"Here: You Have It - It Only Belongs To The Public"

I've been waiting for this announcement for a while. I was last told it would not come before March but you have to watch how these officers slip things in when they think you're not looking. It's at the back of today's edition of Sheffield Telegraph, page 40.

So our council, acting allegedly in our interests, has decided to hand over a major publicly owned asset to a partnership of two mega sized business interests. Do not be fooled that they are charities and not for profit organisations. They are each major landowners, have many employees a large bureaucracy and a considerable turnover. That has to be a vested interest. They are not transparent or accountable to anything like the extent of public bodies such as councils or government agencies and will not have either a meaningful complaints policy nor a freedom of information policy. They also spend a fortune on publicity, PR, advertising and well massaged press releases.

So well done SCC officers, directors, cabinet members and councillors. It's our land but it's you who can give it away. They might even give you a complimentary rubber and pencil set from the NT shop. Or a shoulder of venison from the current deer shoot. Or even a job as a reward for facilitating the deal. A fair payback for the millions in grants, subsidies and agri-environment monies coming their way?