Local Councils

[emmie]

what's your council like, do you contact them for anything. I had to contact ours about a problem, and spent almost an hour trying to find someone to help, where i was passed from one person to another, i gave up in the end.

[daisya]

I email ours if needed and receive a quick response so I'm happy with that. Shame about yours though em, must be so frustrating.

[emmie]

it was and is, i wish they would employ people who actually have an understanding of how public service is supposed to work, not to mention many of the services have been outsourced, so you don't get to speak to one person who can run with the problem, but call centres, which i loathe.

[AB Editor]

Well, I think you get the chance to air your feelings on Thursday?

I only rarely have dealings with the local council - and they tend to be, at best, incompetent.

What were you trying to sort out?

[Gromit]

I have contacted mine 5 times in the last year by phone. Only on one occassion they said they were unable to help me, so I contacted my local Councillor and the problem quickly got sorted.

My council was rated one of the best in the country when the Audit Commissioned rated them. You can see how your council dis em, on this link....

http://society.guardian.co.uk/localgovt/page/0,,2017251,00.html

[Quoi]

Sympathise entirely - what exaactly is it we pay for.
Most of the people near where i live seem to work for the council in some capacity - I just ask one of them - they all know someone who knows someone and I normally get the name of the right person to speak to and more important the correct department that deals with it.

[Hopkirk]

What we need is competition in the local council business.

[naomi24]

Rarely - but I did contact them to ask them to collect a recycling bin, since the person who rented it had died. Couldn't be done until the rental, which was paid for the full year, ran out they said, and could I take it to my house and keep it there until then. It is now sitting in my garden awaiting the expiration of the contract. Jobsworth or what?

[abstibus]

ed
Am I allowed to post a link to a website that will forward complaints to councils?
I've used it in the past and it works.
Thanks

[Jubz]

I have had to contact mine a couple of times and they don't make it easy passed from department to department, got there in the end but it was a palaver.

[AB Editor]

abstibus - fire away! :)

[jno]

I've always got through quickly to mine. It's their eagerness to close down libraries and give the land away (yes, give) that infuriates me.

[abstibus]

Thanks, ed.
Here is the website:
www.fixmystreet.com
Explore it and see how it works.

[abstibus]

Looks as if that link didn't work so I have pasted it
http://www.fixmystreet.com/
Hope this one is OK.

[emmie]

trying to recycle some large goods, and then of course there is the plumbing issue, if i ever get someone on the phone it's usually a call centre, or a department where i hold on for an age, then promptly lose the connection, of course there seems to be some language barrier as well, don't ask...

[emmie]

many of our libraries have been closed, you wouldn't expect that from a Labour run mob, but saving money don't ya know... a few of the libraries now have volunteers running them, good for them, but the incompetence goes on and on. An hour where i didn't sort the matter, back to the drawing board.

[cazzz1975]

our council is pretty good, I have dealt with them on a number of occasions, I cannot fault them