Council budget cuts

[MuckleJoannie]

It's just going to bring SIC services in line with those in the rest of the country.

[shetlandpeat]

I thought I read that the Isles were to get a little extra from South for pot hole repairs.

 

They did the salt thing here, for one year, realised they could loose votes and agreed to up it this year.

 

There was uproar cos the pavements were not gritted, that is up to town/parish councils, not main one.

 

Folk seem to forget that pavements are only done in high density pedestrian areas.

 

They should provide grit in bins, but that normally gets stolen.

 

Here we use a mix of grit that has molasses mixed with it, it sticks to the surface for longer.

 

We only grit the major routes, and only if the temp is forcasted to be below 0, once they are done, and it is still 0 then other routes.

 

I spent alot of my evenings keeping our street safer, provided access routes to folk who were unable to manage the snow, it is something that has to be done by the able in these conditions. But folk generally don't seem to care and expect the councils to sort it out.

 

We are now experiencing the closing of daycare centers and a huge hike in the price charged for those left, one has upped from 8 to 35 pounds per day.

 

It will be the time to support folk, who ever they are.

 

The GOV has been clever in not really telling councils where to cut but letting them make the choices themselves. You would think that in our fair system that the cuts would be uniform throughout, not so, not when some councils south have to burden little or no cut, yet those in the North bear the brunt, and of course, it is the local councils being forced to make these cuts and the very same who will be blamed.

 

Just up the road from me, brand new Nimrods are being cut up to save the cost of flying them, you would think that selling them off would be better.

 

But, the banks are not going to be hit because the Nationals think that if they are, that is taxing the bonuses or restricting them, the bankers will be vindictive and not lend to small businesses, yet banks, or some are in public control.

 

There will be much worse to come, GOV are fighting off a double dip recession, hence the back tracking on some policies.

 

But, the way your council is run could make the difference.

 

And you could make the difference yourselves by getting involved.

There are many seats locally available and several SIC seats available very 4 years or so.

[enkelt skapninger]

I agree that it'll bring us down to the level of gritting and maintenance down South, but that level will cost a lot of money as the local economy grinds to a halt for more days per year than it would normally.

 

This winter has cost Scotland billions due to lost work days, and they're regretting it. It'd be the same here.

 

And reducing maintenance at a time when heavy goods will be on the increase (Sullom voe construction, several thousand tonnes of turbine and converter station for example) is madness. As spinner72 says, ongoing maintenance will cost less in the long run.

[Graeme_Storey]

I note:-

 

'Investments are to be made in enabling people to work from home and there is a proposal to raise £10,000 by allowing advertisements to grace the inter island ferries.'

 

I presume this is confirmation that online access (Broadband, specifically) will continue to be given a high degree of priority, throughout Shetland?

[Kavi Ugl]

The list of cuts on the main page of the news report(above) are just exactly as I said would happen which is that it's the poorly paid manual workers doing the coal face work who are going to suffer.

 

This council beggars belief....

[Para Handy]

Council budget cuts

Is it just me

But I think there is a letter missing from the word cuts

And you will find a bunch of cuts the Town Hall

[owre-weel]

The list of cuts on the main page of the news report(above) are just exactly as I said would happen which is that it's the poorly paid manual workers doing the coal face work who are going to suffer.

 

This council beggars belief....

 

Its usually the workers who face the cuts as the managers making them are unlikely to cut their own incomes/jobs. I've always thought the council are top heavy in management positions and you could cut one of them for every two or three manual workers. I think when it comes to looking at cutting staff, this should be carried out by an independant person.

[muckleflugga]

52 bin bags, does that mean us in the country are gonna get a recycling truck along? Or do we just have to fit the bruck into 1 bag a week?

 

No more free doggy poop bags,saving a whopping £1000 a year, they really are clutching at straws there I think

[unlinkedstudent]

52 bin bags, does that mean us in the country are gonna get a recycling truck along? Or do we just have to fit the bruck into 1 bag a week?

 

No more free doggy poop bags,saving a whopping £1000 a year, they really are clutching at straws there I think

 

Those particular cuts are sensible (Black bin liners and dog poo bags). As a dog owner, I don't see why other Council Tax payers should have to pay for my dog poo bags.

 

Re the black bin bags - do away with them completely and let people pay for their own as Local Authorities are only under an obligation to collect rubbish; it is down to householders to ensure rubbish is in a suitable receptacle for collection.

 

I'd much rather do away with the black bin bags completely and see the money spent on a more deserving cause (Such as adding the dosh saved to the roads maintenance budget).

[PJ of Hildisvik]

We should have one bin bag for every day of the week.

 

The council must operate from dozens of buildings in Lerwick, they should build one municipal building to operate from, and then sell off all the others, or turn them into 1/2 bedroom flats for rent, thus getting people off the waiting list.

 

A lot of the "cut backs" are just scaremongering, in the hope VE will save us all and make us all rich

[Mutton]

The council must operate from dozens of buildings in Lerwick, they should build one municipal building to operate from, and then sell off all the others, or turn them into 1/2 bedroom flats for rent, thus getting people off the waiting list.

 

Spot on. It would lead to a more efficient Council too. Each day members and officers must waste a significant amount of time travelling between the various offices across the town.

[paulb]

when they do move the anderson there are a lot of buildings there that could easily be converted inti council offices. at no cost apart from the conversion. the bin bags are rubbish now so no big deal. the dog bags were aimed at reducing the cost of folks poo picking.

[ArabiaTerra]

We should have one bin bag for every day of the week.

 

The council must operate from dozens of buildings in Lerwick, they should build one municipal building to operate from, and then sell off all the others, or turn them into 1/2 bedroom flats for rent, thus getting people off the waiting list.

 

A lot of the "cut backs" are just scaremongering, in the hope VE will save us all and make us all rich

Shorter PJ: The council should spend more money!

[shetlandpeat]

Social housing, in town, the Nimbys will be twitching already at that suggestion.

[Spinner72]

Or alternatively - the council could continue to provide and excellent gritting and maintenance service, and pleny of bin bags, and all those other penny pinching insignificant but noticable and "tabloid headline making" cuts and simply not pay almost half a million pounds for YET ANOTHER tunnel study!

 

(dont get me wrong - all for fixed links and the long term savings and economy boost they will bring - but the Islands haven't moved, no volcanic activity has altered the geology in between, so just get some new quotes based on the multiple studies ALREADY PAID FOR and get on with it!)