Right, I must be daft ( after 'Welcome to Aber', but we did get a good suggestion out of it and hopefully something will come of that ) but let's try to give the public a DIRECT ( as near as dammit ) influence on possible changes in how the Council deals with enquiries, requests etc.
I mentioned in a post that I attended the first of a regular series of meetings that is intended to end with the Council operating in such a manner that we won't see things like a dozen people and then a councillor or 3 trying to get an overflowing dog litter bin emptied.
Although that's an extreme example hopefully you'll get my drift.
Hopefully this will illustrate where we're trying to go with it:
In the above example, ask yourself why it might take a dozen people and 3 councillors, and of course how long a hazard to hygiene would have been there.
Yep - it wasn't emptied promptly following the first call to C2BG.
So, why was that ? OK so we'll look into it, have some sort of inquiry and chastise the people ( and their manager(s) ) responsible.
NO !
You see, the dozen people might have all contacted their ( or a ) councillor, who wasn't available and came back from holiday 2 weeks later.
The next councillor contacted, because the first had left their answerphone on, couldn't do anything because it was 6pm on the Friday before a Bank Holiday.
The 3rd was independently made aware of the problem at 8pm in The Mersh on a Saturday ( OK, that was me ).
All 3 councillors report it, and are told that the matter was raised the previous week. Up they go to see if the bin's been emptied - and it hasn't.
Another call and lo and behold within 24 hours the job's done.
Bit of a palaver isn't it ( couldn't it have been - it is a bit over the top admittedly ) ?
How do you solve that one ?
Easy - the recycling lads go all over the Borough once every week. That means they go past every dog bin. So - let's see if it's practical for them to check each one and report those that are 2/3 full. It's a lot better to empty them a few days before they're full rather than an hour after.
Mmm, one problem I can think of - Winter, bad weather, road accident or even something I can't think of. What if.....
No problem - put C2BG's number on every bin 'When full please call 01495 311556'.
See what I mean ?
A different type of thinking, simple ideas and possibly - just possibly - never an overflowing dog litter bin again.
This is the sort of thinking we're applying.
Please note, I'm not sure if the above example will be taken up, because I'm not aware of any possible issues, such as slowing down collections too much. However, what you don't think up doesn't even get off the ground, so I'm asking if anyone has had any similar flashes.
Come on, someone must have thought 'how daft is that - why can't they just....?'
Cheers.
Dirty Harry
Hello Rocke Council employees obviously travel all around the borough why don't they automaticaly report things they must see such as the dog litter bins full as you said also trees obstructing road signs illegally dumped waste abandoned cars anything dangerous like road works safety barriers that have fallen down the list is endless The public notice these things is it a case of it's not my job?
Rocke
A good point that Harry. Thanks.
It's certainly one I'll take up.
I must confess I've got a different outlook on rubbish, lights on/off, overgrown trees and the like since I got elected.
Before I wouldn't be looking out for them, now I actually feel myself actively looking around for issues.
As I tried to get across in the initial post, it's the change of thinking we're looking to do, which will hopefully translate into simple, yet effective ideas such as this.
Thanks again.
fredprobyn
Rocken the councile up here in Nuneaton have started a scheme where councilor or a council employee will walk around each ward once a week to see what problems need addressing these people will be accompanied by a resident or residents to note the areas that need attention.This scheme has only started recently and i believe they are very succccesful.A notice is put in the local paper where these representative will be waiting and a time given to meet them then the walk to visit the problem spots are got underway i am not sure of the full impact yet i suppose that will take some weeks but it sounds good to me because there is nothing better than seeing for yourselves what the ratepayers moneys is spent on,
What do you think???
Fred
Rocke
Thanks Fred.
We have a housing site walkabout every 6 months, so it's not alien to us.
However, your post has made me realise that why should it stop there ?
I'd probably go along the lines of Councillors doing it in their wards weekly ( we've 3 in most wards , so each could take their turn ).
I know some councillors do it now, but what we'll have to do is to get a system whereby the council itself gives attention to the lists that come in.
Another for the ideas bank thanks Fred.
Cheers.
IAN(boco)jones
Fred that sounds like it could be a very good scheme for our council to adopt, and it wouldn't do their image any harm in the eye's of the public either.
I would vote for a Councillor who walk's around his ward on a regular basis, not just the town centre but the back roads as well.
jools
'how daft is that - why can't they just....?'
Same old chestnut from me i'm afraid....
Why fill 1 or 2 potholes from amongst God knows how many on a stretch of road ? The machinery, workmen and materials are all brought to the area affected. Why can't they just fill them all, or re-tarmac the aftected section. It can't be an eficient use of resources running around the borough marking and filling every 2 inch pothole. Glandwr Ind Est seems to have a weekly visit.
Rocke
As it happens jools only the other day a few of us were talking about that.
I think that something's being done to try to get around this anomaly.
I think I've said before that the reason is that by law we have to repair certain sized ones withing 24hrs of them being reported.
False economy I certainly agree.
