Is WBC short of money?

[Peter T]

One minute they are looking to make savings, and the next they are moving a crossing 10 yards. It doesn't make sense.

[Paul Kennedy]

You might find that coming to the end of a financial year, any departments with a budget surplus will be spending it ASAP.

 

[ 25.02.2008, 18:25: Message edited by: Paul Kennedy ]

[Dizzy]

Paul's right there...

 

Street cleaners have been out in force. Various roadworks going on. Bods trimming trees and bushes.

 

If they don't spend it then they loose it... it doesn't roll on into the next financial year

 

EEk.. does that mean I have just posted about WBC.. I said I wouldn't... guess it's ok though as I am sticking up for them in a way

 

[ 25.02.2008, 20:15: Message edited by: Dismayed ]

[observer]

Your talking about the concept of Joined up Goverance Diz; unfortunately, both locally and nationally, public services suffer from Departmentalism - with the results described.

[Legion]

how about they dont spend it, and then reduce our council tax to reflect the money they need, instead of how much they want.

 

and when you multiply this "spending spree" by every town and city in the UK at the end of the financial year...just exactly how much money is blown !!!

[McBain]

Highways works are typically initiated at this time of year for the reasons stated, i.e. departments have to spend their budgets or lose their funding allocations for next year. Weirdly, over-spending puts you (as a department) in a much stronger position to barter for a larger slice of the public purse next time around. It seems that fiscal irresponsibility is actually rewarded within Local Government - just another example of how divorced from real-world economics Councils are

 

As for being short of money, it will never happen, not whilst there is a captive source of funding to continually plunder, i.e. Warrington residents! What WBC is short on is common sense and commercial acumen.

[Peter T]

Sat here reading these posts, it came to me that the siting of the crossing is more to do with the fact that the cllrs don't live (or know) in the area and are not in touch with the needs of the electorate.

[observer]

Doubt whether the Councillors were even told by the officers!

[McBain]

Do you think that the quality of Councillors would go up if those wanting to represent a ward area had to live within it? Intriguing idea... at least then Councillors could legitimately claim to know something about the area that they purported to represent.

[Pete Owens]

Modifications to highways cannot be rushed through at the end of a financial year they take months to plan, and construct. The public notice for this one was advertised in the local press last year. I remember it as the cycle campaign always takes an interest when central islands are introduced as they can create nasty pinch points (although that isn't the case with this example).

 

The new arrangement should be an improvement. However, it does seem a bit odd that, with a long queue of locations in need of pedestrian crossings, they should prioritise a road where there already is one.

[observer]

Remember a Councillor once proposing the idea of folk "living in" the area they represent McB; alas it fell on deaf ears, as the Party system places the so-called best (or most favoured) in the safest seats; knowing that Joe Public will vote along Party lines anyway.

[Peter T]

Perhaps there would be more interest from the public, if the cllrs lived in the area, because they would be more accessible.

 

Thanks P.O. Was this to be funded by the council? I recall that last year one of the "local" cllrs was going to get a developer(who was going to buy the car wash)to fund the crossing.

When he pulled out, it was thought that the project had fallen through.

So perhaps the plans were already on paper and just required the nod.

It would have been better to put the new one at the shops further down.

[wahl]

Yes Mc Bain, the fiscal rules are really stupid but they were set up by peanut counters years ago. What a waste the spending of budgets willy nilly is.

The money is thrown at such stuff as putting a slip path on the roundabout under the red bridge at Westbrook avenue/ cromwell avenue

Why can't the council "planners" just be satisfied with filling in all the potholes on the roads?

[observer]

.... and the cost of contracts is astronomical too.

[Pete Owens]

I don't know where the money is coming from - but if it was developer funded it would explain why they chose this location rather than somewhere with a greater need. At least it is still going to be a zebra crossing rather than one of those "push a button and wait for half an hour" jobs.

[Paul Kennedy]

Originally posted by Pete Owens:

At least it is still going to be a zebra crossing rather than one of those "push a button and wait for half an hour" jobs.

And which is the one that you have to wait half an hour at Pete.

[Peter T]

There is no development.

They could have put it down near the shops and then we would have had two.

Most push button ones are controlled by traffic lights, and those that aren't are pressed automatically "before" people look to see if they can cross. They see that there is no traffic, and walk across, thus stopping the traffic and "cyclists" for NO reason. No-brainers.