| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:In reality there is nobody on the case. | |
| Posted by: | Sarah Felstead | |
| Date/Time: | 20/04/09 09:05:00 |
| I have had a think about my reply to your posting, Adam and although it is tempting to look at the points you are making, I don’t really feel that I am qualified to discuss most of them, nor should I be, given the training you have and which you apply to your job. I have said over and over again that this is about team work – outside the normal sense of you running the planning section or somebody else running environment but in the ownership of the Borough and administration of our Council tax. Your information about the difficulties with the planning process is an important part of this teamwork, should anyone want to review the whole process of how it actually works. Most people can give a fair appraisal of the work they do and where things could be improved, and I have often said that, calling officials and Councillors ‘front liners’ who are the Councils representatives; so how do you all share information? I was told on several occasions, by officials on tour, that the departments within the civic centre did not work together. There was a thread on W4 about the state of the pavement on the high road and CCF asked the pavement department as a colleague, for some information in the same way a Councillor or solicitor might and was given entirely inaccurate information which he posted in good faith. Photographs proved the information he had been given was inaccurate and also proved the timescale for action on a high street was not being observed. One piece of the thread with some photos from me can be found here http://app.nnet-server.com/server/app/forum/ShowMessage.asp?ID=424638 In my position as a ratepayer I would have wanted systems set up which allowed you to review the information you personally held about types of contact enquires you came across, and when you identified there was a need to answer something outside your remit, to pass this information on to a review section. How do we move the public service we want of our Council tax, on? I mean, those people definitely have a problem and need tangible support, don’t they. Why has the problem arisen? Do you mind if I look at it this way – if you took 5 calls a day from desperate people calling in about boundaries being moved or disputes resulting from boundaries not simply being made clear and discussed with neighbours on plans, and, perhaps, a builder taking advantage of this; this might take up an hour of your day, every day. What stops this information being gathered outside of your circle of your department to improve and evolve information, as it is evolving by people using the planning process? It would be nice to see the Council taking charge of the loopholes so they nip problems in the bud before leaving them to become enforcement issues. The Councillors and MP are a part of this team (in my simplistic eye) in that 3 of those 5 desperate people might go on to contact them to look for the support which could have been sorted out just by identifying whether an adjustment to procedures or public information is required, and can be given. Do Councillors pass back types of enquiries they deal with, to be considered in the same way? “I understand what you say about neighbours, but people totally disregard the costs that applicants incur in seeking planning permission.” I would say that the environment considerations of all planning applications should be integral to the main plans, especially if the loophole will be a garden covered with gyms and bricks if this isn’t considered. Most of the houses around here are gutted back to the outside bricks and rebuilt, including the roof – but we don’t yet appear to be installing solar panels. I have been told by one developer that he spent £100,000 cash on developing the house he bought – I wonder how much the tax payer spent outside on the pavement. There was at least one visit from the emergency footpath closing team because of dangerous damage from heavy delivery lorries and several other visits to repair damage, whilst the work progressed. As I said, the work at the Mission Hall is somewhat typical of developments, so why is the Council apparently not in charge? |