Nick Bye won't be Dave R's MP

Boris doesn't have much in the way of power. He has a bit of influence (as shown with his part in the ousting of Ian Blair), and has a role to play in the city's transport and other housekeeping areas. He's also the city's figurehead, as demonstrated in his cringe-worthy performance with the British flag in Beijing.

I like the idea of elected mayors, and imo the capital in particular has been crying out for more city governance for decades, but if they had any real power they'd be aboloished. Just ask Mrs Thatcher.

I think it's a shame, Dave, because an elected mayor and executive should be able to implement what they were elected to do.

Bye strikes me as one of these 'career politicians' who seems to believe in precious little apart from his own advancement.

We seem to be in a bit of a malaise in this coutry atm when it comes to democratic accountability. It's a difficult one to resolve, but getting more people actively involved would be a start....'we get the politicans we deserve' and all that.

Disappointed, disgusted and ashamed

After singing the praises of Teignmouth and stating on this thread what I think needs to happen to Torbay here and now and not some time in the future, I have spent the afternoon with Carol walking around the town and seafront.

As we drove along the seafront heading for Higher Union Street where we planed to park, we saw on Torre Abby meadow that the fair was in town. As with most fairs I have seen recently it was not that busy, but I thought at least it is in its own a right an attraction and can provide visitors with something to do.

I do believe a decent theme park would be a great thing for the Bay to have; only where would it go? The balloon was up and it looks just fine when it is, it’s only when it’s down you notice just what an eyesore it is.

So with the car parked and now that the signs have been changed back to what they were before (restrictions only between Monday and Saturday and not including Sunday as they did when NCP first came to town) we set off on our town walk, safe in the knowledge we would not get a parking ticket.

The first place to stop and have a good look around was Castle Circus, here the footpath is the worse anywhere else, and you can’t see it for discarded chewing gun. Just think if our Mayor reduced his wages like the Doncaster one by over 40 thousand, then that would pay for two men all year round to keep the paths clean at least.

A few short steps and you are outside Argos, only Carol then told me they are moving out of the town and out to the Willows, if this is the case the town centre will lose the last big draw into the town it has. You can’t blame Argos how many of its customers have got tickets outside, as they went in to pick up some large article, that would have been impossible to carry all the way to the nearest car park.

Walking on down the traffic lights by Market Street, the paths are just as dirty and I looked to see if I could see just one shop that I might come to Torquay for, I did not see one I’m afraid. I saw plenty of empty ones, why do they keep getting junk mail pushed through their letter boxes? It just makes them look even dirtier and more run down.

Not sure if the market hall was open or not, if it had of been it would have made no difference, as I would not waste my time walking to it or inside it. When it was changed they made it into small type shops inside, yet when Newton Abbot recently redone up their market hall, they kept the good old stalls inside. You know the ones that somehow force you to walk between them all, up ever alleyway so to speak, afraid to miss one row, just in case you found something you just had to buy.

The street from the lights to the old post office roundabout is now car free, just a shame here you will find so many more empty shops, Woolworth’s old store still remains empty along with half a dozen more close by. On the corner by the roundabout the building that was once Courts furniture shop but became a pizza hut and then a Hogshead, but that closed down ages ago. The building already starting to show its no longer in use, the path outside tells its own story that it now the home of most of the towns pigeons.

Over the roundabout and onto Fleet Walk, who ever gave it that name?, just stand and watch as people get angry and shocked while walking down the middle and get confronted head on by a large Stagecoach bus. Someone in the Bay is trying to get them removed once and for all, proper bus stops at each end for Stagecoach to use. Only Stagecoach has made it clear they will fight no matter how much it costs them, to hang onto what they claim is their right to drive buses through Fleet Walk.

It’s a shame about Fleet Walk, it was seen once as something really good for Torquay, but sadly it has never really worked, it has seen countless owners, all spending money on it and trying to get it to happen, but always it seems failing.

Onto the harbour and time to feel really disgusted and ashamed I’m afraid, I was so pleased when the sill was built to keep the inner harbour full of water, looks so much better than how it used to look when the tide went out. But a look over the rails and you will see around the walls its rubbish everywhere. OK most of what you see has come from the nearby takeaways by the nightclubs, but give me a small rowing boat, a net and no more than 15 minutes I could clean up this unsightly mess.

That’s what’s missing so much here in the Bay, the will to just do all the simple things that really can make a difference to the whole appearance of it, just look at the railings, when were they ever painted last.? How different from those in Teignmouth, yes I know they are not cast iron, so maybe we should just change the ones we have, to ones like they have. One thing that is good about the inner harbour now, is it has loads of fish swimming around in it. This was never possible before the sill was built, so at least you could play spot the fish, to take you eyes off all the floating rubbish.

Time to walk along the seafront now, this once so proud place the Victorians built and loved, you first come to the fenced off Banjo, it has been like this for years and the same sign states it is closed for safety reasons until it can be repaired, only that is never going to happen.

You don’t want to look to your right, but you give in and do in the end, here the once real jewel in Torbay, Rock Walk, looks as bad as ever since Bye destroyed it and I do wonder if ever I will see it in any form of glory before I die. I do expect the road will remain as it is now, one lane being used as a two way road. That is not so bad as far as being a driver is concerned, it does flow better as there is now no parking there and cars do not have to stop while other cars are trying to get into some space between two other cars.

The downside is so many lost car parking spaces, ones that got good use in the day by visitors and at night by those going to the Princess Theatre. Another look to the left and the railings are so rusty and in need of some paint, just how long would it take and would it really cost that much.

Now past Wreck Walk and on m our right is the very rundown and no longer a hotel the Palm Court, great plans have appeared in the HE for this building, but as with so many good plans to rid the Bay of such eyesores, the planning departments always seem to find so many objections. It was good the see the once Belgrave Hotel (a place Davybeat was once a resident entertainer) is now a Premier Hotel and Beefeater, the outside tables were full and it looked busy.

Up Belgrave road and not sure what Barton was on about really, this road has never been one that saw loads of people walking on it, yes there are many hotels on the road, but apart from people walking from the hotels to the seafront, its not a road you would walk on to get anywhere else really.

Even the once grand Rainbow International, is looking a bit run down, window frames showing real signs of decay and is this a sign of the times? Club Rainbow only opens on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights now and Wednesdays is a singles night.


So we turn into our last street, Lucius Street, well its really unchanged, still has its toy shop and the shop I do love Upton Electronics, pop in there for a part you need for a circuit board and he’ll find it for you, better than being told you have to buy a whole new board at god knows what price.

Only one sad last thing to see before we set off back to our car, the once very busy social club up on the left hand side, I could not believe it only has the front main wall now standing, I knew it closed ages ago and I do seem to remember it may have been set on fire. I stood by the fence put up to keep people out to have a good look at it.

A man with a northern accent walked past and said to me with a grin on his face “it’s nearly finished” I joked back it will never get finished here in Torbay.

As I have said we can carry on wasting money on dreams that just will not come true, or we can start the real work needed to clean and smarten up the Bay, we all know just what a difference a can of paint can make, so who’s has got anytime to spare to come and join me, I’ll even supply a paintbrush

Precisely that point. Nothing more, nothing less. I've always thought Belgrave Road in the evenings is an indicator of how many people are staying in the hotels around there. It just seemed a little quiet on the two evenings I walked it in late July.