Are you getting value from North East Lincolnshire Council services?
NORTH East Lincolnshire Council has a budget of £400 million to provide services to residents.
The council's ability to deliver those services, including highways, parks and refuse collection will no longer be inspected independently by The Audit Commission.
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The new Coalition Government has said the annual inspection of council performance will be scrapped in favour of leaving local authorities to drive up their own standards.
Details of council finances will, however, continue to be published in the authority's annual set of accounts. The latest – for the financial year from April 1 2009 to March 31 this year – has been published this week and was discussed in a meeting of the council's audit committee.
We have already revealed the details of the report regarding salaries and pensions. In today's Grimsby Telegraph, Local Government Reporter Peter Craig look at other areas of spending in more detail.
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by Joshua, great coates
Saturday, July 24 2010, 12:14PM
“For something to be called a service today it should pass a test to prove it is a "service".
The only service I can see that is provided by a council today is along the same lines as most on the comments posted here.
All the "service" we receive from the council is being blocked when we complain.”
by crazy, council, george
Monday, July 05 2010, 3:13PM
“Jonathon Oldstyle.
Bang on, if only the public understood the LGO side. ?
Speaking from a point of view with a deap understanding of the figures , its the 20 or so senior execs that have ruined our council, lie all the time, promote themselves, increase the wages and ignore the public.
There may be 4 or five councillors that are the same. ( used to be five before gold finger left )
Interesting that the telegraph dosent mention that the accounts for the last few years are only singed off by the audit commission as A qualified opinion”
by Johnathan Oldstyle, Washington
Monday, July 05 2010, 2:17PM
“So many people comment on how they're met with arrogance and obstruction when dealing with the council. When you think about it, this is hardly surprising. Imagine you have a grievance for some unlawful action carried out by your local authority, and their arrogant and obstructive manner provokes you into complaining about the council's conduct. Who do you make your complaint to? Yes the council. And are they likely to uphold your complaint even if it is valid? NO. Of course they will fob you off, and at best if you're persistent, concoct a cover-up.
So where can you go with your grievance next? The local government ombudsman, oh sorry, I forgot to say the "INDEPENDENT" LGO. Isn't it odd that so many employees at the LGO are ex-council workers, even ex-chief executives hold the top jobs there. Anyway, logically this organisation would be the next port of call.
To summarise your options.
1. Formal complaint to your council
2. Appeal to the LGO
3. Police
4. Magistrate's Court
5. Independent complaints commission (IPCC)
6. Information comissioner's office (ICO)
7. Citizens advice bureau
Two questions:
1. What chance would you expect of getting a satisfactory outcome to your complaint from any of the above?
2. Other than the council (who we directly fund), which of the other organisations are, local authority or government funded?”
by Chris GY, Grimsby
Monday, July 05 2010, 12:58PM
“I've been in to the council before both at Knoll Street and Town Hall Square and they are incredibly arrogant.
The whole way in which this organisation operates is incredibly arrogant.
The culture of any organisation starts at the top.......What two words perfectly describe Andrew De Frietas?......
Yup...you got it!”
by Finding Nemo, In the toilet..
Monday, July 05 2010, 11:49AM
“Don't get me wrong, the staff members at the council are there to deal with the public. But why should they go to work and be shouted at constantly? I certainly wouldn't take it.
And as for the "lazy work ethic", i completely agree that this is the problem with some council staff. Some don't seem to realise that the are providing a PUBLIC service. In the same breath, members of the public need to realise that council workers are superhuman and don't know the answer to everything. And when phoning up, you are nearly always speaking to admin/clerical workers who don't necessarily work for the team you're trying to reach. That's certainly the way it works with us anyway.
I completely understand why SOME of the council staff won't deal with some things, but some just need a kick up the ar$e or kicking out the door.”