| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:In reality there is nobody on the case. | |
| Posted by: | Sarah Felstead | |
| Date/Time: | 16/04/09 21:00:00 |
| Vanessa. I have been told by officials that it is not worth their while to try and reclaim money from damage to pavements. Several examples were discussed including the use of a small claims court to reclaim costs of materials,labour and internal council costs but this is not on the cards under the present arrangements. I understand that the street engineer does not even try to obtain the right information to go down this line when he inspects reported damage. On the tour Councillors were given examples from other residents we bumped in to. Since the tour I have been told about a large run of slabs being damaged by a skip lorry which crossed and drove along the pavement (no crossover) to place a skip in a back garden. There was a witness who was prepared to speak up and the skip was sitting in the back garden when the street engineer came to look at the damage. The witness said she was told that unless there was a photograph as it actually happened, her statement was no use. The pavement was closed off and repaired urgently at ratepayers cost, I understand. Those of you who know the area the tour was over, can actually check the damaged pavements by using google street scene in the comfort of your own home. Funnily enough, the damaged stretch of pavement the Conservatives photographed for their election newsletter is even worse now but you can't see how much worse on street scene, because there is a large builders van parked right across it! :-) |