How many council workers does it take to change a light bulb?

“Really, such fuss about ONE faulty lamp post! And it even got into the national press (well, one of Northcliffe's other scandal rags).
The street lamps around Sherborne Place, in the town centre, haven't been working since July(a total of SEVEN lights not working for about 10 WEEKS!) I contacted the Highways back in August, and after several weeks of messing about - including a couple of days when I thought they'd cracked it because the area was lit up like a Christmas tree, they admitted there was indeed a fault and it would fixed by the 24th of October! This coming Monday in fact.

Well, they've got three of the seven working (Lamp post number 10, the lamp on the side of St Faith's and a lamp post halfway along the street) but the lamp outside the Bangladeshi community centre and all three of the lamps in the car park are still out.
The car park is the haunt of a rather unpleasant gang, and is quite unnerving at night even with the lights working. With the clocks going back next week, the lack of lighting will make it virtually unusable in the evening.

I've raised the issue of the faulty lights with the Neighbourhood Watch as well as the Highways, and was advised to inform my local councillor. This I've done (Steve Jordan) and have not even had the courtesy of a reply.”

“As someone who has experienced the inconvenience of the much extended road closures in Worcester Street and Kingsholm Road, Gloucester for months now, and the associated disconnected phone lines which affected 1,300 homes for two weeks, I'm not too worried about a dud light bulb which inconvenienced nobody. Severn Trent, Morgan Sindall and British Telecom make the public sector look very efficient indeed.”

“Just to say that most of the workers you see on the streets working "for the council" ( which council?) are employed and managed by private contractors and consultants. The Councils got rid of most of their productive staff years ago. Not saying that they were always efficient but just placing responsibility where it should lie.”

“The Sherbourne writes "There are many private companies that still throw their money down the drain. The only difference is we're not obliged to give money to them." - Correct, but when you do you will have to pay higher for their products and/or services.”

“This is clearly the work of Albus Dumbledore. I have good information that the light, known as 'Lamppost 49' is actually the secret entrance to the hideout of the order of the Phoenix, and every time a 'muggle' council worker gets anywhere near it, they are hexed by the elderly wixard headmaster and sent away with confusing instructions for their co-workers. This is why we need to have a tougher policy on these wizards who come into our country to have their fun at the taxpayers' expense. I say: It's all right for you wizards with your magic healing powers, but we 'normal' people have to go to A&E when we bump into walls and things on a darkened street at night because of a faulty streetlamp. And you don't even pay any taxes which support the NHS, which doesn't sound very fair to me.”

“Kay_Powell

"the complainant, is partially responsible"

The "featured" lamppost is the picture is numbered 47. The offending post is numbered 49 and I guess (I can't really tell) this is over the road, maybe oposite Mr Dorans property rather than just "outside" it. The Daily Mail is running this story too http://tinyurl.com/5uobztq but with a different photo and a different lamppost.

I doubt whether Mr Doran has any responsibility whatsoever for this.”

“For all the apologists, there are no circumstances which justify 12 visits (or more because Mr Doran may not have seen them all) to change one light bulb. Also, some visits may have been made by teams of men. Probably cost the tax payer £500 for one change. Can't you see the stupidity of it?”

“Kay Powell writes: "If anyone thinks that only public bodies are inefficient, then I can tell them that I have worked for at least one large, private company that was very inefficient in its working practices."

There are many private companies that still throw their money down the drain. The only difference is we're not obliged to give money to them.”

“So what exactly are you lot suggesting should be the solution to all this then? Should the county council equip all the guys who replace light bulbs with hedge trimmers? (presumably free hedge trimmers that cost nothing to run, and we all know that private sector electricians are always ready to do a bit of gardening if necessary!) Should they send out a fully qualified electrician who can deal with water damaged electrics every time a bulb needs to be replaced just in case? (again, presumably a free electrician). Should the police ignore residents' concerns over security (or, and I hate to labour a point, should they find a free policeman to send out?) Should the council stop looking for ways to save money on street lighting across the whole county if it causes a problem with one lamppost? Do any of you have even the remotest grip on reality? Sometimes things just happen like this and nobody is to blame. It's called real life, please try to get used to it.”

“That line should have read: "Please don't start blaming health and safety or the nanny state."”