Furious residents are to be given litter-pickers, gloves and bin bags by their council and told: “Keep your own area tidy.”Unsurprisingly, the Taxpayers’ Alliance is demanding that they get a refund on their council tax…
Councillor John Walsh, leader of the Conservatives on the council, which has no overall majority, said the £2.8million-a-year cost of keeping the streets of Bolton clean was “a massive burden on the taxpayer and those resources could be used elsewhere”.Hmmmm, really?
Isn’t it one of the few things that your local voters think you SHOULD be doing?
Why, yes it is:
Resident Elaine Delaney, 64, said: “I can understand the notion of all pitching in but street cleaning is one of the basic things our council tax is supposed to cover.”Quite.
Though I could see this catching on, if only councils would extend the concept to other functions too. I quite fancy a night at the theatre. Or a job designing a teaching aid for bus travellers. Or the vital wheelie-bin training team posting.
On an inflated salary with index-linked pension, natch!
"Council leaders will be taking part in their own musical to help them come to terms with the financial crisis - at a cost to the taxpayer of at least £845 a head, excluding accommodation."
ReplyDeleteIs this a massive self awareness fail or are they simply taking the p*** now?
If cleaning the streets only costs £2.8 million pa if we added in the cost of emptying the bins I wonder what the total percentage of the council budget is required for the two useful services and how much for the rest which we don't want or need...
There are a few councils thinking like this now. It seems they consider themselves social guardians instead of, well, municipal janitors - which should be about all they do, keep the place clean and fix anything that breaks.
ReplyDeleteThen its high time they were disabused DP ..
ReplyDeleteTheir bubble needs to be well & truly burst and they need to be forcibly reminded that they exist for no other reason than to serve those who pay them ..
This thread just reminded me of a couple of things ..
ReplyDeleteFirst this little "gem" ...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315627/Council-workmen-blast-residents-sweeping-leaves-rules.html
Secondly, last year I rang the Highways Dept of my local Council to report a street light (at a junction) which had been out for almost 4 weeks ..
The lass I spoke to began to demand all manner of details .. Name, Address, Phone number, Age etc .. When I asked to know why she wanted those details, bearing in mind that I was only reporting a "duff" street light & not a murder ..
I was told that her instructions were to obtain "full details" of all callers ..
My response was to say .. "OK, you give me all your personal details and I'll give you mine" .. She wasn't too keen on that notion .. Funny that, eh ?
Incidentally, it took a further fortnight before a contractor appeared to replace the sodiun tube in the offending light ...
I must give our Council credit for hosting a splendid residential course in Lanzarote, entitled 'Paying us by direct debit made easy'. Al fresco wine evenings gently fanned by the sirocco, enable citizens to informally meet with the full council and its senior officers.
ReplyDeletePrudent cutbacks now limit the number of citizens who can enrol each year, to two.
Was that you in Lanzarote, seen leaving my presentation early with half the typing pool? If so, you will know nothing of the benefits to the local economy of of the import, via a sponsor's house, of Thai female domestic butlers who will clean your toenails with a toothbrush. Councillors present asked, with pertinacity, whether they should be obliged to take one or two. You may know nothing of this, and this may well account for the rubbish on your street that is of such concern.
ReplyDeleteI rather favour such local street cleaning, and would extend it to policing powers too. If we sacked all our council people and had a few block captains running everything from spare bedrooms linked by broadband ...
I understand the Thai female butlers offer services other than cleaning, tidying, cooking and mah-jong company. I have taken two, as there is plenty of room Chez Archytas and plenty of mess courtesy of visits by grandson. I use the 'Gandhi method' and allow both to sleep in my bed, so I can suffer the temptations for the redemption of the rest of you. Should I lapse, the world will end, something I consider of little risk.
All this costs the tax-payer nothing as they have re-tailored my suits and substituting for me lecturing in higher education. Neither speaks English but this is no handicap as my classes never understood me anyway.
"Is this a massive self awareness fail or are they simply taking the p*** now?"
ReplyDeleteI'll be charitable and assume the former...
"There are a few councils thinking like this now. It seems they consider themselves social guardians instead of, well, municipal janitors..."
They are in good company then. So do the teachers, the police, etc.
"I was told that her instructions were to obtain "full details" of all callers .. "
And god forbid she disobey the computer!
"I have taken two, as there is plenty of room Chez Archytas and plenty of mess courtesy of visits by grandson."
Heh!