay causes.

So by their own admission, a total non-story.

IMHO the most disgraceful money-waster in terms of junkets for staff, hospitality at expensive hotels etc is our beloved NHS, but of course the NHS is not headed by a gay former minister, and in any case is above criticism.
I remember when they wanted to change the boundaries of the PCT areas in the northeast, and felt it necessary to organise meetings in various places, with refreshments, so that the public could be consulted, as if the public cared. I read later in the minutes of the Health Authority Meeting that at some of the venues, not a single person had turned up.
And I have seen adverts on the side of buses in Newcastle, promoting a new hospital in Cramlington which hasn't even been built yet.
I think this is far more wasteful than the EA spending £30K promoting diversity within their department.

I hasten to add that I think you were certainly not agreeing with that post, but GN rules can also delete replies.

It was ninny's post at 09.35 yesterday. Your response was also deleted, LizG, although you must have known that...

which deleted post it was kinda bothers me too Jingle. Think I am about to fall on my sword.

Where do government agencies get the money from to support various groups? It's one thing if they raise the money amongst their employees, quite another thing if it is taxpayers' money. And it sounds as though it is just that.

Why do posters have to make it about them? - Galen?

How do we know the post was bigoted when it has been deleted? And we don't even know which post it was?

Oh, I give up! No one is making bigoted remarks.

My son is bisexual and I don't like bigoted remarks. Thank you Penstemmon

Fair enough, Penstemmon, but what do any of those issues have to do with the EA?

No one's denying any of the things you say, but shouldn't government departments stick to their own (publicly funded) remits? There are other (also publicly funded) departments addressing inequality.

Many posters may be gay themselves, have gay children, friends, family members etc. People whom they love dearly.

It is hard when it feels as if people talk about 'gay' people in a negative way and as if they should be considered second rate citizens. I suppose those of us who have fought for equality do not see it as a 'PET PROJECT' but more as a mainstream issue about the quality of humanity.

Jendurham Council tax is a "flat rate" tax depending on your property value, not your income. That type of taxation seems to me to be inherently less fair than taxing people according to their actual income.

Moving to a lower value property is not always practical. That solution is as disruptive to individuals well being as the "bedroom tax".

Well, perhaps you should have said so - now margaret must feel really got-at!

I was referring to a post that has now been deleted.