On 25/07/2018 18:43, charles wrote:
In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
On my local common today - grass kept short as it's mainly playing fields,
etc, and now as dry as I've ever seen it - was a contractor with a petrol
strimmer. Doing path borders. Creating the most amazing amount of dust.
Wonder what jobsworth sent him out?

it would be an agrred contract. "Strim path edges monthly."


Except that they tend to cut the grass in March when there is bugger
all to cut, then you don't see them for 2 months by whcih time it is
about 8 inches high, so when cut it smothers the grass and causes
moss.

"Andrew" wrote in message
news
On 25/07/2018 18:43, charles wrote:
In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
On my local common today - grass kept short as it's mainly playing fields,
etc, and now as dry as I've ever seen it - was a contractor with a petrol
strimmer. Doing path borders. Creating the most amazing amount of dust.
Wonder what jobsworth sent him out?

it would be an agrred contract. "Strim path edges monthly."


Except that they tend to cut the grass in March when there is bugger
all to cut, then you don't see them for 2 months by whcih time it is
about 8 inches high, so when cut it smothers the grass and causes
moss.

So they buy a big fleet of mowers. They cut the grass in all
the parks in March and then put all the mowers away. Then 2 months
later they get them all out again.
In the meantime the drivers of these mowers or maybe its operatives
nowadays will have been sat the canteen playing cards. Or possibly
engaging with their mobile phones.

No wonder the Council Tax is so high.


michael adams


....

In article ,
michael adams wrote:

"Andrew" wrote in message
news
On 25/07/2018 18:43, charles wrote:
In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
On my local common today - grass kept short as it's mainly playing fields,
etc, and now as dry as I've ever seen it - was a contractor with a petrol
strimmer. Doing path borders. Creating the most amazing amount of dust.
Wonder what jobsworth sent him out?

it would be an agrred contract. "Strim path edges monthly."


Except that they tend to cut the grass in March when there is bugger
all to cut, then you don't see them for 2 months by whcih time it is
about 8 inches high, so when cut it smothers the grass and causes
moss.

So they buy a big fleet of mowers. They cut the grass in all
the parks in March and then put all the mowers away. Then 2 months
later they get them all out again.
In the meantime the drivers of these mowers or maybe its operatives
nowadays will have been sat the canteen playing cards. Or possibly
engaging with their mobile phones.

No wonder the Council Tax is so high.

It's an interesting one, since my council (Wandsworth) were at the
forefront of privatizing services. Refuse collection being one of the
first. When a new contractor is appointed, they usually make a decent job.
Things like having someone clear up after the main collection. But that
soon stops. Now they are piling up everything for collection at several
points some time before the truck arrives. So twice the opportunity for
spillage. Which is exactly what happens.

They've also had contractors laying new pavements. Actual working hours
seem to be 08.30 - 16.00. With at least 2 hours off for lunch. Just the
sort of thing the Express would rant on about if direct labour.

--
*(on a baby-size shirt) "Party -- my crib -- two a.m

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 28/07/2018 10:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
They've also had contractors laying new pavements. Actual working hours
seem to be 08.30 - 16.00. With at least 2 hours off for lunch. Just the
sort of thing the Express would rant on about if direct labour.

Except that this is a fixed-price contract, and the employees
won't idle out their retirement from aged 60 on a gold-plated
pension paid for by council tax payers.

In article ,
Andrew wrote:
On 28/07/2018 10:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
They've also had contractors laying new pavements. Actual working hours
seem to be 08.30 - 16.00. With at least 2 hours off for lunch. Just the
sort of thing the Express would rant on about if direct labour.

Except that this is a fixed-price contract, and the employees
won't idle out their retirement from aged 60 on a gold-plated
pension paid for by council tax payers.

Then the council paid too much for that fixed price contract. Which will
of course include a profit to the contractor.

Very sad to know you don't approve of pensions. Your view will likely
change when you get older.

--
*CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

They've also had contractors laying new pavements. Actual working hours
seem to be 08.30 - 16.00. With at least 2 hours off for lunch. Just the
sort of thing the Express would rant on about if direct labour.

Laying new paving has became something of a mania with some councils.

The inadequacy of which in large paved areas is immediately betrayed
the first time it rains for any length of time; when garden pond
sized puddles immediately start forming where they'd never formed
before.


michael adams

....

In article ,
michael adams wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

They've also had contractors laying new pavements. Actual working hours
seem to be 08.30 - 16.00. With at least 2 hours off for lunch. Just the
sort of thing the Express would rant on about if direct labour.

Laying new paving has became something of a mania with some councils.

It was with Wandsworth quite a few years ago. The odd thing being they did
the other side of the road perhaps 30 years ago to their new corporate
design, smaller flagstones and about 4 couses of bricks to the road side.
Not a bad idea as that copes with tree roots rather better. But not this
side. When they did this side recently to the same design, I didn't expect
them to redo the other side too - as it had survived pretty well.

The inadequacy of which in large paved areas is immediately betrayed
the first time it rains for any length of time; when garden pond
sized puddles immediately start forming where they'd never formed
before.

No complaints about the standard of work here. Just the time they've taken
to do it.


michael adams

...

--
*No radio - Already stolen.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 28/07/2018 12:59, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Very sad to know you don't approve of pensions. Your view will likely
change when you get older.

I approve of pensions. What I don't approve of is Gordon Brown raiding
the private sector pension system of 5 billion a year, but keeping gold
plated pensions for the civil service (and platinum plated for MPs).

Andy