Pretending to grit
 

Now that the thaw is underway, is it time for the council to explain their gritting policy in full and whether it is designed to keep us on the road or off. During the recent heavy snow, people have seen gritters with full loads that weren't actually gritting. I notice our vociferous council leader has remained unusually quiet on this one.


link

Gritting reduced by 50 per cent in Lancashire (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

a lot of people have noticed thatteh gritters wernt gritting but doing the whole flashing light buisness as if they were but without dispersing teh gritt even when it was obvious the road they were driving on desperatly needed it.Somthing was mentioned on local radio about how peopole were noticing it too.

seems to be that they have a policy of seeming to be doing somthing but not actualy doing anything but it wasnt just our council pulling these tricks other areas reported teh same as well

im not sure whos responsible for gritting though iv always thought it was teh county councils job not teh local councils but i may be wrong

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Seems to me it was all about saving dosh, but it's false economy cause the roads aren't gritted so bins can't be emptied. Almost three weeks without bin collections, town centre like a scating rink. Hyndburn council couldn't deliver essential services. Can I have a rebate ? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I was told, anmd I don't know if this is true but it is not the Local Councils jogb to grit. Could that be the job of the highways authority?

Re: Pretending to grit
 

What's up with everyone up north today? When I was there men were men and no way was a little bit of snow cause for concern. What do we get now? Thread after thread of whingeing about the state of the roads and gritting or the absence of it..it's pathetic. If you lot are so concerned about driving from A to B in your beloved motor cars in a slight flurry of snow, then why don't you stick snow chains on your tyres instead of relying on the nanny state to bail you out?

Re: Pretending to grit
 

That's rich.

It only takes someone in London with dandruff to shake their head a bit quick, and the whole city closes down.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

no fear of that from tealeaf though hes more likely to be a victim of it rather than the cause

not that theres owt wrong with been a slaphead :D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

As far as I know local roads, side roads and town centre are done by the council whilst major routes like motorways are done by Highways agency/LCC.
Nanny State doesn't come into it. These are local services paid out of local taxation. The original post was in response to whether the council had provided an adequate service.
My missus saw an old girl go ass over t*t the other day whilst crossing a road in the town centre. Don't think a snow chain would have helped really. :rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I saw this occur on Rhyddings Street as well.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Perhaps people should just 'pretend' to pay some of their council tax, to cover the costs of pretending to grit the roads.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

iv been doing that with dodgt £20 notes for years lol

better stick a j/k in there and a smilet too for good measure :D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Has no-one told tealeaf of a fatality due to slipping on ice up here?

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Posted via Mobile Device. Just seen gritters out tonite actually gritting which suprised me as there is no forecast for frost or snow ?? What a waste when we were struggling for grit other week.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

what makes me laugh is when councilors go on radio saying teh cost is too great to gritt effectivly yet how much was blown on putting a fair ride in accy center the other year for example for a self indulgent act by the council to do with somthing or other relating to the mayor or was it a celibratory party that had thousands thrown at it.

im sure other people can think of many many things the council squanders money on and as for the town center didnt the dimwit that designed it sit and thing about how slippy the pavements would become in rain never mind snow

money isnt a problem , how its spent is a problem and this is what happens when people with no finacial background get let loose with a multi million pound budget and decide how its spent over biscuits and tea :rolleyes:

the council system needs a complete overhaull so that there is a person at the top with propper financial training who is employed not elected who has the final say on things like cheques and oversees every penny of OUR money that is spent from packets of biscuits to new houses

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I believe Russia had that for a long time, called it communism.

whoever is in charge of gritting is in a no win situation. If they buy too much they get hammered (see all the stuff now going on about swine flu and the vaccine) , if they dont get enough then they are also berated.

The recent weather was unexpected and they did their best to get more supplies in, but as lots of northern hemisphere countries had the same issues there was more demand than supply.

I`m with tealeaf. If you want EVERY road and payment gritted, and everything else you choose to comment on about the councils, are you willing to pay the increase in council tax to provide it ?

As for the proper financial training, we have this with Mervyn King head of the banks etc...didnt stop the banks having a bit of a problem did it. We have experienced doctors as Chief Medical Officers, but the NHS is still having issues.

In my view the issue is that we elect people to govern, then spend every waking moment trying to prove how bad they are, rather than saying "just get on with it". I wonder how much of Gordon Browns time is spent "watching his back" rather than actually governing. How much more could he get done if he wasn`t constantly being questioned as to why he hasnt commented on "issue X"...I think it would be totally fair of him to turn round and say "I`m busy and thats dealt with by someone else. Take it up with them". yet we dont let him...

Re: Pretending to grit
 

its not comunisium its management and each council shoudl have an empoyed manager who is qualified to handle a multi million pund budget.The elected councilors can then put a request in for things relating to their district or put joint ideas forward and proposals for teh area and prove that after the cost therses enough money left for essentials

Re: Pretending to grit
 

So, the people who have been elected by us , the people, in a democratic way, should then have to "request" from a non accountable or elected person?

No it should be the other way round and it is. The elected people take the decisions after consulting with professionals in certain areas. For example on gritting....I guarantee the people making the decisions had years of previous information, weather maps, metereologists , traffic and road experts..... and all those got it wrong. You only see the face of all that, which is the easy target

Re: Pretending to grit
 

elected people can deal with teh polotics and a competant person ie a manager can be in charge of teh money its not rocket science there is nothing undemocratic about having a person in employment to be in charge of teh budget regardless of what party is in power and teh person is answerable because he is in a job and if they dont do teh job properly they get fired

if a councilor wants somthing for their area they can put it to the vote amongst the other councilors and if they get the agreement/win the vote then they can go ask the manager in charge of the money if it is available and if it isnt because the manager has set aside money to allow for public services then the request gets refused and they have to find teh money elsewhere


the problem with outside advice is that it can be ignored and will be just like the advice given over what they should award themselves as a payrise was where they were recomended i think it was around %6 and they had a vote where they decided a %25 payrise was in order.I forget where i read about this it could well of been on here when the expenses etc got plastered over the site and it could well have been our very own council

Re: Pretending to grit
 

How do any of you even know that there was ever enough grit in the country to begin with to deal with this weather? Money can't buy something that isn't there to begin with. And if they councils had stocked up on it earlier on they'd be being criticised for speculative investments and potentially wasting cash on something that we may have not needed.

And unfortunately, with a budget like the one this country has, I don't think there is money to waste of 'being safe rather than sorry'. If people can't cope driving on the roads, then don't drive. The main roads have been gritted and MOST people can cope with getting to the main road aided on foot by others if necessary, to get on public transport to go where they need to. Obviously there are exceptions but if people pulled together to help one another then it would be fine.

Gritters obviously aren't employed to just dump down grit wherever they go, so we've seen them driving around not doing anything.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Just for you, blazey,

Taken from:-
BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Where does road salt come from?

Just a simple google will often save someone from posting in ignorance.
:)


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Black ice is hidden and dangerous. We should be gritting according to the conditions, rain, dew, temperature. Not by eyesight from an elevated cab in the dark.

Some councils had 69 days, Lancashire had about 10 or 12.

Not having enough grit is not a budge choice but false economy. For every £ saved I would not be surprised to see it costing everyone else in society £10 in accidents/inconvience.

Local decisions should not have been removed with a soviet style approach.

Driving around Fern Gore 3 times with a flashing light and an empty cage is wasteful.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

and im sure the poor family of the child that died after slipping on ice outside her school will agree with you along with all teh others who have slipped and broken their bones

or was it their own fault for been clumbsy :rolleyes:


and as for not having a budget to provide the money teh UK seems to be able to dig it up for haiti infact today they just announced they are trippling the amount already sent

Re: Pretending to grit
 

You could have read it here...

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...and-45105.html

or here...

Council makes a meal of rises - News - Accrington Observer

Re: Pretending to grit
 

'COUNTY highways chiefs have admitted the amount of salt spread on main roads has been cut by 50 per cent after reports of wagons 'pretending to grit'.

Gritting reduced by 50 per cent in Lancashire (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

my ex told me she was faking it and now i find out teh council have been too :(

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Gritting reduced by 50 per cent in Lancashire (From Lancashire Telegraph)[/quote]



Link already there see post 1 :)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I was highlighting a direct quote, hence the link it was from was given, again.

;)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

not good enough garinda now be put in your place, theres standards to be kept you know and theres plenty of people willing to point them out despite not adding anything constructive themselves while doing so :rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Quite right Accyman, standards. Where would we be without 'em? Probably with gritters pretending to grit :)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

No offence but Ireland is a different country. Well done though.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Another quick google would put you right, Ireland is part of the British Isles,


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles

Admittedly it's taken from Wiki, but even they are known to be more accurate than you prove yourself to be.

:)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Eire or The Republic of Ireland is a different country but Antrim is in Norn Iron which is part of the UK. Here's a link to Antrim Borough Council website.

Antrim Borough Council :: The Council

Re: Pretending to grit
 

those damn lucky irish having all that sea water around them, if only england had sea water readily available we would have loads of gritt

Re: Pretending to grit
 

One thing that did made me seethe a little was a letter in the Observer from a lady who was grumbling about the grit bins being removed ? Never seen a grit bin down Clayton :confused: .. besides most people would use it on the road wouldn't they to get their precious cars out ? Goes on to say that the elderly would not be so housebound if they gritted the town centre ... but you have to get to the bus first from their abode. You can slip on the smallest amount of ice unfortunately ... the young girl that, sadly, lost her life is a prime example. On the days where there was closure at schools, we sent our kids out to sledge/snowball, etc., in the snow to give them a lovely experience that it can be fun, but still has its 'danger' element.

She was suggesting that we get rid of the flower towers to subsidise them ... ok, let's not improve the aesthetics of Accrington, just in case we have unusual adverse weather conditions in Winter. Sure the budget for these would not have even made a dent.

Was even letter of the week !!

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Just before the winter set in the small footpath between my street and Hynburn road was re-tarmacked.

Immediately afterwards a new grit bin appeared at one end of it, the surprising thing was that it had two hasps on it ready for a couple of padlocks, thinking ahead the powers that be must have known how much in value salt would increase in the area if ever it was used therefore forcing the need for security.

The padlocks never actually were put into position, perhaps because no salt was ever put into the bin, but, if salt had been added it is good to know that they wouldn't have allowed it to be used frivolously.

:rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

further to Less's observations Antrim is 1 of the 6 counties that make up Northern Ireland therefore making them British and taking their lead from the British Government & loyal to the Crown. :rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Come on, sure Blazey was talking about Southern Ireland .. :rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

If so, what relevance does that have to Antrim?

Which is one of the places mentioned for mining salt?

Which as seen by yet another quick google that anyone can do without attempting to defend someone else's ignorance by showing their own!

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Anyhow the salt mines are in Carrickfergus. Discovered by Less's favourite search engine.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Not ignorant of N/S Ireland Less .. have travelled there on all roads of this Emerald Isle... didn't have to google..like yerself :p

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Looking at the map perhaps I should apologise?

I didn't realise how close to Southern Ireland it is situated!



http://www.nidex.com/images/MAP1.jpg


and if the scale of the map was even smaller it would be closer still!

;)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Which proves her ignorance, because the statement she gave showed she thought Antrim wasn't where it is.

Obviously ignorant of me though, aren't you? my ex wife was from Southern Ireland and many a happy time I had travelling to numerous places in that beautiful land, but even if I had spent all my life as a tramp travelling that Country I doubt that I could make such a false statement as to claim:-

How ridiculous!

P.S., why not just admit that you felt a need to defend blazey because it gave you an excuse to attempt a dig at me, (as is your whimsical way).

:tongueout

Re: Pretending to grit
 

It's not like the old days, when the winning leter of the week was an ode to joy, and thee and me could enjoy the spoils of your victory...in The Calder.

:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I have just seen a gritter on Catlow Hall Street and wait for it, he was gritting, I saw it and heard it hit the car :)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

so its not the councils fault its teh weather not ariving to schedule :confused:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Who the hell cares which part of Ireland I was referring to, last time I checked it was all over water. I can't walk to Ireland anyway. Unless I'm being stupid and Ireland has miraculously been moved closer to the rest of the UK.

Like it matters anyway.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Also, I said country.

The British Isles is made up of several countries, all of which have their own flags.

BBC News - Country profile: Ireland and lo and behold, Ireland is a country.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Stop splitting hairs you showed your ignorance then and you're showing it now, it was nearly a fortnight ago, move on for goodness sake.
:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Actually, the last post to this thread before mine was 6 days ago. My responses are delayed because funnily enough I have a life beyond accyweb.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

So, move on with your life, the rest of us aren't just hanging about waiting for you to come back on to make an arse of yourself.
:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Whyever Not?:D:D:D;)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

no one likes watching repeats anyway :)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Can't make my mind up whether this is an apology/excuse/explanation or whitewash ??

Leaders Viewpoint - January 2010

Still, hope the Christmas Card looks good next year.

P.S. My milkman got through too Peter and, yes, he really is called Ernie ... :D:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

its complete horse crap kate,- he understands messages of appreciation have been coming in from businesses in town centre.:rolleyes: he obviously aint been anywhere near, or spoken to any that i have,:rolleyes: complete bullsh1t, but i expect nowt else from him.:( he will be telling us next that the poor disabled woman that slipped on the ice n was carted off to hospital, n all the other poor sods that slipped n fell sent messages of the same ilk.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

There can't be more than one 'Trevor Best'(his milkman).
I haven't seen him since the early eighties when we were members of the same cb radio clubs.
Good to know he is around and working.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Since Cllr. Britcliffe said in the Observer that he was so pleased his paperboys managed to make it through the snow, perhaps he might consider employing them to be in charge of the council's gritters, the next time we have a bit of a cold snap.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

What a load of rubbish. Notice he said he 'understands', I think his source must have been blind drunk :(

Re: Pretending to grit
 

it seems these words of praise are just as imaginary as teh gritt that was pretending to come out of teh gritters lol

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Well, in defence of Councillor Britcliffe, may I say...

Just hang on, I'm thinking.....

It will come to me shortly.........

It was on the tip of my tongue a minute ago........

No, it's gone, shame really flashes of such immense inspiration must happen only once in a lifetime!
:(

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Obviously you were, otherwise you wouldn't have bothered reading it and just unsubscribed to the thread.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Just to resurrect an old thread, it seems the man in charge has decided he can't cope. Surely the job isn't that bad in the middle of June :)

'Horrific winter' prompts resignation of Lancashire gritting councillor (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Hey, June can be bad, so can July: Last time I was at the Calgary Stampede ... maybe 6 or 7 years ago, the memory is going ... it snowed.:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Labour Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said...'At least he has done the decent thing and fallen on his own sword.'

Should have put some grit down first.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Think yourself lucky Canadian Highways aren't sub-contracted out to Lancashire County Council, you would still be stuck there :)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

This just proves the guys a clown, if he'd hung on a few weeks more, may have got some redundancy.:rolleyes::D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Why am I not surprised the bloke is a Tory:rolleyes: The problem was not confined to Hyndburn it was the same all over the country, we just weren't prepared but even now a bit of Tory bashing seems to be top of the agenda:rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Irrelevant as whose side hes on, do ya honestly think he'd quit if it wasn't down to him? cos i sure as hell don't.:rolleyes:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

thing is though .. now theyve stopped the lancashire local meetings where decisions were made for what was going on locally ... all complaints now will go to preston rather than being able to tackle your local county councillor at a meeting locally ..

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Maybe not but do you think our MP would have been as quick to comment if he had been a Labourite?

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Knowing him yeh think he would.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

We don't get stuck ... we know how to drive;)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

In answer to Bernadette: The biggest disagreement in public I had was with his predesessor Mathew Tomlinson which hit the press.

The lack of communication was at the centre of it all and I do not accept the excuses on the back of the political grandstanding that swept the likes of Mr Young into power. Perhaps a more moderated and inclusive approach would have proved an asset to the job.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

I love that last sentence; what does it mean:confused:;)

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Think it means have some grit on yer shovel.:D

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Who, I'd like to point out, represents Labour on LCC, which rather disproves that criticism that Graham was political point scoring, but just saying it as he saw it, irrespective of what party the fool was from.

Re: Pretending to grit
 

Well,The grit compound in the council yard is now full and over flowing.:)

On the down side I was talking to a council worker who told me that the council no longer had grit spreaders and they were just storing it for LCC.:confused:
May not be true but I thought it was worth a mention.:confused:

Re: Pretending to grit
 

im defrosting my frezzer tomorrow perhaps they will lend me a shovel full :)