33 Million of Cost/Savings Per Annum

[The Cheesemaker]

As has already been said.. the Council has to provide certain services - this includes a museum and archives service - often alongside Libraries in many authorities.

 

The contents of the museum and archives belong to the council but they hived off the management of it to the Amenity Trust as, historically, the SIC couldn't get external funding to build a new museum, whereas the Amenity Trust was able to get a majority of funding for the new build from Lottery, Enterprise Agencies etc. The same is true of the Sumburgh development..... so it made sense to run it through this arms length organisation.. however, they have to pay the Trust to run it - the figure has been reducing, but is still over £1m a year.. given how many visit each year, i think the SIC is basically paying the equivalent of something like £12 per person for each body going through the front door.. probably significantly more than the old Hillhead set-up.. but then does it help contribute to the bigger tourist income for the island as a whole?

 

I understand that local authority museums are unable to charge for entry, like many of the national museums across the UK (although they may be able to charge for special shows - e.g. when the cat is here, or st ninians treasure)

 

There may be a way, however of getting the trust be be more commercial to help make up a shortfall if the grant is further reduced, without significantly reducing opening hours etc

[Shoogler]

If even £1 was charged it would begin to cover some costs - and wouldn't detract from visitor numbers

[shetlandpeat]

On entry? So, charged to deposit archive material.

 

Would there be any local or national policies that would be breached or changed?

 

There could be a more emphasis on a donation of a pound on exit. Though I would think many visitors were local and would not see why they should pay.

[MuckleJoannie]

It seems even the dead are not immune from SIC cutbacks. The SIC has cancelled plans to extend the Voe and Bixter cemeteries.

[hairyian]

It seems even the dead are not immune from SIC cutbacks. The SIC has cancelled plans to extend the Voe and Bixter cemeteries.

 

Why not ?

 

If the reports are corrcect, this a prime example of where the Council has been going wrong. The job started off as needing some essential, but relatively minor works. This quickly became a full extention with new car park surrounded by stone walls, costing nearly £500,000

 

The job has been deferred until 2017, five years away and this will not be a problem. During that time a more ecomical proposal will be put forward.

[BigMouth]

We should be burning the bodies, not planting them. It's a waste of good land.

[shetlandpeat]

^ They do already.

[Shoogler]

^^

Who are'they' and what do you mean?

[groilick]

We should be burning the bodies, not planting them. It's a waste of good land.

 

Da cooncil incinerator at da green heid wid be just da job tae get shot o da crangs - it could fire up wi setting lowe tae yon SP troll dat's aye shargin hellery aboot whit he kens damn all on dis forum.

[shetlandpeat]

Yup, one of yours

 

400 tae 500 year ago Christians in Britian wir burning wan-an-idder at da stake – depending on whit faction hed da upper haand at da time. Christianity haes moved on in dat time – Islam hisna’

Predictably, the first mention of trolls in English occurs in Shetland where, in 1616, a woman was charged with witchcraft for summoning a troll from a graveyard.

 

 

 

Anyhow, cremation has its place. Maybe?

 

http://www.saxavord.com/shetland-culture.php

[BigMouth]

We should be burning the bodies, not planting them. It's a waste of good land.

 

Da cooncil incinerator at da green heid wid be just da job tae get shot o da crangs - it could fire up wi setting lowe tae yon SP troll dat's aye shargin hellery aboot whit he kens damn all on dis forum.

 

We need some of the LRs to put the bubble in and tell us what's happened to the cheese. Use the beef if necessary.

[BigMouth]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9101874/Minister-praises-plan-to-heat-swimming-pool-from-fires-of-crematorium.html

 

Forward thinking Britain. If we had to plant the 10 billion+ that will die in the world in the next 100 years how long before we run out of space? Probably not a question for the hard of thinking!

[daveh]

^^

 

Well, don't bury them all at sea as the Mareel would soon be flooded.

[CHUCK NORR1S]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/5762-sic-unions-fear-staff-cuts-being-forced-through

 

Hopefully they look at sickness records and some of the dubious long term sick people, you know the ones, off for six months on full pay, come back for the alloted time then go off again.

 

I also hope they stop lashing out full pay if employees are off sick, get everyone onto statutary sick pay, see what the sickness level is like after that.

[shetlandpeat]

You will be addressing the national agreements then. Generally, if off with long term sickness, full pay is paid, after a qualifying period, for 6 months, then half pay for the next 6. The " allotted time" is a year.

 

So with reduced levels of staffing, managing cuts and increasing hours as well as reduced benefits what sort of staff would you be looking to employ once you sack all these folk, then pay for the appeals, then give them their jobs back and compensate them. They, in your mind must be quite devious to go sick for a year on a 25% cut in their salary as well as loosing other bonuses and entitlements, come back for a whole year, then do it all again. You think you could then just sack these devious folk?

 

With all the other cuts looming which will cost folk more anyway, and the loss of income to the local economy, would removing 100s of thousands of pounds from that economy really help? You could then be looking as well as more unemployed, less self employed and greater strains on the community and of course, less income for the discounted council tax. Good for the black market.

 

just some thoughts....