9 February 2010
19:1040124#1
Brilliant news.
After wasting £1.6 million of our money on a service that no-one watched KCC have finally pulled the plug.
Hopefully DDC will follow their lead and start concentrating on spending our money on providing services rather than wasting our money posting glossy leaflets with pictures of the 'usual suspects' through our doors.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
9 February 2010
19:1840125#2
who got it closed down at KCC?
please don't say it was nigel.
actually i thought it was quite an innovative idea, i believe that shampoo dodger from the boomtown rats was involved in it.
this is where councils are in a lose/lose situation, if east sussex had started a tv station, all in kent would have condemned KCC for being behind the times.
over what time period was that 1.6 million spent?
9 February 2010
19:2140127#3
Launched Sept 2007. £1.6 spent by KCC since then. Only 2,500 unique viewers a day.
If only they'd put it on the TV in Market Square they could have pushed up the figures to 2,503 at least!
9 February 2010
19:3740129#4
I'm also very glad that this is coming to an end. It's one thing to blatantly waste public money on this type of nonsense but quite another to have a "state owned media" company which is never, ever a good idea. Ever. Unless you're China.
9 February 2010
21:2740141#5
Hmm, seems like another good reason to scrap KCC. Mind you, if the £1.6m came out of the £50m+ of our money they've tucked away, then it will be as a drop in the ocean. Hurrumph, sack them all and close the place down.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
9 February 2010
23:0840151#6
sid
they are one of the best performing councils in the country, auditors and awards people continue to praise their efforts.
what do you suggest as an alternative?
10 February 2010
09:1140176#7
The Monster Raving Loony Party in charge.........?
10 February 2010
10:3840179#8
Howard, they lost £50m of OUR money during the Icelandic banking crisis. Their "leader" then said on TV, beamed into my apartment in Lagos, that losing £50m was not a poblem as they had another £53m stashed away just in case, or words to that effect.
By my reckoning that's over £100m of OUR money they are sitting on, doing nothing, apart from maybe paying inflated expense claims from KCC Councillors?
So, what would I suggest as an alternative? Well, firstly, give the £100m back to the council tax payers for a start. Wouldn't that make a change?
Secondly, disburse the county activities amongst the district councils, and, where they are unable to provide a cohesive service, hand it to central government, if nothing else that will help ease the control freakery of Westminster.
I don't have a proper answer to be honest, but I do know we as tax payers are filling the coffers at Maidstone completely unnecessarily and something should be done about it. Furthermore, before I zipped off to deepest darkest I had a good look at what KCC was spending and didn't like what I saw. The Labour Group, for example, had more "spokespeople" than you could shake a stick at, and all being paid a "special" allowance for it too. If I recall correctly, an extra £17000pa each. Again, OUR money being wasted.
To me it would be good to broaden the expenses focus to include local government; I'm sure millions could be saved without too much trouble, but, self interest will probably stop that from happening.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 February 2010
16:5740195#9
Actually Sid these amounts of money are peanuts as far as an authority the size of KCC is concerned. They need cash reserves of this kind. I am sure you will remember the problems caused some years ago after it transpired the old Labour controlling group had spent DDC reserves. They went right into panik mode.....
Incidentally the Icelandic Bank issue was well discussed at the time and I analysed the information provided and KCC (or DDC) did not do wrong. The amounts in the Icelandic Banks were a very small part of well diversified portfolios invested at a time when they were at least A rated. Remember even the Audit Commission who oversee Council spending and investments had money in Icelandic Banks.
10 February 2010
17:1040196#10
Barry I understand that thanks. However, our council tax bills keep increasing while KCC shovels it away. IMO, that is morally wrong. £50m is one heck of a lot of childrens play areas for instance.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
10 February 2010
17:3740205#11
Thoughts:
If £50m is peanuts, could they throw some of it at this particular monkey?
If there's still £53m in the kitty, couldn't they splash out on some road grit/children's playground equipment/toilet cleaners (delete as applicable)?
True friends stab you in the front.