Council budget cuts

[Carlos]

Apart from carlos nitpicking over the costs of switching off the hugely unecessary amount of lighting , it has to be an immediate saving with a pro- green message.

If you're looking to save money, probably a good idea to check what the actual saving will be?

[unlinkedstudent]

Why are so many council staff allowed to take council vans home at night and the weekends? I can fully understand if the need to go directly and urgently to an out of town site the following morning but is that applicable in so many cases? Apart from the fixed costs of running a vehicle, the fuel for the journeys to/from the drivers' homes are presumably paid for by the council. This certainly seems to be a waste of ratepayers' money.

Is there a pool system for the vans or are they allocated individually?

 

I couldn't agree with you more daveh. And yes piggie, it is a total waste. Why should we, Council Tax Payers, pay for people's journeys to work?

 

We used to have this argument with a patient ambulance driver who lived in our block in London. Now, that blooming ambulance took up 1 1/2 spaces in the residents' only car parking bays. On top of that, it was exempt from paying the charge as an ambulance. Whilst I was not a car owner at the time, a punch-up did ensue with a neighbour one evening. Said neighbour of ambulance (who, incidentally, had THREE cars) used to argue that he was a "civil servant". So blooming what? He worked for an agency holding a contract with the NHS. Several peeps in the road complained and finally, he was told he had to get to work by his own means and leave ambulance in the depot. Apparently, they were not aware he had been taking it home with him and using it for trips to Tesco.

 

There is not only the fuel consumption, wear and tear on the Council vehicles to consider but also the insurance implications. I believe there may also be an Inland Revenue tax implication if the person is using a company vehicle for their own use but I'm not 100% sure on that point.

 

Many Councils no longer buy vehicles but lease them as the servicing tends to be done by the lease company. I'm unsure of the logistics up here but perhaps it could be looked into?

[piggywiggie]

its depends what department it is with the works trucks etc.

they take them homempick up the guys and ehad straight to their location for starting work VERY early. My opinion that is not a waste. They get there to start early so that the job is done.

[unlinkedstudent]

its depends what department it is with the works trucks etc.

they take them homempick up the guys and ehad straight to their location for starting work VERY early. My opinion that is not a waste. They get there to start early so that the job is done.

 

And what is stopping them from driving to work early in their own vehicles or getting public transport? Is it essential that they start before 8.00am/9.00am? If they are doing noisy work, then legally speaking, they couldn't start hammering away before a certain time anyway. Are you suggesting that if they didn't take the vans home with them that they would never do a productive 7 or 7.5 hr day?

[paulb]

how about the grittermen. would you expect them to drive in to get their equipment. having the essential works having the transport at hand can cut down response times.

[piggywiggie]

no im saying it would be wasting time getting out there getting organised and then getting the van and driving to the location where if the van is there then they start right away.

 

AND yes and early start is very good and in my oppinion essential for the right set up and saftey checks before everyone is rushing about in the morning so that workers and public are not in danger.

 

You all complain that the roads dont get gritted early enough so again I think the gritters should be allowed to be taken home also but that I know is nto allowed. Which I think is very silly as what if their roads are blocked what happens? Do they phone up and sayd 'sorry I cant get into work the roads hvae not been gritted'

I know A LOT of people use thatas their excuse. Now what would happen if these hard working council men turned around and said that?

[unlinkedstudent]

^I've never complained about the gritters and know that they are down this end at 6.00am like clockwork. I think the main point that I and Daveh were referring to was the Council tradesmen such as Electricians, plumbers and the like. Therefore, I am in disagreement with you - they have NO reason to take the vehicles home with them.

[piggywiggie]

I shall take a deap breath and smile nicely.

Jobs that council workers dont have to be out at the crack of dawn, like electric men (unless doing electric on street and need to set up safety barriers etc) no they shouldnt need to take the vans home but for the likes of the roadie men that keep shetland maintained (very well IMO) then efficancy is key so the vans being taken home is useful.

[icepick239]

Austerity is coming and probably most of these present Councillors haven't got a clue how to re-act and to plan for it.

It is right to save money where one can with utilities etc, but this is only tinkering, although most certainly helpful!

 

There should be a complete halt on any new Capital Spending (where possible) for maybe 3 - 4 years.

I understand that one of the main Accounts Commission duties might be to try and temper, to educate the Council and through them the Public, that the 'Musts and Wants' become totally a way of thinking consigned to the past and that 'Needs' only becomes the desired standard way to go on which to spend scarcer and scarcer funds.

The words 'Pet Projects' should be banned forever. (Gimme a Tune).

A 'No-Spend Policy' will help greatly when it comes to a Toss-up as it most certainly will, between genuine needs projects and in this way maybe all the 'needs' can be catered for in the end.

 

The Budget as set by the SIC is far too lax (and is a Politicians Budget) as it is stll based on having a 'no-growth' figure this year from the previous years actuals.

This is just an invite to spend and is a deliberate ploy in order to spend, and being able to state to the public that the Council is keeping the lid on costs, (even though they have spent millions more than authorised.)

 

The Budget needs to be a ZERO-BASED BUDGET, so that nothing is spent before the merits are weighed up one way or the other and with the previous years expenses having NO effect at all on current or future years spending.

If it merits it spend it, but if it doesn't merit spending this year, don't spend it.

 

A simple calculation shows, that the difference in Capital Cost between the Whalsay Tunnel and the Whalsay Ferry is about 50,000,000. That by my calculation equals about 4,000,000 in lost Interest per annum (every year).

So to digress and to have a spend-up, I think North Voe needs a Ferry Please start now.

Regards.

[Pooks]

Just imagine the new multi-storey carpark the council would need to build to house all these council vehicles overnight. Underfloor heating, CCTV, etc etc....

[unlinkedstudent]

Just imagine the new multi-storey carpark the council would need to build to house all these council vehicles overnight. Underfloor heating, CCTV, etc etc....

 

So what is up with the depot at Gremista then eh Pooks?

[piggywiggie]

now building a multi car park WOULD be a waste...

[JohanofNess]

Just imagine the new multi-storey carpark the council would need to build to house all these council vehicles overnight. Underfloor heating, CCTV, etc etc....

 

Good point.

 

To some employers having all their vehicles in one place at one time isn't a good thing, we certainly couldn't do it with the geographical area we cover. The deployment of the workforce particularly if they are heading to different sites would be totally and utterly screwed if they all had to head to one depot to get the vehicles and then head to the jobs from there, not forgetting that some vehicles will have to take a squad of men so what does the van driver do head to the depot then head out to get the men, ask the men to head to the depot to meet the driver but what if the driver and the men don't need to head to the depot because the job they're going to is five mins from the door of where the van used to be kept until someone started complaining about the boy getting the van home with him.

[Frankie]

Just imagine the new multi-storey carpark the council would need to build to house all these council vehicles overnight. Underfloor heating, CCTV, etc etc....

 

So what is up with the depot at Gremista then eh Pooks?

 

See if you can guess what fills the car parks at the Gremista depot unlinkedstudent !

[unlinkedstudent]

Just imagine the new multi-storey carpark the council would need to build to house all these council vehicles overnight. Underfloor heating, CCTV, etc etc....

 

So what is up with the depot at Gremista then eh Pooks?

 

See if you can guess what fills the car parks at the Gremista depot unlinkedstudent !

 

I was on the phone and mentioned this thread and they reckoned there was space at Gremista. Alternatively, you could have North, South and Central depots. Either way, I disagree with JON - whilst it may not work in Aberdeen, it tends to work for Councils up and down the UK where vehicles are not brought home. I understand that in some remote areas (can't remember off hand before someone asks) have minibuses to pick up workers where public transport is non-existent before certain hours and when insurance, fuel costs, etc., are taken into account, it is cheaper than vehicles being taken home.

 

JONess argues about one job being done near where the van was, what about the other 99%?

 

So why should Council tradesmen have the vehicles overnight at their homes? Blimey, you could argue that all nurses second ambulances to drive them to work (wouldn't work as we don't exactly have a plethora of ambulances eh?), Fireman take the fire engines home, the police, etc. Other people have to make their way to work under their own fuel - crumbs, remember the Florence Grains' taxi costs?

 

At the end of the day, savings have to be made.