£30 million investment in fags, £90,000 for meals and soft drinks for councillors and a mere matter of having to shave £45 million off the budgets. One of the three top men found time for a wee whiz round Inverness in a stylish new electric car however. Inspectors are not happy (again) with a council run care-home in Inverness.
The budget cuts meeting is taking place next week. Given the scale of the cutbacks that will be needed to bring the budget to book will the pain that will be inflicted be too much for the 3-party coalition? Will the independents be able to hold the line as they reflect on the impact of council cuts on their communities? If jobs have to go will the Labour Party members on the council vote to see fellow trade unionists lose their jobs? Will the Liberal Democrat members be prepared to shoulder their share of the blame for the cuts in the eyes of the public? Liz and her fellow SNP councillors must be glad they are in opposition. Not a good time to be a councillor, people do go in for it to try and do their best and end up helpless victims of circumstance. Could local government services as we know them today soon become a thing of the past? Never mind at least Alasdair Darling has made Bingo a bit cheaper.
2 comments:
I can understand why, in the past, councillors got meal allowances etc, but now that they are paid by council tax payers, why should they also get fed by council tax payers? Also, if any staff get food why? Again, in the past many council staff were poorly paid but now, if you compare their wages and their benefits such as pensions etc to what many workers get in the private sector, I think you'll find in comparison they're not that badly off.
It would be interesting to know where the food etc comes from, is it done inhouse (I don't mean is some wee wifie in the kitchen making the pieces, is there a special department?) or is it an outsourced contract? Is it ordered and calculated per head? Do they have a selection ie more than just a sandwich?
What happened in the past? Is this a fairly new introduction which has grown over the years from a cup of tea and a biscuit to buffets and meals because that's the way things are done nowadays?
Time to get the piece boxes out, ladies and gents, get up five minutes earlier to make up your pieces, and bring in your own! I think council tax payers can stand you a cup of tea (savings can be made if you go to a supermarket and buy their cheapest own brand!)
'Stand you a cup of tea'...
I have to buy my own tea and coffee at work and so should they! The Gurn is right, despite impending cuts council worker should stand on their own two feet and buy all their own food and drink.
I rather hoped that 2009 would be the year when the public STOPPED subsidising all politicians, public employees and everyone else who to date has been able to reach into the public purse when they wanted to buy anything from a blueberry muffin to a 2nd home
Nairn
The Spin
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