The Cosy Nook Cafe Port Erin

[Declan]

32 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

 

Looks good. Wouldn’t it have been better to advertise this over the winter?

[Non-Believer]

3 minutes ago, Rhumsaa said:

well in this example I'd be against taking a government imposed loss of income stream and answering that by making staff redundant

Aside from that on a broader base to reduce costs you have to find efficiencies or reduce services. Staff costs are the biggest cost and that will be the case in every organisation. It's incredibly easy to say reduce staffing costs, the reality is make a role and therefore a person redundant to save arguably between 4p and 9p on the rates depending on the position, you'd have to be very sure that the existing workforce could carry on without that person being employed. The other way of looking at it is to see if the existing staff can do more within their role - that is possible however would have no immediate direct impact on costs and because of the way the CS job specs work if you change roles the job spec can get regraded.....

It's a complicated matter with no simple solutions unfortunately, buy me a coffee some time and I'll bore you for hours about it (and sell you a nice camping stove).

You wouldn't be boring me at all, and I'm well aware that LA's have unavoidable costs imposed by Central Govt (EFW for example) and wage settlements, that's a known and I recognise it. 

But sitting here now looking at my Rates Bill as a Ramsey ratepayer with an interest in what goes on in the town (and some knowledge), you could talk to me about the expense on a bowling green over the last 8 years and how it came to arise? £200k+ IF what I was told was correct, including over £75k in one year. Why and how on earth?

And for instance, why we pay 2 men 2.5hrs pay each at double time (10hrs total) for about one hour's work each, emptying litter bins in town on a Sunday morning 52 weeks a year?

A few recent new posts created in the Town Hall in recent years too unless I'm much mistaken.

Are any of these things considered or looked at because it appears to me that the ratepayers are just seen as an eternal cash cow?

[Rhumsaa]

1 hour ago, Non-Believer said:

You wouldn't be boring me at all, and I'm well aware that LA's have unavoidable costs imposed by Central Govt (EFW for example) and wage settlements, that's a known and I recognise it. 

But sitting here now looking at my Rates Bill as a Ramsey ratepayer with an interest in what goes on in the town (and some knowledge), you could talk to me about the expense on a bowling green over the last 8 years and how it came to arise? £200k+ IF what I was told was correct, including over £75k in one year. Why and how on earth?

I don't believe it's those sort of amounts. I'd have to check the accounts to be sure but that seems high. Equally whatever it is we did pay on it was far too much for a very niche area of the town with a very small Ramsey rate paying user group, so I'm really glad the bowling club have taken it on as they are passionate about it.

Quote

And for instance, why we pay 2 men 2.5hrs pay each at double time (10hrs total) for about one hour's work each, emptying litter bins in town on a Sunday morning 52 weeks a year?

RTC pays 2 men to empty the bins in the town centre and keep the street clean after a Friday and Saturday night. It's overtime pay and the rate depends on their individual contract terms (Whitley Council vs PSC etc). Those figures you quote look doubled to me, I suspect where your information has come from has been expressed as 1 hours work = 2 hours pay (a double time overtime rate) and has been recorded as 2 hours, which has then been erroneously given an overtime rate again based off the wrong base figure.
 

Quote

A few recent new posts created in the Town Hall in recent years too unless I'm much mistaken.

As far as I'm aware there has only been one new post in the last 5 years at the Town Hall?

Quote

Are any of these things considered or looked at because it appears to me that the ratepayers are just seen as an eternal cash cow?

I mean.... an unnecessary inflammatory rhetorical question? why be like that?

 

 

[Non-Believer]

3 minutes ago, Rhumsaa said:

I don't believe it's those sort of amounts. I'd have to check the accounts to be sure but that seems high. Equally whatever it is we did pay on it was far too much for a very niche area of the town with a very small Ramsey rate paying user group, so I'm really glad the bowling club have taken it on as they are passionate about it.

RTC pays 2 men to empty the bins in the town centre and keep the street clean after a Friday and Saturday night. It's overtime pay and the rate depends on their individual contract terms (Whitley Council vs PSC etc). Those figures you quote look doubled to me, I suspect where your information has come from has been expressed as 1 hours work = 2 hours pay (a double time overtime rate) and has been recorded as 2 hours, which has then been erroneously given an overtime rate again based off the wrong base figure.
 

As far as I'm aware there has only been one new post in the last 5 years at the Town Hall?

I mean.... an unnecessary inflammatory rhetorical question? why be like that?

 

 

The fact that the bowling green has been passed on to the resident club is welcome, given what went on (and I do know, I and plenty of others have seen the external reports commissioned by RTC themselves and largely ignored at the time, along with all the additional local representations), it's welcome to the ratepayers and the club, I personally wish them the best of luck.

RTC have previously maintained that green for how many years, 100+? So an admission that the authority is no longer capable of maintaining the amenity?

The £75k in one year was attributed to yourself and concern about the expense was expressed in meetings as long ago as early 2018 by Cmmr Michelle Quayle and not acted on until departed Cmmr Billy Hankin had the initiative to scratch the surface and investigate. The ratepayers deserve at least an apology for what has happened in respect of that expense.

The 2 man bin duty on Sunday mornings takes an hour from 8am until 9am. They book 2.5 hours each to that duty, or certainly used to. Sundays are double time, under Whitley or now PSC terms. Therefore 10 hours pay in total for 2 man hours work. Saturdays are time and a half. 52 weeks a year. Street cleaning is an additional, separate, one man duty attracting the same rates.

2 retirements from the town hall, one of whom went on to be an MLC, resulted in four new recruits. One of the retirees subsequently expressed amazement that two people were apparently needed to do her job.

It's not intended to be inflammatory. I'm just one of an increasing number of pissed off ratepayers with a good handle on what goes on. I stand by that.

[SleepyJoe]

19 hours ago, Rhumsaa said:

Courthouse is a registered building though....

As for industrial space - completely agree that Ramsey needs some more industry and job options. The owner of the Gladstone Industrial estate recently applied to rezone part of the land as residential interestingly...... seemed an odd move after building some new large units.

Of course the main issue is Ramsey is running out of space for any such development on the edges

The 21st century architectural imperative is to build upward not outwards

What is the real demand for greenfield industrial building space down north there?

[Rhumsaa]

1 hour ago, SleepyJoe said:

The 21st century architectural imperative is to build upward not outwards

What is the real demand for greenfield industrial building space down north there?

To build upwards in Ramsey town centre on brownfield sites will always produce parking issues to overcome

Demand will fluctuate but at present there is very little supply of industrial space

[SleepyJoe]

But how much demand is there for it?

[finlo]

1 minute ago, SleepyJoe said:

But how much demand is there for it?

Build it and they will come!

[SleepyJoe]

Let's wait til KPMG have produced their study on the future of the island economy for Minister Cannan

[Derek Flint]

22 hours ago, Rhumsaa said:

There might be a shortage of premises with a good size and modern facilities - I'm not sure as to the many reasons some shops remain vacant and others have remained used.

As for retail rates. I am unaware of rates being the main driver for a business to start or fail. Change of retail rates would need legislative reform. It was mooted during the recent consultation on rates reform to move towards an all island commercial rate. 

Of course no matter how the changes come about, if the retail rates are reduced or removed from the LA then residents rates will increase to cover the shortfall.

High rents on top of high rates

22 hours ago, Rhumsaa said:

Courthouse is a registered building though....

As for industrial space - completely agree that Ramsey needs some more industry and job options. The owner of the Gladstone Industrial estate recently applied to rezone part of the land as residential interestingly...... seemed an odd move after building some new large units.

Of course the main issue is Ramsey is running out of space for any such development on the edges

What about the site on old river road? Could get some nice and stylish light industrial units on there. 

22 hours ago, Rhumsaa said:

well in this example I'd be against taking a government imposed loss of income stream and answering that by making staff redundant

Aside from that on a broader base to reduce costs you have to find efficiencies or reduce services. Staff costs are the biggest cost and that will be the case in every organisation. It's incredibly easy to say reduce staffing costs, the reality is make a role and therefore a person redundant to save arguably between 4p and 9p on the rates depending on the position, you'd have to be very sure that the existing workforce could carry on without that person being employed. The other way of looking at it is to see if the existing staff can do more within their role - that is possible however would have no immediate direct impact on costs and because of the way the CS job specs work if you change roles the job spec can get regraded.....

It's a complicated matter with no simple solutions unfortunately, buy me a coffee some time and I'll bore you for hours about it (and sell you a nice camping stove).

Northumberland Council laid off 600 when the financial crash happened. 

 

Northumberland is still there...

 

The IOM could be an exemplar in the running of public services if it so chose

[Major Rushen]

They did this last year....

Port Erin could be getting a new pop-up bar at the Cosy Nook Café - if plans are approved.

The Foraging Vintners have applied for permission to use the courtyard on the site for a temporary bar.

In its application, the company says it would put up a marquee and install decking on the beachfront eatery.

If the proposals are given the green light, the facility would open on May 15 until October.

[Max Power]

4 minutes ago, Major Rushen said:

They did this last year....

Port Erin could be getting a new pop-up bar at the Cosy Nook Café - if plans are approved.

The Foraging Vintners have applied for permission to use the courtyard on the site for a temporary bar.

In its application, the company says it would put up a marquee and install decking on the beachfront eatery.

If the proposals are given the green light, the facility would open on May 15 until October.

When you look at that photograph, you have to ask what all the fuss is about? The building has been mucked about with and looks horrible. 

This island's problem seems to be micro politics, nobody will do anything if a handful of nutters starts shouting. I wouldn't make an effort to amble up to that little shithole, but I would probably enjoy a coffee and a sandwich in the building which was proposed to replace it, on a regular basis! 

[SleepyJoe]

But the building proposed to replace it wasn't a beach cafe

[Max Power]

46 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

But the building proposed to replace it wasn't a beach cafe

[finlo]

2 minutes ago, Max Power said:

More Chinese granite!