owre-weel Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 In a letter to Shetland News http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/2011/February/letters/SIC%20cuts%20not%20agreed%20yet.htm Mr peterson states that the cuts have not been agreed yet. He wants to go to environmental services and ask for poop bags! The response I got was we don't have any left and we wont be supplying them anymore. So I wonder what else has already been decided? As for cutting down on rubbish bags, I agree with the previous poster who asked 'if we in the country areas would then be getting visits from the recycling cart' Or is it a second class service to country areas. I think I'm right in thinking that those in the town get packs of different coloured recycling bags supplied, and if so it makes sense to reduce the number of black bags where recycling is collected, but to cut other areas risks people returning to the unaceptable habit of throwing it ower da banks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 This just shows how sad and desperate the SIC is. They've got to save £8 MILLION and they're cutting a few dog poop and essy bags..... And how is closing two peerie public toilets going to save £8 million?. As usual, they're picking from the lowest and poorest departments...... What about the mega sized "Children's Services"(just what do they do??) or the out of control Social Services Depts?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 In the words of Tesco who know a thing or two about managing budgets "every little helps". Sure cutting out free doggie poo bags and halving the allocation of black bags (why not cut them out completely?) is not going to help all that much but if every department and sub department of the council was to find similar small savings it would help towards the total required. Of course the big savings will come from staff cuts and here it is up to the councillors working with the Chief Executive to ensure that the department heads do not get rid of the people who actually do the work while keeping a full management team. Really every single job within the SIC needs to be looked at and those that are not needed will have to go. Yes I will feel sorry for the individuals who lose their job but the council is there to provide services and not to create jobs. In fact with the Total development at Sullom Voe this is surely a good time for the council to reduce its workforce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SJP17 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 They are surley closing the public toilets at clickimin and grantfield , Do you really think thats going to save much cash ? The countrys gone mad ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Each budget has likely been given a percentage saving to find....so if your budget is public toilets and you have 10% saving to find somewhere..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SJP17 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 The truth is its an absolute disgrace ! Whats it cost to keep a toilet open ? Cant be that much ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Toilets seem to be the going concern all over, this may run and run, but I am sure the paperwork would need to be correct. Date: 24/03/2010 Dear Mr. Ovens Freedom of Information Enquiry: DEV0350396 Thank you for your information request dated 24/02/2010. I am happy to supply you with the information you requested. 1) The public convenience building will be marketed for sale rather thandemolishing 2) The cost of the automated "superloo" cost will cost £55k. 3) Maintenance costs of the current building for the past five years is£4,048 4) The maintenance costs for the new toilet is approx £2,000 per annum. 5) With building works and instalation cost the total cost will amount to£75k (cost of unit plus works) The cost of this project will be funded by the saving of the annualoperating cost (£38k) therefore re-paying the investment in two years. Yours sincerely Mary Davis http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/public_toilets?unfold=1#incoming-77274 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Each budget has likely been given a percentage saving to find....so if your budget is public toilets and you have 10% saving to find somewhere..... Hmm, apparently that's not so. The SIC has to find 15% savings(7.5 this year and 7.5 next year) and as I understand it what's happening is that each depertment is coming forward with a list of possible cuts from their dept. Then on 14th Feb the councillors will decide what to cut and from where which means one dept might take a beating while another is left almost untouched.....so no guesses what'll happen there..... I'd have thought a 7.5% + 7.5% from each dept would be a fairer way..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staney Dale Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Excuse me if this has been mentioned already - just can't cope with trawling through 12 pages - but I'm disturbed by managers getting early retirement deals - very cushy ones at that. We end up paying out big pensions to folk in their early fifties for years to come, and any time the SIC has done this in the past it has never led to a reduction in staff. Quite the reverse. I have every reason to suppose the two service managers recently granted deals are pretty competent, so we should be paying them to work, not stay at home. It seems when folk get to a certain level they never think to just leave a job - they have to get a big payoff. And even worst, if managers aren't competent to do their job they also tend to be shuffled out with a big payoff. It's really not fair or economic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Each budget has likely been given a percentage saving to find....so if your budget is public toilets and you have 10% saving to find somewhere..... Hmm, apparently that's not so. The SIC has to find 15% savings(7.5 this year and 7.5 next year) and as I understand it what's happening is that each depertment is coming forward with a list of possible cuts from their dept. Then on 14th Feb the councillors will decide what to cut and from where which means one dept might take a beating while another is left almost untouched.....so no guesses what'll happen there..... I'd have thought a 7.5% + 7.5% from each dept would be a fairer way..... I agree. And this is a classic example of what is fundimentally wrong with the structure of the SIC, which sadly doesn't look like it is changing anytime soon. The councillors, as talented as they may be in their own fields, should not be making the decisions as to what is or isn;t suitable for cutting. There are many highly paid and no doubt skilled managers employed for exactly this reason - to manage their departments effectively and within budget. Councillors should do nothing more than decide a figure, then let each departments manager work towards that under the guidance and watchful eye of the Chief Exec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Whats it cost to keep a toilet open ? Saving £10K by closing Grantfield and Lochside according to the report. No word though of closing the public toilets at the Gilbertson Park when there are toilets inside the Games Hall 10 feet away. I also see they plan to save £1K by doing away with the twice yearly bulk refuse collection in Lerwick. I can't figure out their sums there, but I reckon it will cost them a lot more than £1K a year to uplift the bulky refuse folk will simply throw out beside their rubbish anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Excuse me if this has been mentioned already - just can't cope with trawling through 12 pages - but I'm disturbed by managers getting early retirement deals - very cushy ones at that. We end up paying out big pensions to folk in their early fifties for years to come, and any time the SIC has done this in the past it has never led to a reduction in staff. Quite the reverse. Most of the retired manager's pension will be paid from the SIC's pension fund. This is a fund that the person will have contributed to from their earnings over their working life. The pension fund is completely independent of the SIC's other finances. It has been traditional for those retiring early to get their pension boosted by a contribution from the SIC's own funds to make going more attactive but I do not know if this still goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Each budget has likely been given a percentage saving to find....so if your budget is public toilets and you have 10% saving to find somewhere.....Hmm, apparently that's not so. The SIC has to find 15% savings(7.5 this year and 7.5 next year) and as I understand it what's happening is that each depertment is coming forward with a list of possible cuts from their dept.Yup, could be, I'm not sure what percentages have been asked for from which budgets, and if they are all the same..... and then as you say there is also the potential for some areas being cut further to make up short-falls if there is public pressure or councillor objections to proposed cuts in other services.It does show though how any small individual cut will end up being looked at, as helping towards a % saving on a small budget, which is part of a service cost, which is part of a departments spending.... and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 The truth is its an absolute disgrace ! Whats it cost to keep a toilet open ? Cant be that much ?Exactly. But suppose you have 10 toilets to keep open from your budget and you have been asked to make a 15% saving? You don't have the option to cut anything else, the budget is only for keeping toilets open, so your only option is to make the proposal to close toilets. It might not save much money in the grand scheme of things, but it saves the % you are supposed to find from your budget. Those are the proposals you will get if you ask for an even reduction in all budgets. Then the councillors will do some juggling and shuffling if they choose to prioritise some services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I get the feeling some folk may not understand politics fully, it is a weird science. So is finance and council structures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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