Carlisle? It's just too far from London

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has put his finger on it: The problem with Carlisle is it's just too far from London.

Carlisle - just too far from... well anywhere really

He was responding to questions at a Commons schools select committee about the troubled Richard Rose Academy in Carlisle. The academy was put in special measures in its first few months, the academy chief Peter Noble stepped down and the school was forced to shut temporarily in the face of protests by parents and pupils. Ed Balls was quoted in the Times Educational Supplement as saying the lack of a local body meant the problems were not acted upon at an earlier stage. "No one thought it was their responsibility to understand what was actually happening and Carlisle is a long way from London." Too right Mr Balls. Carlisle is just too far from anywhere!

Carlisle United's ground is also a long way from London - and a long way from any cash machines. I found out last Friday when, after shopping in Carlisle, we decided to wander down to the ground to suppoprt the team in their match with Bristol Rovers. I handed over my card to pay for the £32 worth of tickets only to be told it was "cash or cheque" only. I've not carried a cheque book for about 30 years and only just managed to scrape together enough cash. Good job I wasn't hoping to take the rest of the family. The mystery as to why Brunton Park can only attract 5,000 fans each match deepens.

Copeland Crack's interesting statistic of the week: The minimum fee at Keswick's car park by the theatre is £2.60. If you had to pay for the last five minutes before 6.30pm (when fees end) you'd pay the equivalent of £31.20 an hour. In other words it would be cheaper to pay the fine.