Spellczech Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) Bet the fools wish they hadn't built all those cycle lanes with bollards now... So what would you advise to fix it? Starter for 10: Close libraries - nobody reads books anymore, so 20th century. Repurpose or sell the buildings. Donate the stock to McDonalds. Edited March 18 by Spellczech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooperstar Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 4 minutes ago, Spellczech said: Bet the fools wish they hadn't built all those cycle lanes with bollards now... So what would you advise to fix it? Starter for 10: Close libraries - nobody reads books anymore, so 20th century. Repurpose or sell the buildings. Donate the stock to McDonalds. I'm pretty sure there are still more people who read physical books than read ebooks or listen to audio books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Libraries offer a variety of services to the local communities . They should not be closed at all . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticJambo Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Well I'm all for the new improved speed cubes on Duddingston Road. There used to be just two sets where you really had to slow down (in front of St Johns, think they forget that Duddy Primary was there lol) but now that they've improved the others from Brighton Place to Milton Road, and in doing so they seem to have removed the bollards with big plastic stand to do the work, I can now just chicane round them on the inside. Doubt it will solve the problem but well done to CeC for hiring contractors who dont give af, or the DoT engineers who set up the contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Brown Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Follow West Lothian's route, close swimming pools. Sell the land (Almondvale) to build a new McDonald's and Costa. Broxburn Pool, spend up £200 to £250k to bulldoze it to make it a more viable purchase. Charge households £50 pa to empty garden waste, when the bin is already being emptied of food waste. I do understand cuts need to be made along the lines but, closing pools should be well down that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der Kaiser Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 New teacher pay deal for April needs to be the priority........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlimOzturk Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) They will do the usual, send the parking wardens out by force and up the amount they charge motorists in parking fines and bud lane fines. They will be raking it in with LEZ fines as well now. Edited March 18 by AlimOzturk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victorian Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Every local authority in the UK is in the grip of austerity on steroids as a downstream effect of a ****ed national economy. That's all there is to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Victorian said: Every local authority in the UK is in the grip of austerity on steroids as a downstream effect of a ****ed national economy. That's all there is to it. Not according to the SNP Although Edited March 18 by Mikey1874 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 South Lanarkshire 4th biggest in Scotland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1874 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) Edited March 18 by Mikey1874 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victorian Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 UK wide, all parties involved will indulge in all manner of localised blame games. But the source is the same. A per capita economic landscape in freefall. It's seriously ****ed. A brutal reckoning will eventually come. Councils are already starting to cut into the essential services budgets. Adult social care, etc. The result will not be pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrysmithsgloves Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Ever wondered why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Maroonblood Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, Der Kaiser said: New teacher pay deal for April needs to be the priority........ You deserve more holidays as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spellczech Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 2 hours ago, Sooperstar said: I'm pretty sure there are still more people who read physical books than read ebooks or listen to audio books. From libraries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Just now, Spellczech said: From libraries? When I worked for city of Edinburgh libraries there were audio books to borrow. Since then I guess that ebooks will be available. Certainly you can access online versions of magazines etc But not everyone is digitally literate, so physical access is still very important. One service we did was for elderly citizens who couldn't really get out so we would select books/audio books for them based on their preferences and then they'd be delivered to them. For a lot of folk living in sheltered housing/homes, these little things made them happy. I'm biased, funnily enough, but libraries are a mark of a civilised society imo. In my experience we were a community hub. More to your local library than just(!) books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooperstar Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 7 minutes ago, Spellczech said: From libraries? I dunno, but you said 'nobody reads books anymore' and I just don't think that's true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spellczech Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 2 minutes ago, Sooperstar said: I dunno, but you said 'nobody reads books anymore' and I just don't think that's true. Context. You cannot just select one phrase from a paragraph and take issue with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Over 1.25 million items were issued in Edinburgh city libraries in 2022/23. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 If only @Mikey1874 had a link he could post. Maybe the council could tax him for every link he posts, libraries stay open, budget deficit is slashed and a couple of new Primary schools are paid for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Duncan Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Libraries do far more than book borrowing these days. Most of them do free internet, IT education classes, literacy classes, they're almost a citizens advice bureaus these days as well as offering lots of social groups. Whack parking charges up. Whack business rates up for larger businesses. Impose a tourist tax. Nobody is cancelling a holiday to Edinburgh because they're paying an extra one/five/ten quid a day on top of their budget. Impose a land tax. Extra taxes for empty land which has planning permission but not being built on. Build the houses or sell up. Impose punitive council tax charges for empty properties. Increase council tax for the upper bands. Ban Air BnB. Impose private rental caps. Impose some kind of levy on the Universities. Take full control over the Festival and Christmas market; stops the money being hoarded away by private concerns, have it all flow into the Council coffers instead. Fast food companies pay an extra surcharge for refuse collection. Stop subsiding the feckin trams. They either stand on their own or they go bust. Sunk cost fallacy is a thing. Sack almost all upper and middle management in the Council itself. Massive road patching effort (yes patches are shite and don't last long and need re-doing not long after but the roads are in crisis so a short term fix is better than nothing and we certainly can't afford total re-surfacing). Increased frequency of refuse collections, especially in the city centre. Increased frequency of street cleaning. Re-open public toilets. Get the grass cut, verges sorted and trees properly maintained. City parks too. Tow away the Gold Bros cars and crush them next time they're illegally parked, then shut down all their shitey shops in the Old Town, citing uncompetitive business practices. Build a wall around Pennywell/Pilton/Drylaw/Muirhouse and invite the RAF to use it as a live fire bombing range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manaliveits105 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 that's what you get with a snp government though get them oot ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i wish jj was my dad Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 The bottom line is that freezing council tax when inflation is pushing up costs and public finance is on its arse has an inevitable ending. If you want services you have to pay for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Findlay Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Ah, politicians. Rather play party politics, as in blaming each other, than trying to help the people who voted them in, in the first place. I guess the bottom line truth is. We only have ourselves to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Montpelier Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 8 hours ago, henrysmithsgloves said: Ever wondered why? This is inaccurate It's missing several Diversity and Inclusion officers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indianajones Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 9 hours ago, Victorian said: Every local authority in the UK is in the grip of austerity on steroids as a downstream effect of a ****ed national economy. That's all there is to it. It's what happens when you shut down a country for a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seymour M Hersh Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Just imagine if they hadn't built their vanity project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertarian Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 11 hours ago, Sooperstar said: I'm pretty sure there are still more people who read physical books than read ebooks or listen to audio books. I think that spellczech was being facetious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertarian Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 8 hours ago, Jim_Duncan said: Brilliant. Thanks for posting this. You have brightend up my day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Duncan Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 3 minutes ago, Libertarian said: Brilliant. Thanks for posting this. You have brightend up my day We need more Ron Swansons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertarian Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 6 minutes ago, Jim_Duncan said: We need more Ron Swansons. 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il Duce McTarkin Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 9 hours ago, Boris said: I'm biased, funnily enough, but libraries are a mark of a civilised society imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrysmithsgloves Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 1 hour ago, Lord Montpelier said: This is inaccurate It's missing several Diversity and Inclusion officers. 🤣🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taffin Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 (edited) Buy up buildings of public interest as a longer term strategy and make money from them them. Blackpool Council do this and seem to be one of the few councils bucking the trend. Equally, I've just had notification of a council tax rise and quite honestly wouldn't be opposed to them cutting around 50% of what they list as it covering. Edited March 19 by Taffin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 3 minutes ago, Taffin said: Buy up buildings of public interest as a longer term strategy and make money from them them. Blackpool Council do this and seem to be one of the few councils bucking the trend. Equally, I've just had notification of a council tax rise and quite honestly wouldn't be opposed to them cutting around 50% of what they list as it covering. I got the letter yesterday . Mine has went up £3 a month . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Just echoing the support for libraries again . One of my neices used to take her wee ones to them as they also did story telling and “ Rymme time “ kids loved it . They also do community classes and let out rooms etc to other groups who may need them . I for one still read books 📕 can’t abide reading stuff on tablets etc . Libraries formed an important part of my childhood . I have me access to learning and I felt it was a safe space too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig_ Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 The reality is that the cost of social care and inflation-linked pensions are what are causing budgetary pressures, along with cuts in central government funding. Sadly, the council don't appear keen to make any fundamental changes to the way they operate, so it'll be frontline services which get cut as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il Duce McTarkin Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 10 hours ago, Cade said: Libraries do far more than book borrowing these days. Most of them do free internet, IT education classes, literacy classes, they're almost a citizens advice bureaus these days as well as offering lots of social groups. Whack parking charges up. Whack business rates up for larger businesses. Impose a tourist tax. Nobody is cancelling a holiday to Edinburgh because they're paying an extra one/five/ten quid a day on top of their budget. Impose a land tax. Extra taxes for empty land which has planning permission but not being built on. Build the houses or sell up. Impose punitive council tax charges for empty properties. Increase council tax for the upper bands. Ban Air BnB. Impose private rental caps. Impose some kind of levy on the Universities. Take full control over the Festival and Christmas market; stops the money being hoarded away by private concerns, have it all flow into the Council coffers instead. Fast food companies pay an extra surcharge for refuse collection. Stop subsiding the feckin trams. They either stand on their own or they go bust. Sunk cost fallacy is a thing. Sack almost all upper and middle management in the Council itself. Massive road patching effort (yes patches are shite and don't last long and need re-doing not long after but the roads are in crisis so a short term fix is better than nothing and we certainly can't afford total re-surfacing). Increased frequency of refuse collections, especially in the city centre. Increased frequency of street cleaning. Re-open public toilets. Get the grass cut, verges sorted and trees properly maintained. City parks too. Tow away the Gold Bros cars and crush them next time they're illegally parked, then shut down all their shitey shops in the Old Town, citing uncompetitive business practices. Build a wall around Pennywell/Pilton/Drylaw/Muirhouse and invite the RAF to use it as a live fire bombing range. Ever thought about going into local politics, Cade? You'd need to stop being so much of a ^***, which is a big ask, and the Ukranian high command would need to do without your instruction for a bit, but you've got some solid ideas in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
If carlsberg did rivals... Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 12 hours ago, AlimOzturk said: They will do the usual, send the parking wardens out by force and up the amount they charge motorists in parking fines and bud lane fines. They will be raking it in with LEZ fines as well now. I think it's June 1st the LEZ kicks in properly, as for parking charges and fines they can quadruple them for me as I don't park in town when the charges are active and I'm not daft enough to park somewhere i shouldn't. Hopefully this keeps my council tax down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62,989
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.