michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 3, 2019 17:35:51 GMT
Should be no council tax. All done centrally, paid for and money raised centrally. End lottery of council tax charges and services. We now have a situation where even rubbish tips are closed to those outside the borough - bad luck for those living close to the borders. Children's services are also a lottery. Who would run local services? Possibilities are a bureaucracy or locally elected representatives. The former are likely to be unresponsive to local needs while the latter is a potential disaster if they are not accountable for the money they are spending (back to situations where inner city councils were paid for by a minority under rates incentivising the Council to spend more as those paying were always out votd by those on the receiving end). the current system where the majority of the money is central but with differences raised by money raised from all is a compromise. As it is now with councils but just funded 100% centrally. Good point about it might become a bureaucracy but its always going to be difficult with very large organisations.
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Dec 3, 2019 22:04:02 GMT
There could be lots of economies of scale etc by multiple LA using the same IT systems and adjusting working practice to the system rather than paying enormous sums to have modifications to match their practice.
Also you need to look at Costs, I know a few years ago the NHS was paying 50P each for fold over folders when I could but 10 for £1.
lots of things NHS and LA's ripped off on.
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 3, 2019 23:14:05 GMT
There could be lots of economies of scale etc by multiple LA using the same IT systems and adjusting working practice to the system rather than paying enormous sums to have modifications to match their practice. Also you need to look at Costs, I know a few years ago the NHS was paying 50P each for fold over folders when I could but 10 for £1. lots of things NHS and LA's ripped off on.I agree. I've seen it from a friend who manages a few libraries. They get "chosen suppliers" in for their IT systems who charge crazy sums for stuff that shouldn't be that much. I spent my working life in IT before I was able to retire early. Part of the problem is political. The NHS is so huge it should easily be able to afford its own small department of IT people tasked with recommending sensible IT choices and doing some work in-house where appropriate. Instead of paying vast sums to consultants and other IT contractors. I suspect it can't do that as questions would be raised about "...why is the NHS employing IT people...... ?"
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Dec 4, 2019 8:13:12 GMT
... We now have a situation where even rubbish tips are closed to those outside the borough - bad luck for those living close to the borders... One of my bugbears, they complain about fly tipping and how much it costs to clear up, but there are so many restrictions on what you can take to our local tip, and how much of what (and how often) and what you have to get permission for in advance, and then prove your postcode is in the relevant zone. They make trying to do the right thing ridiculously difficult, and are then surprised when people just dump it instead, or pay someone to dispose of it properly who then dumps it!
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 4, 2019 11:47:18 GMT
... We now have a situation where even rubbish tips are closed to those outside the borough - bad luck for those living close to the borders... One of my bugbears, they complain about fly tipping and how much it costs to clear up, but there are so many restrictions on what you can take to our local tip, and how much of what (and how often) and what you have to get permission for in advance, and then prove your postcode is in the relevant zone. They make trying to do the right thing ridiculously difficult, and are then surprised when people just dump it instead, or pay someone to dispose of it properly who then dumps it! Funny that because its one of mine too! (worthy of its own thread IMO) Going to the tip used to be a boring but occasionally necessary chore. Now it is stressful with security operatives asking whats inside my rubbish bags etc. We pay a lot in council tax and for many the only service from the council is refuse. Why the heck can't they get that right ?
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Dec 4, 2019 13:23:27 GMT
One of my bugbears, they complain about fly tipping and how much it costs to clear up, but there are so many restrictions on what you can take to our local tip, and how much of what (and how often) and what you have to get permission for in advance, and then prove your postcode is in the relevant zone. They make trying to do the right thing ridiculously difficult, and are then surprised when people just dump it instead, or pay someone to dispose of it properly who then dumps it! Funny that because its one of mine too! (worthy of its own thread IMO) Going to the tip used to be a boring but occasionally necessary chore. Now it is stressful with security operatives asking whats inside my rubbish bags etc. We pay a lot in council tax and for many the only service from the council is refuse. Why the heck can't they get that right ? I have a friend with a farm, he had asbestos dumped on his land the council charged him £2k to remove it we cant take black bags they make you open it and sort through it.
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Dec 4, 2019 13:39:12 GMT
Part of the problem is political. The NHS is so huge it should easily be able to afford its own small department of IT people tasked with recommending sensible IT choices and doing some work in-house where appropriate. Instead of paying vast sums to consultants and other IT contractors. I suspect it can't do that as questions would be raised about "...why is the NHS employing IT people...... ? But "The NHS" isn't a single entity. Even ignoring it being devolved to the regional assemblies, there's a huge number of trusts and CCGs and regional groupings - and all of them have internal tech people, of course they do. And they all co-operate and work together on the strategic stuff under NHS England. www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/tsd/data-info/www.england.nhs.uk/author/geraint-lewis/uk.linkedin.com/in/geraint-lewis-a84a6911Would you expect any other big corporate to do every single bit of IT in-house, without contracting specialists? If so, you're in for a very rude shock...
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