local skeet Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Douglas rates are about to rise by 6.5% - Manx Radio My questions are the following: Douglas ratepayers are paying for the following facilities; Horse Trams Crematorium A Bylaw Officer that has yet to bring a conviction to court (what a load of crap that is) and they are wanting to purchase head cams similar to the Police! they have not even convicted one dog fouler yet!! They would be better employing another binman to clean the dog crap up instead of thinking they can covict someone! CCTV that is of only use to the Police, what benefit are these to the "Ratepayer" of Douglas? God Douglas Town Council are crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Douglas ratepayers are paying for the following facilities; Horse Trams Crematorium I feel sorry for Douglas Ratepayers and thankful that from last year I'm not one anymore. The only way to get proper value as a Douglas ratepayer is to live in a council house. They moan and bitch and get new houses built and roads resurfaced. Everyone else gets stuck with nothing for some of the highest rates on the Island. In all the years I lived there all they did was empty my bin and that is about the top and bottom of it. You could shoot the horsetrams for me, they generate more shit than the dogs and they can't clean that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 From the budget statement: "The surveys also identified concerns about some youths of the Town. The Council is trying to deal with this in a number of ways: breaking up groups that may cause damage and vandalism by the use of the Mosquito device, use of portable CCTV in areas that are affected, but also through the Library Service which is working to encourage youths to participate in productive and enjoyable activities." I can really see 'stop cocking about and get to the library' solving all Douglas problems Also, when you dig deeper, there looks to be a lot of this increase going toward their pension fund deficit. I have not seen any update as to whether they are getting value for money for the planned house refurbishments. There was an interesting thread on here a while back suggesting they were not, compared to many other authorities in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 This is just an example of the general principle that public sector bodies represent bad value for money. I'm not arguing for privatisation - rather a change in the culture of the public sector in a way that can be embodied in a few key principles for civil servants to remember: (1) you are called a civil servant because you are there to serve the interests of the populus: not your own or anybody else's. (2) you hold taxpayers' money on trust: not as your due, so spend it accordingly (3) focus every day on minimising administrative burdens and providing efficient essential services It is our job to keep their political masters in check so that they can do this without encumbrance. This is not a problem unique to the Isle of Man or the UK: it seems that, wherever you are and however intelligent and idealistic your new recruits are, the public sector has a way of rapidly inveigling its functionaries to adopt the same, wasteful ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanghigh Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Anyone fancy setting up an online petition against the rate rise? I would'nt have a clue how to! Just step back and take a look at Douglas, it looks like a sh*t hole, what the hell are we paying the rates for? I personally pay rates on about 20 properties and I cant see where my money goes, a few years ago it paid for commercial refuse now I pay about £5k a year (£100 a week) for my bins emptied and there was no reduction in my rates bills, I cant see any improvement in the living standard in Douglas from 10 years ago. It seems if you live here they will stealth tax you. I will have a look at my accounts over the last ten (sorry last 10) years and post a percentage increase, I have not dared to look recently cos I might just slit my wrists and move to a politically correct state like AFGHANISTAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copycat Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Douglas rates are about to rise by 6.5% - Manx RadioMy questions are the following: Douglas ratepayers are paying for the following facilities; Horse Trams Crematorium A Bylaw Officer that has yet to bring a conviction to court (what a load of crap that is) and they are wanting to purchase head cams similar to the Police! they have not even convicted one dog fouler yet!! They would be better employing another binman to clean the dog crap up instead of thinking they can covict someone! CCTV that is of only use to the Police, what benefit are these to the "Ratepayer" of Douglas? God Douglas Town Council are crap as nI've said before a total waste of £30k a year - take a look at him in the photo on page 9 of this week's IOM Examiner - away dreaming of god knows what - hardly concentrating on the job and giving ratepayers value for money! more likely dreaming about tea and sticky buns fat cigars and a beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallybug Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 6.5%? That's 20p in the pound, taking it to 337.6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copycat Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 a pension fund deficit of £7,390,000 which they propose to reduce over 17 years. - perhaps besides the employer (i.e. the ratepayers) contributing to the deficiency they should have the employees make some additional contributions. why should the ratepayers pich up the whole cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Ten Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Anyone fancy setting up an online petition against the rate rise? I would'nt have a clue how to! Just step back and take a look at Douglas, it looks like a sh*t hole, what the hell are we paying the rates for? I personally pay rates on about 20 properties and I cant see where my money goes, a few years ago it paid for commercial refuse now I pay about £5k a year (£100 a week) for my bins emptied and there was no reduction in my rates bills, I cant see any improvement in the living standard in Douglas from 10 years ago. It seems if you live here they will stealth tax you. I will have a look at my accounts over the last ten (sorry last 10) years and post a percentage increase, I have not dared to look recently cos I might just slit my wrists and move to a politically correct state like AFGHANISTAN Hi Shanghigh Have a look at this website, it is an online petition page that is free. Free Online Petitions Worth a try. Last 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxcrabber Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Question- Is there a qualified accountant employed by Douglas Corp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last Bulgam Miner Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 This is just an example of the general principle that public sector bodies represent bad value for money. I'm not arguing for privatisation - rather a change in the culture of the public sector in a way that can be embodied in a few key principles for civil servants to remember: (1) you are called a civil servant because you are there to serve the interests of the populus: not your own or anybody else's. (2) you hold taxpayers' money on trust: not as your due, so spend it accordingly (3) focus every day on minimising administrative burdens and providing efficient essential services It is our job to keep their political masters in check so that they can do this without encumbrance. This is not a problem unique to the Isle of Man or the UK: it seems that, wherever you are and however intelligent and idealistic your new recruits are, the public sector has a way of rapidly inveigling its functionaries to adopt the same, wasteful ways. I agree with you on most of the above. However, there are civil servants in senior positions of government, and local governemtn too, who manipulate their elected masters to further their own ends. The eveidence is around us - Peel Power Station; the tip at the Raggat (if you don't know the story ask), the many speed limits, the attempt at an all Island Speed Limit, Pulrose Power Station , the running of the new Waste/Recycling plant at Pulrose, etc. etc. These are not the ideas of our elected representatives. Their creation and in some cases the running of them, is the product of senior civil servants. The tail wagging the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I live in Douglas and pay Douglas Rates I'm sure they could be better value for money But Pensions Deficit, better do it now over 17 years than end up with pensions funded out of current rtaes in future. It has only been identified trecently by an actuarial assesment. At last assesment it was OK. Bye Law officer. Bye laws department makes a profit, why whinge. Its not his job to bting prosecutions. Its his job to oversee that construction is done to bye law standards, maybe he is doing a good job, spotting errors as they happen and having them corrected, but he costs nothing. Crematorium. Operates at a profit. It costs rate payers nothing and keeps their rtaes down Horse trams, well why don't they off load to to national Transport of MNH Housing. All capital costs are met by Government, including refurbs, not by rate payers. The defecit is on minor maintenance and cost of rent collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copycat Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 "Bye laws department makes a profit" eh missed that one can't figure out how that can be employing an Enforecment Officer and two Bye-Law Inspectors = at least £90k a year in salaries alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 "Bye laws department makes a profit" eh missed that one can't figure out how that can be employing an Enforecment Officer and two Bye-Law Inspectors = at least £90k a year in salaries alone. Yeh...but...blah...blah...blah 6.5% based on £27 Million is not about one dog shit warden is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Building Regs expenditure 181,000 income 206,000 = 25,000 profit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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