West Sussex County Council bought it in February last year for £20,850 with the intention of surveying buildings, claiming it was one of the first authorities in the country to do so.
It also planned to lend it to firefighters to scout out countryside blazes and use its thermal camera at night to respond to fires more quickly.
At the time, the then council leader Louise Goldsmith said investing in the drone would “save lives”.
Fifteen members of West Sussex Fire and Rescue have been trained to fly the drone, costing the council £12,353. An additional £2,753 was spent on insurance, a grand total of £35,956.
Well, money well spent if it saves one life, right?
...a council spokeswoman admitted it had not been used since it was bought.
“We acknowledge there has been a delay in using the drone,” she said.
“We have faced a number of difficulties mainly around licensing and, as a result, we are reviewing its future use.”
*grinds teeth*
It's about time WSCC got their priorities right. Children and old people are seeing cuts to services yet the council spends on an overpriced toy. Nice way to justify a larger slice of the cake.
ReplyDelete£36K is peanuts, JuliaM. The real issue concerns corrupt peanut dissipation by the lorry-load.
ReplyDeleteOne powerful local council, which shall remain anonymous, enjoys an annual income amounting to a staggering £Billion and can therefore squander £millions...particularly on consultants of the 'straw man' variety.
Poorly informed council tax payers may justifiably suspect that decisions (often clandestine) to indulge in profligate expenditure are the result of two prevailing elements. It may be politically expedient to have Straw Man Consultants decide that the central library should be demolished so that Councillor Khan's favourite building firm can redevelop the site; or to maintain 'brown envelope' bonuses and perks, in general.
I'd have trained them to use it for a case of beer and a bag of pork scratchings
ReplyDelete"It's about time WSCC got their priorities right"
ReplyDeleteThey have an inexhaustible supply of someone else's money. That's what skews their priorities.
"I'd have trained them to use it for a case of beer and a bag of pork scratchings"
Heh!