State of the roads

[Horse]

That's the thing though, they do do the stuff council tax is for, s'just that roads are fairly far down the list

I don't quite get why a bunch of the stuff councils do is done at their level (social care and schools basically), but that's the system at the moment.

A bonkers decision a few years ago was, after bad OFSTED inspections of several schools in the area, was that Reading council should be responsible for sorting them out.

They were all academies, out of council control.

[Horse]

Oh dear, I wasn't very nice, how sad, never mind.
Maybe if more people made it clear they were unhappy with the shit state of councils they might start doing the things we pay council tax for.

Oooh touchy

So what do you want them to stop paying for that could, instead, resurface roads?

Orphanages.

That's probably under 'social care', biggest draw on funds, probably, for most councils.

They would still have to be paid for by central government. So either that funding is removed from councils' budgets, or your income tax will rise to cover it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Oh dear, I wasn't very nice, how sad, never mind.
Maybe if more people made it clear they were unhappy with the shit state of councils they might start doing the things we pay council tax for.

Oooh touchy

So what do you want them to stop paying for that could, instead, resurface roads?

Orphanages.

Yeah, its not like they’ve got anyone to complain to.

[Cousin Jack]

Councilors are basically powerless. Governments heap duties on Councils, and the Council Officers tell Councillors what they MUST legally do, or which planning applications cannot be refused.

Councilors get to decide how to spend the tuppence left over, and can refuse you planning application to change your windows, mainly because you cannot afford to take it to appeal

[Count Steer]

Oooh touchy

So what do you want them to stop paying for that could, instead, resurface roads?

Orphanages.

That's probably under 'social care', biggest draw on funds, probably, for most councils.

They would still have to be paid for by central government. So either that funding is removed from councils' budgets, or your income tax will rise to cover it.

Or, radical idea coming up, stop central government wasting taxpayers money, give the savings to the councils and say 'Get them there roads fixed'.

(The £580m they've spaffed at Humber Freeport would've fixed a lot of potholes. I suppose it got them a bonus Mayor though).

For council savings I'd scrap the 'Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner'....oh, and orphanages.

[Supermofo]

Another grievance to add to my OP. The increase in 'Flood' signs. In the last 3-4 years I've noticed that these have started to spring up all over the place. I know for example we have had record rainfall in the last year but this started before that. Looks like instead of clearing the drains or looking into the reasons why somewhere is flooding and sorting it, it's far easier to just plonk a small flood sign down and forget about it. Made me chuckle the other year when it was 42C to drive past the flood sign whilst everything was brown with lack of water.

[Rockburner]

..... stop central government wasting taxpayers money,

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

tell us another!!

[Count Steer]

..... stop central government wasting taxpayers money,

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

tell us another!!

I know, I know. I'm an incurable optimist.

I do remember times in France when they seemed, in some areas ie some near Flash, to resurface some roads that weren't too bad. Rumour was that the Mayors were getting backhanders from the road maintenance lot and the gravel companies*. Sort of the opposite to here - they were spaffing money to chums....to do stuff that appeared to benefit riders/drivers. Maybe we need more of that sort of graft and corruption!

I think the commonest road signs were 'fauchage' and 'gravillons'.

[Horse]

Another grievance to add to my OP. The increase in 'Flood' signs. In the last 3-4 years I've noticed that these have started to spring up all over the place. I know for example we have had record rainfall in the last year but this started before that. Looks like instead of clearing the drains or looking into the reasons why somewhere is flooding and sorting it, it's far easier to just plonk a small flood sign down and forget about it.

Was wondering about a parallel to this. Keep with it ...

When the Newbury bypass was built, we could see traffic from here. Now trees have grown, it's hidden.

A place on the A4 where the view through bends allowed kerb-kerb-kerb straight line ... Now undergrowth has got bigger, the view has gone.

Alongside many motorways there are stone-filled 'French' drains. Or not, as they have silted up and weeds have grown.


I wonder whether many roads now flood because water that previously could drain off the side no longer can. Verges once below road level have gradually got higher.

Probably a bigger issue than just clearing drains. Of course, our local provider (Thames Water) is financially in the shit, as are many local rivers and even some villages (sewage fliwing along roads). So drain clearing probably low on their priorities.

[Supermofo]

Probably a bigger issue than just clearing drains. Of course, our local provider (Thames Water) is financially in the shit, as are many local rivers and even some villages (sewage fliwing along roads). So drain clearing probably low on their priorities.

Totally off piste but, Tuesday I was watching some of the select committee hearing footage of their session with Thames Water. 2014 OFWAT allowed Thames Water to up their debts from 3b to 10b, this being at a time when the then owners were paying dividends higher than their profits in some years. The CEO of OFWAT in 2014 is now joint CEO of Thames Water. Not only bent but blatantly so. The water companies are a joke.

[Dodgy69]

All governments do these days is pass on responsibility... Blame councils for going bust, blame schools for under performing, blame NHS, blame doctors, blame water, energy etc. The blame should all be directed at Westminster. They've allowed this country to fall into the state it is in today.

Imo, voting for these cronies is participating in there game. A well paid game which never ends.

[Horse]

There you go: that road's certainly 'resurfaced' ...


If the linked pics don't play nicely:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-68629004.amp

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Oh dear, I wasn't very nice, how sad, never mind.
Maybe if more people made it clear they were unhappy with the shit state of councils they might start doing the things we pay council tax for.

Oooh touchy

So what do you want them to stop paying for that could, instead, resurface roads?

I thought I'd been pretty clear on that one, get rid of staff.

[Hot_Air]

I was watching some of the select committee hearing footage of their session with Thames Water. 2014 OFWAT allowed Thames Water to up their debts from 3b to 10b, this being at a time when the then owners were paying dividends higher than their profits in some years. The CEO of OFWAT in 2014 is now joint CEO of Thames Water. Not only bent but blatantly so.

This excellent BBC Sounds podcast summarises the sewage situation:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001yxl5

Incredibly, OFWAT allowed the water companies to increase their debts and use all this money to pay shareholder dividends. None of the debt went into water infrastructure. The water regulator knew but decided not to interfere.

What a coincidence that OFWAT’s former CEO is now the head of Thames Water.

[Count Steer]

I was watching some of the select committee hearing footage of their session with Thames Water. 2014 OFWAT allowed Thames Water to up their debts from 3b to 10b, this being at a time when the then owners were paying dividends higher than their profits in some years. The CEO of OFWAT in 2014 is now joint CEO of Thames Water. Not only bent but blatantly so.

This excellent BBC Sounds podcast summarises the sewage situation:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001yxl5

Incredibly, OFWAT allowed the water companies to increase their debts and use all this money to pay shareholder dividends. None of the debt went into water infrastructure. The water regulator knew but decided not to interfere.

What a coincidence that OFWAT’s former CEO is now the head of Thames Water.

The 'shareholders' are a small group of outfits like foreign pension funds who own TW via the vehicle of Kemble Water. They're basically borrowing and putting the money in their own pockets leaving the company to pay the debts.

'Shareholders' makes them sound like anyone can buy a share but they aren't publicly quoted.

[Supermofo]

I was watching some of the select committee hearing footage of their session with Thames Water. 2014 OFWAT allowed Thames Water to up their debts from 3b to 10b, this being at a time when the then owners were paying dividends higher than their profits in some years. The CEO of OFWAT in 2014 is now joint CEO of Thames Water. Not only bent but blatantly so.

This excellent BBC Sounds podcast summarises the sewage situation:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001yxl5

Incredibly, OFWAT allowed the water companies to increase their debts and use all this money to pay shareholder dividends. None of the debt went into water infrastructure. The water regulator knew but decided not to interfere.

What a coincidence that OFWAT’s former CEO is now the head of Thames Water.

Ta, will give that a listen.

This was the clip I watched.

[Hot_Air]

The 'shareholders' are a small group of outfits like foreign pension funds who own TW via the vehicle of Kemble Water. They're basically borrowing and putting the money in their own pockets leaving the company to pay the debts.

Indeed. The whole thing stinks even worse than the sewage.

Your post led me to Google, showing Thames Water’s ownership structure—notice how “this company was set up to raise debt” crops up more than once

https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/ ... -structure

[Hot_Air]

Thanks to South West Water, a faulty valve let a parasite into Devon’s water supply—almost a hundred people fell ill.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... y-pay.html

[Count Steer]

The 'shareholders' are a small group of outfits like foreign pension funds who own TW via the vehicle of Kemble Water. They're basically borrowing and putting the money in their own pockets leaving the company to pay the debts.

Indeed. The whole thing stinks even worse than the sewage.

Your post led me to Google, showing Thames Water’s ownership structure—notice how “this company was set up to raise debt” crops up more than once

https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/ ... -structure

We've gone a bit off topic but hey ho...

It's classic asset stripping type thing, borrow as much as you can (putting your own money in if you really have to) to buy the company. Pay yourself back if you have put your own money in, milk it for all it's worth and leave the company to pay the other creditors then sell it on to someone that's better at squeezing the last few £ out. Then wait for the goverment/taxpayer/customers to pick up the wreckage. Macquarie did the first squeeze, then sold it on to 'Kemble'. All with the approval of OFWAT/the government.

Privatisation, the gift that keeps on taking.

[Hot_Air]

Still, at least the investors aren’t losing out: https://www.theguardian.com/business/ar ... e-revealed