[garinda]

It was reported in last weekend's Sunday Times (sorry no link provided, now you have to pay, but it's on page 2, and by Isabel Oakeshott) that local authorities now face having to make an extra £3 billion pounds cuts, that have only recently come to light, and on the top of the draconian savings they already need to make, which had already been announced earlier last month.

Apparently some services the council provide are discretionary, and they are under no legal obligation to either provide, or continue funding them.

These include maintaining the borough's parks and play areas, cutting grass, providing weekly rubbish/recycling collections...and providing swimming pools.

Perhaps we should all take this Victorian Swimming Gala to our hearts, regardless of anything so uncouth as money.

It might be the last time we can bomb the deep end in Hyndburn, and get told off for running on the sides, or thrown out for heavy petting in the shallows.

Some might dismiss the spending of public funds as only 'two bob', even though each event apparently requires thousand(s) of pounds to produce.

If each local authority in the country has a similar pot of gold, to finance such jamborees, it collectively adds up to much more than 'two bob', as Jaysay suggested.

Look after the pennies, and hopefully the pounds will mean people in genuine need in Hyndburn, don't suffer, quite so much as they are going to.

Anyone in the know, care to post the costings of the Victorian Swimming Gala...yet?