Public service spending cuts.

[Leekbrookgull]

Lets nail this one,i for believe there is scoop for cuts in public spending and without hitting frontline services. How often do we read of councils wasting money on I/T projects,endless traffic calming most of which is a waste of time. It is not the big capital projects that cost the money it is the endless drain of a 100K here,50K. THAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM I/E how often have you driven up a zebra crossing to find it made out in coloured lines/bricks etc even raised,what for ? All of us on NSC can relate to waste of money projects. Stopping that sort of spending is not Tory it is just commonsense.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Here is an easy one. I have been delivering poll cards for the upcoming local elections. The card is now A5 size, years ago they were A6, just by retuning to that size the paper bill for that one project would be halved. There are thousands of other things where spending could be easily cut without affecting anybody. Suggestions please.................................

Bring on the Tory spending cuts!

 

[bhaexpress]

Here is an easy one. I have been delivering poll cards for the upcoming local elections. The card is now A5 size, years ago they were A6, just by retuning to that size the paper bill for that one project would be halved. There are thousands of other things where spending could be easily cut without affecting anybody. Suggestions please.................................

Bring on the Tory spending cuts!

Here's another couple, how much money is wasted by the DSS when they shower you with various letters if you sign on or off ? How much does HMRC waste on 'Tax doesn't have to be taxing adverts' ?

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Make football clubs pay for policing outside their grounds as well as inside. Football policing must cost the public tens of millions each year.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Here's another couple, how much money is wasted by the DSS when they shower you with various letters if you sign on or off ? How much does HMRC waste on 'Tax doesn't have to be taxing adverts' ?

Thing is though that those sorts of adverts normally pay for themselves as they lead to HMRC getting more tax revenue.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Make football clubs pay for policing outside their grounds as well as inside. Football policing must cost the public tens of millions each year.

Make politcal parties pay for policing their conferences? Make Unions pay for policing their marches? Make the local Lion's club pay for policing the town carnival? No.

It is already paid for via the 'Police Authority' charge on your council tax/business rates.

 

[Scampi]

How much does HMRC waste on 'Tax doesn't have to be taxing adverts' ?

Or how much does HMRC save by advertising and therefore reducing the need to communicate with the public through other means?

 

[beorhthelm]

your not wrong. local authority here is spending 3million on "regenerating" the pedestrianised high street, which as far as i can see amounts to relaying with a different type of brick. oh, and removing all the drainage runs, so that should be interesting.

Thing is though that those sorts of adverts normally pay for themselves as they lead to HMRC getting more tax revenue.

yeah right. im sure thats what the ad company told them too. but im wondering if the sort of people its aimed at, self employed, multiple income earners, business people, directors etc, are they going to be watching TV much or doing something more productive?

 

[User removed 4]

Sort out the timers on street lights, the amount you see burning away during the day is unreal.

 

[strings]

This is difficult to nail down. We all know that given a budget cut, most local and regional council numpties would rather cut frontline services, than cut their latest, money wasting, gimmick. And, in my opinion, therein is the problem.

I think any cut in public spending will result in a cut to frontline services unless central government grab the bull by the horns and outline exactly where local councils should and should not cut budgets.

However, on the flip side, I recently met Sir Ian Blair (former comissioner of the Met), and he said that central government already tells police forces too much how they should spend their budgets. An example of this was Tony Blair giving Police forces more money and telling commissioners that it must be spent on new bobbies to go on the beat. Sir Ian reconed that more bobbies would atually have got on the beat had the money instead been spent on low-level administrators to take the paperwork of the existing bobbies.

I'm not saying that there is a wrong or right answer, I'm just saying that given cuts to public spending, I don't think we can assume that frontline services would be protected. And, even if they were protected/increased (a la my bobbies on the beat story) public service bosses may well believe that would be the wrong way of continuing operations.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Sort out the timers on street lights, the amount you see burning away during the day is unreal.

Victor

 

[wellquickwoody]

Here is an easy one. I have been delivering poll cards for the upcoming local elections. The card is now A5 size, years ago they were A6, just by retuning to that size the paper bill for that one project would be halved. There are thousands of other things where spending could be easily cut without affecting anybody. Suggestions please.................................

Bring on the Tory spending cuts!

Victor

 

[User removed 4]

Victor

I dont beliiieeeve it

 

[pork pie]

How much money is wasted publishing information in this country about public services in about 20 foreign languages?

 

[Napper]

Yeah lets have the Torys run down the health service and education just as Labour have got them into an immense state

 

[wellquickwoody]

How much money is wasted publishing information in this country about public services in about 20 foreign languages?

Ahhhh, but it gets better. When the spending cuts do happen we can pay for advice leaflets about the cuts to only be printed in 10 foreign languages. Thus making a saving to the public purse.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

I love the examples given here.... the waste in paper... in photocopying etc. You are absolutely right but let's be honest... those cuts don't get people's attention and I bet those are not the cuts that will happen. More likely it will be cuts which are sexy but are totally wrong for the good of the country.

Giving an example, in 1989 all the glass in one ward at Jimmy's in Leeds fell out because the windows hadn't been painted for years. All the money in the budget had gone on high profile private operating areas, due to political pressure.

These are the types of cuts I will expect to see.. unfortunately. And don't get me wrong, the Tories would not be the only guilty ones. Cuts for ANY PARTY means cutting that which is highly visible and media friendly.

I don't believe any party who says they are going to make cuts for the good of the country. They make cuts which make them LOOK good.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

"An example of this was Tony Blair giving Police forces more money and telling commissioners that it must be spent on new bobbies to go on the beat. Sir Ian reconed that more bobbies would atually have got on the beat had the money instead been spent on low-level administrators to take the paperwork of the existing bobbies."

Therein lies the problem. What you are asking for is beurocracy to take away the paperwork away from the bobby so that he/she can patrol the street. Similar to having adminsitrators in NHS so as to free up time for nurses etc.

However, people want to cut public service beurocracy as well.

 

[adrian29uk]

Lets nail this one,i for believe there is scoop for cuts in public spending and without hitting frontline services. How often do we read of councils wasting money on I/T projects,endless traffic calming most of which is a waste of time. It is not the big capital projects that cost the money it is the endless drain of a 100K here,50K. THAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM I/E how often have you driven up a zebra crossing to find it made out in coloured lines/bricks etc even raised,what for ? All of us on NSan relate to waste of money projects. Stopping that sort of spending is not Tory it is just commonsense.

Thats one thing that really makes my blood boil. The amount of money wasted on IT. I can tell you now for a fact, that they could probably reduce their IT bills by 3/4. Whoever services their IT is a ripping them off.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Make the local Lion's club pay for policing the town carnival? No.

It is already paid for via the 'Police Authority' charge on your council tax/business rates.

They already do make local Lions clubs pay. That's exactly why the Brighton carnival stopped. The council wanted to charge for the police, for closing the roads for the parade and believe it or not, for the podium for the Mayor to stand on while watching the parade enter Preston Park !

Here's an idea - instead of the police driving round in Mercs and BMWs buy Fords and VWs instead - they have equally fast models albiet without the luxury !