Hatfield’s beleaguered Town Team are continuing to receive the derision of residents over their purchase of a £27,000 portable stage that will spend 99% of its time in storage. The cost of the stage was taken from the £100,000 Portas prize money which was intended to be used for improving Hatfield’s run-down town centre. Last week, on BBC radio, Conservative MP Grant Shapps was caught flustered when asked what the portable stage was to be used for. Whilst his best suggestion appeared to be ‘Zumba’ – a dance based exercise routine – the Town Team believe that a portable stage could be used for events around the Hatfield rather than specifically to help regenerate the town centre.  But there only appear to be two or three possible uses for such things as neighbourhood fetes. But one of the organisers of the biggest one at South Hatfield has written on Facebook to say that he doesn’t want it, citing the expense is too much for their budget!
But the latest crazy suggestion from the hapless Town team is create a small ‘busking zone’ within White lion Square; surely that’s what the stage should be used for!
Other comments from local people include:
“Hatfield gets Portas money spent on something it does not need, and they don't even know where it is going to be located, as it is portable. It’s obviously intended for borough wide use.
You could not make this up, it would be quite funny if it were not so detrimental to Hatfield.”


  “...what good will this stage do to the building of the town and no surprise it came from Poland”

"...they haven't got a clue. There's no real plan and it's been nearly a year since Hatfield got the money"