Sally Allen: Why we should always ask 'why?'

As I write this on a miserable Easter Sunday, I feel so sorry for anyone who has battled through traffic jams to get to Torbay for a few days off. 

As is normal in this country, as soon as the words bank holiday are mentioned the weather goes downhill. 

Driving through Torquay on Friday and Saturday it was all quite desolate and depressing, with the exception of the inevitable traffic jams on the Strand, which I can only presume are due to a lack of ability in synchronising the traffic lights to enable the traffic to flow. 

I do hope that this gets fixed before we actually get into the main holiday season. 

Added to this, there are also the ‘dumb policemen’ which pedestrians commandeer as pedestrian crossings, adding to the hold-ups. 

Nothing gets a day out off on the wrong foot quicker than a traffic jam with increasingly disgruntled people. Add to this the escalating sad increase in anger issues in our society and it is a recipe for an unnecessary backlash.

From as far back as I can remember my father always instilled in me the importance of asking questions. If I didn’t understand something, I should question any, and all, of the information and ask ‘why?’, or any other question, that would elicit a full understanding. 

This used to get me into hot water when I was at school. The nuns at the Marist Convent when asked by me during religious instruction, “why do I have to believe?” would simply answer “you just do” and of course I would reply “why?” 

This exchange would go back and forth a number of times, until I was inevitably told “detention”. In the end I have no doubt I spent more time in detention than in lessons. 

In later life it has also got me into trouble, as it appears that people don’t like to be asked “why?”

However, I hold firm to my father’s advice, otherwise how can you learn anything?

During my business life and dealing with personalities, politicians and business people in the spotlight, avoiding answering direct questions has always proved an interesting tactic as quite clearly the only reason to avoid a full answer to “why?”, is either a genuine lack of knowledge or just evading the answer for reasons best known to the person not answering the question. 

The latter is quite clearly evading coming clean for a number of reasons, but not many of them are avoiding the question for honest reasons. Not answering questions has now become an artform and has been perfected in the black arts of the media training of politicians which we can all witness every day.

So, this brings me to a number of issues that I would like answers to. I have recently been elected as a governor of the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation. 

With only a glimpse under the bonnet so far, I understand that a governor can only ‘suggest’ views to the executive board. They cannot make decisions or change things. 

I was naively hopeful of helping to do this for the betterment of Torbay Hospital. One look in the dictionary would explain to the board that “governor” means: a person who governs; a person charged with the direction or control of an institution, society, etc. 

The verb “to govern” is even more meaningful: to govern is to rule, lead, oversee, or otherwise control. Surely then a better name for the voluntary position that I, along with Susie Colley, have been elected to is ‘nodding dog’.  Sadly, neither of us do that, so no doubt, as they can’t put me in detention, my tenure will be brief! You can change absolutely nothing without honest and forthright debate. 

It is critical to any and all democracy and indeed to the growth of any business or organisation.

So, a few more questions; why was the Sherwood Hotel allowed to fall into such chronic disrepair? 

The Torbay Civic Society had even recently applied, through Historic England, for Grade 2 listing status for this iconic building. Have the two devastating fires in the last few days been malicious? I only have to go back to 2010 when the economy and hotel decline was evident and then multiplied by Covid. 

The hospitality industry is volatile and incredibly sensitive to the overall economy of the country.

The first major hotel to suffer destruction by fire was the Palm Court, then Conway Court Hotel, Shedden Hall Hotel, The Dorchester Hotel, Trecarn Hotel, Sherwood Hotel (before the latest two fires), The Coppice Hotel to name but a few. 

What is going on? On researching these fires on the Internet, they were all confirmed as arson. What is the Council doing to protect these buildings from vandalism? When owners abandon properties, why can’t they be forfeited to the council? 

If they were taken over swiftly, rather than left to decay, it would not cost a fortune to make them fit for purpose for housing people currently sleeping on the street or those in desperate search of refuge from domestic abuse or anything else. It makes no sense to me.

Then the last question for today. I happen to love the Red Arrows flying overhead during the English Riviera Air Show, but, and it is a big but, why is the council continuing to support this as it is still running at a loss? 

The whack of cash that the council has to put into staging the event is huge and it makes no commercial sense if there is always a large deficit at the end of the day. As I say, I love the Red Arrows, but why can’t the airshow at least wash its face?

It has consistently lost money since its inception in 2016; most commercial ventures would have been abandoned if they hadn’t made a profit in ten years. 

The council needs to find a way to attract bigger sponsors if we are to keep this uplifting event, as clearly, they won’t be able to sustain it forever. 

Also, what will happen when the local government reorganisation kicks in? I very sadly doubt that anyone living outside the Bay will support it. 

We have to keep it here if we can but need to make it financially viable to do so.

Answers on a postcard to all the above! Oh, and the sun has just come out and it is a beautiful day, so things are looking up… I hope.