Yes, coldicote, I sometimes think I am the only sane one on the Parish Council ! They are in love with any scheme, however daft, which has the magic words ' a grant may be available' attached. This ignores a)the scheme is daft, and nobody will benefit, or so very few that it's not economic b) the words are ' may be' c) the grant is only partial; the parish has to find the rest d) there will be no grant for insuring or maintaining the equipment, bridge, or whatever is bought; that will fall on the Parish, in perpetuity or until it is scrapped. Nobody seems to think that 'free money' doesn't exist. Waste is waste; it is being paid for by the taxpayers, in one way or other.
Still, we didn't get a skate park for the, perhaps, 30 children in the village who might use it and none of whom had asked for one, at a vast cost. But the idea was seriously promoted. We could do with a Tesco, but somehow that wasn't well received ! I'd have consented to it being built on my land. No consideration for the local farmer, that's the trouble with these townies who get on Parish Councils !