The Benchmark for Job Cuts.
In the crowded field of the economically suicidal, Liverpudlian councils are renown for their ability to rise above the common herd and lead by example.
The local MP is Bill Esterson, an ex-Medway Councillor, who the local population voted into place by a majority of les than 4,000 – a result which surprised some, knowing the predilection Liverpudlians have for supporting those who would bleed the tax payer down south.
The local council are now faced with cutting around 1,000 jobs from their force of low paid public sector workers in order to help cut their budget by 28% after George Osborne cut some of the featherbedding grants they have become used to in the last 13 years of Labour rule.
You might expect the local council to be doing everything it can to minimise this loss of jobs – but old habits die hard.
Last night the council were locked in debate over their latest expenditure:
3 granite benches to be sited outside Sefton market at a cost of £26,000 in order that ‘footfall’ to the market might rest its backside for a moment
Along with £41,700 on two, two! bronze markers – ‘Common sense died here’? – £12,100 on motifs (???) and a further £31,500 on the design, delivery and installation of the ‘artwork’.
The total package is £110,000. Sufficient for 9 full time employees on minimum wage – or three oversized backsides to be parked in comfort. It’s a no-brainer isn’t it?
Guess which option the council voted for?
Yup, that’s right – spending £110,000 on ‘upgrading’ the market area. At least they didn’t try to claim it was to forestall terrorist outrages – see Newcastle Council.
December 4, 2010 at 15:23
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Ummmmm…. sorry to piss on your parade but the councillors of Southport
dismissed the plan for three granite benches etc etc. Get your facts right
next time….
December 4, 2010 at 16:20
November 23, 2010 at
16:52
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Nothing. See our local council…
They are going to waste £25m on pathetic and totally pointless transport
systems. This is intended to cut congestion.
First plan is to rebuild 2 bus stations – as you can understand this
doesn’t affect congestion at all apart from when they do the works making it
much worse. Second is car parking information boards whilst closing a Park
& Ride encouraging more cars into the town centre. Of course the plans
also include replacing a roundabout with a traffic light system.
November 18, 2010 at 00:05
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I will bet you that within a month there will be complaints about teenagers
roosting on the benches, fights with bagmen, and the police thinking “if there
weren’t these benches, then we wouldn’t have to keep responding to
complaints”.
The bronze will be nicked. The police will just wish that the granite
benches could be.
November 17, 2010 at 19:04
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Demetrius @ 12:54
“Granite? Isn’t that radio-active? So in Bootle they will be nuking
people’s rear ends? ”
Nah, it’s Eugenics.
- November 17, 2010 at 14:05
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And then you have Dick Puddlecote and his story about Sutton Council doing similar wasteful stuff.
November 17, 2010 at 12:57
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Living Up North Anna, I’m inclined to want the UK to split into three.
North and Celtic, South-West and South East. We could run our economies to
suit actual needs. N & C (Eire could throw in) would get the oil and gas
and invest this in industrial renewal and new energy tapping.
Instead, of
course, we have dolts making decisions about granite seating, and others who
have made much more intelligent but selfish decisions about where to invest
money. We are regularly promised relief through the Private Sector Cavalry,
but one suspects they ride granite horses in the square mile of the City.
November
17, 2010 at 12:54
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Granite? Isn’t that radio-active? So in Bootle they will be nuking people’s
rear ends? Perhaps it should be cordoned off and the population only allowed
out after full decontamination.
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