Local Government - some examples of not working

As I begin to dig into local politics I'm finding a pattern.

The politicians don't put up a fight and just mouth off 'concerns' which get published in the Mail and the 'civil servants' are barely civil and are certainly not servants.

There appears to be a culture of arrogance amongst 'officers' that they can't be touched and they can do (or not do) as they please.

Their bosses, the Councillors, are totally ineffective for the most part.

One example of an arrogant officer is Nick Raymond, local head of Highways 'Services'.

Everywhere I come across people who deal with him there is that look of despair.

Yesterday I was talking to Mr Turner, Head of Parking Enforcement for the SLDC.

His officer in Ulverston, Dick Base, is not issuing tickets in many parts of Ulverston because the double yellow lines are so badly worn.

This issue has been discussed by Town Councillors, led by Judith Pickthall, at a meeting with Dick Base and they are approaching Nick Raymond. What is likely to happen?

Nothing, I'm pretty sure. The councillors haven't the stomach for a real fight.

Nick will plead that he hasn't any cash to spend - especially with the high costs of the road gritting - yet I discover his department, which oversees Capita, are guilty of allowing gross wastage of funds in the way that road markings are carried out.

The road markings that are done - by a firm that travels all the way down from Brampton to do our work - spread the lines so thinly that you can see the asphalt underneath!

They just scrape the surface with their marking 'paint' like spreading butter in war time.

If the lines were painted three times as thick - 5mm (quarter of an inch) then they would last three times as long and wouldn't need doing so often.

Now who is going to sort this scandal out?

It's the job of Wendy Kolbe and Pauline Halfpenny - what will they do now?

I'm notifying them both of the above!