I do understand, like Rushi, that there are pockets of need even in prosperous areas. However I am amazed at the central government grant of £237,000 to help buy a gastropub in a local village where there are many million pound properties and semis have averaged well over half a million. There’s a lot of guff about a community asset but, unless the clientele changes from its previous incarnations, it will be used by the well-heeled.
At the same time a local charity for supporting vulnerable adults has had its local authority grant slashed and will close. The local OAP lunch club had similarly had its grant reduced and has had to raise its price by 50% to £12.
I know there will always be contrasts between different funding requirements but nearly quarter of a million to support a fancy pub seems out of proportion. If that’s an example of Rushi’s approach he really is out of touch.
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