To think we can't expect the council to be responsible for everything?!

[AMAcarer]

In the run-up to Bonfire night, I noticed a lot of complaints on social media about the decision of my local council NOT to hold a fireworks display, to save costs. People complained that it was a disgrace, as with the cost of living crisis children need something to look forward to, and that the council was "forcing" people to spend money to travel to other areas for displays.

This was followed up by many comments blaming the council for the rise in foodbank use, for the rise in anti-social behavior, for the rise in fuel poverty, poverty in general and how the council spending money on the annual Christmas market rather than the fireworks display was a slap in the face to parents on a low-income as their children would "have their noses rubbed in it" by their friends who had parents on a higher income and could afford to pay for some of the rides etc at the Christmas market. Yet they wanted the council to literally blow up money for a "free event" on Bonfire night which would also have had paid for rides and would be or 1 night only, whereas the Christmas event is a month-long and has many free activities and events

I have many gripes with our local council, but am I wrong to think it's utterly ridiculous to think they should be held responsible for absolutely everything, and for people to expect them to provide so many things for free? I'ts just not possible is it? They have opened up a fuel poverty scheme with ££££ of pounds put aside to help people yet some of the same people claiming from this scheme still want the money spent on bloody fireworks?! The same people who are complaining they dont get enough help to feed their kids over the holidays still want money blown up in smoke for entertainment? There has been major anti-social issues recently and of course, it's the councils fault for "not providing" for children and teenagers. My area is absolutely chock full of fantastic, cheap or even free things for children and young families to do, and for teenagers too! Many of it council provided already.

I have no children, and I have lived in EXTREME poverty in the past, I'm no stranger to food or fuel poverty, being on benefits, being on a low income, and feeling utterly helpless...but even at my lowest I still didn't expect the council to sort out every single aspect of my life. Has some of society become so expectant on others that we don't want to take any personal responsibility at all?!

Sorry for the rambling!

I'm not sure why you wouldn't just buy a bolt either @MarshaMelrose .It honestly sounds like the back and forth has put years on your life.

They are. The people who make the spending decisions are elected every 4 years. They are directly accountable to the electorate. Their meetings are in public, minutes and agendas are published on the council website and they take public representations in those meetings. We elect them to make decisions on our behalf. I really do not think we need perpetual referendums on fireworks or Christmas markets. Where will it end? A referendum on whether to allow Sharon at No. 42 to have a kitchen extension? Besides, we know from recent referendums that the great British public make shite decisions and then complain that they didn’t get what they voted for anyway.

No matter how right something is, SM will be full of contrary whingebags complaining about it!

I'm in London. So lots of council areas v close together and easy to see comparisons. There really isn't that much difference between the quality of services across the boroughs, but there's a big difference in cost of council tax.

So yes, I think there is scope for councils to up their game

But people don't seem to bother much with local elections, even though councils have a huge impact on our lives

@AMAcarer Council tax leaflets are locally written and there's a trade off between informing the public and not wasting a lot of paper on something that goes straight into the bin in most households.

With that said, I agree that there is no middle ground between the council tax leaflet and then wading through the detailed (and more technical) budget & finance papers.

And now you've mentioned it, councils should publicise all their statutory responsibilities, though - would probably help with people's comprehension and appreciation that firework displays are probably going.

A lot of council work is done out of house I say that as a volunteer for an outsourced Council job.

say I want want or rather need something fixed for the site I manage. I have to email the boss lady. She then emails that type of department for a quote who then sends it to another council department who then approved it denied it. If approved then someone else will be back out a week later. To fix a maybe £60 job. It’s now cost due to their contracts £90 part plus two call outs.

Many people have absolutely no idea what councils are responsible for and even less of a notion where councils' money comes from and how it is spent. Ditto 'government money'. It's quite alarming.

Im curious, local council fuel poverty fund applications have just been opened, and the amount of comments already about it being "extra help for Christmas" is astounding. Again I've been there, I understand poverty, but I know I would have spent that money on other things rather than in my fuel meter and then found myself needing more help. Surely council should send money directly to supplier or require proof for pre-payment meters? I feel this is opening the system to potential abuse.

@OhmygodDont I think this is an issue across the board and with the NHS etc...nothing is simply straight to the point, so many middles to get through that cost money.

To be honest, I think I would have just bought a bolt myself. If they're so cheap, then the time spent ringing the council even once would have covered the cost of the bolt.

Also, waste collection is contracted out for a great many councils, so it may actually be some private sector ineptitude and not necessarily entirely due to council inefficiency in this case.

1. Where do I buy the bolt from?
2. Why say they'll send one if they're not going to?
3. If they want me to buy one, why not give me that info?
4. I'd already offered to drive to the town hall at my own cost. I'm trying to do the right thing to maintain my lid. Next time, I'll rip the lid off and order a new bin straight off.

The bins are not contracted out. The guy who delivered the new bin was in a council van with a load of bins on the back. When I pointed out they'd gone over 6 weeks, she said she'd ring the dept and put in an emergency order.

But how good it is that I am blamed for the council inefficiency. That's why they just keep being inefficient, I guess. No pressure to improve because we're conditioned to accept mediocre service and blame those who expect better.

The government gives £0 money to a district council.

Only about £100/year of your council tax goes to a district council. The rest goes to county /police/fire etc

As a result of course many councils across the country are having to make painful cuts.

I don't disagree about some of the bonkers salaries/jobs. But on the flip side many roles are horribly underpaid and under staffed.

Presumably they would be the same people complaining if the council put on the event but then had to cancel more important services. Some people just don't want to understand there isn't a bottomless money pot.

Why do some council workers get paid more than MPs and even the Prime Minister?

Nobody is blaming you for their inefficiency and are in agreement with their shit service, but you said the bolt cost pennies so its reasonable to assume you looked up the cost of buying one, and if you already know your council are utterly rubbish, then the pennies is surely worth the cost vs dealing with them for weeks on end?

I would have bought the bolt, then contacted them explaining that I had purchased it due to all of the errors you mentioned above and that you aren't happy with the service you received. As it stands they probably don't care now because you got a new bin, whereas a logged complaint may be more likely to be looked at.

Well rhe prime minister gets £100k a year for life even if they fuck everything up (and that's before directorships and speaking engagements and the rest)

And MPs often have second lucrative jobs , or multiple holidays or appear on I'm a celebrity.

They aren't good comparables.

The comparable is similar private sector roles surely

If councils were that hard up they'd spend money more wisely. And they overreached themselves massively during the covid lockdowns.

I am not a certain type of stupid, I just don't think they manage their resources well at all. The person who mentioned vanity projects is absolutely right, we've had hundreds of thousands wasted on plans for a "new village" nobody wants, and we don't need to meet housing targets and for a new "civic quarter" which we don't need because neighbouring towns have the amenities.

As for firework displays, ours is put on my a local charity and people pay to attend. Nothing to do with the council except permitting use of a local park.

Our local council needs to get rid of overpaid members of the council. Most are old, male freeloaders. That would soften the blow of cancelled festivities for me x

@reigatecastle unfortunately the people complaining about the council not funding a display have also said they won't go to others in near-by areas because you had to pay to attend. They are not interested unless it is free.

We have had some vanity projects locally that I will admit I wasn't a fan of at first, but there has been a huge influx of people coming to the area and spending money due to them, as well as people moving to the area and we are seeing more regeneration so it has worked in this instance. I sometimes feel that certain groups of people are only ever happy racing to the bottom and feeling hard done by, without ever seeing a bigger picture or wanting to educate themselves into how money is sometimes spent

It's a hard one, I don't know how councils can please everyone and meet everyone's needs. Glad it isn't my job.

I'm torn in that to some extent Councils are fiefdoms and can suffer from mission creep that means they will prioritise areas that the majority will notice for cuts usually affecting "blue collar" jobs more than middle class ones.

I must admit I don't fully understand council salaries and roles all that well, I should probably do more research but I do know most of the customer service type roles etc here are "real living wage roles" but absolutely aren't "well paid" in terms of actual living costs.

"If councils were that hard up they'd spend money more wisely. And they overreached themselves massively during the covid lockdowns... I just don't think they manage their resources well at all."

Most council money goes on statutory services that they have no choice but to spend on.
During covid, the government instructed councils to carry various additional tasks and take on new responsibilities. For example, all the billing authorities had to administer the business grants.

"and we don't need to meet housing targets"

How is the housing shortage to be addressed?

"Neighbouring towns have the amenities"

Well, that's all very well if you have transportation to get to the neighbouring towns. IME, if new housing developments are built without amenities, there is additional pressure on the existing amenities that were not built to cope with the additional population, and is sometimes accompanied by social problems because the population have got no playgrounds, doctors surgeries, enough local schools.

I can't say it better than the first 2 replies on this thread, tbh.

but am also unsure where people get the idea that Councils should run Bonfires. Where I live that has always been the domain of Scout Groups, Rugby Clubs, etc etc - their big fundraisers for the year

My council just ripped out a load of fences in the housing estates that surrounded random bits of grass at the end of streets. The fences are maybe knee height and most were falling apart. They decided last week to replace them with new fencing. Seriously pointless and a waste of money! I dont usually get annoyed at my council but that got on my wick!

Years ago I used to work for a local council. From 1999 to 2007 in fact, and I saw the steady takeover from London of local councils powers and steady destruction of morale in the workforce, as messages came out saying that the idea of paying staff for work staff was disgusting and we were all expected to do more and more on less and less. Middle management went along with it and booted the lower ranked staff. I've watched since as councils powers were slowly sapped even more, more and more of the middle management that enabled all this became affected and were made redundant themselves, and still councils funding was stripped.

I told my management then that councils needed to get together, use the Local Government Association to fight back against central government plans. Tell the people the reality of what was happening. Tell the people how much it costs to run what. Send out flyers, send out leaflets - not glossy ones, I'm interested in the content and message, not glossy production crap - put the reality on websites, everywhere. Tell people that you cannot run council services without money, and it is perfectly acceptable, indeed the cornerstone of capitalism, to pay staff for services rendered.

Naturally it all fell on deaf ears and I was made known that I was considered a troublemaker instead. But what I said then is more true now than ever. The economy is destroyed because London leaders sold us out to the highest bidder, stripped public services down and sold off everything they could, privatised everything. And now ordinary working people cannot afford to live here. It starts with councils. Let them tell the truth, put their budgets on the front page of their websites, use those Blairite slogan banners they all have to proclaim the amount their budgets have been cut by. And let people decide if they want this kind of approach to continue, or start demanding change.

I worked for the council for many years and went through many cuts. When I left our department was decimated and the quality and quantity of work we offered was pathetic.
however with each cut our senior manager got a pay rise! Sometimes we amalgamated with other departments (in name only) so he got more pay rises. He actually did less work as there was so few staff now and no resources to do anything.

Same in every department. There was also a point where there were more managers than staff.

Why didn't you just go to the hardware store and get a bolt yourself? Think of the time and energy you expended trying to get someone else to fix it. If you'd channeled that into just fixing it yourself...

People like you are part of the problem.