Essex County Council

[Patrick]

One for our Chelmsford reporter this. "The World Tonight" has just been talking about ECC. It has somehow managed to wangle itself some Independence from Government and has been given extra money to spend. It made a great play out of the fact that it was re-opening Post Offices closed by the evil Government. It made great play on the fact that as a Conservative County Council - it was already half way to doing all the lovely things that Cameron wants to do.

I would be horrified if they gave my County Council more money - they are complete Arses - have little or no knowledge as to what is needed or what is going on at our end of the county (the opposite end to where they are). What's more we have very little democratic say on what they get up to - and they invariably spend their time overuling the town and City Councils.

This is not just specific to my area - where I used to live the CC would ride rough shod over many a planning decision made by the town council against the wishes of the local inhabitants

As for re-opening Post Offices - a lovely idea I'm sure - but methinks there is just some political jolly japes going on here - A Conservative Government would more than likely pick up where they left off and Labour carried on by Privatising anything else that they haven't - and I would guess that would mean Royal Mail as well! Essex CC are going to look pretty silly when the new masters suddenly cap their money and the PO's close once again.

My County Council is constantly pleading poverty. We have some of the worst roads in the country, and schools are being closed or merged, and last year a number of rural libraries were cut. School Bus services are cut every term, and bus passes for school children seem to be like Gold Dust. I checked a few weeks ago and our council tax is higher than parts of Essex, so presumably the extra funding they get either doesn't affect what they gather in - or they are using the extra funding to subsidise lower rates.

I'm not sure I'd want extra power given to councils unless we got more of a say in what they were going to do.

Along with any annual audit - an annual referendum so they can find out how people thing they're doing. I wouldn't want to tar them all with the same brush - but in my experience many council members set themselves up for life, and that is never particularly good either.

[everso]

Well, ECC aren't that bad. At the moment our village is in a bit of a tizzy because the main road through it is being resurfaced. Last night was very exciting as they sent these big machines up and down the road and Mr. E. had to queue for ages just to get into the village. In fact he wonders whether a royal visit is imminent seeing as we're getting our roads tarted up.

So far as our main Post Office is concerned, we had a very nice one until a year or so ago. It had been purpose built about 40 years back when a number of councillors decided that Chelmsford needed dragging into the Swinging Sixties and they demolished most of the interesting old buildings in the town. Anyhow, this Post Office building is now languishing and will probably be turned into yet another bar/restaurant that we need like a hole in the head, while our actual Post Office (and remember Chelmsford is the County Town of Essex and I'm talking about the main post office) is on the top floor of W.H. Smith in the town. If you're sporting a buggy or relying on a wheelchair to get you around, you have to queue for the lift which is little bigger than a coffin. It's probably the most detested Post Office in the country and everyone hates it. If ECC are talking about opening up the old building, then that will, in the town's eyes, make them very popular!

[Patrick]

I think they were talking about village ones. Apparently they've opened seven in the past couple of years.

Down in Tunbridge Wells, they kept the main post office, but they cut out every other one in the area! There's about two now serving 100,000 people or thereabouts! They're queueing round the block on Saturdays apparently! I've never been able to understand the thinking of reducing town centre PO's. It is definitely hole in the head territory.

As for road resurfacing - I hope they get it right for you. Lancashire CC inevitably have to redo every bit of road they resurface. A: Cos they've bodged it. B: Cos their contractor has bodged it. Or C: One occasion they actually used the wrong type of tarmac!!!

Honest truth - three major road resurfacings went on near me a couple of years back and all A B and C happened on all of them! Another good one was where they resurfaced a road but failed to support the drains properly - so every one sank to the original line of the road pre-surface within six weeks!

[housesparrow]

But have things got worse since they have had to put everything out to tender? Of course, as an ex-trade unionist I am always delighted if the answer is "yes" ! When everything is contracted out into a tightly-drawn legal document there is no room for flexibility, hence at least some of the problems that arise.

Not to mention the fact that often the lowest bidders get their sums wrong and either skimp the job or go bankrupt before it is finished.

[Patrick]

It does seem to be the case that contractors try and drag things out to pay their way? This seems a ridiculous suggestion, because one would assume that the council works it into the contract that mistakes are the problem of the contractor and to be sorted out by them.

On a regular journey I make, I recently witnessed a wonderful bit of "dragging out". The replacement of a "Give Way" sign at the end of a road. A Contractor came along, dug a hole and put the new sign in. Four/six/eight weeks later, (it may have been more) someone came back - dug another hole and transferred the wiring from the old sign to the new one. An ideal time you would have thought for the old sign to be removed!!? Er, no. Another six to eight+ weeks later someone (else?) came along - Dug another hole and finally removed the old sign.

It would have gone well in a Bernard Cribbens/Flanders and Swann song!