howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
26 August 2010
12:0067231the issue was raised in the "express" today regarding the 5 grand spent each year on sandwiches and sausage rolls.
rhys is of the opinion that people should bring their own, whilst the other argument is that councillors leave work and go directly to meetings laving no time to get anything to eat or drink.
my own view is that the sum is so small that it is inconsequential, what do others think?
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,305
26 August 2010
13:1467234Fully agree with you Howard. Put it into perspective everyone, like the great "water fountain scandal" recently, a few thousand quid compared to the multi million pound budget is a small price to pay for councillors to give up their time.
Get a grip Rhys.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
26 August 2010
13:2167235Thanks Howard I am glad you put this on the Forum,as when I read it I was a little bit angry,and at a cost of upseting Kathy and all at the DE I will tell you why.
Quite often I finish work at 15.40 at the station and sometimes it is later before I get away,I then shoot home have a cuppa get rid of one set of work clothes and get ready for a Council meeting,now I either get the bus up or if I am lucky get a lift.I don't always have time to eat which as most of the Counil meetings have gone on past 10pm means it would be 12 hrs since I last eat.The longest meeting I sat on started at 6pm and ended at 11.20pm!
We also have several Councillors who are diabetic and need to eat at regular intervals,the food is as it says are normally Sandwiches SausageRolls etc so not too expensive and now the real thing that gets my goat!
I have seen the reporters from the DE turnup(occasionally) and they are straight in to the buffet including Rhys,they don't seem to have a problem then stuffing thier faces and then they leave half way through a meeting very rarely see a reporter there after 8pm in fact we rarely see a reporter.So I think they have a cheek £5000 is a lot of money divided 45 Cllrs and some cllrs have 10 15 20 meetings in a year and then of course if we didnt get fed we could claim an allowance for food which would be a lot more than the £5000 over a year.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
26 August 2010
13:2367236Newspapers have too much time on their hands, and a simple freedom of information request is cheap journalism....
Recently there was one for KCC spending a few thousand £ on something but when they employ thousands of people, per head it is nothing.
Like the authorities needing to publish all supplier spend over £500 - one paper made a headline of them spending £4000 on paintball or something similar.... the council in question ran childrens events and it was a cost entirely re-imbursed by parents......
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
26 August 2010
13:3067238in fairness to rhys and gang there is not many newsworthy happenings in dover, in august even worse.
the press locally and nationally in august have to dredge around to find something to publish, so the smallest item of news will be played up a bit.
john is right the subsistence(if claimed) would be much higher.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
13:3267241Hi
When I joined the council 28 years ago nothing was provided, and many cllrs having worked in London all day from the early hours then go direct to council meetings.
They then moved to a tea and a biscuit.
and today a bigger bash.
I feel a cup of tea and a biscuit is quite enough, so soz john dont agree with you.
Im afraid in todays climate of cubacks this food should go to.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
26 August 2010
13:3567245i would pass out after a long day if there was only a cup of tea and a biscuit available keith.
all that would leave is ratty councillors making important decsisions.
Terry Nunn- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,305
26 August 2010
13:3667246I've pointed this out before but just look at the editor of the DE in the background while Derek Leach introduces Terry Sutton. Nuff said.
[URL][/URL]
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
13:3667247I don't agree
but there you go, we all have differing opinions
thats what makes this forum so interesting
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
26 August 2010
13:3767248Ah yes Keith in those days when you were in the Red Star office and you werent exactly rushed off your feet and could eat at anytime you wanted,so you could go to the Council meetings having eaten,if you had a proper job then in the Ticket office with queues all day you might have thought differently.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
26 August 2010
13:3967249that cracked me up terry!!!
funniest thing i have seen in ages, looked like he was in some sort of effort to get in the "guinness book of records".
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
13:3967251John
I will not get into the lack of people at ticket offices throughout the day and rare q's!!!!!!!!!
ticket office no more busy than red star.
Anyway, it's todays climate we look at.
Everyone tighten your belts(except cllrs)
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
26 August 2010
13:4167253Howard - you say meetings, but this appears to be a request for Catering....
Chances are that this could include simply things like tea and coffee, or some sandwiches for a lunchtime meeting for external visitors, costs that are even charged back out to other people....
Too many people look at a number when there is a lot more that goes into it.
Been nice knowing you :)
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
13:4367254Enough said
different people, different opinions
isn't this forum wonderful lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
26 August 2010
13:4467255Keith I used to work in the Red Star office and then we had loads and loads of parcels every day,if you saw 10 or 20 people in a day you were busy,ticket office can deal with 200 300 400 tickets a shift plus hundreds of enquiries,where is the bus to the docks,how do I get to the Castle,can you tell me where there is a hotel,where is my cruise ship,is there a bus.
I have also tightened my belt,and if any doubt check the DDC Councillors site on allowances and expenses.
Perhaps we should make PSCO's buy thier own uniforms!
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Terry Nunn- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,305
26 August 2010
13:4667256Do PCSO's still get free big mac's?
Terryt
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
13:4867258Terry; no they dont
John
As I say your wrong
but thats what makes this forum so delightful, all different opinions.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
26 August 2010
13:4967261This is a very small amount of cash and it is a sad silly season story.
A buffet was introduced back in my time at DDC and quite rightly too. JHG and others spend a lot of time at meetings, often long periods of boredom, interspaced with 'interesting' bits (like a war really!) It is not too much to expect some refreshment to be provided and besides, it definately helps the decision making process not to have rumbling tummies on the go.....
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
26 August 2010
13:5067262Howard - you say not much 'news' but August is the time of summer holidays and endless events going on...
How about reporters advertising things that are going on and publicise them properly rather than just their tabloid news stories ??
Been nice knowing you :)
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,888
26 August 2010
14:0167263Now I have commented on the paper before as its never been my number one, but I stopped buying it as many others did to.
I always remember them being very personal about a member of priory forum(not me!!!)
and then a week later having been very critical about this individual an what he wrote,
in Dover xpress following week was an article on South kent college, sadly the express got the picture of the wrong place one of many errors it made over the years.
But for me it showed we are all human!!!
now let me think,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
