“Extreme Spin”: Cllr David Small Challenges Council’s £1m Carpet Gardens Claim
SO – as I am sure we all know now – the result of the Carpet Gardens survey is in.
Some 69.6% of respondents said they preferred the new “sustainable” style of planting, compared with 30.4% who preferred the traditional style.
This Opinion piece is from Conservative Councillor David Small:
‘This looks like a decisive result. But the report gives some interesting insights into what people have actually said.
Throughout the consultation, the council claimed that returning to the traditional Carpet Gardens would cost over £1 million. It is hardly surprising that many people in response cited that figure.
Yet only last year, the council was telling us that the changes to the Carpet Gardens would not save any money at all. To be frank, if people believed that returning to the old design would cost taxpayers £1 million, they would have to be mad not to support the change.
I have consistently said that this was extreme spin, used to justify a controversial decision.
And if you ask people whether they support sustainable planting, who is going to say no? It would be like asking whether people care about the environment.
Many respondents appear to have been saying something more nuanced: they support sustainable planting, but do not think the current gravelled design is attractive.
As residents have said to me all along, making Eastbourne more sustainable matters. But so does the appearance of our seafront and its landmarks.
Last year, I asked what assessment had been carried out to show that the new design was actually more sustainable. I was told that no such assessment had been undertaken.
We do not know whether it uses less water, whether it is better for pollinators or what difference it makes to carbon emissions.”
3 thoughts on ““Extreme Spin”: Cllr David Small Challenges Council’s £1m Carpet Gardens Claim”
Comments are closed.
Dear Eastbourne Life,
It’s ironic that the councillor accusing the survey of creating spin is actually committing the very act of spin (and unconvincingly).
As a professional gardener, I can 100% confirm that the planting choices for this new gravel garden are drought tolerant and therefore sustainable. Once established they should require no watering and be sufficiently supplied with natural rainfall. In fact, they thrive in drier conditions. They ARE also good for pollinators whereas the previously choices were not. This man either doesn’t know what he’s talking about or is trying to mislead the good people of Eastbourne to create a wedge issue (for his or his own party’s gain).
It is obvious to most that these gardens look beautiful now and I always try and notice people’s reaction to them when I’m walking on the front, people genuinely smile when they see them.
It seems we live in a society where it is considered ‘normal’ to say black is white, regardless of what you eyes tell you.
Again, pay no heed to this individual- his actions regarding the new planting seems to be an act of desperation and/or for relevance.
Kind regards.
Mr Ferris
Sustainable or not – where does the £1m figure come from? Presumably a team of gardeners are on the regular payroll for the rest of the gardens – surely sacking half of them could not save THAT kind of money Is there an accounting calculation available that would explain where this extraordinary figure came from
Well said. Mr Smart is obviously not a gardener!