Rubbish knows no bounds!
In the Autumn 2008 edition of Botley Parish Council's Botley News, after being lulled into a warm glow of village life by the efforts and results of the Botley In Bloom competition, there follows the dead hand of bureaucracy. Notably, an article, entitled "Where Is Your Wheelie Bin?" by Eastleigh Borough Council's very own Council Enforcement Officer. Shaking in your boots yet? Well, let's see what this officer has to say - emphasis all his own:
"Please put your bin out before 7am on the day of collection and RETURN IT TO WITHIN YOUR PROPERTY BOUNDARY as soon as possible after collection has been made"
Just in case you haven't got the message, he goes on:
"... To leave the bin on the pavement is also an offence under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which carries with it a fine of up to £100".
Not to mention a criminal conviction; naming and shaming in the local paper; and possibly permanent phone tapping by the council using those statutes you thought Parliament only passed to protect you from terrorists! In contrast, two youngsters who recently burgled Botley's Co-op store by smashing the £700 plate glass door, stole cigarettes and alcohol, were given a Reprimand by the police, which means they have no criminal record.
No doubt the Council Enforcement Officer will ensure his latest edict will be followed up in the best traditions of petty bureaucy, beloved by the State along with parking fines, littering (now referred to as an environmental crime by practitioners) etc.
Some of you will have read stories in the press, followed up on television stations, of frail elderly people asked by their local authorities to drag their wheelie bins over half a mile to a new collection point. Similarly the story of a local Fareham woman of 7 1/2 stone ( - another fine for reverting to imperial measurements!) whose garden refuse bag was deemed too heavy by green refuse collectors - obviously hired from Middle Earth! Enough, let's analyse the new edict instead.
Even allowing for the clocks being turned back an hour at the end of October, the demand to put out bins before 7am means residents risking health and safety by moving them when it's still dark. Also as winter approaches there is the danger of slipping on frosted or iced pavements. The elderly, and not so physically able, may have grounds for suing the council for accidents caused by this directive, especially if pavements are uneven or slippery. Wonder how quickly the council workers' union would react to their members being subjected to unnecessary hazards like this?
At a time when everyone, especially the elderly, are being encouraged to save energy, let's open the door, let the heating out, and go outside to move the wheelie bin at the coldest time of day i.e. before dawn!
A more reasonable approach would be to allow wheelie bins to be put out before light fades the day before collection and wheelie bins moved back as soon as possible after collection, However, the council enforcement officer needs to take on board that for many people not working 9-5 hours, this could be quite late on collection day.
Were any of the elected representatives on the council involved in approving this edict in advance of publication; were they nodding off; or simply have no control over what Council Enforcement chooses to issue?
This week the green collection did not take place on Thursday, but Saturday. Please feel free, Eastleigh Borough Council, to fine yourselves for poor performance and make suitable financial compensation to those residents who pay for this service. Sorry, of course, "Enforcement" is a one-way gate.
Once upon a time council officials fell within the term "public servants", now the term is effectively redundant as those that pay for their salaries are effectively the serfs and will remain so until they roar. And who said the Roman feast of Saturnalia was dead?
Remember:
"Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband -- it creeps up insidiously... step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone." Baron Lane
"Please put your bin out before 7am on the day of collection and RETURN IT TO WITHIN YOUR PROPERTY BOUNDARY as soon as possible after collection has been made"
Just in case you haven't got the message, he goes on:
"... To leave the bin on the pavement is also an offence under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which carries with it a fine of up to £100".
Not to mention a criminal conviction; naming and shaming in the local paper; and possibly permanent phone tapping by the council using those statutes you thought Parliament only passed to protect you from terrorists! In contrast, two youngsters who recently burgled Botley's Co-op store by smashing the £700 plate glass door, stole cigarettes and alcohol, were given a Reprimand by the police, which means they have no criminal record.
No doubt the Council Enforcement Officer will ensure his latest edict will be followed up in the best traditions of petty bureaucy, beloved by the State along with parking fines, littering (now referred to as an environmental crime by practitioners) etc.
Some of you will have read stories in the press, followed up on television stations, of frail elderly people asked by their local authorities to drag their wheelie bins over half a mile to a new collection point. Similarly the story of a local Fareham woman of 7 1/2 stone ( - another fine for reverting to imperial measurements!) whose garden refuse bag was deemed too heavy by green refuse collectors - obviously hired from Middle Earth! Enough, let's analyse the new edict instead.
Even allowing for the clocks being turned back an hour at the end of October, the demand to put out bins before 7am means residents risking health and safety by moving them when it's still dark. Also as winter approaches there is the danger of slipping on frosted or iced pavements. The elderly, and not so physically able, may have grounds for suing the council for accidents caused by this directive, especially if pavements are uneven or slippery. Wonder how quickly the council workers' union would react to their members being subjected to unnecessary hazards like this?
At a time when everyone, especially the elderly, are being encouraged to save energy, let's open the door, let the heating out, and go outside to move the wheelie bin at the coldest time of day i.e. before dawn!
A more reasonable approach would be to allow wheelie bins to be put out before light fades the day before collection and wheelie bins moved back as soon as possible after collection, However, the council enforcement officer needs to take on board that for many people not working 9-5 hours, this could be quite late on collection day.
Were any of the elected representatives on the council involved in approving this edict in advance of publication; were they nodding off; or simply have no control over what Council Enforcement chooses to issue?
This week the green collection did not take place on Thursday, but Saturday. Please feel free, Eastleigh Borough Council, to fine yourselves for poor performance and make suitable financial compensation to those residents who pay for this service. Sorry, of course, "Enforcement" is a one-way gate.
Once upon a time council officials fell within the term "public servants", now the term is effectively redundant as those that pay for their salaries are effectively the serfs and will remain so until they roar. And who said the Roman feast of Saturnalia was dead?
Remember:
"Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband -- it creeps up insidiously... step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone." Baron Lane
posted by Cobblers | 2:30 AM
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