Actually I was not aware of that…
Both having Knighthood’s, it was Convenient they have been put in the same snapshot - will remove it shortly then so as not to upset anyone :0)
1 Like
Just because its government funded doesnt mean its government managed. VM have their projects which the LA has no oversight on until the documents are submitted for work.
As usual there’s a complete lack of oversight but who’s paying for that?
I’m super critical of how local authorities have had the guts ripped out of their highways depts and this is another prime example of what you’d like to see happening but there isnt the staff, money or ability to coordinate it. It’s crap.
1 Like
Gavin fucking Williamson?
1 Like
I don’t think it is really the same though. It always felt like Conservatives were generally after arbitrary numbers.
I think the Conservatives were in to arbitrary numbers and micromanagement. New Labour were obsessed with external consultants.
The number of civil servants is determined in part by government policy. If they come up with a policy that requires a huge number of people to administer it, you will need a lot of people to do it.
One of the problems with reducing numbers in the past has been the reliance on voluntary redundancy. That has tended to mean that those with useful skills or those with lots of experience tend to apply for it.
You end up with surplus staff in “Special Projects Teams” who aren’t really doing anything useful and generate workload for those who do.
4 Likes
Yes, totally agree with this and why I think the Guardian article is a bit of a scare piece given all the things the government is aiming to do this parliament.
With an ageing public sector workforce, and a lot of part time staff, reducing numbers is probably less of an issue now as there will likely be a high natural turnover (although rising state pension age may be a counter factor here?).
If anything, the bigger challenge is ensuring the right staff are in the needed areas and recruitment of people with the needed skills as pay over the last 10-15 years has barely if at all kept up with inflation and tax thresholds have been frozen.
Doesn’t seem too complex to me.
My LA for example.
Right, we know that in the next six months, we have to lay new cabling for street lighting, and BT & VM have to lay fibre cables.
Let’s contact all the contractors and co-ordinate a time frame for digging up the pavements once, saving a shit load of cash in the process.
Biggest gripe all my working life is unnecessary and totally avoidable double handling
I’m not sure. The standard retirement age for the pension scheme is 60, although that can be deferred if the individual wants to work longer.
Obviously, it may be that the occupational pension alone isn’t enough to live on.
1 Like
Sounds easy but it just doesnt work. When you apply for putting traffic lights there’s a 12 week application period where the lkcal authority is supposed to review all this. Something in the back of my mind tells me utililities are exempt from that. I’ll have to check.
If it were easy there would be a local authority somewhere doing it, but to my knowledge there isnt a single one.
It doesnt help that highway trench repairs are done so badly either.
1 Like
It is easy.
Unfortunately it’s being coordinated by people who are either incompetent or dont give a fuck how many times a pavement is dug up or how a budget is wasted
The Conservatives introduced a new CS pension scheme about a decade ago moving most civil servants onto it (I think anyone under 50? which led to some legal wrangle over age discrimination). That scheme links directly to state pension age and so pension payments before state pension age from this scheme are reduced unless you pay extra.
Any contributions built up in the earlier schemes are still held so will remain payable at 60 without deduction. This may therefore be more of a factor for future retirees than those leaving now who will have the majority, if not all of their pension contributions in the earlier schemes…?
I haven’t lived in London for a long time so I don’t know about the details of the city’s politics. What are people’s opinions on Khan?
Knighthoods etc are obviously bollocks.
He won a third term just this year, so obviously vastly unpopular.
I wonder if he would get this much criticism if he wasn’t (a) Labour (b) of Pakistani descent.
2 Likes
What criticism?
Mostly conspiracist bullshit, but also the whole “soft on crime”, anti-working class (because of ULEZ) stuff.
Honestly, I tuned out a long time ago so I wouldn’t be able to tell you.
3 Likes
Or (c) Racist
Is he racist? That’s news to me.
2 Likes
Thats just horseshit. If it was so easy it would never happen, ever. And if staff dont give a fuck it would happen everywhere, every week.
Theres a job for you there. Go change the world
2 Likes
My street is done.
I don’t give enough of a fuck to organise anyone elses street 
1 Like