http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Public consultation meetings at last en Thu, 21 May 2026 13:05:11 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45295 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:24:46 +0000 steveo 45295@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The question I have to ask with these things, is that since the council want to go down the road of sub contracting why exactly do we need an elected council? </p> <p>People could arrange with a private firm to collect their rubbish with tiered system depending on how much waste you produce and level of recycling you do. One could pay Scottish water direct. Up keep of the parks and roads could be managed by the civil service (they do it any way). The costs for which could still be collected by a city tax of some description.</p> <p>I'm not really sure what ECC do? If everything is farmed out then surely they'll be even more redundant? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45290 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:18:29 +0000 crowriver 45290@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Off topic slightly, but you might be interested to know that much of the university sector is currently working to rule (working to contract, to be precise). That dispute is about changes to pensions rather than privatisation.</p> <p>Not sure what the school teachers have planned but I have a feeling industrial action might be on the cards there too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45272 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:16:10 +0000 Dave 45272@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Of course, I guess one advantage of bringing in a private company is that they are unlikely to do anything for free, so either the charge will be higher or they will seem like they are on strike, and the council will need to spin it a little better than they do currently. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45264 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:24:49 +0000 Kirst 45264@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>14Westfield, it seems to be a myth that the bin men have been on strike. They've been working to rule - doing exactly what they're supposed to do and no more. If your bins haven't been collected, it's management's fault. </p> <p>And this is about so much more than the bins. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45261 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:09:45 +0000 SRD 45261@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I agree with Dave (there's a first time for everything :) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45260 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:08:18 +0000 14Westfield 45260@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Privatisation means that when the bin men decide they'd rather not collect the city's bins for weeks on end no one gets paid and they all get sacked.<br /> Excellent. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45234 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:12:36 +0000 Dave 45234@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Privatisation means doing the same thing but paying for a series of subcontractors' profit margins on top. </p> <p>British Rail (and a long list of others) have been so "successful" post-privatisation that I treat such plans with extreme scepticism. I'd rather have a slightly less efficient public service, personally. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4314#post-45231 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:09:31 +0000 Kirst 45231@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If you've been following the local news you'll know that the council has plans to privatise large chunks of council services through a scheme they're calling Alternative Business Models. They've taken pelters from the trade unions and Audit Scotland relating to their lack of public consultation on the plans. UNISON organised a public debate last week which the administration had agreed to attend, but then they pulled out a few hours before and didn't send a substitute. The meeting went ahead anyway and it was revealed that the council's only public consultation on the matter was a MORI poll of a few focus groups, and then they refused to release the results because apparently we're not allowed to know what we think. Anyway, turns out that the majority of those polled are against the plans - which led to the administration dismissing the public's views as out of touch. </p> <p>After a lot of pressure they've finally agreed to hold some public consultation meetings via the neighbourhood partnerships</p> <p><a href="http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/news/2011/2011/10/outcome-consultation-meetings/" rel="nofollow">http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/news/2011/2011/10/outcome-consultation-meetings/</a> </p>