common purpose

I recently sent a FOI request to my County Council enquiring how many of their personal had been Common purpose trained. Not many it seems. See table below.

NAME	YEAR ATTENDED COURSE	ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL/GRADE	DEPARTMENT
No consent to disclose details
Alison St Clair Baker	2006	Grade KS12	Environment & Regeneration – Change & Development Division
Marisa White	2006	Grade KS15	Children, Families & Education - Operations
No longer with KCC	2007	Grade KS13	Chief Executives Department – ICT Commissioning
No consent to disclose name	2007	Grade KS8-9	Communities – Policy & Resources - Kent Volunteers
No Longer with KCC	2007	KS13	Chief Executives Department – Business Solutions & Policy
Debra Exall	2008	KS15	Adult Services - Performance & Planning
No consent to disclose details

However, why are  some of them loath to allow their details to be known? Have they a dirty little secret that they don’t want me to know? Or maybe they realise they’ve been duped by this shadowy organisation that runs using Chatham house rules.

Just saying

Wasting my money again, KCC.

I was just trawling through my Council’s accounts when I came across this little bit of expenditure.

KINGSTON PARISH COUNCIL 10/08/2011 £46,200.00 Computer Equipment - Software Development Costs

Bearing in mind this is not Kingston on Thames, but Kingston Parish Council, it made me wonder why the need all that dosh for IT equipment?

It’s a thriving metropolis of, wait for it, 400 people.

Kingston is home to approx 400 residents and nestles at the entrance to the Elham Valley between Bridge and Barham.

So what’s all the money for?

Apparently they can’t get broadband.

 

Obviously Kent County Council are too lazy to shop around. They are allowing themselves to be ripped off.

Why not give them satellite broadband at £60 installation charge and a one off setup fee of £30. (I know the offer has just ended but I’m sure the council could have done a deal).

If you take those 400 people and for the sake of argument allow for the fact that 70% of the 400 are 2 partner households. In that case 70% of 400 is 280 people. Therefore only 140 units required. And I won’t even think of the Cheeeldren.

Take another 20% of the population of the village and consider they’re single and that thy want the delights of broadband too. 20% of 400 equals 80 more installations required.

That leaves 10% who probably don’t want it. ( Just a rough guess).

So in total 220 satellite broadband sets required. (The back of my fag packet is getting full now).

Well if my calculations are correct that comes to a total cost of 220 x £90 = £19, 800.

A saving of, wait for it (and that means you at the back as  well, Captain Haddock), £26,400.

 

Well done Kent County Council for wasting my money. You could have afforded another junior Community Diversity Outreach Co-ordinator for that sum I’d have saved you.

No wonder my Council tax is so high.

A PLAN to remove safety railings which shield walkers from traffic in Tonbridge town centre has already cost the taxpayer £39,000 – and that's before a decision has even been made.

The Courier can reveal Kent County Council has handed a staggering £39,037 to Jacobs Engineering to look into tearing down the pedestrian guard railings in 12 towns across the county.

Now I could have done that at a cost of a few litres of diesel, a pad of paper, and a pencil.

It gets worse.

Kent County Council's Pauline Banks said the cost of the report "did not include the cost for actual removal".

Well, Kent County Council, I have a proposition to make to you. If you want them taken down then buy me a hacksaw, plenty of blades, and a file and I’ll do it for you for £10 an hour. If you don’t mind it taking a while.

Let me see. There’s 350 of the blighters so if I were to remove two per hour for eight hours per day, it would take me 21.8 days. Now as a true working man I would expect to have numerous Tea breaks and chats to passers by, so I’ll say a month would be reasonable. I’ll even save on expenses as Mrs F.E. can drop me in the High street in the morning, on her way to work, and pick me up on her way home.

Lets see 31 days x 8 hours x £10/hour = *Looks for calculator* £2480.

Lets make it a round £2500. You can pay for my tea.

How about it KCC?

Kent Pensioner slips on Icy Pavement and dies.

That got your attention didn't it.

Well it might come true if KCC don't grit the streets. I'm fed up with sliding my way to the shop.

Notice to Kent County Council

What about gritting the pavements and not just the bloody roads. You Tossers.

If I wanted to go ice skating I would go to an Ice rink. Nearly broke my neck today on numerous occasions.

Then again this is the council that lost £50M in the Icelandic bank crash.