Council Rant

[Lancs_Lad 10]

I've just had the lib dem pamphlet through the door.  I didn't realise that all council decisions since March have been made by 1 person due to the council invoking emergency measures. Amongst other things they are giving 16 million pounds back to central Government in unspent business support schemes that could have gone to local causes like other councils have done, Sheffield Council Tax payers have also bailed out Scarborough Leisure facilities (run by SCT), and £33,000 was wasted on the Shalesmoor bike lane scheme that was implemented and then taken up when it caused chaos. Speechless

[Baron99 779]

1 hour ago, Lancs_Lad said:

I've just had the lib dem pamphlet through the door.  I didn't realise that all council decisions since March have been made by 1 person due to the council invoking emergency measures. Amongst other things they are giving 16 million pounds back to central Government in unspent business support schemes that could have gone to local causes like other councils have done, Sheffield Council Tax payers have also bailed out Scarborough Leisure facilities (run by SCT), and £33,000 was wasted on the Shalesmoor bike lane scheme that was implemented and then taken up when it caused chaos. Speechless

My bold. 

 

Who was the individual? 

[bassett one 449]

total mess and no chance to vote on anything including a vote on who runs the council either

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

3 hours ago, Lancs_Lad said:

I've just had the lib dem pamphlet through the door.  I didn't realise that all council decisions since March have been made by 1 person due to the council invoking emergency measures. Amongst other things they are giving 16 million pounds back to central Government in unspent business support schemes that could have gone to local causes like other councils have done, Sheffield Council Tax payers have also bailed out Scarborough Leisure facilities (run by SCT), and £33,000 was wasted on the Shalesmoor bike lane scheme that was implemented and then taken up when it caused chaos. Speechless

They asked the Government if they could use that money for other things during the negotiations around Tier 3 and the Government said no and required that it be returned to the Treasury.

 

https://thiis.co.uk/councils-to-return-over-1bn-in-unspent-retail-support-grants-to-the-treasury/

 

https://labourlist.org/2020/10/labour-slams-government-for-smash-and-grab-raid-on-struggling-businesses/

 

If that Lib-Dem pamphlet made that claim then I'm afraid that pamphlet omitted a few details in order to generate exactly the reaction you are having now.

[darylslinn 10]

3 hours ago, Lancs_Lad said:

I've just had the lib dem pamphlet through the door.  I didn't realise that all council decisions since March have been made by 1 person due to the council invoking emergency measures. Amongst other things they are giving 16 million pounds back to central Government in unspent business support schemes that could have gone to local causes like other councils have done, Sheffield Council Tax payers have also bailed out Scarborough Leisure facilities (run by SCT), and £33,000 was wasted on the Shalesmoor bike lane scheme that was implemented and then taken up when it caused chaos. Speechless

This is no secret as the Scarborough Spa, Spa Lift and Whitby Pavilion have been looked after now for a few years by SCT / SIV.
They have also in the last few days handed the venues back to their respective local councils, so that these venues are no longer a burden on Sheffield CC.... however the mothballed Sheffield Arena and City Hall will still need a cash injection to reopen them when the time comes.
Which asks the question is it time they sold these venues off to a concert promoter / agency to run and let the council get on with the business of running the City ?

[Baron99 779]

So who was the individual single handedly making the decision for SCC? 

 

No mention yet?  Didn't the pamphlet state a name? 

[Longcol 597]

2 hours ago, Funky_Gibbon said:

They asked the Government if they could use that money for other things during the negotiations around Tier 3 and the Government said no and required that it be returned to the Treasury.

 

https://thiis.co.uk/councils-to-return-over-1bn-in-unspent-retail-support-grants-to-the-treasury/

 

https://labourlist.org/2020/10/labour-slams-government-for-smash-and-grab-raid-on-struggling-businesses/

 

If that Lib-Dem pamphlet made that claim then I'm afraid that pamphlet omitted a few details in order to generate exactly the reaction you are having now.

Ah...........Lib Dems and their claims.

 

I remember about 15 years ago the where busy telling everyone that Labour had a "favoured areas" approach to council spending.

 

They were telling people in the SW of the city that the council estates were getting favourable treatment whilst at the same time telling people on council estates all the money was being spent in the SW.

[Fredderick 33]

Central government hastily estimated the amount for business rate grants given to each area.  The money not allocated to eligible businesses had to be handed back. As it transpires, some places were given more than the total number of eligible business in there area meant would ever get allocated. If you look at other larger cities, it’s exactly the same picture. Lib Dem’s have tried to make this a “failure” of the council. It’s nothing of the sort. It’s just maths. 

 

decisions have not been made by 1 person. They’ve been made by and incident management group of senior staff, designed to speed up decision making in an emergency and ensure a consistent approach across a big organisation. Not without its flaws but not 1 person. 
 

sorry to disappoint 

[Fredderick 33]

But that Shalesmoor cycle Lane was nonsensical 

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

11 minutes ago, Fredderick said:

But that Shalesmoor cycle Lane was nonsensical 

I didn't really get to see this or the apparent chaos it caused once everyone started going back to work and the roads filled up with cars as I was locked up in my flat for the duration but I think this was a temporary trial encouraged and paid for via the Government's Emergency Active Travel Fund where the aim was to create a safe route to travel into work for key workers that didn't involve getting onto public transport.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-billion-package-to-create-new-era-for-cycling-and-walking

 

It was obviously not a good idea once lockdown ended but you can kind of see a point to it prior to that (although I understand that in the eternal war between car drivers and cyclists that this might be contested) and the funding only existed specifically to pay for it's creation so I don't know if you can count it as waste, at least not by the Council themselves.

[tinfoilhat 11]

2 hours ago, darylslinn said:

This is no secret as the Scarborough Spa, Spa Lift and Whitby Pavilion have been looked after now for a few years by SCT / SIV.
They have also in the last few days handed the venues back to their respective local councils, so that these venues are no longer a burden on Sheffield CC.... however the mothballed Sheffield Arena and City Hall will still need a cash injection to reopen them when the time comes.
Which asks the question is it time they sold these venues off to a concert promoter / agency to run and let the council get on with the business of running the City ?

Yeah, I'm sure there are loads of those around with money to spare

 

Besides, wasn't the arena used to store medical stuff or something at the beginning of lockdown?

[alchresearch 214]

13 hours ago, darylslinn said:

Which asks the question is it time they sold these venues off to a concert promoter / agency to run and let the council get on with the business of running the City ?

No.   That happened near me.  The building has been left to rot since the company managing it folded.

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/thousands-join-call-save-southport-18555855

 

Desolate and flooded theatre building is ‘suffering greatly’

https://www.otsnews.co.uk/desolate-and-flooded-theatre-building-is-suffering-greatly/