As central government employer protection intensifies, employment rights diminish, and aggressive, uncontrolled public sector scams gather pace into 2015, be prepared for the worst.

More and more of us are finding we have to defend ourselves or our 'service users' against malpractice, dishonesty, abuse, callous treatment and lack of senior officer accountability.  In fact a perverse and cruel response is becoming 'par for the course' if you're an honest individual who causes problems for your employer by publicising their crooked activity or who makes an internal complaint in good faith.

In this "brave" new frontier of 'business needs' versus 'public service', here are a few phrases I put together when Cheshire West and Chester Council came gunning for me back in 2007 - 2009.

I won this particular battle, but lost my job, and my ability to continue my career as a lighting designer / engineer became ground down and permanently diminished.  Patronage, old friends, back-scratching, favours and petty vindictiveness ensured this specialist livelihood came to an abrupt end.

If you come up against this kind of crookedness in 2015, and chances are you may do if you're still clinging on for grim death at Herefordshire County Council, here's a few polished phrases that can be used to make stupid, bullying managers pause, scratch their bonces, and lurch firmly onto the back foot.

A word of warning.  These MBA badge of honour wielders will utterly despise you - and seek to destroy you even MORE - when the penny drops you're 100 times cleverer than they are.

http://wirralinittogether.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/in-trouble-at-work-hit-your-employer-with-some-well-chosen-words-to-keep-them-on-task/

I visited BB drop-in session last week and again reported Stanberrow Rd. and Belmont Rd. regarding craters, these had been reported to. Amey and BB when they took over in September.

I have just received a response as follows:

This request is currently awaiting inspection, sorry Colin.

I was at the post office early this morning and noticed these WEEDS! I have no words...


How tall? how long they been here?

What I find very strange is that thousands of pounds of public money is spent on
'Brand New Shiny Notice Boards' (That I am sure nobody reads) yet, within only 4 metres of one of these notice boards we have MASSIVE weeds that nobody has botherd to have removed? Hmmm oh well, maybe it's just me...

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 6th November 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 6.11.2014.pdf

Cabinet to consider next steps for Edgar Street

Herefordshire Council will consider the future of the Edgar Street Athletics Ground at a cabinet meeting on January 22 2015.

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 2nd October 2014 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 02.10.2014.2014 .pdf

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 4th September 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 04.09.2014.pdf

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 7th August 2014 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 07.08.2014 .pdf

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 3rd July 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 03.07.2014.pdf

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 5th June 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 05.06.2014.pdf

Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 29th May 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 29.05.2014 - Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting (DRAFT).pdf

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Thursday 29th May 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting - 29.05.2014 (DRAFT).pdf

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 1st May 2014 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 1.5.2014.pdf

Please find attached minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 6th March 2014 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 06.03.2014.pdf

Houses evacuated, and a man arrested.

I have information in my possession which seems to suggest that HOOPLE pay a lot less to hire the top floor;

Q5 How much did it cost to run your department for each of these years? Can you supply me with a complete itemised breakdown of staffing costs, stationary costs, maintenance costs, sundry expenses and any other costs associated with the running of your department

1. The department is run by Hoople Ltd with whom Herefordshire Council has a cost recovery procurement arrangement. The amount paid to Hoople for running this department, including other central departments (HR and staffing, Finance, Training, ICT) totals:

2011/12 - £1,803k

2012/13 - £1,753k

2013/14 - £1,743k

2014/15 - £1,600k

Herefordshire Council does not hold any information as to how these monies are subsequently broken down by Hoople and allocated against the costs of running their departments. As such we are unable to breakdown the above figures to the itemised level of detail that you have requested.

Prior to this arrangement, the department was run in house with the cost of council tax collection as follows:

2008/09

£’000

2009/10

£’000

2010/11

£’000

Employees

942

909

850

Supplies and services

178

260

169

Building costs

56

85

49

Transport

8

7

7

Total

1,184

1,261

1,075