Monday, September 12, 2016

Charges for Cludgies in Nairn - time to tell Highland Council to Bog off?

It's survey monkey time as the high heid yins in Glenurquhart Road think up new ways of paying the top man's £140K per annum etc, etc.  Here's the spin:

"The Council is undertaking a review of how public conveniences are funded and will be increasing the number of sites where there is a charge for use. The Council is consulting on how much you would be willing to pay for the use of the public toilets and is seeking views on the level of charges from service users and other stakeholders to assist in the decision making process. Increasing the income from the usage of the toilets could enable the Council to retain more public toilet provision."

Here at Gurn HQ we are willing to pay no charges at all for popping into a cludgie in toon. Keep our cludgies free of charges - and just in case you think of trying it on with the parking then BOG OFF on that one too. We are feeling pretty annoyed here at the Gurn on this attack on civilisation. No payment for a pee! Keep Nairn Cludgies free of charge!

Feeling like being surveyed by the monkies - then try here.  By the way do any councillors still take a free dinner when they go for meetings in Inverness?

Update: is Nairn exempt from pay as you pee proposals? The Highland Council Press release makes no mention of this however Councillor Stephen Fuller states on twitter this evening. "fortunately no plans for pay per pee in Nairn and we intend on keeping it that way."

The Highland Council press release can be read here and there is no mention of an exemption for Nairn. 

5 comments:

Do they think we're stupid? said...

This is the blurb on the survey "The Council is undertaking a review of how public conveniences are funded and will be increasing the number of sites where there is a charge for use. The Council is consulting on how much you would be willing to pay for the use of the public toilets and is seeking views on the level of charges from service users and other stakeholders to assist in the decision making process. Increasing the income from the usage of the toilets could enable the Council to retain more public toilet provision."

Surveys are often set up to give the instigator the answer they want. Look at the first sentence "The Council is undertaking a review of how public conveniences are funded and will be increasing the number of sites where there is a charge for use" this is supposed to be a review but they are already indicating that there will be an increase in the number of pay as you pee toilets. The next sentence "The Council is consulting on how much you would be willing to pay for the use of the public toilets and is seeking views on the level of charges from service users and other stakeholders to assist in the decision making process", note that even though your view is being sought, surprisingly (hold on while I remove my tongue from my cheek) there is no option in the survey for no charges, people are being presented with a fait accomplai, and by asking them to "assist in the decision making process", well isn't that a little bit like turkeys voting for Christmas?

Choices on the survey are 50p; too little, about right, too much, don't know, honesty box. Will anyone choose "too little" or "about right"? Doubt it. "Don't know" will be discarded along with the "honesty box" option (a wee bit of a wild card that one!). Which leaves, "too much", which then gives the instigator the option to appear to be magnanimous by then telling the "service users and other stakeholders" who select that option (which I suspect would be the majority) that ok, you win, you are happy with a charge but you think 50p is too much, so we'll compromise and charge you less. This is a typical case of start high - 50p - and then come down to your preferred option, which I'm willing to bet would be 30p! Do they think we're stupid and can't see through their wee games?

Retain more public toilet provision? Exactly how much have we got left in Nairn and when are they actually open? Also how much have they already done away with? To me the wording seems to indicate that if charges are introduced we wouldn't get any more toilets out of it but we would keep what we have left which, in my paranoid mind, is a subtle threat that even more toilets could close if this proposal doesn't go ahead.

Finally, is this really a cost effective proposition, how much will it cost to install a collection system and how much will it cost to collect it?

Oh, and finally, finally why are they only asking for Highland residents postcodes but no postcode details from the other participants?

MURD said...

WILL BE QUITE HANDY FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO THINK ANYTHING THAT IS EASY IS THEIRS TO REMOVE FOR THEIR OWN NEEDS.

Spend 30 pennies said...

I recently went to a public toilet in Dunkeld, for the privilege I was charged 30p. What beautiful facilities, fresh flowers near the wash hand basins and a friendly attendant with her wee dug who kept the place spotlessly clean. Happy to pay

Anonymous said...

If the wealthy avoid and evade their taxes, then the rest of of us will revert to "Guardez Lou"😂

Spend a penny said...

Zero to fifty pee seems like a steep rise, but maybe fifty pee is the equivalent of the old one penny that some toilets charged many years ago?