We are living in an age of selfishness (From Wirral Globe)

We are living in an age of selfishness

3:33pm Tuesday 26th June 2012 in Letters

WE are living in an age of selfishness, and as such, the majority of people want to pay as little tax as possible either on income or as local rates or whatever.

That mentality has caused a great swell of antipathy towards 'The Town Hall' and all aspects of Local Government.

These combined attitudes have also meant that in order to reduce Council Taxes, 'Town Halls' have launched on shedding staff and/or privatising community amenities.

These latter are in turn, being taken over by a generation of willing volunteers.

So those people who don't care about losing an amenity, and probably would never volunteer to help, are quite happy to pay less into helping their local community.

Sad therefore, that places such as Heswall Hall and Westbourne Hall in Werst Kirby must now expect volunteers [who it has to be said, are usually the senior and retired generation who have the time] to go out and sell their particular venues as they are in competition with hotels and other places.

And if they fail... or the present willing volunteers are eventually not replaced?

The once proud achievement of having a community hall will be lost forever.

As a final comment I would also say that because of the very short-sighted and short-term thinking, no proper planning as to local requirements can have been done by these willing volunteers.

Naturally, each group just want their specific hall to survive.

It is also Ironic that the excellent Westbourne Hall and Community Centre was originally the Parish Hall and yet I believe St Bridget's Church have yet another set of volunteers struggling and appealing to finance the St Bridget's Community Centre which is within a few hundred yards.

In this new age of self - are we witnessing duplications of effort and the possible eventual decline of all community?

Mike Corfe, by email