QUOTE (Cognosco @ Oct 4 2016, 01:15 PM)
What with the roadworks on the A339 to build the new junction into Faraday ensuring that it now takes an hour to cross Newbury, and it is predicted that this will continue when the junction is actually finished and operating, and WBC doing it's utmost to make it difficult for businesses to operate and for people cost far to much to visit Newbury plus some of the same Councillors sitting on the town council, which is surely a conflict of interest, then moaning about WBC and doing nothing to try to stop them and being totally incompetent in running a small market is it any wonder that local politicians are treated with such contempt.
Its pretty clear that local councils are imploding. Who on earth would actually want to stand anymore, save the odd political hobbiest? Thats why many councils have had to co-opt replacement members, many Councillors are double dippers, and there are a good few wives press ganged into helping. Rats don't normally swim to sinking ships.
This serious lack of political talent, significantly diluted by internecine party warfare has an obvious and corrosive effect on the morale of the full time staff. The Concillors are essentially the directors; so no matter your role there, its hardly going to be a great place to work, so only attractive to those who see the remuneration package as an end in itself. And so the spiral of decline continues.
Reform won't work, the problem is institutionalised. The only answer is abolition; have all services agency provided and managed centrally.