Special treatment for Parkway has gone too far., They have a special reduction in their BID payment. Options

[dannyboy]

The feeble one's used for the last few years are far from jovial - the old energy guzzling one's were far brighter and more jovial.

I think the best one is the large 'Merry Christmas' which is suspended over the market place. Looks fine from the one side, but is backwards from the other [ Cheap St ] side .

Methinks it is either supposed to be hung against a building, or that there is a 'backside' to the array which spells Merry Christmas correctly for viewing from that side, which was not ordered.....

[Roger T]

The feeble one's used for the last few years are far from jovial - the old energy guzzling one's were far brighter and more jovial.

That's the spirit. Energy saving bulbs. The amount of energy they save is made up by the amount of extra energy you exhume while straining your eyes to see anything.
I have 100w bulbs throughout my house. I leave them on most of the day.

But would you rather poor lighting than no lighting at all? I'd rather take Sainsburys Basic beef stock than no gravy whatsoever.

It should be the people who are going to financially benefit from the lights who should pay for them. Not the local taxpayers.

There would be uproar if Tesco at Pinnchinton Lane had their Xmas lights paid for by the local council.

Oh I am in agreement with you. I think in communal areas using a small amount of tax payers money is fair.
But likewise I think that Christmas lights in Tescos as you say should not be paid for by the tax payer. I would be quite annoyed, as would Mrs T, she feels strongly about it.

My Nephew on the other hand, just likes the "pretty lights". Even at his teenage years.

[Simon Kirby]

It should be the people who are going to financially benefit from the lights who should pay for them. Not the local taxpayers.

There would be uproar if Tesco at Pinnchinton Lane had their Xmas lights paid for by the local council.

Crikey O'Reilly dannyboy, you could have lifted that from one of my own posts. Though I would just add that the organisation that benefits most from the Chrimbo Lights is actually the Town Council who milk the service for £13,000 of direct administrative staff costs, and a further £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights.

The lights are predominantly a town-centre marketing campaign as you say, but they're jolly enough and I don't resent a small contribution to them from the Town Council precept, like £15k or so, but the whole thing needs to be managed and largely funded by BIDCo who can do the thing way more efficiently, and if BIDCo wanted to farm it out to the Round Table or the Newbury Society and save a bit more cash Big Society-style then everyone's a winner.

[Cognosco]

Crikey O'Reilly dannyboy, you could have lifted that from one of my own posts. Though I would just add that the organisation that benefits most from the Chrimbo Lights is actually the Town Council who milk the service for £13,000 of direct administrative staff costs, and a further £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights.

The lights are predominantly a town-centre marketing campaign as you say, but they're jolly enough and I don't resent a small contribution to them from the Town Council precept, like £15k or so, but the whole thing needs to be managed and largely funded by BIDCo who can do the thing way more efficiently, and if BIDCo wanted to farm it out to the Round Table or the Newbury Society and save a bit more cash Big Society-style then everyone's a winner.

Christmas Lights Self Management? Isn't one vexatious award enough Simon?

[Simon Kirby]

Christmas Lights Self Management? Isn't one vexatious award enough Simon?

Curiously enough it was for this very financial breakdown that the Council declared me to be a Vexatious Complainant. We joke about it, but in Newbury you really aren't allowed to question what the Town Council do and how efficiently they do it.

[dannyboy]

Crikey O'Reilly dannyboy, you could have lifted that from one of my own posts. Though I would just add that the organisation that benefits most from the Chrimbo Lights is actually the Town Council who milk the service for £13,000 of direct administrative staff costs, and a further £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights.

The lights are predominantly a town-centre marketing campaign as you say, but they're jolly enough and I don't resent a small contribution to them from the Town Council precept, like £15k or so, but the whole thing needs to be managed and largely funded by BIDCo who can do the thing way more efficiently, and if BIDCo wanted to farm it out to the Round Table or the Newbury Society and save a bit more cash Big Society-style then everyone's a winner.

Are you saying that NTC just sit around all day doing nothing, thinking up jolly wheezes as to where they can trouser some cash from?

They must have a pretty tidy stash now.

[Andy Capp]

Are you saying that NTC just sit around all day doing nothing, thinking up jolly wheezes as to where they can trouser some cash from?

He's saying quite the opposite.

[dannyboy]

He's saying quite the opposite.

What that they actually do do something.

Odd cos, I took the sentence the organisation that benefits most from the Chrimbo Lights is actually the Town Council who milk the service for £13,000 of direct administrative staff costs, and a further £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights.

to mean exactly what I posted.

[Simon Kirby]

Are you saying that NTC just sit around all day doing nothing, thinking up jolly wheezes as to where they can trouser some cash from?

They must have a pretty tidy stash now.

Are you saying that £13,000 in staff costs and another £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights is good value? It's not even as though they have to put the lights up or anything, a contractor does that, all they do is arrange the switch-on event. You could employ a junior local government officer for eight months of the year for £13,000, and the £15,000 administration cost is twice what BIDCo spend to run their whole operation!

[dannyboy]

Are you saying that £13,000 in staff costs and another £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights is good value? It's not even as though they have to put the lights up or anything, a contractor does that, all they do is arrange the switch-on event. You could employ a junior local government officer for eight months of the year for £13,000, and the £15,000 administration cost is twice what BIDCo spend to run their whole operation!

So you are saying it!

I've no idea what it would cost to install Xmas lights in a town the size of Newbury.

[Andy Capp]

What that they actually do do something.

Odd cos, I took the sentence the organisation that benefits most from the Chrimbo Lights is actually the Town Council who milk the service for £13,000 of direct administrative staff costs, and a further £15,000 of administrative costs, staff costs, and overheads, all on top of the £33,000 running costs for the lights.

to mean exactly what I posted.

Actually, you and he are right. I think they might spend most of the time seeing how they can trouser the budget rather than off-load or save it.

[Simon Kirby]

I am unable to opt out of the payment. If the BID is accepted, I have to pay it whether I like it or not.

They are supposedly raising 200K per annum. £1 Million pounds over 5 years.

70K is going on wages and administration. 30K is going to Newbury Town Council for the Christmas Lights. That has taken 50% of monies already.

Either you haven't read the Business Plan, or it's evolved and the one I've read is out of date, because what I see is that BIDCo will raise around £265k each year, £212 from your BID levy, and will spend around £200k directly on promotional projects with just £65k on wages and administration costs. That to me looks outstandingly good value.

[dannyboy]

Actually, you and he are right. I think they might spend most of the time seeing how they can trouser the budget rather than off-load or save it.

Cripes - an organisation run just for the sake of it & costing everyone loads more than it need to!

Off load the budget too far & your own reason to exist expires.

Maybe the Xmas lights can go back to the 'good old days' when the Council would start testing long festoons of GLS lamps in October & the we'd see the council electrician & his mate to string them up in late November .

[dannyboy]

Either you haven't read the Business Plan, or it's evolved and the one I've read is out of date, because what I see is that BIDCo will raise around £265k each year, £212 from your BID levy, and will spend around £200k directly on promotional projects with just £65k on wages and administration costs. That to me looks outstandingly good value.

An admin ratio of 25%. We'll it is better than Oxfam.

[Simon Kirby]

So you are saying it!

I wouldn't use your words or emphasis, but what I am saying is that Newbury Town Council's efficiency appears to be very poor. They have very large staff costs and even larger administartion costs and overhead considering the services they provide, and they have also gone to some effort to suppress any informed discussion of that efficiency or alternative means of providing those services, and I don't see how that can be in the public interest.

[dannyboy]

I wouldn't use your words or emphasis, but what I am saying is that Newbury Town Council's efficiency appears to be very poor. They have very large staff costs and even larger administartion costs and overhead considering the services they provide, and they have also gone to some effort to suppress any informed discussion of that efficiency or alternative means of providing those services, and I don't see how that can be in the public interest.

You'd have to compare the percieved efficiency of NTC with another council of similar size.

[Simon Kirby]

An admin ratio of 25%. We'll it is better than Oxfam.

You get a spot-prize if you can name the local charity with a management and administration to total expenditure ration of over 70%.

[Simon Kirby]

You'd have to compare the percieved efficiency of NTC with another council of similar size.

Zimbabwe?

[Nothing Much]

Gordon Bennet. He is sharp, a moment later there is the point.
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