Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
Roger, part of the problem is that SOME tenants treat their homes badly because they have no pride in where they live. They think because the property does not belong to them it does not matter what it is like and SOME landlords do not care so long as the rent is paid, I include DDC in that group .
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
To correct a few details .Shepway residents pay higher council taxes than Dover this means there is more money coming into their coffers .
DDC Housing Officers work very hard to get our tenants to comply to their tenancy agreements .
If some of you were made aware more of the facts then you might not readly critise.Some of you who post on here are DDC tenants and understand your tenancy agreements .
Im sure if we put the council tax up we could have more floral displays and perhaps Folkestone Town Council pay for the displays ??
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Sue
do you know who pays for the displays in Deal?
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Mark im sure Deal Chamber of Commerce and the Town Council help with the funding .Im sure Paul Watkins will correct me .if Im wrong
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
susan
the issue of council tax is a bit of a red herring.
most goes to organistions outside of d.d.c. e.g. kent police, fire service and others.
you may be right that d.t.c could do something about the floral displays but the fact remains that most people just want to see a nice display and are not interested in the petty politics.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Im not being petty Howard just stating the obvious .When the residents of Dover District were asked what their council tax should be spent on Anti Social Behaviour was high on the list hence we have a deducated department to deal with this .If DDC raised the part of the council tax up by 1% we could perhaps have better displays .
Do we keep a musuem or have more flowers ?Thats what we have to make decisions on .Do we keep toilets open have more play areas ??So easy when you are not making the decisions .
I did not want the giant screen the cost would have given us a few more floral dislpays but I was out voted .
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
sue,what would you rather spend the extra 1% council tax on,flowers or vic's toilet problem.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
You make him sound incontinent Brian.
Sue doesn't have the choice Brian, but if 1% were put on the council tax, both could be supplied.
I find the whole toilet postings rather odd, but do agree that at least one of them should be open - now the Eastern end one is open, so that should help.
Perhaps the Community Pay-Back team could paint the outside of the (Eastern end) toilets if they need painting.
Perhaps some enterprising person would like to take on the "summer only" toilets at the Western end, paint them up outside (they're not listed are they ?), make them clean inside, ensure they work properly and then charge 20 or 50 pence for a visit.
Sounds like a job for Richard Mahony - sorry, I remembered, after he cleaned it all, painted it and made it look good, they wouldn't allow him to open it - silly me.
If the demand is as strong as Vic suggests, it could make someone quite a few pounds.
Roger
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
Sue and Roger,you can't put Council tax up this year or you will lose your Goverment susidy,on the issue of Council Tax in Shepway we pointed out to you if we continue to go along shared services/Joint Chief excutive then we will end up paying the same Council Tax as Shepway not up 1% but up 25%-30% then of course we could keep our toilets open and have flowers,but will the residents in Dover Deal Sandwich like having the Council Tax put up so much to pay for Toilets in Dover and more flowers.
The issue is quite simple in Deal they have a £750,000 overspend on the pier have flowers and even toilets,why because all the Cabinet bar 1 live in Deal Sandwich and the Villages,and you wonder why the people of Dover are fed up with nothing happening except closures.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
strong words there john.
getting back to the earlier comment about a choice between keeping the museum and having flowers, how can a few flower troughs equate to running a fully staffed building?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Strong words indeed Howard, but all rubbish as John knows it is.
No one wants to put the Council tax up John, why say that ? it is obvious that it was a hypothetical poser
It has absolutely nothing to do with who lives where, they're DISTRICT Councillors, not Town.
Who made the choice between having flowers or the Museum open, Howard ?
Roger
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
Noticed you didnt say too much about the Deal Pier fiasco,an overspend of nearly £750,000 why because the contractors didnt realise the restaruant at the end of the pier was........at the end of a pier
So we could have had our toilets open flowers and lots of other things but the money was over spent in Deal
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
The cost of bedding plants direct from a nursery would be twenty pounds at the most for each planter, not exactly a fortune.
I would guess the total cost would be less than is spent on the councillors tea and biscuits, I know which I would prefer. Sadly the councillors are so hard up they can not afford to buy packets of biscuits and teabags for themselves.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
roger
your question has been answered by jan.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
sorry roger i forgot to say that susan made that comparison earlier.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
It costs more than £20 Jan someone has to be employed to plant the flowers .June will soon be here never fear and the planters will have been rested for a few months .When I next eat my biscuit I will think of all the people I have deprived .In turn when Im sitting on the bus or walking in the park etc I shall relish the fact as I try to sort out someones problems that I have eaten my supply of biscuits,
Yesterday what was the topic of conversation" Are the toilets closed and why"
Councillors are never going to win are they ..
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
Sue
Obviously you are in a ' no win' situation and I sympathise but you must know the score by now. Everything the council and councillors do or don't do is scrutinised.
Instead of belittling the cries for plants and *issers to be restored look at diverting funds from elsewhere. You could start by asking the architects and planners for a discount on their fee's over the DTIZ site.
You could ask for volunteer gardeners to help with the planters.
You could approach local supermarkets ,making billions in profits,for discounted or near end of sell date biscuits.
In other words just handled our poll tax money with as much care as you handled your state pension and seek out the bargains,barter and beg so long as it gets the job done.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
When I lived in Suffolk most of the roundabouts were sponsored by local businesses, some were very ornate others very simple depending on the money received. Why not adopt something similar in Dover with the planters as the council are so tight fisted.
Cared for planters show a cared for area, empty planters give the complete opposite impression. Why not plant the things with perennials or shrubs that would save a sizeable amount over time.
I completely agree with Marek's post but that is common sense something that committees very seldom have because of their petty squabbles.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
The planters in Market Square were sponsored but this year they have not been replanted as they were left fallow .June will see them replanted.Your preaching to the converted.Every year I purchase daffodills and Im still waiting to be allowed to plant a Cherry Tree .
Write to your Town Councillors perhaps they dfancy paying for a few plants .
Ive done my local shopping chatting on the way now out canvassing .
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
MAREK;
All simple solutions
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS