An idea to deal with fascist councils

Every household could have to nominate an adult who will take legal responsibility for its bins as townhalls start to crack down on residents who are not recycling properly.

Under the plans, people who leave their wheelie bins on the pavement, overfill them, or put the wrong items into their recycling, face tougher penalties under the policy.

Plymouth City Council in Devon said yesterday it would step up pressure on those who break the law by raising the penalty from £50 to £110, the maximum allowed.

A draft letter from the Tory-led council includes a questionnaire which asks each household to nominate an adult who will take legal responsibility for its bins.

This is going too far but I have an idea that could work. When they are nominating their adult they should nominate the leader of the council. That way the council will be fining themselves and they will leave you alone.

Paddling pool banned again

For nearly a quarter of a century, Lourdes Maxwell has celebrated the arrival of summer by putting a paddling pool in the garden.

This year, however, her two grandchildren and the children of her neighbours may have to find another way to cool off in the heat.

Miss Maxwell's local council has decided that the pool - which is only 2ft deep - needs a lifeguard.

The 47-year-old divorced mother of three has also been told she must have insurance before she can inflate the toy outside her house in Portsmouth.

This is just ridiculous. It’s a paddling pool for gods sake! Why can’t councils just let adults take responsibility for their children? Of course this is not the first time this has happened. I blogged about this happening to Katie Joyce almost 3 years ago.

Nothing has changed. Health and safety bureaucrats only do this because they can’t get real jobs and it doesn’t look like national or local government will take action to stop it because they have had 3 years to stop it.

Would you pay £25,000 for this?

Taxpayers in Derbyshire are angry that their council spent £25,000 on a stone slab with a square hole through it.

The sculpture, by Michael Dan Archer, was commissioned by North East Derbyshire district council for the entrance to its headquarters in Saltergate, Chesterfield.

More here.

Bin men not doing their job

During August last year it was reported by the Daily Mail that it was too dangerous for Portsmouth’s bin men to empty their own bins so resident had to do it instead.

Craven District Council have decided on the same course of action. They don’t want their bin men getting hurt so they have decided that residents should take the rubbish out of the bins themselves.

Why are these people paying council tax if they have to do everything themselves? It is a bin man’s job to lift rubbish and put it in the truck. If they don’t want to do that they should find another job.

Council spend £80k teaching children to play

A COUNCIL which closed four playgrounds is to spend £80,000 on teaching youngsters how to PLAY.

A part-time “play ranger” will teach games to kids and give workshops for parents.

They will give a list of “quality play opportunities” to schools.

The three-year post at Lib Dem-run Eastbourne Borough Council in East Sussex is to be funded by a £205,000 Big Lottery Fund grant.

Lib Dem Councillor Margaret Bannister said: “Children don’t always know how to play. It is money well spent.”

It follows a decision to close four playgrounds after complaints about anti-social behaviour.

Instead of closing the parks why didn’t they just focus catching the yobs that were destroying the fun for the other children? These councillors are totally out of touch with the real world. Children will always know how to play but if you destroy places where they can play they won’t be able to.

Instead of closing down parks more should be opened and more should be done to catch the yobs who destroy the parks. It’s common sense but then again you can never accuse a liberal of having any common sense.

Don't recycle in Croydon

If you try to be environmentally friendly in Croydon you just might end up achieving the exact opposite especially if you want to recycle. You see you are no longer allowed to walk to the recycling centre. You now have to get in a long queue with your car even if you live right close to it. I hope I am not the only one that can see the idiocy in this.

The council workers have failed to figure out that recycling this way is probably going to damage the environment more than help it but they might know this because it seems that Health and safety considerations trump environmental concerns. The health and safety concern here is that apparently pedestrians and people in cars don’t mix and it’s unsafe. Whoever made this decision needs to be shot.

Hat tip: Nanny Knows Best

33,000 rubbish fines and now smaller bins

The number of householders fined for breaking draconian rules on rubbish has risen nearly 15-fold in five years, the Daily Mail can reveal.

This boom in on-the-spot fines has accompanied the creeping introduction of fortnightly waste collections.

In 2000-2001, there were fewer than 2,250 fines for littering.

Five years later, more than 33,000 people were penalised for offences including having bin lids open, putting out rubbish too early and leaving sacks of "side waste" alongside their wheelie bins.

While this is happening Labour has decided to reduce the size of your bin just over half the size of the one you have now which will mean there will be even more bin lids left open and side waste because they won’t be able to fit the rubbish in. Fines will also increase and the money Labour gets will increase too. It looks like the government have got tired of having a war against motorists and are now focusing on families.

Fat Buddha is not an option says council

A Buddhist businessman who wants to call his Chinese restaurant Fat Buddha has angered council chiefs - who claim the name will upset Buddhists.

Eddie Fung's £1.3million restaurant will open in Durham next month, creating 60 jobs.

But the restaurateur was astonished when Tracey Ingle, the city council's head of cultural services, demanded he change the name because it was 'provocative'.

Mr Fung, you can’t go around calling Buddha fat. You might offend Buddhists you don’t know and then they might not want to come to Durham anymore which would be tragic. Why don’t you call your restaurant Big Boned Buddha. It would be acceptable and it wouldn’t imply that he is slightly on the obese side. Just a suggestion.

Is it just me or have councils started getting a bit more idiotic than usual?

Council bans St George bandana

A black dustman has been banned from wearing a St George's Cross bandana because council officials say it could be regarded as racist.

Matthew Carter, 35, who was born in Barbados, used the headgear to keep his dreadlocks out of the way while he was on his rounds in Burnley, Lancs. He had done so for seven months before his photograph appeared in a local newspaper. A number of local people complained, and his superiors called him.

"I received a verbal warning," Mr Carter said yesterday. "They told me the St George's Cross was not allowed to be seen on any clothing we wear because it could be considered offensive and racist."

Ian McInery, the operational services manager for Pendle council, defended the decision to discipline Mr Carter. He said: "We have made it clear to staff that they are not allowed to put stickers or flags on bin wagons or wear clothing which shows support for a particular team, group or country.

"We can't make one rule for one person and one for another. It's just a common-sense approach that we are sticking to."

Mr Carter still wears a bandana but one that bears the image of a skull and crossbones.

Since when has banning the cross of St George been about common sense? Which self loathing idiots complained to the council?

What are you doing Mr Carter? You can’t wear a skull and crossbones bandana. It’s un-neighbourly. Take it off immediately!

These people are overpaid and under worked. The lot of them should be sacked until they get a bit of common sense.

Hat tip: Theo Spark.

Nanny state Britain

Britain is turning into a nanny state more and more. Today in The Daily mirror it was reported that the council have threatened parents to remove paddling pool for children because it didn't have a lifeguard.

Katie Joyce and other mums chipped in for the 10ft plastic pool to give their children a holiday treat.

But when they set up the £50 inflatable on a council-owned communal green without permission, they were warned it would be removed on safety grounds.

Bosses at Warwick district council feared a child could get hurt although the water was only 12 inches deep.

They told families on the Fallow Hill estate in Leamington Spa not to let children use it.

The letter added: "Permission has not been granted for its use. The council cannot be held liable and persons using the pool are not insured. The council are considering removing it."

Residents say the council was unhappy because there was no lifeguard or first aider. But angry parents claim they watch the children and there are never more than six in the pool.

Am I the only one in this sorry excuse for a country that feels that this is ridiculously over the top? This has to stop. Parents have to start taking responsibility for their own children and councils have to start letting them take responsibility.