Council get something right!! - Page 6

park381 · 06-03-2005, 15:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Jones

I theory the officers are professional and the politicians take their advice. In practice they bully one another.

Will agree with that one Graham, have seen that in action !!!

Acrylic-bob · 06-03-2005, 15:43

Gift of Covenant. This is something that has been hinted at before in relation to the Coppice. Did the Peel family place restrictions on the use of the land?

garinda · 06-03-2005, 15:44

Having lived in the most expensive and cheapest boroughs in the country re: council tax, l find the total mismanagement of finances a hard pill to swallow now l'm back in Hyndburn.

park381 · 06-03-2005, 15:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Jones

The Market Square Development has just had final hadn over about three week ago so up to that point all claims were the responsibilities of the developers [of which I think we are a third - not clear on what liability we had then for trips]

The issue was the sand based flagging could not survive the suction of the 4 wheel street sweepers and so they became washed out and unstable. The contractors blamed the Council but evidently you cant get one of those machines down by the bus stops along the market pavillions so it was poor workmanship. The Council coughed up [I think] £10,000?? for its share of the repairs which delayed final signing of contracts.

Why did HBC cough up £10,000 if it was down to poor workmanship. Was the market square development a "contractor design" Did the HBC building control officers oversee the works on behalf of HBC

park381 · 06-03-2005, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Jones

your perfectly entitled to ask what councillors got what expenses last year under the new Freedom of Information Act. could be quite revealing. previously they printed them i the paper as a legal obligation but excluded travel and other special allowances and away day jaunts and junckets like the one recently to Peebles.

Just thought it would be a lead to the people of hyndburn, headlines in the "Observer"
Local Cllr's take cut in expenses to help out the shortfall in budgets

Graham Jones · 06-03-2005, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by park381

Why did HBC cough up £10,000 if it was down to poor workmanship. Was the market square development a "contractor design" Did the HBC building control officers oversee the works on behalf of HBC

Gosh, Rovers should 1 up...

I dont know the figure properly but it was down to blame, contractors blame council, council blames contractors, so it was settlement.

Graham Jones · 06-03-2005, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Having lived in the most expensive and cheapest boroughs in the country re: council tax, l find the total mismanagement of finances a hard pill to swallow now l'm back in Hyndburn.

So do I. I dont know if being at the coalface is more or less depressing.

I made this sarcastic blog on last weeks Tory budget, you can pick your favourite cut, not all are included:

Conservatives have 19 seats, Labour 15

......coming in over the wires..... Ruling Conservatives propose 5% increase Council Tax increase.. 2% above inflation... and £350,000 of cuts.... Dial a Ride to be cut... lights on viaduct to switched off at 10pm???! .... 50% cut in grass cutting.... bins emptied less frequent in 4 wards.... cuts in fly tip collection... fridge collection £10 per fridge... more to follow...reduce hanging baskets and floral budgets...

... sports centre to shut earlier... Annual Audit and Inspection 2005... auditors highlight embarrasing mismanagement...

...Bus Station Inspectors to be sacked... no replacements/withdrawel of service... above inflation increased charges for drain clearance... reduce forrestry maintanence [funny, thought the Conservatives were committed to the Coppice]...

... 5% increase in council charges for public halls.. oh and a tax on death.. crematorium and burial charges up 8% [again!]... Cllr Britcliffe announces 8% cuts inall services across the board..

...waiting for beaurcracy savings... waiting for beaurcracy savings... waiting for beaurcracy savings... waiting for beaurcracy savings ... no beaurcracy savings...

...Conservatives plan to borrow another £2m taking Councils debt up to £27m [It was £10.9 million when they took over!]...

...Peter Britcliffe claims Labours budget is fantasy and the Conservatives prudent...

...Accuses Labour of false £40,000 saving... DeLoitte Touch paper produced showing the Council could/should make £148,000 saving... Cllr Britcliffe claims to not to have read the report...

...Cllr Britcliffe says bringing in Blackburn with Darwen Council is a profitable move [a Labour Council] and partnerships with LCC will bring savings [another Labour Council]...

[note. The Councils own regeneration services are being split up after poor performance]

... Cllr Britcliffe says only Conservatives can be trusted to run the Council properly !! ...

park381 · 06-03-2005, 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Jones

Gosh, Rovers should 1 up...

Should be

Quote:

I dont know the figure properly but it was down to blame, contractors blame council, council blames contractors, so it was settlement.

And now HBC plan to spend £250,000 on the area?

Uncle Mick · 06-03-2005, 21:23

Just a simple and quick question... why is money for renovation of the Coppice tied into the Panopticon project? Is it a case of kick one they all limp?

Margaret Pilkington · 06-03-2005, 21:59

I have to say I feel better informed since Graham has been enlightening us about what goes on at HBC.......better informed but worried!

park381 · 06-03-2005, 22:13

Complete agreement with that, this afternoons discussions have been most informative, seems that there is a definite problem within HBC (as if we did'nt alreay know)but the posts by a "Cllr" I feel is good and most welcome

Gobsmacked · 07-03-2005, 00:14

Quote:

Councillor Britcliffe claims not to have read the report

In that case he should be ashamed of himself and read it forthwith.

Graham Jones · 07-03-2005, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Mick

Just a simple and quick question... why is money for renovation of the Coppice tied into the Panopticon project? Is it a case of kick one they all limp?

Difficult to answer that one. The idea of of one regional park which isn't continous but is brought together through line of site eg Pan Opticon. Each one can see at least one other. Its tarted with a concept and that concept underpins it all. There are those who believe the Angle of North effect as well. That something unusual, quirky and as part of a bigger concept would attract visitors from much further afield to see the Regional Park, part of it, rather than a local patch of land known as the Coppice. Thats what is driving the programme. Inward investment and a wholistic view to some of East Lancashires amazing landscape. That the sum is greater than the parts and with a bit of flash [ie the various Panopticons linkage] it will add a bit of chutzpah.

This is a hard sell, just an honest look at how people are organisations are running with an agenda that seems alien to people. As it stands we aren't going to participate and we're out of the money circle unless something resolves itself.

However when the literature and big sell gets pushed out around Britain, with no Panopticon we wont be featured, obviously, and the likelyhood of wanting to invest as much money in something that isn't going to attract anyone is much reduced.

Its now a different ball game and we wil see whether Cllr Britcliffe can swing the investment in without a Panopticon.

My point is this. Its a 19 Hectare site and this is a hundred square feet development, some of the designs are as placid as my 92 year gran!! So it the middle way seems the sensible way. So like Cllr Britcliffe I too would say No No No; no humps, no halo, no hollywood.

Graham Jones · 07-03-2005, 12:24

This is a hard sell, just an honest look at how people are organisations are running with an agenda that seems alien to people. As it stands we aren't going to participate and we're out of the money circle unless something resolves itself.

THIS ISNT A HARD SELL IT SHOULD SAY!!!

Acrylic-bob · 07-03-2005, 12:35

In another thread on this subject I proposed three different locations for this project all of which would benefit from reclamation, all with excellent views and all visible from more than just a passing aircraft. Why are Nwda and midpennine so set on the Coppice?