This what we are up against

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Mancie

Talk about a storm in a teacup!.. what utter rubbish this is.. so some idiot wants to be banged up rather than do a few hours unpaid work... and it makes national headlines?

..and Pet's Win Prizes.

People must like it, being one of the most popular papers in Britain.

At least it wasn't that other story, of immense public concern, can Katie survive another week on X-Factor.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Mancie

Talk about a storm in a teacup!.. what utter rubbish this is.. so some idiot wants to be banged up rather than do a few hours unpaid work... and it makes national headlines?

Suppose we could regard the story in the Daily Express in the same light "a storm in a teacup". "Mum's £40k benefits scam", my goodness the lengths you lot will go to try and score political points!!!! Benefit fraud is and should be classed as just that but it seems you are allowed 77 years to pay it back at just £10 a week Oh forgot to add, a suspended sentence to boot and 120 hours community work, this country is a joke

[Mancie]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Suppose we could regard the story in the Daily Express in the same light "a storm in a teacup". "Mum's £40k benefits scam", my goodness the lengths you lot will go to try and score political points!!!! Benefit fraud is and should be classed as just that but it seems you are allowed 77 years to pay it back at just £10 a week Oh forgot to add, a suspended sentence to boot and 120 hours community work, this country is a joke

I don't see how this story is about scoring political points.. I've known people in the past from Accrington that have opted for prison terms rather than pay petty fines.. but never seen them in the national newspapers.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Mancie

I don't see how this story is about scoring political points.. I've known people in the past from Accrington that have opted for prison terms rather than pay petty fines.. but never seen them in the national newspapers.

Well if you can't see stories (from whatever side of the political spectrum) as being point scoring god help you if/when you need any help!!! There's only one way to go Mancie and believe me you have to fight for your rights, be it an x-ray, CT-Scan or any other medical treatment. Just ensure you know who to contact if god forbid you ever need any treatment anytime soon. Because no matter which side you bat for you will wait until maybe treatment is to late

[Mancie]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Well if you can't see stories (from whatever side of the political spectrum) as being point scoring god help you if/when you need any help!!! There's only one way to go Mancie and believe me you have to fight for your rights, be it an x-ray, CT-Scan or any other medical treatment. Just ensure you know who to contact if god forbid you ever need any treatment anytime soon. Because no matter which side you bat for you will wait until maybe treatment is to late

Apologies Bernie and I'm sure it's my fault .. but I don't know what you are talking about...do you mean the original post is point scoring or my replies?...has it happens I'm back in hospital end of this month for a few days.. nowt to do with politics.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Mancie

Apologies Bernie and I'm sure it's my fault .. but I don't know what you are talking about...do you mean the original post is point scoring or my replies?...has it happens I'm back in hospital end of this month for a few days.. nowt to do with politics.

No need for apologies Mancie (we are friends on a brilliant discussion forum). But sorry whichever colour they/you are wearing, we never seem to get a direct answer from our local councillors (yes Ken I've read your posts but you never tell us how Labour would reverse the adverse downturn of Accy). And yes Mancie and Ken I do believe that National Policies do have a damn big effect on local Policies. Sorry but we ain't all that stupid as to believe what the current regime "promise" anymore that we believe what Labour "promise"!!!!

[Mancie]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

No need for apologies Mancie (we are friends on a brilliant discussion forum). But sorry whichever colour they/you are wearing, we never seem to get a direct answer from our local councillors (yes Ken I've read your posts but you never tell us how Labour would reverse the adverse downturn of Accy). And yes Mancie and Ken I do believe that National Policies do have a damn big effect on local Policies. Sorry but we ain't all that stupid as to believe what the current regime "promise" anymore that we believe what Labour "promise"!!!!

labour/tory lib-dems are full of promise all promise.. but when we talk about downturn in public service there is one outstanding party and that is the tories.. yet we still have some people on here taking advantage of the NHS and welfare system created by labour..yet find time to moan and groan.. everyone is a scrounger.. apart from tory bloke!

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

No need for apologies Mancie (we are friends on a brilliant discussion forum). But sorry whichever colour they/you are wearing, we never seem to get a direct answer from our local councillors (yes Ken I've read your posts but you never tell us how Labour would reverse the adverse downturn of Accy). And yes Mancie and Ken I do believe that National Policies do have a damn big effect on local Policies. Sorry but we ain't all that stupid as to believe what the current regime "promise" anymore that we believe what Labour "promise"!!!!

Labour try to not to promise many things in Hyndburn because it might sound OK on the doorstep but it's impossible for any party to guarantee anything and ends up becoming an outright lie just for votes which sounds rather hollow four years later the next time you're up for election and it still hasn't been done.

There's no magic wand that can just be waved to improve Accrington's fortunes but the main gripe Labour have about the Hyndburn Tories is the money that is wasted and the 'jobs for the boys' which have been dished out over the years. Hundreds of thousands of pounds at the very least could be saved in an instant by making cuts in departments which are management-heavy and redeploying that money to ground services or helping shave a bit more off the debts which the council has racked up.

Recently, I stated that Labour balanced the books when they were in power in 2002-2003 but I implied that they got rid of all debt which isn't true. Although the debts run up by the Britcliffe administration were wiped out and the accounts brought back into a coherent order, there is still an uncomfortable amount outstanding from the council house building programmes of last century which all boroughs are still paying for. Some clever accounting has gone on in the past to try and reduce the interest but it is still being accrued and it would be better in my mind to get rid of it more quickly rather than fritter money away on pet projects.

Area Councils, whilst being sound in principle, cost Hyndburn in the region of £250,000 per year. For that money each ward gets three town meetings a year and a few thousand pounds to make improvements, something which is nigh on impossible with the funds available. One of my first tasks would be to refine that system and channel more money into the wards rather than administration.

The Market Hall is another bone of contention and something which is not run as it should be. Apart from the six day trading fiasco, profits from the market are propping up areas of the council itself, something which a public-owned asset should not do in my opinion. Ringfencing the market as a business in its own right and trimming the fat within the council to make each institution stand on its own two feet it would enable cuts to be made in line with government targets and also ease the burden on the traders by lowering rents to cover overheads instead of topping up HBC.

Too much money is frittered away in small amounts and it all needs to stop. The Cabinet Action Fund which has been increased to £100k this year lies within the control of one man for whatever he sees fit. Little votewinning cheques in The Accrington Observer of £500 here, £1,000 there, it all mounts up but it isn't distributed evenly throughout the borough. Rishton has had absolutely nothing.

There are too many committees, each with a chair on £1,500 extra per year per chairmanship, and I personally feel that it is far too much money simply for a councillor simply sitting at the head of a table during a handful of meetings so that would be trimmed right back.

The Floral Market Towns project had its budget increased by £115k this year for some towers in each ward but we're talking about a few Busy Lizzies and that's a lot of money. Those towers are expensive and should be handed over to Prospects who would do the same job for a fraction of the cost and be grateful for the new equipment.

I hope I've at least partly answered your question, Bernadette. I see waste everywhere and after a decade of running my mate's business accounts for him I have got very good at making economies with other people's money.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

. Hundreds of thousands of pounds at the very least could be saved in an instant by making cuts in departments which are management-heavy and redeploying that money to ground services or helping shave a bit more off the debts which the council has racked up.

.

You mean like scrapping the Works department when you were last in power, a Works department that had earned thousands of pounds from outside contracts and had many more orders in the pipeline, whilst maintaining the councils housing stock and public buildings, meaning that all contracts had to be tendered for by outside firms on a take it or leave it bases, when the Works department were working within the authority the money was kept in house for reinvestment

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by jaysay

You mean like scrapping the Works department when you were last in power, a Works department that had earned thousands of pounds from outside contracts and had many more orders in the pipeline, whilst maintaining the councils housing stock and public buildings, meaning that all contracts had to be tendered for by outside firms on a take it or leave it bases, when the Works department were working within the authority the money was kept in house for reinvestment

John, you're off down the road of Labour's past mistakes again, something which I acknowledge and isn't in any way productive. I personally consider the sale of the Arndale Centre to be a mistake but it was way before my time and griping about it won't help.

I'm talking about the here and now and what can actually be done to improve the borough, identifying mistakes that really shouldn't be being made in the immediate future.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

John, you're off down the road of Labour's past mistakes again, something which I acknowledge and isn't in any way productive. I personally consider the sale of the Arndale Centre to be a mistake but it was way before my time and griping about it won't help.

I'm talking about the here and now and what can actually be done to improve the borough, identifying mistakes that really shouldn't be being made in the immediate future.

Ya and I'm looking at what you did in the past with great trepidation, they say the Tiffany Glass is nice

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

Area Councils, whilst being sound in principle, cost Hyndburn in the region of £250,000 per year. For that money each ward gets three town meetings a year and a few thousand pounds to make improvements, something which is nigh on impossible with the funds available. One of my first tasks would be to refine that system and channel more money into the wards rather than administration.

What is the £250,000 spent on that would be saved if there were no Area Councils?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

The Floral Market Towns project had its budget increased by £115k this year for some towers in each ward but we're talking about a few Busy Lizzies and that's a lot of money. Those towers are expensive and should be handed over to Prospects who would do the same job for a fraction of the cost and be grateful for the new equipment.

Would Prospects use the flower towers and if so how would they keep them watered? I think watering them is a big cost for HBC.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Neil

What is the £250,000 spent on that would be saved if there were no Area Councils?

The basic principle of Area Councils is reasonable but the current structure seems fairly administration-heavy, with a further layer of administration proposed.

I would look at streamlining the system in a fairly major way in order to divert more money to the actual councils rather than propping up the machinery.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Neil

Would Prospects use the flower towers and if so how would they keep them watered? I think watering them is a big cost for HBC.

The planters that Prospects work on in Rishton seem to work very well without any intervention from council watering teams so it may be more a question of looking at what is planted.

Prospects may not be at all interested in extra flower towers but from past experience in Rishton I doubt it.