..

And where does the tax payer get his money from? Possibly the private sector?

Without the private sector, be they large multinational companies or a corner shop there would be no economy, simple as that.

Simon Kirby - try actually shopping with an independent, you may just be surprised to find you local greengrocer actually has much fresher stock and cheaper (often much cheaper) than Tesco. You've been suckered into presuming a supermarket is cheaper just because they pile it high.

Sorry, had given up with this forum and the ignorance show by some - but couldn't let this go.

Well done Iommi you have now contradicted yourself with this post, just look back at your previous post then read this

As I said yesterday - at least my comments livened up the debate

Bored now, because as usual there a few who are hard of thinking and incapable of moving the debate onwards and "discussing" (doesn't need to be about who's right or wrong) any given subject - bye, bye...

Okey dokey,

Certainly keep our armed forces etc, when things get better it would be nice to keep hold of our once again great country.
Cut out the majority of managers from the NHS (what is it, 3 managers per nurse/bed - something like that).
Get rid of 70% of the office staff in the Council Offices - yep I bet it could be done.
Loose at least half of the MP's and their support staff - we don't need 600 odd MP's - the USA only has 100 or so.
Scrap this whole household recycling scheme this must cost millions in infrastructure to facilitate (that'll be popular with some!) for an unknow return.
Encourage business ventures, not give them cash but stop increasing business rates by 70%, cut red tape etc this would then increase employment, fill factory/shop/office units and in turn generate more rates/taxes/NI etc

Or maybe this government have it correct, they couldn't have it any more wrong the previous lot!

Exactly, and if these wasters (I love that term!) aren't the first to go then the senior managers should be (or are they one and the same )

To quote the article on police you quoted I quote "We do have to be careful not to make assumptions and then to follow on from that with suggestions that may unnecessarily alarm the public," he said." Does this man know you????

Once again lets wait and see

Sorry but I still disagree, I call "front line" the actually teachers, the actual coppers on the beat etc not their support staff, afterall you can't retain the support staff if you get rid of the people they are supporting. As I said lets wait and I see, and hope that I am not wrong.

Well that livened that up a bit. User23 - nice to see you argument still has no further scope than rubber gloves and health workers/teachers/bin men etc. It has never been claimed it's front line jobs that will go, and as I said before lets see (that'll mean waiting until these cuts have taken place so you can put the rubber gloves away for now) if anyone notices the difference - I'm guessing not.

Iommi - you are obviously confused and have never faced being made redundant without notice (i.e you go to work and it's not there any more). It does happen, and often. So I stand by my comment that the public sector have the luxury of notice, and plenty off it. Also when you are out of work you take whatever job you can get, and I certainly wouldn't expect to get another job at the same managerial/pay level - that would just be a bonus. That is the problem with many people who on redundancy expect to have the same earning potential as before. Maybe that road sweepers job won't be so easy to come by, but there ARE plenty of jobs out there if you a realistic and happy just to be working (that is the real world sir).

I'm not gloating over job losses, but what I do find amusing is how many public sector workers seem incapable of actually getting on with getting a new job and moving on - instead they seem to moan and windge and expect a living to be handed to them on a plate, and NO that is NOT saying all public workers are this way inclined - just the way the majority of them come across.

Now where did I put my rubber gloves

Agree Spartacus - the Banks should have gone under or been 100% government controlled, not just bailed out. Even worse RBS still paying out massive bonuses yet 80% state owned - who allowed that to happen?

Yes, the job losses can and will effect the private sector, not just with contracts but it could also hit retail.

The "real world" I'm referring to is the one in which the majority of people work - no pensions, no security, have to actually work, redundancy always a possibility i.e the shop workers, production line workers etc

I'll say it again - job losses effect everyone at some point, public or private sector. It just seems all sorrow and sympathy when it's Public sector - that is the problem, as I see it anyways!

Please try not to swear it's not big and certainly not clever

The reason all these jobs are going is because they were "created" by Labour and excess to requirements. In the private sector you have to get on with it and find another job, just because it's public sector jobs there seems to be sympathy that is not there for the private sector - why is that?

I've been made redundant in the past - got another job, no big deal and I didn't expect special treatment or sympathy it's just life - get on with it. That is what I find amusing, all the "oh it's so terrible" no it's not we have all been there.

Oh you obviously don't understand about redundancy - if the private sector you can turn for work and find the doors shut - yes you get your redundancy but no notice. The public sector have had months of notice this was going to happen.

I was wondering which "bleeding heart" it would be first - you or user23!!

It's about time a lot of public sector workers were thrown out. Lets see if anyone notices any difference.

Please don't keep on about front line care workers/emergency services just to make anyone with similar views as my own look heartless, it won't be these people who go - unless they are under-performing, in which case fair enough.

Those that loose their jobs will surely be those that are incapable, this happens all the time in the private sector - cutbacks or not. In the private sector you rarely get notice about redundancies - you just turn up and find the doors locked, or told to go home. At least these public sector workers have been given notice, even if they don't know exactly who is going (if you are worried it would probably suggest you are a bit of a slacker and a prime target though).

To all you in the public sector - WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

Ossy1 - have a look at the name again

Klondyke was great until it turned into a kiddies party type place.

You rarely get a good old steak house these days, I look forward to it

Anyone know what it's called?

Chemical castration? That'll be 12 cans of special brew then

If there are they won't be able to maintain them on 30% reduced maintenance budget

No accusations here, but it all looks a bit queer or just very badly managed/planned/budgeted.

£1.1k in sponsorship - I can see a way forward, but then with all the apparent waste in the light budget why would anyone donate even more to be thrown away.

Thanks Simon

Would the £6k revenue be donations from businesses as I can't see these included anywhere? Otherwise I fail to see how they produce an income.

The question has to be asked why the contractor costs are increasing by £8,000 - huge amount, and the repairs/maintenance cost is decreasing which would suggest less in the way of "hardware" - very strange indeed...........

Go on then I'll bite - show me just one example of the public sector bailing out the private sector, just one no matter how small.

Oh - banks - actually RBS is now 80% government owned i,e now public sector paid for by, thinking now, oh yea with tax payers money provided mainly by the private sector. And is this public bank supporting businesses and providing mortgages, nope - they have to pay all those bonuses to bankers who are now effectively public sector workers, great.

At least our new coalition seem to be trying to balance things a bit, and if that means that many of the surplus public sector jobs that Labour created are now being lost then great. Hard times for the public sector? Yep you bet, now they to can join the real world.

Back on topic - does anyone have the actual figures for how much the lights cost after donations etc. Are NTC open to tenders for putting up and taking down the lights, I reckon it could be done for less than £30k (if not lets have the breakdown of this cost). I would also hope that the muppet who purchased that sorry tree last year has been replaced, or at the very least had an eye test!

Forget online - get out into the High Street (maybe not Newbury's!) and enjoy the sights and lights of Christmas. Try shopping with the independents for original gifts.

Or go all Blue Peter and make your own

Why get depressed. Christmas is great, and it would be a long winter without it in the middle.

Only 9 weeks away

So the lights go on, the half dead tree goes up (that really was a disgrace last year) and every one floods into the town like sheep because they have just realised Christmas is coming, you sure? Are the lights not in the High Street because that is the "heart" of the town where (at least in the past) everyone would visit at least once a week - unlike the Andover or Bath Road?

I will agree that a good display, like Hungerford has, does draw people in to see them. Newbury does not have a good display, rather the opposite. I know Hungerford businesses do pay a great deal towards the lights and 100% of the cost for their Victorian Extravaganza (which by the way apparently looses traders money on that day) which is an excellent example of Town's businesses putting on an event (19 years running this year I think) without any Town or West Berks Council's interference. So in reply to user23 - yes perhaps Newbury's traders should take a leaf out of Hungerford's book and stop moaning and actually do something.

There - totally turned round on my arguments now I have thought about it Well not 100% as Newbury's lights are not good and I can understand why the traders wouldn't want to donate cash until NTC guarantee a better display.

And if the Christmas lights (yea, back on topic!) were organised by the private sector I bet they would cost far less, and be far better.

Why would you bring the Armed forces & Police into a question about the overstaffed WBC offices, very strange....

Bailing out the private sector - not sure how that works when business rates increased by between 40% and 70% this year, VAT is going up to 20%, rather seems the other way round to me.

I take it you work for WBC as you obviously don't know where money actually comes from

That's is really interesting - at no point did I suggest ALL the staff in the council officers are wasters, that was you presumption which must be based on something, what I wonder? It's very common knowledge that all councils are overstaffed hence the cuts that are being made, that is pure and simple fact.

Anyway back on topic, no one has yet come up with a reason why the retailers should pay more than they do already, or what benefit the lights are to the shops - any ideas?

Sorry, I'm talking about the wasters in the council offices on Market Street - not front line NHS/Road sweepers (sorry sanitary technicians or whatever they are called this week!) etc - I should have made that clear.

Pretty sure that I, along with everyone I know will get old - then again that motorway bridge might just be calling.......

Ok - terrible shame about the scrounging workers at West Berks maybe having to work for a living for once (that's if the private sector will even employ these people). I think you'll find retailers have been having a hard time for the last two years already (how many people on here keep moaning about the empty shops in the town), but hey lets get more money from them so the go tits up for sure.

Now please explain how the pitiful Newbury Christmas lights help the towns shops because I just can't see it.