Looks like the council is considering more cuts that will affect us all, lollipop men to go, libraries to be cut to a few days a week, more privatisation resulting in poorer services, car park charges on virtually every piece of council land in the borough, we need to make our thoughts known folks
There's a questionnaire on the council website. People are a bit cynical about whether or not filling those things in does any good, or whether it's just ticking a 'We've consulted the local community' box for the council. However, if you don't fill it in, your views stand no chance at all of being taken into account! It's worth a try, at least. Also look out for any local petitions that are doing the rounds, and contact local councillors. They have to note your views, even if they don't act on them. Good luck!
I had to do a traffic and school children count the other day at a pelican crossing. There is some formula that they use to determine necessity for a school crossing. Recorded 600+ vehicles in a 40 minute period. Getting me to sign my own death warrant! As Burgess says they HAVE to save millions--which means any questionnaires are just a damage limitations exercise for them. Think the last barmy suggestion was to charge residents for having a No Cold Calling Neighbourhood. Anyone can put a sign on their gate or letter box telling cold callers it would be a criminal offence for them to call. Posted this on another thread--plastic lollipop people
Good. Nothing ever happens, no one ever revolts. The government can cut anything and everything and the people will just sit back and watch X Factor and Corrie and moan about it down the pub, or more likely these days, on Facebook.
I hope there are more cuts and people start getting hungry. Then maybe it will light a fire in the stomach of the apathetic, or encourage the Facebook activists to actually get active.
Many can do without most services and footfall surveys in places such as libraries etc. will show that a high percentage of population will not be using them. Car park charges are just another way to screw the already screwed driver, but that doesn't affect everyone either. Lollipop people to be disposed of, another service which most of the local population do not have an interest in. Plenty of people going hungry already and it would seem that another 500 council employees will be hungry too in the next months. (Previously mentioned in another post ,as the exact same sequence of affairs, happened after the 2006 Open Golf.) A different Government then, but the same council here, meaning they can all blame the other one now for consecutive years of cuts.
So, however an individual completes the questionnaire, it could be taking another fellow human being out of employment. I hate these surveys, as to me it is an admission that the Council and Chief Executive are no longer 'fit for purpose' and why should their decisions for us, be made off the backs of others who are not engaged in every corner of Wirral and it's services, and who quite often don't have a clue as to why they think what they do think. My worry is the cemeteries, what will we do if they go? That affects all of us. The council elections next May could be the best way to make a change. How does a Chief Executive get removed ? Probably can't be !
The other thing is of course, when a country is at war and we have been so for the past 12 to 15 years in various conflicts, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan ,it all costs a country money and that could be playing a huge part in our deficit as a nation.
Last edited by granny; 6th Oct 201410:55am.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
I always complete those wretched surveys as I feel if you don't then you can have no reason to complain, similar to not voting at elections.I know we are all very sceptical about the real worth of doing them but it at least (hopefully) lets the decision makers know what we feel. Granny, you are right to say that whatever we say we will impact on other people's lives and that is something we ought to bear in mind when responding. Public spending has always been a source of controversy with each party having their own pet projects. I liken it almost to running a family home. We have £?? income and must make our minds up on what we spend it on. If we can't afford something then a decision has to be made,cut something else out or increase the income. For a householder to increase income means another job either better paid or an extra one. For councils extra income can only come by increasing taxes and that is of course what the great British public does not want.
Amazing how we can fund wars, no shortage of cash for bullets and missiles, but cant keep our kids safe crossing the road, we have food banks, soon we will have the elderly suffering from cold related illnesses and hospitals and doctors surgeries unable to cope, we amongst the lowest paid in Europe with the lowest pensions and the longest working hours, we pay more tax than most other EU countries, the majority of working class people carry the blame for all the woes that befall us, and with all this and more as a backdrop we have a prime minister strutting the world stage promising death and retribution and what he wont tolerate with our sadly depleted armed forces.
Casper, those points with regard to our EU cousins are more than questionable. With regard to the 'council surveys', it is proportionately unfair. How many of our already unemployed do not have access to internet ? How many pensioners do not have access to the internet? How many of those who do have access, know about the 'survey' and how many if they knew,would not know how to find the 'survey'? How many who have access, ability and knowledge would complete the survey ? Probably a miniscule proportion of the local population, therefore it also is 'not fit for purpose'. I can't see too many pensioners being able to make their feelings and thoughts heard. Grossly unfair, as everyone should be able have a point of view. It would be a far more fair process if there was a 'survey' posted through our letter boxes to give everyone a say , just like our voting cards are at election time.
Granny steps down from soapbox.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
Yet the council can lend Lancashire Council six million pound at 0.75% interest rate. Along with others. Or rather we can lend them this as it is our money they are handing out to their mates. http://wirralleaks.wordpress.com/
Fair one granny, I understand what you are saying, as regards the EU some of the info may be out of date but we do not top the league in most of those areas, but we are always being told how much better off we are than most countries, notwithstanding that this is the fifth most richest country in the world, politics is a minefield so we can only go with what our own experiences are with various governments have been, or how they treat the majority of the population to give us any ideas, or maybe what some members of government let slip in an unguarded moment.
