| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:bump n/m | |
| Posted by: | Dan Murphy | |
| Date/Time: | 26/11/14 06:00:00 |
| Paul, let me answer a few of your points. "I don't know what is inside the bags" Quite. Neither does LBH. So how come they have decided what to do about it? "...Aside from the reduction in volume of general waste" Based on what? No evidence, or data. It's your opinion. "..burst black bin bags that foxes and rats have been feasting on.." Ah, the foxes argument again. How many foxes? How many burst bags? How do you know they were caused by foxes? I don't think the fox problem is anywhere near as bad as LBH (or you) tell us. Or the giant rats. I think it's a fable. Have you done any research into it? "..As more than half of local authorities in the country have introduced wheelie bins LBH have clearly not done this on a whim..." Oh, so it's OK because lots of other people do it? There are lots of places in this country where ugly plastic wheelie bins make no difference. There are lots of places where residents don't care how the environment looks. But maybe some Chiswick residents feel that we live in an unusually pretty and unspoiled area and that is something worth maintaining. Just because some bureaucrat in Hounslow likes Wheelie bins doesn't mean it's a good idea. As I have said before, many officers from Lampton Road have never even ben to Chiswick. Your argument that we must have the same as everyone else is fundamentally depressing. "..When someone in authority makes a decision that you don't agree with..." Bloody hell you sound like some Victorian grandfather. These people are elected councillors. They are not "in authority" like the police. They are supposed to consult local views on matters such as these, and they do not. At least they might but then they do what they decided anyway. I do not recognise their "authority". I have met and corresponded with quite a few of them and I wouldn't give them authority over a childrens' party. Telling me someone "has authority" and that I must simply defer is not an argument. It's a depressing lack of imagination and individuality. "...it doesn't necessarily mean they are a liar or wasting money or that there is some over-arching conspiracy to stop you getting what you want..." We have evidence of LBH lying to us. That makes them liars. We have evidence of them wasting money. They do this with grim regularity. It's not me having a tantrum because I don't agree with the "Officer with Authority". It's because they are dishonest and profligate and they know most people (like you, it would seem) are quite happy to accept it. I am not. "...over-arching conspiracy to stop you getting what you want..." Ah, now I am a conspiracy theorist. Yawn. All I want is for LBH to treat residents with respect, to listen to their views, and to do their best to reflect them. Or explain why. And to tell us the truth, and spend our money wisely. And to be held accountable when things go wrong. And answer our questions. And they fail to do these things on so many occasions, it's impossible to list them. It's not about "me getting what I want". It's about them adhering to their own code of conduct. It's about them upholding the basic principles of local democracy. And they fail miserably. "..You may not think politeness will get you anywhere but there is no harm in trying..." I have tried for several years trying to communicate with LBH politely. It's a waste of time. The only way you can now get an answer to a question is through a formal FOI. And most times, they try to evade answering it so you are forced into making an official complaint to the ICO about the answer. Only then will someone in LBH move slightly and reluctantly answer you question, but even then with as little information as possible. So all the evidence points to the fact that asking politely gets you nowhere. Just look at the hundreds of posts on various subjects here where people say "I emailed, I wrote, I called, but they never answered me". They do not respond to polite requests. "..I would ask (politely) for the criteria used to choose the streets..." Go on. Try it. It's been done. They refuse to answer. "...If you can show that policy has been followed inconsistently you will allow Hounslow to amend implementation..." You are in dreamland. They have been given firm written evidence in the past that we have been lied to, that their own processes have not been followed, that councillors have breached every aspect of the code of conduct, that they have made promises to residents and then failed to keep to them, that they have failed to answer reasonable questions, and so on. And they just ignore us. They are the ones insulting us, not the other way around. I disagree with you very strongly on pretty much every point you have made. |