Tories stealth tactics to decimate the last of the North's Labour Heartlands

[BlodwynPig]

[bgmnts]

Did the tories just advocate the reduction of executives' salaries in order to cut costs?

[Zetetic]

Any chance you could provide a clearer shot of that QR code?

[BlodwynPig]

Any chance you could provide a clearer shot of that QR code?

gdpr

[Shit Good Nose]

Yes, because paying for/contributing towards council tax freezes is exactly what reserves are for.

Jesus christ.

And people wonder why there are more potholes every year, why rubbish is only collected once every two or three weeks, why public footpaths and verges are so overgrown, etc etc.  All the councils' fault, obvs.

Jesus christ.

[BlodwynPig]

So is this normal? I mean I got it after a few seconds of thought, but have never seen such tactics used up here outside of an election period.

[Shit Good Nose]

Blods - if it wasn't obvious, I was being sarcastic against the letter, not you.

Voting for a council tax freeze isn't very common or regular, but it isn't unheard of - Bristol have had a vote three, possibly four times in the last 20-odd years.  BUT it's normally done by the respective local authority off their own back without any political sway, and they normally just lay out what voting either way means in real terms (i e. if you vote for a freeze now we'll have to make up for it in a few years time).  I'm not aware of any that have been so obviously driven by a particular political party with campaign trail newsletter style strong-arming, so this is a first for me, and I've been working in the public sector for nearly 25 years.

Reserves should ABSOLUTELY NOT be used to pay for council tax freezes.  Whomever suggested doing that should be shot right in the anus.  Mind you, it could just be yet another attempt by the tories to get rid of local government altogether.

[BlodwynPig]

Blods - if it wasn't obvious, I was being sarcastic against the letter, not you.

Voting for a council tax freeze isn't very common or regular, but it isn't unheard of - Bristol have had a vote three, possibly four times in the last 20-odd years.  BUT it's normally done by the respective local authority off their own back without any political sway, and they normally just lay out what voting either way means in real terms (i e. if you vote for a freeze now we'll have to make up for it in a few years time).  I'm not aware of any that have been so obviously driven by a particular political party with campaign trail newsletter style strong-arming, so this is a first for me, and I've been working in the public sector for nearly 25 years.

I didnt take it as such, my comment was also general. :)

[ZoyzaSorris]

why public footpaths and verges are so overgrown

You say this like it's a bad thing

[Fambo Number Mive]

It's bad if it makes it difficult for pedestrians to use the footpath and they end up walking in the road. The way some people drive, it could cause quite a few pedestrian fatalities.

There's also a roundabout near me where it's so overgrown it's difficult to see cars coming round, which will probably kill a few pedestrians.

[BlodwynPig]

You say that like its a bad thing

[Huxleys Babkins]

Letting wildflowers and long grasses grow on verges and roundabouts was a blatant attempt to cut maintenance costs to near zero whilst tipping a hat to environmentalists, but the thinking behind it was too simplistic, as per most progressive Tory ideas. You can't just let wildflowers and grasses grow wildly out of control. Not only for the road safety reasons Fambo mentions, but also because as well as attracting the wildlife you want, such as bees and butterflies, it also provides a habitat for creatures you don't want to encourage in an urban environment, like ticks, mice and rats.

Just as trees need felling and brush needs burning to stop our forests and heathland choking, our new wildflower landscape will need tending to also, and with far more care and precision (and therefore cost) than when we were just whacking a ride on mower and a strimmer over everything.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

"Dear Cunt"?

[Sebastian Cobb]

"Dear Cunt"?

boomshanka

[Huxleys Babkins]

"Dear Cunt"?

John Sullivan considers rewrite.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Maybe the Tories are so sure of Labour being unelectable under Keith they are.openly addressing all voters as counts now

[Harry Badger]

"Dear Cunt"?

He's secretly Director-General of the BBC.

[peanutbutter]

A lot of these places are gonna be very hard to win back once the voters are listening to tory bullshit tbh. Especially after the Brexit/Corbyn squeeze and following it up with a bunch of aimless morons led by the king of the remainers.

The councils probably aren't gonna get very substantial increases but there will be measures to "help people get on the property ladder" building fucktons of houses in these places (cos no fucking way do they want anyone under 40 that isn't minted owning a house in a major city) that will make the areas seem pretty prosperous for a few years.