OT So that's how my Council Tax is spent

[Tricky Dicky]

It has taken 13 workmen on five seperate visits over the last few weeks to replace an old lamp post outside our house, and you know what the light is still not working!

Richard

[Adrian]

You should be glad.

The council will be paying their contractors a fixed fee to replace a lamp post. If they can't get it right within a fixed time period, the council will apply a financial penalty to the contractor.

So, by cocking it up, they're redistributing wealth from their private sector employer to the council.

[RJH]

I doubt that very much. The job will be costed according to a detailed schedule of rates. Not 'fix street lamp'.

[Brian-Gaff]

Actually, around here its all very complex. If you live on a major road, the Transport for London are supposed to fix streetlights, but as its also under the boroughs control, they have to do it when the borough says. The snag is both the borough and tfl use different contractors and both have to wait at some point for making safe and reconnecting the powere for London Power Networks, a devision of UK power networks, who were formally EDF. All this co ordination seems to take on average about three months with sundry holes temp back filling, lots of cones and signs and parked up jcbs and materials blocking the footway etc. I'm sure there has to be a better way. Brian