Neilw

After Laycock's, the club moved to The Abbey at the end of Abbey Lane, but it was already coughing up blood by then. I think it lasted less than 12 months after the move before it eventually folded, and I was one of the last members. Sad, but I have some some happy memories during my 10-11 years that I was competing on the stages. I'm still heavily involved in motorsport professionally, and what started as an hobby (obsession) grew into my livelihood. There's now a recently created Facebook group for old 1-11 members

Most of Sheffield are behind it are they? I do apologise, can you send me a link to the poll results, I must have missed it. I don't recall been asked if I would be happy for the city to be locked down. A vocal few on this (or any) forum do not speak for the majority.

Well, you're a bright chap aren't you? Does the first line of any of your arguments always start with personal abuse? My point is that there are ample places where runners can run to their hearts content without causing public safety issues that necessitate road closures. In any other situation where the actions of a few cause inconvenience and annoyance to the many it would be classed as anti-social behaviour. For some reason, sporting activities seem to be exempt from this rule.

On the contrary, my thoughts this morning went out to the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people (my family included) who were stopped from going about their legitimate business due to road closures. Why should the leisure activities of a tiny minority be allowed to cause massive inconvenience to the people of an entire city? There are plenty of parks in this city where it would be very easy to setup a 13 mile course. I'm now feeling much better after reading the news about this farce. Maybe the selfish runners now know what it's like to suffer some inconvenience.

No S**t? I never realised

Unfortunately the lib-dems would promise you anything if they thought they could get your vote, then promise your neighbour something completely different to get their vote as well. They are political chameleons, as they have proved in national office.

Not in my case, the microwave is used only for defrosting fillet steak. We don't live on ready meals or takeaways, in fact the kids have been conditioned to make puking noises when we drive past a McDonalds! Seriously, I think supermarket packaging is mainly to blame. The kitchen bin is the one that fills up first, even after separating the bottles etc. No idea what you're on about re wool or cotton, but judging by your other comment I assume it's got some facetious intent.

A good comprimise would have been to allow 'normal sized' families to have a larger or extra bin. Applying for an extra bin for a family of 4 will no doubt be rejected. I appreciate that many households (pensioners, single couples etc) can manage with fortnightly collections, but we are struggling massively. The biggests cost of the waste service is presumably the actual round itself. Given that the bin round happens anyway, how much extra would it cost to empty the extra (or bigger) bins if they were given to all families that requested them, unless there is no spare capacity in the trucks?

Ok, that may be the case (I did say I was ranting ) , but the wider point is that there are other less important areas where savings could be made that would not have such a major impact on so many families.

How naieve to think that the council (any council) would take the slightest notice of the people. The political class always knows best, just remember that I wonder what the most popular cost saving suggestion was? Are the results in the public domain does anybody know? My bet is that cutting the number of empty suits in the town hall was pretty near the top.

I'd rather direct is somewhere else, trust me!

I wonder how many people will be filling their blue bin with domestic waste and then scattering a few newspapers over the top to disguise it. I don't do it, but if I can think of it then I'm sure that some people are doing it... We are a family of 4 (2 primary school kids) and even with re-cycling, there is no way on earth that we can get 2 weeks rubbish in one bin. We have 3 days to go, the grey bin is absolutely stuffed, and all the bins in the house are full. I wonder what Julie Dore (the council leader) suggests that I do? I doubt very much that she gives a toss because she is more interested in providing outreach services for left-handed lesbian basket weavers and other similar essential services... Clearly Sheffield council, in common with all lefty councils, have deliberately chosen to cut back on essential frontline services that will have the biggest negative impact on people's lives, in the hope that we will blame it on central government and vote them out the next time around. Don't fall for it people. This lot in the town hall make my pi55 boil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It won't make any difference, but I feel slightly better for the rant.

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-11947501 "However our members have been asked to remain aware of safety hazards and if they feel their delivery walk has become too dangerous or inaccessible due to poor weather, managers will support their decision not to carry on and will encourage them to return to the office." I think I know where the finger is pointing now... I apologise if more than one sentence at a time is too much for you! And there should be a comma after the word "posts".

That's the problem, there is nobody to complain to. The 'real' people within RM are isolated from us by a computer spweing out standard fob-off letters. Whenever you complain about any issue, be it lost mail, late mail, damaged mail etc. you get the same template reply and never ever do RM bother to give a personal reply or bother to address any specifics of the complaint. You might as well complain to the cat! Three trips to the Woodseats d.o. have been totally fruitless, and I am still no wiser as to where my considerable amount of mail is located or when I can expect to receive it. If it wasn't so serious, the incompetence of some within the RM would be laughable.

Woodseats delivery office clearly does not work judging by the complaints from S8 on here. For not a single item of mail to get to any address on a perfectly flat road suggest a very very serious problem with some individuals, be it management or specific posties. But who is going to be held to account? Nobody, that's who. Meanwhile we are still waiting, and the situation is getting desparate for my business, and nobody at the d.o. can offer any explanation or even seems to give the slightest toss about the situation. I have been blatently lied to by the staff at Woodseats on two occasions when they said my mail was out for delivery. It's either bad individuals, or even worse, management policy at Woodseats to lie to customers. Either way, heads should roll, but they won't. A letter of complaint (for what it's worth) has been sent to RM (I wonder if it will even get there?), and I will also be writing to Meg Munn MP in the hope that she can get some answers. I would strongly urge others in the S8 area to do the same. If by some miracle I get a reply from RM (which is doubtful given past experience), undoubtedly the words "exceptional circumstances" will be used as a cop out. I'm afraid that excuse passed its sell by date a week ago!

10 days, still absolutely nothing on our road. Oddly enough, the bins were emptied today (which I would have thought far more arduous and dangerous than delivering mail), and also the bloke that comes to clean the wheelybin managed to get around. Paperboy was here again (at the same time as normal), milkman's been all week to other houses on road, and I've had 4 separate courier companies make deliveries. So why no mail? Come on RM workers, try to offer an explanation...

Since when has walking up a snow covered footpath been dangerous? That's now the excuse for not delivering, nothing to do with roads, airports, schools or supermarkets. Fair enough, it would be unrealistic to think that deliveries would not be effected for a couple of days last week, but 9 bleedin' days and still not one single item of mail? Come on!!!

9 days and counting. For some businesses, no mail for 9 days can spell the end of the world in an already difficult climate. Your comment sums up how little you know about the world outside of the RM.

That's just the frustration speaking - clearly I only meant most of them

Could that be more to do with the withdrawal of subsidy rather than de-regulation per-se?

Ever tried getting a job as a postie? My old mate waited years to land such a cushy number. Does your livelihood rely on regular and reliable postal deliveries? Mine does, along with hundreds of thousands of others. The most frustrating thing about the whole situation is that we are utterly powerless to do anything about it. The trip to the delivery office was the final straw. I can accept that mail deliveries were going to be delayed last week because of the exceptional weather, but to be blatently lied to by RM staff telling me that the delivery would be today was absolutely unacceptable. I have absolutely no confidence that my mail will be delivered in the near future, all the time my business suffers and I lose yet more money because of the utter disregard on the part of RM and its union members who refuse to make deliveries when it's now perfectly safe to do so. Actually, it was never dangerous, just uncomfortable and a bit of hard work. The health & safety excuse is utter crap.

Who said owt about a private monopoly?

I have my opinion, you have yours. However, I'm not quite so condecending.

They have an effective monopoly on letter deliveries because of the post office network. Besides, we can't choose how post is sent to us can we?

How are they accountable? In the delivery office today, an old fella asked to speak to the manager because he was so frustrated at the utter lack of concern that the staff showed. He was told (most likely lied to) that no-one was available. Now, if we can't even complain to the first level line manager on the ground, how the hell can we complain higher up the chain? Precisely what sanctions will be imposed on the RM for this un-necessary fiasco? Absolutely none. As far as accountability of a private company is concerned, yes, they are primarily accountable to their shareholders to make a profit and pay a dividend, but if there is a choice, then customers vote with their feet and go to a competitor. So, it's in the company's interest to provide good service and keep their customers in order to maximise profit and dividend for shareholders. That's how the free market works. However, in the case of the RM, a sell-off should also include a statutary responsibility of the private companies that move into the market.