Congestion Charge on the Way ?

[catfan 14,793]

First the WPL, high city centre parking charges & now it seems a planned congestion charge is on the way by 2020.

Talk about turning the thumbscrews !

 

http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/03/is-your-city-one-of-16-about-to-get-congestion-zones-to-tackle-air-pollution-6231994/

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Do you think we can charge Nottingham City Council with a hate crime? After all they do hate motorists and it shows.

[FLY2 10,108]

Greed, avarice, greed, incompetence, greed, ignorance, greed, stupidity, greed, greed, greed. Also a complete and utter disregard for the persecuted motorists in this once great city. Why not go the whole hog and pedestrianise within the entire city boundaries. At least the beloved students wouldn't get knocked over when they are out getting totally smashed every night. 

[catfan 14,793]

Don't forget more pavement cafe's FLY  !

Also someone has to pay for the "Slug" too.

[Guest]

#3 funny you should say that Fly...Belfast has done that,I strolled everywhere without a car in sight.

Without getting an a.m demand for evidence... i can only suggest that resources that are stretched-  suffer,yes !!..more sucking out the pot than putting in!!

Thus less cash is made available to run a City and County of Notts.

Councils ( crooks) then plot schemes to extract money from soft targets..like pensioners/sick/handicapped/workers/homeowners and taxpayers.. These victims cough up time and time again- because they have a lot to lose if they don't.

The 'Diverted' recipients don't give a sugar about workers funding the Slug or paying Congestion Charges..because they don't!!

I truly dispair when i visit home..wonder what folk would think if the entire City resembled Radford Rd/Forest Fields and Sneinton Dale??

[radfordred 6,284]

So Nottingham City Council are going to sort out congestion hot spots? Ironic they use a photo of the now 3 landed Crown Island? Noticed from Beechdale pub to Western Boulevard is solid most mornings, also Nuthall Island (potato Island) backs right up Alferton Road, they've just moved the problem,  open the bus lanes & dig up the cycle lane ...... job done. 

 

[catfan 14,793]

Council congestion ? Just rang the council & took 35 minutes to speak to an "advisor" regarding direct debit council tax payments. Initial automated call giving 9 different options followed by sub options afterwards, This council are masters at creating chaos.

[plantfit 7,580]

No different to Lincoln Mick,they all pi$$ in the same pot

 

Rog

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

I am afraid it's not just this council they are all the bloody same.

 

Since the term 'local government' came into use it seems to me that council workers off all shades think they are in charge not our paid servants as is the case. I had one woman who was trying to con a new bathroom ceiling from my insurance company tell me "You do know I work for the council don't you?" when I refused her claim. I took great pleasure in replying "You do! In that case I will make sure it's well publicised when you get done for fraud." Her little face went bright red........

 

I take great pleasure in pointing out to council workers it is we in the private sector that pay for everything from the socks on their feet to the roof over their head.

[FLY2 10,108]

And don't forget the expensive cars for the 'Social  Workers'.

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

2 hours ago, NewBasfordlad said:

take great pleasure in pointing out to council workers it is we in the private sector that pay for everything from the socks on their feet to the roof over their head.

Ay up, NBL. I work in local government and I work bl66dy hard too! Currently doing 2 jobs and only getting paid for one! Were not all useless! 

[trogg 2,014]

NBL people employed in local government are not servants they are employees , do you think you are a servant of your employer, that's not the only thing that use to annoy me when I was at work people use to say "I want to speak to your superior"  I use to reply I do not have any superiors I do have people senior to me .   I know its only words  but servants and superiors finished years ago.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Agree Jill not all useless but a lot seem to be, I worked at the private/public sector interface for many years and you can take it from me some of the decisions lower management make are as daft as it gets....

 

Trogg they are there to serve the public that employ them and therefore are paid servants, just as I serve the needs of my clients.

 

I am lucky I have run my own small business for years so really am top of the heap in a small way. Except that I am answerable to my clients, upset them and I don't have a living, therefore top of nowt!!

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

45 minutes ago, NewBasfordlad said:

some of the decisions lower management make are as daft as it gets...

You don't have to convince me, NBL. I've met many of em! 

[TBI 2,351]

Trogg is correct NBL, although it's only semantics. People employed in the public sector are that, employees. The term 'civil/public servant' is a confusing one, they are not paid 'servants' to anyone. 

 

When I was working, sometimes I also got the 'I demand to speak to your boss' scenario. I just used to smile and say ' you are speaking to him'.

 

When your work is reliant upon customers and goodwill though, even when they are wrong and sometimes way out of order, customers are always right.

 

As regards daft decisions of lower management... yes, just like middle and upper too. Sometimes the worst can be at the very bottom, don't you just hate a jobsworth.

   

 

 

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Sorry I prefer paid servant and will stick to it. Its a great put down when one is needed and when dealing with the public sector than can arise far more than I would like it to.

 

Perhaps, just maybe if they admitted they faults instead of trying to lie their way out of it or cover it up, it could be different but that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[TBI 2,351]

Well, that's perfectly fine. The only thing is, they are not paid servants and they certainly know they aren't. Therefore they aren't going to feel ' put down ', even when they damn well deserve it.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Each to their own point of view, but in some areas of great consequence they fail miserably, and though you and I disagree on the servants thing you can't ague with that.

 

In the private sector they would be long gone if they ever got there in the first place.

[catfan 14,793]

The times I was told "I pay your wages" always brought a smile to my face with the standard answer from me was "you don't pay me enough"  

[FLY2 10,108]

There's obviously going to be disagreement, whichever point of view one takes. I've worked in the private sector all my working life, and I encountered some appallingly lazy workers, especially in my last ten years of employment (2000-10) It's so difficult to sack anyone these days. It's utterly ridiculous ! Similarly, there were some useless management who were in positions way above their capabilities. 

I dare say that the same situations arise in the public sector too. 

Maybe the term Civil Servant has been eroded just like everything else these days, but to me, it means that I'm a civilian, and they are here to serve my needs ! Now don't take things literally, as wording is totally misunderstood, and misused these days.

I will just say that throughout my life, my dealings with any public officialdom has floundered miserably due to their complete inability to see anything that isn't printed in black and white. They have all showed a distinct inability to comprehend anything that is slightly away from the norm. The world has grey areas too, but they can't recognise the fact.

But, as two members have pointed out, not all are bad workers. The misgivings folk have about the council in Nottingham are mainly the cause of the top dogs. They seem to heavily finance their own crack pot schemes, but completely ignore the wishes of the majority of the population.

[trogg 2,014]

It seems I have started a disagreement on this subject, and I hope people will not become too heated on this subject. I only state my opinion as I feel strongly on this and always have, the two words servant and superior have been used for centuries to help keep the lower classes in their place, no one is superior to another they may be and do things differently but they are not superior. Yes I was paid out of the public purse , but people paid out of the public purse either local government or national government provide a service to the public but they are not servants.  Yes some of the people giving this service leave a lot to be desired this only mirrors the population in general, I could give you many examples where people were promoted to their level of incompetence, and then given glowing references so they can be promoted to another authority to get rid of them. 

Before you class all people paid out of the public purse as servants consider  the range of services they provide, I see from your picture you were in the military and are proud of the service you gave , the military should never be classed as servants something you and I will agree on, and remember the miners were paid out of the public purse were these also servants. In the private sector firms provide a service, build a house audit your accounts and you pay them but they are not servants.

 

All people who work public paid or private paid and self employed should be given  respect for the service they give , low paid or highly paid. I see you use the term servant as a put down maybe that is the reason people find the term demeaning.

I find that careful  reasoned discussion achieves more than put downs, since retirement I continue to try and hold elected officials accountable for their actions or inactions and find this method achieves more than shouting swearing and abuse, I wish more people would also do this instead of just complaining to each other. It is the elected officials who are able to make the change. 

As for the employees on the front line who the public deal with they are given strict guidelines on what they can do , break these guidelines and there are penalties to be paid, in these times are people prepared to do this when the person they are dealing with is often shouting, swearing, abusing and getting put down by them ,as people do get sacked or suffer other penalties, 

I agree as some one has also stated it is semantics , the way the words are generally used now is demeaning. I can understand your views most of I think comes from the frustration at the speed of inaction, but the frontline staff cannot unilaterally change the system ,they need help from the general public complaining to the leaders.

 

[FLY2 10,108]

The word superior doesn't apply nowadays, as do other outdated forms of terminology. There are good and bad apples in every barrel whatever employment they are in. There is no disagreement, just differing views and experiences. It's just that Nottingham City Council are no longer thinking of the MAJORITY if citizens.

[plantfit 7,580]

Can't speak for Nottingham council but did once have a strange conversation with member of staff at the North Kesteven council office,I was enquiring about a council tax problem and the young lady on the other end of the phone said " just a moment,I'll ask my supervisor" all well and good,next question,same answer "just a moment I'll ask my supervisor" this went on for another two or three questions when I said to her,"can I speak to your supervisor it might save a bit of time" her reply knocked be back," Sorry sir the supervisor doesn't speak to the public"  I said have a nice day and I put the phone down and made a coffee

 

Rog

[Commo 1,292]

Rog, it seems that this is "the modern way" of dealing nowadays, apparently it's the system that we all accept !! Yeah right!

During the weeks following Mrs C passing I had to deal with a lot of correspondence to sort out and start to finalise affairs obviously in a fragile emotional state. One letter in particular was asking for information that I had already supplied, but they had obviously not registered a thing of which I had said. When I asked to speak to the person who had written the letter was told that they did not speak to the public, but even more frustratingly it seems that neither could the person to whom I was speaking talk to them even though they were in the same office, but could relay my conversation to them by email !! 

I also put the phone down but unlike you decided that I needed something stronger and more calming than a coffee.

[Cliff Ton 10,459]

In a way you're lucky if you can get to talk to anyone at all. How many times do you ring an organisation and find yourself talking to an endless number of automated switchboards where you have to press "1 for this, 2 for that, or 3 for the other".  It can take several minutes before any human appears.