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How many councils will go bust?


macca

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11 hours ago, Andersen said:

Council tax debt (Scotland) has "exploded" in 2021 according to Citizens Advice, average debt owed is c.£3k which is double the average council tax bill https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55514828 Will it be written off or will the pigeons come home to roost? :/

Surely life would be easier if everything just came from central govt and their was no need for councils.

Private bin collections couldnt cost more than a couple of quid per house/flat a week.

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English councils battling financial ruin
 

Quote

 

BBC analysis in 2020 showed nine out of 10 major local authorities in England did not have enough cash to cover their spending plans this year, and coronavirus could lead to them going £1.7bn over budget.

Now, a committee of MPs has criticised the Treasury for its "worryingly laissez faire attitude" to the state of local government finances, warning of a "significant risk" that Town Hall debts could drag down the "whole of government".

 

Time for a big reset for Sim Earth, it's all got way too complex and unsustainable. Ditch the debt, it only feeds the rich.

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On 13/01/2021 at 13:15, Hancock said:

Surely life would be easier if everything just came from central govt and their was no need for councils.

Private bin collections couldnt cost more than a couple of quid per house/flat a week.

Yes.

I say the same about the NHS with its multiple authorities each paying for and implementing different systems.  It's waste and the senior NHS people I have encountered have not impressed me by their intellect; what experience does a doctor have that makes them suitable for running a large corporation? That's why they are so rubbish.

There is a problem IMO with unfair treatment of different parts of the country by central government, essentially where the money goes, but that is not improved by devolving powers to local authorities.

I think the fallout from councils running up vast debts to buy commercial properties, industrial estates and shopping centres will be horrendous and it is only running under the radar, this site excepted, at present because no inquiring journalist has added it all up.

If it was controlled centrally then it could have been avoided; it is probably already too late and the next step is fire sales to try to reduce the level of debt and then a central government bail out. 

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2 minutes ago, Frank Hovis said:

Yes.

I say the same about the NHS with its multiple authorities each paying for and implementing different systems.  It's waste and the senior NHS people I have encountered have not impressed me by their intellect; what experience does a doctor have that makes them suitable for running a large corporation? That's why they are so rubbish.

The issue with doctors in any other role is that they're not used to having their decisions seriously questioned. 

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2 minutes ago, Frank Hovis said:

Yes.

I say the same about the NHS with its multiple authorities each paying for and implementing different systems.  It's waste and the senior NHS people I have encountered have not impressed me by their intellect;

Im dealing with the FCA and BoE about banks breaching clauses 5, 5.1, 5.2 on page 46 of the CHAPS Reference Manual.

image.png.8857b3798d9fd6512a03898101e1f029.png

(it is in relation to APP fraud, basically banks have not bothered telling customers that the name is not used in the transaction, and that only the sort and account no. is used.)

I first took my complaint to the BoE who said as its a regulatory breach the FCA have to deal with it.

I then raised my complaint with the FCA and they said as the BOE have written the CHAPS Manual they have to deal with it.

So i went back to the BoE and they have said as Nationwide are an Indirect Participants and they use HSBC as their agent bank for all transactions and NW's contact is with them that HSBC are responsible.

HSBC have a contract with the BOE to use this system and the BOE are supposed to check HSBC are adhering to all the regulations. HSBC contractual obligation is to make sure that the "indirect participants" are adhering to all their regulatory obligations towards CHAPS.

Thus as HSBC have failed to do so they are in breach of their contract with the BoE. Thus BOE/ FCA should have pulled them up on this, but as they haven't they have failed to act as a regulator.

Im in the process of getting by taking it to the next level, but its taken 2 years so far.

But it shows its one giant game of pass the buck, none of them do fuck all and get paid handsomely for it.

My point being, NHS, BoE, FCA, Councils, large corporations ... it makes no difference ... theyre all fucken useless and never take any responsibility. Then society reaches the point it has now.

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1 minute ago, Hancock said:

My point being, NHS, BoE, FCA, Councils, large corporations ... it makes no difference ... theyre all fucken useless and never take any responsibility. Then society reaches the point it has now.

 

I dealt with the FCA so long ago that they were called the DTI, then morphed into the FSA before becoming the FCA.

Back then, I was in insurance, they were really good.  They did the numbers stuff but they also made a point of knowing the market.  Our DTI guy used to come to lunch once or twice a year to ask us, in an informal setting, what was happening with us and the market, had we heard any rumours and would also pass on tips about which brokers and insurers / reinsurers to be be wary about. 

This way they found about problems before they got out of hand or showed in anybody's accounts.  They were genuinely bright and proactive and stopped small scams becoming big ones.

HMRC used to do similar; get into business lunches and pub sessions to hear what was really going on.

All of that market work, which IMO was the most important part of their job, was quietly dropped because of the rise of Blairite / MBA management which thought everything could be measured and the human element could be ignored.

A big factor in the uncovering of the Independent Insurance / Michael Bright fraud was that the DTI heard the same from everybody in the market: there is no way that their results are that good.  So they were fully investigated.  They were hiding claims in order to make the profits and share price higher.  Literally IIRC; some claims files were found in Brighty's wardrobe.

Insurance has always been open to fraud because unlike other businesses you receive the income (premiums) before you pay the costs (claims).

 

Brighty looking less red in the face than usual.

brightDM2410_468x418.jpg

This is more like it:

michael-bright-580x358.jpg?itok=Ngzji0VL

A jury heard how the trio hid the firm's financial problems from investors, including making claims the company had made a £22million profit when in fact it had made a loss of at least £180million.

The fraud has cost the taxpayer almost £370million - the total paid out to policyholders in compensation by the Financial Services Authority after the insurer went bust.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin said Bright was the 'architect' of the fraud that concealed millions in losses from

investors and Independent's own auditor, Watson Wyatt.

He told Southwark Crown Court in London that Bright had 'infected' the company with a 'truly serious disease' that ended with the collapse of Independent in June 2001.

Only the year before Independent had a market value of £1billion and was hailed as the darling of the City.

The court heard how the three men manipulated Independent's accounts in 1999 and 2000 to show a profit when, in fact, they should have shown cumulative losses of £250million.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-489477/Insurance-bosses-jailed-hiding-250m-loss-Britains-worst-commercial-disasters.html

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I was working with someone who's Dad was an Midlands insurance broker - semi specialist, biggish numbers.

I remember chatting to him about II, as I could not work out why it was soo much better than everyone else.

The problem with insurance is theres a very fine line between very efficient and a long con.

The blokes Dad was saying - I cant work out how they are making money. And neither can other brokers.

BoE also used to run a lot of agents in the regions, giving good feedback on the economy and what the banks were up to.

 

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2 hours ago, Frank Hovis said:

They were genuinely bright and proactive and stopped small scams becoming big ones.

The way i see it is if they put their head above the parapet to call out the banks for malpractice they won't climb up the corporate ladder, its those that STFU and comply with the unspoken code they will be fine.

Was speaking to someone who is fighting the big fight for APP fraud about how the 2nd in charge at Nationwide is thick as fuck. He truly does come across as dumb yet is an £1.5 million a year

Anyway he pointed out that certain people get into these positions, because of their lack of talent as they won't be a threat to those around them.

An example he gave was those in Boris Johnsons cabinet.

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36 minutes ago, Hancock said:

The way i see it is if they put their head above the parapet to call out the banks for malpractice they won't climb up the corporate ladder, its those that STFU and comply with the unspoken code they will be fine.

Was speaking to someone who is fighting the big fight for APP fraud about how the 2nd in charge at Nationwide is thick as fuck. He truly does come across as dumb yet is an £1.5 million a year

Anyway he pointed out that certain people get into these positions, because of their lack of talent as they won't be a threat to those around them.

An example he gave was those in Boris Johnsons cabinet.

The corporate world works this way everywhere.  It's worse than that though because anyone who has any dirt will get promoted so they keep their mouth shut.

Whistleblowers are often prosecuted for their trouble and if you cross the big guys you end up like Julian Assange.

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This story about the binman getting the sack for kicking down a snowman sums things up.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13888102/binman-sacked-kung-fu-kicked-snowman-melt/

I know a couple of binmen in their 40s who have been employed by the council to do this job for 25 years or more ... they work hard doing an important job and get the rewards of an OK wage and pension.

Roll on to the 2020s or probably early 00s and this job is now outsourced to agencies who are making an easy buck off the back of this mans hard labour ... then he mucks about at work and is instantly sacked.

No way would that happen if he was employed directly, but direct employment is seemingly only suitable for office staff.

All part of the equation of the young being royally fucked over.
 

 

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23 minutes ago, Hancock said:

This story about the binman getting the sack for kicking down a snowman sums things up.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13888102/binman-sacked-kung-fu-kicked-snowman-melt/

I know a couple of binmen in their 40s who have been employed by the council to do this job for 25 years or more ... they work hard doing an important job and get the rewards of an OK wage and pension.

Roll on to the 2020s or probably early 00s and this job is now outsourced to agencies who are making an easy buck off the back of this mans hard labour ... then he mucks about at work and is instantly sacked.

No way would that happen if he was employed directly, but direct employment is seemingly only suitable for office staff.

All part of the equation of the young being royally fucked over.
 

 

They are contracted out to waste disposals.

The issue with the public sector is its the public sector.

Doesn't matter if its binmen, nurses or teachers. Everyone takes the piss with sickies.

Any job done by the public sector soon spins out of control, with layers 9f management and pro sickies.

Just outsourcing a task to the private sector to halve the sick leave makes outsourcing a no brainer.

It's when they start outsourcing to reduce spend that the issues occur.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, spygirl said:

They are contracted out to waste disposals.

The issue with the public sector is its the public sector.

Doesn't matter if its binmen, nurses or teachers. Everyone takes the piss with sickies.

Any job done by the public sector soon spins out of control, with layers 9f management and pro sickies.

Just outsourcing a task to the private sector to halve the sick leave makes outsourcing a no brainer.

It's when they start outsourcing to reduce spend that the issues occur.

 

 

 

But we know how it works, contract is outsourced at ridiculously high price so the well connected "private company" milks the council for all its worth ... then they pay an agent twice the workers wage so they can sack him in an instant.

= fuck all savings, but those at the top along with agents making out like bandits.

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29 minutes ago, Hancock said:

But we know how it works, contract is outsourced at ridiculously high price so the well connected "private company" milks the council for all its worth ... then they pay an agent twice the workers wage so they can sack him in an instant.

= fuck all savings, but those at the top along with agents making out like bandits.

You know little about LA tendering then.

LAs, being gormless fucks, have to have a selection procedure.

Rather than doing anything sensible, like trying to work out the cost, they award the cotnract to the lowest bidder.

Sometimes they only have one bidder.

If the outsources had milked the counil then they would nto have all gone bust,

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/15/interserve-to-go-into-administration-after-shareholders-reject-deal

Or Capitas share price

chart.jsproto_large.chart?ID_SEDOL=B23K0

 

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Bus Stop Boxer
On 13/01/2021 at 13:15, Hancock said:

Surely life would be easier if everything just came from central govt and their was no need for councils.

Private bin collections couldnt cost more than a couple of quid per house/flat a week.

Build back better.

Just not "their" version of better.

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3 hours ago, spygirl said:

You know little about LA tendering then.

LAs, being gormless fucks, have to have a selection procedure.

Rather than doing anything sensible, like trying to work out the cost, they award the cotnract to the lowest bidder.

Sometimes they only have one bidder.

If the outsources had milked the counil then they would nto have all gone bust,

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/15/interserve-to-go-into-administration-after-shareholders-reject-deal

Or Capitas share price

chart.jsproto_large.chart?ID_SEDOL=B23K0

 

That fall is because I left.

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3 hours ago, spygirl said:

You know little about LA tendering then.

But i know lots about England. 

If you have worked for the councils on tendering for these contracts then you are more informed than I, if not then we're about equal.

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6 hours ago, Hancock said:

This story about the binman getting the sack for kicking down a snowman sums things up.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13888102/binman-sacked-kung-fu-kicked-snowman-melt/

I know a couple of binmen in their 40s who have been employed by the council to do this job for 25 years or more ... they work hard doing an important job and get the rewards of an OK wage and pension.

Roll on to the 2020s or probably early 00s and this job is now outsourced to agencies who are making an easy buck off the back of this mans hard labour ... then he mucks about at work and is instantly sacked.

No way would that happen if he was employed directly, but direct employment is seemingly only suitable for office staff.

All part of the equation of the young being royally fucked over.
 

 

tbf it was a pretty good kick, plenty of rotation, height and he kept his balance - I was impressed!

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1 minute ago, JFK said:

tbf it was a pretty good kick, plenty of rotation, height and he kept his balance - I was impressed!

And he had all that PPE on, not bad at all for a ginger.

I like to think my kid would think it cool that someone done a roundhouse on her snowman, these bedwetting fucks are going to raise a right whiny twat.

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19 minutes ago, Hancock said:

But i know lots about England. 

If you have worked for the councils on tendering for these contracts then you are more informed than I, if not then we're about equal.

You can look at the tenders.

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20 minutes ago, Hancock said:

But i know lots about England. 

If you have worked for the councils on tendering for these contracts then you are more informed than I, if not then we're about equal.

You obviously dont.

UK has little out n out corruption or dodgy dealing.

It's got a lot of useless people in the public sector.

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1 minute ago, spygirl said:

You obviously dont.

UK has little out n out corruption or dodgy dealing.:D

It's got a lot of useless people in the public sector.

:D :D :D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D:D :D

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