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Post by Bean on Feb 1, 2017 14:34:57 GMT
The problem is that councils are getting their budgets constantly slashed (some is raised locally through taxes, some comes from the government) - they're expected to save hundreds of thousands of pounds year on year, despite having more people to look after, whether it's housing, community services, refuse collection or care homes etc. The more those services are cut, increasingly other longer term problems build up (like minor housing repairs being ignored and a serious damp problem setting in). There just isn't the money to sort it all and sadly they can be too quick to fob people off where problems need addressing. As with anything, some people who work there can be great, others can be awful. So I can see why people do have bad experiences.
Our council can definitely be inefficient, but are also fantastic in many areas and provide a lot of great services. Knowing the financial problems they have, I think they do a good job much of the time.
We also have local elected councillors (representatives of the local council) and our ones are great - so passionate and proactive. They regularly help out community groups, and get involved with help as and when it's needed, for example bailing out muddy waters from properties over the Christmas holidays when the area was flooded a year or so ago).
A couple of days ago we all got through a leaflet saying that in addition to the surgeries they always run (where you can visit to discuss any problems), they were doing a walkaround of the area in a couple of weeks, and to stick up the leaflet in your window if you wanted them to visit to chat about any local concerns.
Jo, you should find out who yours are and get them on side, it can make such a difference to how quickly things get sorted. Air vents should definitely have helped massively if it were just a ventilation issue. A dehumidifier will help stop the moisture levels build up and grow the mould, but it'll cost you to run it and won't solve the cause of the problem, so I really hope that once you've gathered the photos etc, someone listens to you.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 1, 2017 14:45:54 GMT
Thank you for your lovely reply Shades love but I think the council are reluctant to spend money on these places as they feel they are throwing good money after bad. One of the main problems here also is loss of space so everywhere looks cluttered even though we have far less than most people. They are all a waste of time Piggles love, the government only give them so much and they have to budget but they find the money for plush new offices, it is maddening.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 1, 2017 19:32:45 GMT
I think both Jo and Bean have some good points. Knowing who the elected officials are, and approaching them directly, could really help. I also think the wealthier an area, the more services the residents get. Councils definitely have financial constraints, and those constraints will probably only get worse, but I think just being upset by the financial constraints, to the point of ignoring the constituents, is just them being pissy.
It never hurts to just take a look before giving advice or refusing services. It never hurts to listen and at least investigate what, if any, steps can be taken to alleviate a problem. It totally helps to just be pleasant and as helpful as possible, so those who chose to just fob people off are really creating problems where no more problems are needed.
Some of the council horror stories I've heard involve police never responding to calls of anything from break-ins to destruction of property in progress. The police could actually catch the people committing the crimes, if they'd bother, but it seems they don't bother. I haven't heard the constabularies side of that, in all fairness to them.
Wheelie bins being tossed out into the road by the trash collectors, just because they can do it, or because they think it's fun. Results in damaged wheelie bins, in disabled people having to walk too far to retrieve their property from the other side of, down or in the middle of the street, which is also a risk because of traffic. If you don't want to collect the trash, get another job. If whole neighborhoods complain to the council, why does nothing change?
I think the impression some councils give the taxpayers is that the councilors totally don't care about them, and tough luck getting anything done or changed. If that's the case, then even just appearing to care would make people feel better, and actually doing as many of the free or low-cost things possible to make everyone's lives a bit better would really be appreciated. Bean's councilors do that, and she's happy with them. Jo's and some of my other friends councilors don't bother to even act interested, and my friends aren't happy with them.
We have the same problems in our municipalities, and now that the federal government is probably going to cut out a whole lot of programs for municipalities, we'll have to either go without those services, or find ways to pay for them ourselves. It might not be a bad thing in all places, for all programs. Volunteers are already picking up the slack for some programs in some places, as are businesses and corporations. It's not the first time we've gotten used to having something funded, lost that funding, and had to find ways to fund it ourselves. If anything, it helps us decide what we really want to fund and what we really don't, and gets people funding the programs important to them, rather than feeling as if they pay a lot in taxes, that all goes to someone else.
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Post by Bean on Feb 1, 2017 22:49:42 GMT
I don't really recognise the sorts of things you're describing as general service levels. Obviously awful if they have happened even once, let alone regularly though.
The police are definitely facing major constraints due to having their budgets and numbers of officers cut, but I've only ever heard other methods than call outs being used to gather information for less serious crimes, and certainly never a refusal while a crime like a break in is in progress. I've contacted them only a couple of times in the last few years (and not in an emergency) and they've gone above and beyond what I expected. As you say, there are always two sides so I'd do my best not judge or perpetuate any negativity without hearing theirs on any situation.
I don't live in an affluent area but the binmen are great - hardly ever miss a collection even over holidays (I actually think they should come less frequently and force people to recycle more to save money!) and although we're supposed to put our bins out on the street for collection, if you register as not being able to, they'll come and get it from your property and return it. I don't think they have call to do it much as neighbours tend to help one another out, but the service is there for those who need it. I think they do an ace job - I'd not have the stamina and would be constantly gagging from the smells of the bins!
In relation to council offices, the fact is that most local councils have had to sell off their office buildings in recent years, to make up the shortfall cause by drastic budget cuts. The offices they now rent are probably nicer as the council ones won't have been updated in donkey's years, but the motivation was simply to free up cash and allow as few drops in services as possible.
I won't defend local councils, police officers etc where they're provided an awful service, and my area has seen its fair share of problems so I don't have a head in the clouds attitude about it all. But I do think they all do an increasingly difficult job and face a lot of anger from people who have written off their ability to help before they've even been asked, which can't be pleasant to face on a daily basis.
I do love that in this area some of the community does rally together and provide a lot of positive energy about how to resolve things and support one another - it definitely leads to a happier life.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 2, 2017 9:51:43 GMT
You have that right Piggles hun, the councils don't give a toss about us. Our regular bin men are very good too Bean love, they even take things they shouldn't which saves us a trip to the tip.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 2, 2017 22:40:50 GMT
Bean, I have no doubt different councils and police departments handle their jobs very differently. Yes, it's possible there aren't enough officers to answer or investigate the calls any longer, due to cuts or other reasons. I think councils and police need to tell people that, and try to do something about each reasonable call, rather than just saying they have no officers to send. Say no officers are available, but as soon as one is, he/she will follow up on the report they filed. I don't blame the police or councilors being upset with all the cuts, but they can't blame the residents they serve. Anyway, I know a lot of UKers who are not happy with their councilors or their constabulary, and that's unfortunate. I'm glad you don't have that problem.
Jo, I really hope you can accomplish something with your council. It's hard enough to do when you're young and healthy, but the older and less healthy we get, the harder it is to stand up for ourselves.
We have the same problems in the US. Big cities are always stretched for enough police to cover the population. The biggest tax payers demand the most services, and get them. The lowest tax payers not only get the fewest services, but because they live in the highest crime areas, tend to be written off by police and councilors as getting what they deserve. Sad, but the wealthy really do get better service than the poor. Council estates are called Projects, in the US, and people living in the Projects get the least attention from police and councilors, unless there is a major crime wave from the projects, that effects the wealthy taxpayers or the local businesses.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 3, 2017 9:30:23 GMT
I think it is the same everywhere Piggles love, poor people don't count for much although I realise in this country we are better off than most. Benefits (welfare) are lousy here but when I see what other countries give for similar disability awards, we are lucky.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 3, 2017 11:00:36 GMT
I know enough people who complain a lot locally (sometimes with good cause, sometimes not), so I think my response is more down to my attitude than the facts as they stand around me. Totally the same mix with friends in other areas. Things are hard in many respects, but so is the human race.
Don't get me wrong, I love a rant when something's irked me, but after that reaction I feel much happier with my life if I look at problems as 'How can I change this?' (whether for me or someone else) or failing that 'how can I change how I react to it so it doesn't make me (and others) miserable?'. Some things are beyond that, but most of us can take more control than we realise.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 3, 2017 18:19:02 GMT
I do take everything with a grain of salt, but when having the bins tossed out into the middle of the street becomes an issue worth the neighbors forcing a meeting with the council, I figure it's probably as bad as my friend says it is. The one who can't get the police to do anything about the boys who keep assaulting her son has hired legal counsel, which she shouldn't have to do, but might finally get some action taken. She has pictures of his injuries, and said each time the police told her to file a report, then did nothing. I don't know that they did nothing, but since the same boys keep assaulting him, if the police did anything, it was pretty useless. I realize she doesn't have to pay the medical bills, which we would have to pay, but the beatings keep getting worse, and that boy is going to be hurt beyond what a simple trip to the emergency room can fix. Otherwise, I put a lot down to one perspective versus another, and to financial droughts.
Same here. A lot of people are compaining that their perspective is the only perspective, and that's what's dividing the country right now. We're doing our typical knee-jerk pendulum swing response to anything the lead group doesn't like, and with equally disastrous results. I really wish, if nothing else, all groups would strive for dialogs with opposing groups, and all government agencies would strive to at least talk to the taxpayers decently, and try to help when possible. That's often not the case on any of the sides.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 5, 2017 15:04:35 GMT
Very true Bean hunni, I don't let things bother me the way they used to and since I have been for counseling, I am taking on board some of the things we discuss and it is working. Oh God Piggles love that is dreadful, I hate bullies. I see where you are coming from love, they are going to end up killing him. What a pity someone doesn't give them a good beating, bullies are renowned cowards.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 5, 2017 20:06:56 GMT
That's his mothers concern, too
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 6, 2017 9:26:38 GMT
How is he Piggles love, is there any further news please?
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 6, 2017 11:06:42 GMT
That's certainly such a distressing and dangerous situation for that boy and his family - clearly in the 'some things are beyond that' rather than the sort of unnecessary negative chatter I've been referring to. It's awful to hear getting help has been such a battle at an already traumatic time for them, and I really hope some support and action is coming soon, and their lives can be their own again. It's just so rubbish that some people choose to behave like this and can spoil the lives of other people.
Glad your counselling is bringing some positive changes with how you process stuff, Jo. It can be so hard to change the way we think or behave, but where working at those changes will make us feel happier and more in control of our lives, it's worth it. The human brain is a funny old thing!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 6, 2017 21:48:18 GMT
No more news on the boy, Jo, just that the family finally hired a lawyer to help them get something done. The bullies have been bullying the whole family. The bullies live in the neighborhood, and have destroyed their fence, broken parts off their car, stolen their wheelie bins, blasted really loud music, and generally shown no sense of decency for others in their neighborhood. My friend isn't the only one who's had problems with them. Other neighbors have, too, and also gotten no response from the police. It just finally reached a point where her son got beaten enough to have to go to the emergency room, and that was too much for the family. I don't blame them. I just hope the lawyer can get them some justice. Those boys need to be locked up, as they have no assaulted someone, and I think assault is a crime in the UK, not just here. I think property damage is also a crime in the UK, and not just here. I hope your counseling continues to help you, Jo. It can help, sometimes, just to get someone else's perspective on your life, and give you some pointers
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 7, 2017 9:21:42 GMT
Thanks Bean love, it is a struggle I must admit because I have thought in a certain way, unwaveringly, for so long. Perhaps I am just fed up with grief, there is enough without making things worse for yourself. Oh Piggles love, your poor friend and her son, this is despicable. Why are they picking on that family although I note they are a general nuisance. Locking up, firing squad more like!!! You are right love, both these things are against the law here but unfortunately very often the law isn't the same as justice.
I do feel as if my counseling is helping somewhat. I think the next one is my last and you cannot reapply for another 3 months. I just hope I can keep remembering the positive things we discussed.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 7, 2017 9:48:27 GMT
That family sound awful, and I really hope they can be stopped. It's terrible how much fear and upset one rotten family can cause in an area, and of course a lot of the time people are too scared to speak up as they fear (often with good cause) retribution. Our home should be our sanctuary and I know how much small disagreements with neighbours can upset people, so a situation like that where assault and property damage are taking place must be intolerable. I can't understand how the police would not be taking all those complaints seriously, especially if neighbours are filing reports too, but I wish them every bit of luck getting rid of them.
Jo, have you made any notes about the things she's said or the techniques that work? It might help you with keeping it going longer term. And re-apply as soon as those 3 months are up if you feel it's helped. It's great it's helped you to some degree, but problems that have taken years to build up need more than a few sessions to sort out. It's all small steps in the right direction.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 7, 2017 13:17:49 GMT
Totally agree Bean love, I just don't understand why the police cannot do a lot to help this family, the aggressors are being open about it is what is the problem. As do you, I really wish the family luck and I hope that this will all come to an end very shortly.
Yes I have made a few notes Bean love and thanks for the tip. I have written them down on my puter so that they are always there to refer to. You are right, some of the things have been festering for years and I am having problems with them, one or two things however seem to have been reasoned with if you know what I mean. Others will indeed take longer.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 7, 2017 21:36:08 GMT
Even having one issues reasoned with is a great start, as that often opens the door to reasoning with other issues. I do hope you can get counseling started again, as soon as the three months is up. You might even be able to schedule your next appointment for 3 months in advance. Some thing to look forward to.
I agree that changing how we've always perceived things is the hardest thing to do. Especially at our age, when we have had so much time to get set in our way of thinking. I think, though, that things happen to us all throughout our lives, that open new doors for our thinking. If we're lucky enough to notice and take advantage of them, we usually make some really good progress.
I have no idea why the police won't seem to do anything in that neighborhood, and where that part of the issue is concerned, I'm less likely to just accept her word that the police are lazy morons, and think it might have more to do with their inability to make any changes in that neighborhood. I don't know, obviously, but if the courts let everyone out on bail within hours of being arrested, these monsters will just go back to the neighborhood and take out their frustration and anger on someone, probably those who filed charges. When there aren't enough police, sometimes doing something that can't be backed up is worse than doing nothing.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 8, 2017 9:32:52 GMT
I agree Piggles love, we are usually very set in our ways at this age and that includes ways of thinking. I am taking one thing at a time and am trying to block out negative thoughts or those I have been worrying about but cannot rectify. I hear what you are saying about that neighbourhood, similar things happen here. I just wish this family could have some peace and the bullies shot!!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 8, 2017 19:42:10 GMT
I wish bullies would find more productive and constructive ways to channel their anger. If nothing else, get angry and fight the people who hurt them, not others who did nothing but get in the way. Anger and fear can be great motivators to take official action against injustices, and marching, picketing and getting involved can take up most of their time. I hate seeing the cycle of abused becoming abusers, which is what this is. I doubt these boys parents are charmers, and probably have police records of their own. The police may know unless these boys are convicted, they'll be right out on the streets hurting other people. Others may have pressed charges against this family, and been intimidated into not testifying. A lack of police funding means not spending time chasing their tails I think it's very possible they and their son has been singled out because they did call the police, and they did press charges. Pressing charges didn't accomplish anything, and the boys are still rampaging around the neighborhood unchecked
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