Now considering that there has been a 25% decrease in our native hedgehogs - cannot believe how some people can just disregard them - have to agree with councils wasting money, we have a stonehenge thing going on by our local M&S and a water feature thing near the chippie in the town centre which must have cost thousands, why couldn't some money have been donated to help our prickly friends - they need me in power! I could lead the I'm a Hedgehog Party!
Hedgehog cash on hold for now
Published on Wednesday 16 November 2011 11:00
DISTRICT councillor Rodney Grocock is still awaiting public comments before deciding whether to donate £500 of council tax payers’ cash to care for sick and injured hedgehogs.
The money is part of a £4,000 allocation given to the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward councillor under the Designated Councillors Budgets scheme.
News of his planned gift sparked anger and dismay at Moulton Parish Council with member Coun Byron Hahn saying: “It should be withdrawn and put into something sensible.”
The debate continued on the Lincolnshire Free Press website and nationally on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s website.
Coun Grocock has invited people to tell him what they think and expects to make up his mind by Friday.
He said: “At the moment I have had nothing for, nothing against, except two ladies in Pode Hole Post Office who were for it but they haven’t put anything on my website.
“I have had no correspondence whatsoever from anybody.”
The two comments on the Free Press website criticise the planned gift – and most of the comments on the preservation society website support the donation.
Coun Grocock said: “I wasn’t trying to get involved with the national hedgehog association. I don’t want to be a spokesman for them. It was just my situation to help the ‘little chaps’ in South Holland.”
He wants residents to contact him via his website –
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] – which features a ‘press releases’ tab and has a parish magazine article headlined “Help For Sick & Injured Hedgehogs”.
There’s also a contact tab for his email address –
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] – where people can air their views.
One comment on our website reads: “As much as I love these lovely creatures let’s get real here. Public money should be spent on exactly that, the public – be it a decent bus service or maybe a clean up the streets campaign. Times are hard for us all at the moment but at this moment in time, if this idea is allowed, I wish I was a hedgehog.”
One of the hedgehog preservation society contributors says: “£500 is a drop in the ocean compared to the ridiculous rubbish councillors seem to spend money on – hedgehogs need our help to survive on our planet.”
Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:25 am