my immediate relatives are all irritatingly nice and sorted
my uncle is a councillor in yorkshire, he got hauled over the coals for using the word "poof" in a council meeting. the subsequent investigation cost £10,000 and my uncle apologised for any offence. the lib dem councillor who complained said that she felt it was "£10,000 well spent".

sure. there is no better way to spend £10,000 of tax than on a councillor with a stupid big gob who was genuinely horrified that he had caused offence (to a straight woman) and freely apologised anyway?! no schoolbooks, for example? no cleaning services? no street lighting? grr...

best biscuits? those marks and spencers lemon and white chocolate meringue moussey things.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:44, 3 replies, latest was 14 years ago)

They should have spent it on gassing all of the councillors

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:46, Reply)

many a very true word
is seemingly spoken in jest
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:50, Reply)

In Burnley, outside the fairly new college they've spent half a million pounds on some monstrous metal stulpture thing.
It's shit and nobody likes it. It's Burnley ffs, they don't do culture in Burnley.
( girlinthehole, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:46, Reply)

it's ridiculous
the whole reason that area suffers from racial tension amongst the teenagers (eg my cousin's son being up in court for what he and his mates called "paki-bashing" following he and 3 of his mates being beaten up by a gang of asian teenagers) is because those kids are bored and have nothing to do and no job prospects. a sculpture isn't going to help. maybe spend the money on something to inspire the kids instead?! durrrr.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:47, Reply)

well, that and the teenagers described here on both sides
are self-evidently cunts that deserve gassing. Well, I'd let the Asian ones off if there was a good reason for the beating, maybe.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:54, Reply)

funny
that's exactly what the police did too......

what actually happened is that my cousin's son is an amazing runner and is tipped to be a possible for the olympics in 2016. so he gets a lot of attention at school and after he won a big fell race, some of the bullies cornered him and beat him up for being "up himself". he was not seriously hurt but he was facially quite busted. his family reported it to the police, who did fuck-all.

so he and his mates cornered 2 of the guys who beat him up, and returned the favour. the police pressed charges, calling it a racially-aggravated incident.

when it got to court, the court heard the evidence and gave my cousin's son and his mates an asbo, and ordered the asian lads' families to pay costs totalling around £1k. this took about 3 hearings and probably cost the tax payer closer to £40k, minimum.

it's just bored teenagers beating each other up imho. but what is really horrifying is the level of hatred they have for each other. these kids are 14. and the language they use sickens me - but then i don't have to go to a school with tension like that. difficult!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:02, Reply)

well, if they described it as paki-bashing, then it is racially aggrivated.
but, yeah, the level of hatred is worrying.

Also, I'd hardly call them entirely "let off" - costs vs an asbo? I'd say your cousins son was the one that got off lightly. Seeing as it's six vs half a dozen on the assault and only side were looking like it was racially motivated. I mean, face it, these assult cases are one group of kids word against another. Shits, the lot of them
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:26, Reply)

To be fair, "Paki bashing" is a fucking vile term to use.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:12, Reply)

yup
i hate it.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:25, Reply)

Does it look like a metal tornado?
I reallt, really dislike the Olympic Orbital, but at least it being paid for with private money
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:48, Reply)

Artist's impression. It looks crap IRL
www.burnleyexpress.net/lifestyle/burnley_s_new_sculpture_will_light_up_town_1_3166676
( girlinthehole, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:52, Reply)

That's hideous

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:53, Reply)

It appears to be a bad UFO

( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:00, Reply)

I donno, maybe 6 months wages for a nurse who would genunily changes someone's life for the better.
That's the thing with that counciler person, what are their wages? £100k? £125k? He is so out of touch with the people who he is paid to represent, that he considers £10k a walk in the park, that's barely 2 or 3 false expense forms. Pish, he gets that much in favours when he lets X do Y after a meal at Maze.

I think it's fucking disgusting what some of these councilers have, and they wouldn't survive a year outside of the public purse.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:52, Reply)

Alright Bella?

( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:55, Reply)

we've been through this before
local councillers aren't paid, Gonz. And it wasn't his choice to spend £10K on an enquiry. But, since of the £10K involved in that enquiry, £9950 will have been spent on lawyers and £50 on biscuits for meetings, I'm not sure Swipey is quite the best person to attempt any kind of high-ground position. Unless she's got a plan for council biscuit reductions.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 10:58, Reply)

i don't know if lawyers get involved in internal council enquiries?
but if i got paid £10,000, a HUGE chunk of that would go back in tax, just not to the council, back to the government...
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:05, Reply)

Well yeah, it'll have gone back to their internal legal department, who in turn will have farmed it out as instruction to Counsel
Who'll have had a good laugh at it in Chambers at how fucking stupid they are.
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:14, Reply)

makes you proud to be british
have you ever seen that shop in holborn called "batty boys" with a picture of two beaming cartoon gay men entwined on it? went past it yesterday, made me LOL.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:24, Reply)

Nerp, it's 100% more loltastic since last I was in Holborn

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:30, Reply)

the only real cost in this is legal.
Whether they could get rid of him or not and whether they should get rid of him or not and what would happen if they did/didn't. From a legal perspective and a PR perspective.

If they didn't use external contract lawyers it would have had no cost at all, since everyone else involved is paid anyway whether they sit on this enquiry or sit around playing angry birds.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:29, Reply)

I do realise, of course, that this would never stop the coucil
announcing that an enquiry "cost" £10,000 based simply on the time of those involved regardless of the fact they are paid anyway.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:33, Reply)

Still though, a cheque* was authorised, where the funds come from out of one of the public pots.
The whole "we have to build a load of speedbumps because if we don't use our budget this year, it'll be slashed next year" mentality all adds up to other depatment's budgets being reduced and eventually it gets felt by the public because they have to combine/close down yet another A&E, and turn a well used and needed hospital into a housing estate.

I don't get what you mean when you say councillers aren't paid, are you saying it's a volentary position?



* Or 'bank transfer' or whatever, I know I don't need to point that out to you, as it's irelivent, but some pendents would pick up on it.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:08, Reply)

They get a set amount in expenses
In any event a significant proportion of that 10k will invariably end up back in the public coffers, and will have provided employment etc
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:11, Reply)

I would prefer getting, say, £100k worth of expenses, than £50k in wages.
Considering expenses could be pretty much anything.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:13, Reply)

They get an attendance allowance of about £4k a year. The amount they get varies on the number of committees they sit on.

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:15, Reply)

So how do they afford to live in all these big homes?

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:20, Reply)

i think that's more MP's
my uncle lives in a 2 bed terrace in halifax and has done since the 1970's!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:23, Reply)

They have jobs, Gonz.
it's not a full time position.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:27, Reply)

So there is no personal gain from becoming one?

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:39, Reply)

Financial, I mean.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:39, Reply)

Not really, no.
My local councillor is a cabbie. He can spend all day on committees - licensing committees, planning committees etc, in debates, then maybe goes to a community council meeting in the evening. At weekends he might be opening a flower show, or a gala - something like that.

Somehow he finds time to go out in his cab at weekends, odd evenings etc.

Not as easy a job as it's made out to be, and you have to deal with a lot of shit.
(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Wed 21 Sep 2011, 11:54, Reply)