27 Jul 2012

St Helens has a Range Rover for Mayor

St Helens Mayoral Car
Library photo of a Range Rover Evoque
CDJ 1 is the registration number that traditionally adorns the St Helens Mayoral car. In times of prosperity the valuable number plate has been seen on such Marques as Rolls Royce and Jaguar. The latest car to wear this number is the most unlikely choice, a Range Rover Evoque!

How the decision to purchase a Range Rover came about is anyones guess, If a 100 people were asked to write down 5 choices for a Mayors car then I'd be surprised to see the Evoque appear more than once  in the results. A Range Rover Vogue yes, but the Evoque?

Styling cues for the Evoque were provided by the "ahem" well known car designer "Victoria Beckham". For a 4x4 the car is relatively "green" returning reasonable consumption figures but it's more suited to Yummy Mummys and Wags than a running a ceremonial Mayor to and from store openings. The interior is no bigger than a Ford Focus, it has limited rear headroom and the image it portrays leaves you wondering if St Helens council are considering asking 50 Cent to be the next Mayor.

So what was the thinking behind this replacement car? Well it is made in Halewood at the Indian owned (Tata) Jaguar Landrover plant. Maybe that was a consideration? If so, then why not buy another Jag? If they wanted to be green then Jaguar now produce a highly efficient 4 cylinder version of their XF that has start stop technology and drinks less than a cactus. Furthermore it looks much more "Mayoral" than the above Boogie Bus!

If the primary concern was to support local business then why not buy a used car from a local dealer? I'm serious! There are lots of car dealers in St Helens who sell Mercs, BMWs Jags etc for under £20k which is half the price of the Evoque. In fact why not keep the old car? Downing street were running a 1992 Jaguar up until a few years ago, it had a certain air of class about it. Lets be fair, these Mayoral cars are pampered and will last for years.

Whatever the reason, CDJ 1 and all it stands for has always looked somewhat regal emblazoned on the front of the previous Mayoral cars. I'm sure i'm not on my own in thinking that a Mayor will look faintly ridiculous turning up to an event in an Evoque

Another St Helens Town Centre Shop Closes

Birthdays in St Helens Closes its doors
Birthdays Card Store on Church Street is the latest in a line of businesses to close it's doors in St Helens. Birthdays was a division of the Clintons card group that was placed in administration earlier this year. Clintons have survived and been restructured however no buyer could be found for the Birthdays group.

The latest closure comes at a time when figures show that the double dip recession is far from over with the economy shrinking even further. Are the Chancellors austerity measures suffocating any possible growth?