Sinking ship (From The Oxford Times)

Sinking ship

7:30am Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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Oxford City Council’s purchase of an unsafe pirate play boat as the centrepiece of a £70,000 play area in Meadow Lane would be farcical at the best of times. In the middle of a recession, it looks like an extraordinary extravagance.

At a time when projects new and large, such as school buildings, road schemes and play areas, are falling daily, one has to wonder how so much money can be spent so extravagantly.

The city council will say it has not paid for the play boat because of its condition. We guess it will be involved in a dispute with the provider.

However, we question whether the money would have been well spent whatever the condition of the boat.

Children do not need anything so extravagant to entertain them and the same money might well have gone much further.