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Bins: Rubbish Politics

by | 16th, July 2007

FROM the Anorak Forums:

Fortnightly rubbish collections are unsuitable for many areas and there is no proof they increase recycling, a committee of British MPs has said.

The Communities and Local Government Select Committee also called for better research into the public health implications of leaving rubbish in the street for up to 14 days.

Today’s intervention follows a storm of protest over “alternate week collections” which see recyclables collected one week and other waste the next.

Well, that’s good. It should not have taken a committee to get to the conclusion but…why stop there?

The same Select Committee also be should also be examining:

1. The huge salary increases awarded year on year to Council Chief Executives and Chief Officers while manual workers are held to percentage guidlines set by a Central Government directive.

2. Expenses claimed by Councillors, and the non-published Council-staff expenses claims, which rival some of the more outrageous claims made by Westminister MPs (another area for examination).

3. The disgraceful slippage of support care provided by Social Services departments, and almost every other personal support service grudgingly provided by Local Authorities.

One classic example of Local Authority overspending is a new Combined A&E Hospital, Community (Village) Hospital, Health and Community Care Centre recently opened. The local doctors and community nurses all moved to the centre, with a full NHS hospital staff, along with the Social Services Department of the Local Authority. You can even find an NHS dentist there!!

While doctors share and rotate consulting rooms…and man the hospital wards… the Social Services Department employees have a vast number of individual offices, far more than the rest of the services combined I’m told…many empty for days or weeks… and are never manned or even unlocked for use by others out of normal office hours.

As UK businesses get leaner, hungrier and more competitive, Local Government gets fatter and less competitive as it protects its salary structure, expenses and pension plan before it gets down to looking at what it can do to drive a carthorse through the Local Planning Scheme or actually (horror) provide services to the great unwashed community which elected or appointed it.

Why?
Council Chief Executives and Chief Officers, who despite the myth of local elections control all councillors, feel they have to look at the larger picture.
At this time of year this view is generally from second homes in Wales, Scotland, Florida. Morrocco (daily rubbish collections), the West Indies, or in one particularly astute Officer’s case Northern Ireland.



Posted: 16th, July 2007 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink