Council budget cuts

[Ghostrider]

Is it justifiable for Housing to hire DLO tradesmen at overtime rates for routine work in the present "saving" climate of the SIC?

 

Whenever a council house becomes vacant, and in the case of those being used for "temporary emergency" accomodation that can be multiple times in a year, there is a procession of housing office person checking it over, followed by housing office cleaning squad tidying it up, then sundry DLO personnel doing minor repairs/maintenance/improvements before it re-let.

 

That's all fine and well, and reasonable. What gets my goat though, is in I'd estimate around 50% of such changeovers I've seen going on, at least some of the DLO tradesmen work has occured either after 5pm or on a Saturday. Assumedly at quite handsome overtime renumeration to said tradesmen?!?

 

I'm not begrudging the tradesmen getting either the work or the wage, I'm sure its very welcome to most of them, however it has to come from someplace. Out of hours work and the enhanced wages which accompany it is necessary for Housing/DLO as things happen 24/7 which renders a house unliveable in until they're attended to, and thats fine. But IMHO thats all out of normal hours working should be utilised for.

 

Its all very admirable that Housing/DLO are going the extra mile and working out of hours so that folk can move in to a place thats an improvement on where they are as quickly as humanly possible, but does one or two days either way really make any real difference, and more pointedly do those one or two days gained really represent VFM for the rest of us when paid for at overtime rates?

[Donads]

i think da most vexing cut wis whin dey decided tae stop helpin oot da auld folk in places lik viewforth. a relation o mine has dementia so is forced to live in viewforth. it used to cost her around £500 per week, but since the cuts, she now has to fork out £1000 for her care. when her money runs out (which it will soon) then her assets get taken away from her to pay for her care. she worked her whole life, payed all her taxesand bowt her own house which will have to be sold soon! So it makes you think, what's the point? everything yu worked all your life to earn will get taken away from you as soon as you get a illness such as dementia (care for which I think should be paid for through the NHS). if you dont work you get everything paid for you through dole or benefits (which i dont have a problem with, if the peoson can't physically work, or just cant get work). So in the end, it's the people who work all their life and pay their way through life that are the mugs, in a sense!! just my opinion!

[tarotangel]

I think they should start looking both at the management levels and also office stuff.

 

I ken somebody said about tea/coffee etc and I totally agree. It sounds silly but having worked in a few offices it's amazing how it mounts up. As other folk said things like using 80gsm paper, doing double sided printing on letters that HAVE to go out otherwise email. I'm pretty sure they could do letterheads etc in house, I worked with a company that did that and saved quite a bit of money. Less wastage if someone changes job as you can print off what you need rather than having to buy in reams.

 

Things like switching computers, printers, photocopiers off at wall o a night if they don't already do so.

[TeeAyBee]

I ken somebody said about tea/coffee etc and I totally agree. It sounds silly but having worked in a few offices it's amazing how it mounts up. As other folk said things like using 80gsm paper, doing double sided printing on letters that HAVE to go out otherwise email. I'm pretty sure they could do letterheads etc in house, I worked with a company that did that and saved quite a bit of money. Less wastage if someone changes job as you can print off what you need rather than having to buy in reams.

 

Things like switching computers, printers, photocopiers off at wall o a night if they don't already do so.

 

They AFAIK already use 80gsm copier paper, some of which comes from very cheap sources. The double sided printing thing is debatable as the power cycle actually runs longer on two sides of one piece of paper. There is a cost reduction using one piece of paper but it is very minimal - far better to distribute documents electronically and not print at all. Letterheads are actually pre-programmed document templates and printed on demand. Standing instructions do say that computers etc should be shut down. One of the issues with a local authority is that they tend to issue these instructions in a fairly weak advisory manner so as not to appear dictatorial or worse bullying (sigh).

 

What they really need to do is to start checking on whether the above is actually happening and taking steps when it isn't. A company south I once consulted for worked out a tariff and the FD used to take the occasional walk after hours and for every PC, light, and printer he found switched on the areas manager had a levy raised against his budget. Needless to say within three months the energy bills plummeted.

 

The council in many places has made significant budget cuts but fails to enforce them, and the paper and power issue is just one area.

[Spinner72]

Is it justifiable for Housing to hire DLO tradesmen at overtime rates for routine work in the present "saving" climate of the SIC?

 

My info may be a bit out of date, but judging from last years housing service plan, section 5.4, like all council employees, the rate charged does not increase when an employee is working overtime, as the extra is absorbed by a reduction in overheads.

 

In other words, the cost to the budget is the same no matter when they work. I understand the DLO is also struggling to recruit/retain staff in todays climate, with a noticable drop in numbers over the past few years. The upcoming major projects at Sullom and (when and if) Staney Hill and Scalloway won't help matters either I would think.

[keetiebairdie]

I don't think all the cuts mentioned in this forum will go far in covering the council's proposed new/additional 500 employees' pensions even.

I can see trouble ahead! And no cuts.

[MuckleJoannie]

 

I ken somebody said about tea/coffee etc and I totally agree. It sounds silly but having worked in a few offices it's amazing how it mounts up.

 

When I was with the SIC you paid for your own tea, coffee and milk.

[unlinkedstudent]

^^ In all the Local Authorities and NHS bodies I have worked for in England, staff always had to pay for their own tea and coffee. It used to really annoy us that when the bosses had meetings that weren't in the main conference rooms but were, for example, 4 or 5 visitors in the Head of Department's office, tea and coffee was provided out of our blooming coffee/tea which we had bought!

 

I rebelled - the next time the boss asked me to make him a coffee; I refused to do so until he put a fiver in the kitty to cover for the last 2 meetings he had.

 

Likewise, any staff Christmas function was funded entirely by the staff themselves.

 

That said, I do recall one LA starting to stock Tesco sparkling water instead of Perrier in order to cut costs.

[paulb]

another 14k for taxis. glad that the council is supporting a local company. i was a bit confused if living in grunting would her fellow council member not drive past whiteness to get to town. my sense of direction must be failing.

[gavva]

i think da most vexing cut wis whin dey decided tae stop helpin oot da auld folk in places lik viewforth. a relation o mine has dementia so is forced to live in viewforth. it used to cost her around £500 per week, but since the cuts, she now has to fork out £1000 for her care. when her money runs out (which it will soon) then her assets get taken away from her to pay for her care. she worked her whole life, payed all her taxesand bowt her own house which will have to be sold soon! So it makes you think, what's the point? everything yu worked all your life to earn will get taken away from you as soon as you get a illness such as dementia (care for which I think should be paid for through the NHS). if you dont work you get everything paid for you through dole or benefits (which i dont have a problem with, if the peoson can't physically work, or just cant get work). So in the end, it's the people who work all their life and pay their way through life that are the mugs, in a sense!! just my opinion!

 

Not entirely true, your aunt will be left with circa £25,000 which cannot be used to pay toward care. What else would happen to the money? Leave it to you in a will perhaps? What is the real gripe here the fact that your aunt has to pay for her care or the fact you will not have so much loot to play with? I suspect the latter!!!

[Claudias]

^ ^ ^

That is a very rude and cruel thing to say.

[unlinkedstudent]

I'm actually quite gobsmacked at the salaries received by the Councillors and expenses on top. Blooming heck, circa £16,000 plus expenses.

 

Okay, I know Scotland has decided to pay Councillors a salary unlike, for example in England but in order to find a comparison as to what my old Councillors in a London Borough received (who get an allowance for each meeting attended), the average London Councillor gets just over £10,000.

 

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http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/2010/May/news/Florence%E2%80%99s%20taxi%20trips%20top%20expenses%20league.htm

[north]

Not entirely true, your aunt will be left with circa £25,000 which cannot be used to pay toward care. What else would happen to the money? Leave it to you in a will perhaps? What is the real gripe here the fact that your aunt has to pay for her care or the fact you will not have so much loot to play with? I suspect the latter!!!

 

Nothing like a little equalization and reducing the citizenry to the state of paupers and destroying their self respect before they die, eh, gavva?

 

Of course, there are methods of avoiding this eventuality if you plan adequately in advance and strategically move your assets into trust. The other means, is to simply never save, buy a house or plan for your future - just spend it all.

 

And then the most cynical and cruel exemption from death tax - donations to political parties are exempt from tax - talk about a demonstration of self serving greed and unmitigated self importance, from the very people who write the laws!

 

F^@& 'em - spend it all while you're able and don't let them get their hands on a single penny of it.

[eastsider]

Whats all the taxi claims about ? What an utter disgrace whats wrong with public transport. .

[paulb]

a less young person and the odd evening meeting. and from an earlier thread which im sure is not true shopping. plus a odd bus service i would blame the council but there's no point. plus a1/2 mile walk each way. if she is over 60 whats wrong with a dial a ride service. how about a council minibus to drop them off.