wolvesaussie Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-24549744 My old town look like they in for a bumpy ride, looks like I got out at just about the right time.... Hope they dont have to close the town swimming pool . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Got to pay for rich peoples' tax subsidies somehow...... what a worry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlhall Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Not good news at all, My daughter works at Bantock House in Wolves, she has been there for over 12 months on a month to month basis, last month she was finally given an 18 month contract, now it looks like that could be at risk. Worrying times. She worked hard at school, went to university and got her degree and now finds it impossible to get a permanent position. She is now wondering if it was worth all the hard work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolvesaussie Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 I worked for wolves council as well, very sad, 1000 jobs to go, I am sure the council is probably the biggest employer in wolverhampton so its going to have a big knock on effect. The town centre is already half closed down, the redevelopment that was supposed to save it abandoned. I hope your daughter escapes ok, I really like Bantock house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyay1 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Most of these councils just waste public money and provide little in the way of value, other than employment for their staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Look at that art gallery in west brom for instance what a waste of money that was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Look at that art gallery in west brom for instance what a waste of money that was. dont they have artists in the midlands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 dont they have artists in the midlands? Lot's but £70 million on an art gallery in an area deemed very poor is a senseless waste of taxpayers money when that would have built a new hospital easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Lot's but £70 million on an art gallery in an area deemed very poor is a senseless waste of taxpayers money when that would have built a new hospital easily. yeh it was a lot of money.....and if you think about it you will always find something better to spend the money on (in hindsight)....however I think councils budget their money....ie x amount for this....x amount for that.....x amount for arts and culture.....it was a community project built for the cummunity that sadly was costing too much to run.....it doesnt mean tho that money should not be spent on community projects like that one.....there is a petition to try and keep it....I think they have several thousand signatures so some local folk must like it....but I understand your point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freesia Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I worked for wolves council as well, very sad, 1000 jobs to go, I am sure the council is probably the biggest employer in wolverhampton so its going to have a big knock on effect. The town centre is already half closed down, the redevelopment that was supposed to save it abandoned. I hope your daughter escapes ok, I really like Bantock house most of them are being met voluntarily- I know several people just waiting for the best deal they can strike! I got out of the LA years ago- & the financial wastage has always been at an appalling level. They've totally sliced the top off the LEA management free-for-all; about time too. Shame for those who lose jobs always, but essential services seem to be pretty safe- from the ones I've spoken to anyway. And I know 2 people who got LA jobs in the last month- so not all doom & gloom. I can't see much wrong with charging people to use the internet in libraries for instance- you wouldn't get it free at home. Not all bad in Wolves, although the town centre is dire I have to say. I live by Bantock & it's a lovely area . Glad the move was good for you Wolvesaussie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlhall Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Look at that art gallery in west brom for instance what a waste of money that was. Everyone said it would be a big waste of money, but once Sandwell council had approved the spend, there was no going back... Such a waste of money that could have been used in other areas and the existing art galleries could have been renovated for far less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Should feel sorry for those stuck in Blighty but just can't I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Birmingham have just got a multi million pound new library. Guess the money had to come from somewhere. I was surprised at the cost of going for a swim when we were in the UK. Privatisation is not the answer, the local conciliation did that with a leisure centre here and luckily had enough money to take it back over and refurbish it after the private company let it go to ruin. Nearly didn't reopen again though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolvesaussie Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 We have a nice pool in Greensborough (Melbourne).. I think it must be a private/council partnership as some of the staff have local council uniform but the place is run by a company called Water Marc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Birmingham have just got a multi million pound new library. See my other post on Brum. This stuff below has been going on since before they started building that library. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2462122/Ofsteds-chief-inspector-calls-Birmingham-national-disgrace.html The difference in Australia is that there's not the expectation that things are provided for you. You'd think with a 30% tax rate everyone would be expecting more free facilities from the taxpot, but they don't. Swimming here is quite pricey and Canberra supports seven 50m pools i think? Birmingham hasn't got one with three times the population, their professional swimmers have to go to Nottingham to train or just move away altogether. The last proposal was to create a 50m pool by placing a tank above ground level next to some railway tracks and covering it with a tent structure instead of a proper roof. They didn't even get that done because they couldn't prove the business case that people would use it. Different worlds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I worked for wolves council as well, very sad, 1000 jobs to go, I am sure the council is probably the biggest employer in wolverhampton so its going to have a big knock on effect. The town centre is already half closed down, the redevelopment that was supposed to save it abandoned. I hope your daughter escapes ok, I really like Bantock house Although all LA's get a bad rep in the UK, especially in deprived industrial areas, Wolves Council doesn't perform that badly compared to Sandwell and Birmingham. They haven't had to make anything like the cuts those two have. Brum have cut a third of the non-schools workforce in 4 years, it's astounding. And they're still not finished...they will have to dissolve themselves because central government is going to make them do it. A real life pilot study to be applied everywhere else thereafter. I remember speaking to a Councillor over there years ago and his future vision for Birmingham was a group of Councillors working as a Board of Directors, with a very small administrative and procurement function overseeing every statutory function being outsourced to private business, based on whatever funding they had. A workforce of no more than a few hundred to service 1 million people. If they didn't get the funding for a non-statutory service (like parks, sport, or community services), they would gladly give the assets and services away and wash their hands of it altogether. It looks that's what the current Labour leader is now warning will have to happen. http://www.thechamberlainfiles.com/spending-axe-descends-as-birmingham-council-reinvents-itself-in-the-age-of-austerity/ By comparison, Wolves is doing better though it's nothing to be happy about for anyone. The city centre redevelopment was shelved because the developer couldn't see a way to make it successful, and that comes down to general wealth in the area. If the money isn't there to be passed around, nobody will invest. They haven't found a way to make money in Wolves for years, since Goodyear moved away. Lots of big business has been lost over the years and hasn't been replaced, with the knock on effect that the supply line and support businesses have disappeared as well. Increase in unemployment and deprivation adds to the bill of the council, with less money coming in to deal with it. A downward spiral. Hopefully the new Jaguar Land Rover engine factory will give it a kickstart because it needs some sort of direction and hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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