DBC Megathread

[Two-lane]

6 minutes ago, piebaps said:

Nope - just inflation. It used to be a penny.

Did not that used to be only for ladies?

[quilp]

Just now, Omobono said:

All that will happen now is the Scrotes will go into the toilets by way of the outer entrance and pee or crap outside the door. The  area where the toilet doors are situated cannot be seen from outside. If there is a vandalism problem then perhaps CCTV in the entrance lobby would be enough of a deterent to make the area secure with a big warning sign- 'Big brother is watching.' Sadly, every public toilet in town, in the council's ownership, is now  20 pence. This is a disgrace!

Most public conveniences around the country charge for use. They have to be kept clean, have soap and hot running water, bog rolls, hand-dryers, lighting etc.

Don't think most people would begrudge paying 20p for the convenience. Unless they haven't the coin, that is. 

[Happier diner]

2 minutes ago, quilp said:

Most public conveniences around the country charge for use. They have to be kept clean, have soap and hot running water, bog rolls, hand-dryers, lighting etc.

Don't think most people would begrudge paying 20p for the convenience. Unless they haven't the coin, that is. 

I wouldn't mind 20p at all if it meant better loos

[Kopek]

Most loos may charge but this is a Council one, paid on the rates???

Is that a condom m/c? Is it stocked up?

[Happier diner]

2 hours ago, John Wright said:

 

It’s normally your account sign in is linked to your membership status in the data base. 

That’ll get you access to priority booking, early booking offers, disability access booking, auto recognition of retired/disabled rail card reductions, etc etc.

That's true. But as well as that, sports centres and public golf courses have to give slots for competitions and events. Swimming pools often have slots that are unavailable to public booking for clubs/ training etc. I just couldn't understand why offshoremanxman thinks this is an issue only associated with DBCs operation of the gold course. 

[Gladys]

10 minutes ago, Happier diner said:

That's true. But as well as that, sports centres and public golf courses have to give slots for competitions and events. Swimming pools often have slots that are unavailable to public booking for clubs/ training etc. I just couldn't understand why offshoremanxman thinks this is an issue only associated with DBCs operation of the gold course. 

Haven't you sussed offshoremanxman out yet?  Anything, absolutely anything, which is anywhere near government, national or local, is bad, ineffective, incompetent and probably corrupt. 

Whilst I am not averse to criticising government, I also understand that there are some things in which they have little choice, that there are not always straightforward pressures at play and that you cannot, and should not, compare them with the private sector.

He verges on the pathologically obsessed. 

 

[Gladys]

1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said:

1. That’s the view of most of the posters on this whole forum from the content 

2. You’re still smarting over the Squirrel Dan thing aren’t you 😂? 

Why would I be smarting over him? I had no skin in that game, apart from understanding why DEFA had to do what they did.  But because it was DEFA, you thought it was wrong.

On refugees, again because IOMG wants to do checks, you thought it was wrong and have withdrawn from the scheme.  Both MHKs spoke very well on that exact topic today, with clear and reasoned explanations. Yet you don't want IOMG 'poking their noses in'. 

Most posters on here have reasoned arguments, you just get a red mist descending. 

[John Wright]

23 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

Not ‘some’ checks but treating it like Homestay which is unnecessarily intrusive and frankly unnecessary. On the golf course as JW pointed out (as I had first) ‘Members’ do get priority when it’s actually Douglas ratepayers subsidizing their memberships in the first place. Again all I seem to have done is pointed out the reality of how Douglas ratepayers are getting ripped off subsidizing people to play golf. 

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. But members pay a membership fee, which reduces the amount of ratepayer subsidy required. That’s not ripping off the ratepayers.

Next you’ll be saying I shouldn’t get cheaper chair and carer seats on publicly subsidised rail, or buses, or at Arts Council funded theatres. 

[Omobono]

3 hours ago, piebaps said:

Nope - just inflation. It used to be a penny.

Piebabs there has never been a charge for loos in Douglas  for years  indeed the old turnstiles  and penny in the slot doors were abolished in the 1950's  its not until david Christian   superloos were opened on Douglas promenade , that a charge came back  20 pence    and if you could get a councillor to be honest , the prom loos  cost a lot more  to operate and collect the money  from than they  actually generate , the question that must be asked is what are we paying our rates for , the answer is for services which include public  toilets  and other environmental  areas , thats why the corporation has an environmental   committee  to fund and oversee this area , 

[Gladys]

13 minutes ago, Omobono said:

Piebabs there has never been a charge for loos in Douglas  for years  indeed the old turnstiles  and penny in the slot doors were abolished in the 1950's  its not until david Christian   superloos were opened on Douglas promenade , that a charge came back  20 pence    and if you could get a councillor to be honest , the prom loos  cost a lot more  to operate and collect the money  from than they  actually generate , the question that must be asked is what are we paying our rates for , the answer is for services which include public  toilets  and other environmental  areas , thats why the corporation has an environmental   committee  to fund and oversee this area , 

Really, abolished in the 1950s? I can remember using the penny in the slot in the 1960s.  I have recollection of going into what seemed like an underground loo, not sure where it was, but I think the Villa,  and putting a penny in.  

Paying for using a public loo did become free, but there are also quite a few recently, that have had a charge.

Off island, Victoria Station in London has pay for loos, with turnstiles, and has had for probably about 40 years.  I can't remember how much, but perhaps 10p? 

[Roger Mexico]

There was always a mixture of public conveniences that were free and those which operated with a coin (though urinals were usually free because sexism[1].  Many previously charging became free with decimalisation and inflation in the early 70s, I think as local authorities realised that it wasn't worth the cost.  I remember when charges were brought back at Victoria Station there was quite a fuss.

Re-imposing charges as Douglas have done is deeply silly because the mechanisms for charging will cost more than they can possibly take (as Amadeus admits).  The idea that it will protect against vandalism seems based on the idea that no vandal will ever have a 20p piece on them and ignores the fact that the thing most likely to be vandalised is the expensive new machine to take the money. 

After the charging infrastructure proposed for Nobles Park, this does give the impression that some DBC  official just wants a new toy.

 

[1]  The Victorians usually refused to have any public toilets at all for women believing no decent lady would ever admit she had bodily functions.

[cissolt]

That looks like an expensive bit of kit on the doors.  What's the cost and maintenance of each one?  What was the cost to repair vandalized toilets on the prom in the last 5 years?

[Omobono]

1 hour ago, Manx17 said:

I think I remember the public toilets on bucks road being a penny in the 70s

The way things are going with the corporation  we will be wondering where all the Public toilets have gone , and all we will be left with is memories ,  Poor show all round ! and they call this municipal progress 

 

[hissingsid]

The ones in the Villa Arcade used to be an old penny, that was the ladies I can remember always keeping a few when we went on the shore for when the girls wanted to use them.   The men’s were free.

[Omobono]

16 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

The ones in the Villa Arcade used to be an old penny, that was the ladies I can remember always keeping a few when we went on the shore for when the girls wanted to use them.   The men’s were free.

that must have been before 1971  there weren't any Pennies after that ,  but its the principal I object to , Most people  would rather have decent public services such as free toilets and a weekly refuse collection    than  some of the rubbish and nonsense  the corporation waste ratepayers money on ,