DBC Megathread

[TheTeapot]

2 hours ago, Amadeus said:

 Maybe we should fill a pub and let people discuss it over a beer  

Drop your stupid objections and put the goddamn benches back at the Rovers.

[Amadeus]

4 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Drop your stupid objections and put the goddamn benches back at the Rovers.

That’s DoI not DBC. And a solution is being worked on already. 

[ellanvannin2010]

3 hours ago, Amadeus said:

There’s a vibe of New vs Old in council for sure. We’re still at the start of our term really, and I don’t have any problems rocking the boat, but as you said, it’s not easy or straight forward. One weapon we can use is publicity. It’s easy to get the media to write things here because not much happens. Before we go nuclear with calls for reform, we would need to agree what reform that should be, though. Again, is the DoI running everything really a better option than some almost unpaid commissioners? Maybe we should fill a pub and let people discuss it over a beer  

Why don’t you merge with Onchan and Braddan and demonstrate to the unbelievers that a large mega LA will not just waste even more money and be even more inefficient?

Edited February 21, 2022 by ellanvannin2010

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, ellanvannin2010 said:

Why don’t you merge with Onchan and Braddan and demonstrate to the unbelievers that a large mega LA will not just waste even more money and be even more inefficient?

Anschlusses never work out well

[quilp]

Is that a topical jest? 

[finlo]

1 hour ago, ellanvannin2010 said:

Why don’t you merge with Onchan and Braddan and demonstrate to the unbelievers that a large mega LA will not just waste even more money and be even more inefficient?

There's a very good reason a lot of the businesses moved from Douglas to Braddan!

[Max Power]

2 minutes ago, finlo said:

There's a very good reason a lot of the businesses moved from Douglas to Braddan!

The fact that it was there helped, Douglas has no available land to build a proper business park. Even then Braddan missed out, the Jackson's site could have been earning them money twenty years earlier if they hadn't messed around as they did! 

[Kopek]

''Anschlusses''

Do you mean rifles are not the way to solve this problem?

Too right, 95 was my top score!!!

 

merge? Braddan and Onchan would want their own Pop Star statues then! Rate rises all around.

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Kopek

[Amadeus]

1 hour ago, John Wright said:

Anschlusses never work out well

Uh I don't know. As long as we don't go too far east and avoid winter... 

[Non-Believer]

3 hours ago, Amadeus said:

That’s DoI not DBC. And a solution is being worked on already. 

Closing the Rovers....? 😂

[Roger Mexico]

I mentioned before that I'd put Douglas BC's 22 employees on over £50,000 a year (in their 20-21 accounts, so presumably as at April last year) in some sort of context.  So I though I'd look at the smallest English District Councils to see what the equivalent figures for them.  These have similar powers to Douglas, though sometimes more extensive - they have quite a lot of control over planning for example, so they would need to employ more professional planners.

Now even the smallest DCs in terms of population in England are about twice the size of Douglas (pop 26,677).  According to Wiki, the smallest is currently Melton in Leicestershire with a population of 51,209[1].  But it's the best comparison we'll get.  Their websites are suppose to give the same sort of salary breakdown as Douglas's Accounts do, though it's not always easy to track the info down.  But here are some examples I could find:

Melton (pop 51,209):  Officers on over £50,000  -  13

Eden    (53,253):   Officers on over £50,000  -  9

West Devon[2]   (55,796):   Officers on over £50,000  -  6

Copeland    (68,183):  Officers on over £50,000  -  11

I've included the larger Copeland as it's geographically the nearest to us (it's most of the Cumbrian coast).

Now even some of these may be a bit padded (I'm not sure why Melton needs an HR and Communications Manager and a 'People Manager') but Douglas has about twice as many highly paid staff for about half the population.  It's also noticeable that the information supplied is much more detailed.

 

[1]  I've excluded Rutland from this list as it's a Unitary Authority with greater responsibilities (eg Social Services) and also the two sui generis ones (City of London and Isles of Scilly), as by definition they are different from everything else.

[2]  Info downloaded from here - see page 8 - note that these are actually shared with South Hams Council 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Roger Mexico

[Max Power]

43 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

I mentioned before that I'd put Douglas BC's 22 employees on over £50,000 a year (in their 20-21 accounts, so presumably as at April last year) in some sort of context.  So I though I'd look at the smallest English District Councils to see what the equivalent figures for them.  These have similar powers to Douglas, though sometimes more extensive - they have quite a lot of control over planning for example, so they would need to employ more professional planners.

Now even the smallest DCs in terms of population in England are about twice the size of Douglas (pop 26,677).  According to Wiki, the smallest is currently Melton in Leicestershire with a population of 51,209[1].  But it's the best comparison we'll get.  Their websites are suppose to give the same sort of salary breakdown as Douglas's Accounts do, though it's not always easy to track the info down.  But here are some examples I could find:

Melton (pop 51,209):  Officers on over £50,000  -  13

Eden    (53,253):   Officers on over £50,000  -  9

West Devon[2]   (55,796):   Officers on over £50,000  -  6

Copeland    (68,183):  Officers on over £50,000  -  11

I've included the larger Copeland as it's geographically the nearest to us (it's most of the Cumbrian coast).

Now even some of these may be a bit padded (I'm not sure why Melton needs an HR and Communications Manager and a 'People Manager') but Douglas has about twice as many highly paid staff for about half the population.  It's also noticeable that the information supplied is much more detailed.

 

[1]  I've excluded Rutland from this list as it's a Unitary Authority with greater responsibilities (eg Social Services) and also the two sui generis ones (City of London and Isles of Scilly), as by definition they are different from everything else.

[2]  Info downloaded from here - see page 8 - note that these are actually shared with South Hams Council 

This is one of the issues with operating on a small island which can be transferred to the private sector in some ways. I don't think the PS would wear the way that it is dealt with though?

For example, the retail franchised motor trade insists on certain positions being filled as part of their operating standards. Sometimes, due to the low levels of business on the IoM, this entails some people wearing two or even three hats whilst accepting the salary allocated to one of those hats. Without this, the business would be unviable. I don't think this thinking pervades in the PS and we just end up with many people who's work expands to fill the time allotted to it!

[hissingsid]

Onchanites would have no wish to join with Douglas thank you very much 🥵

[Amadeus]

1 hour ago, Manx17 said:

I heard a very disturbing conversation today. A man with health issues got evicted from a Douglas corporation property for an untidy garden . I thought social housing was for people in need. 

I can't comment on individual cases but your post is a prime example why people shouldn't just post anything they hear. 

[Amadeus]

58 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

Onchanites would have no wish to join with Douglas thank you very much 🥵

Oh come on. We even let you continue your game of musical chairs in the exec office. Seems to be your national sport now. That, and thinking you're better than Douglas.