Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Southwark's Healthy Homes /Handy Person service for over 60 year olds which will come round and do small maintenance jobs for very small charge - ?10 or ?20.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200093/support_in_your_home/835/a_helping_hand_around_your_home/1

Though I believe it's being decimated from 6 to 2 workers next month.


And I agree about the bulky items removal service which is fantastic .

( just wish my neighbours would use it )

benjaminty Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> david_carnell Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Southwark Council have always collected large

> > items of rubbish or waste when asked, on time

> and

> > free of charge.

> >

> > Bravo.

>

>

> thats not free of charge


Err....yes it is. From Southwark Council website:


Southwark residents can have bulky waste such as old furniture, fridges and other large household items collected free of charge.

benjaminty Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So far 148 people have looked at this link and 7

> people responded and in summary:

>

> Empty my bins

> nice flowers on the dual carriageway

> Handy man service


What would make you happy? Cured my cancer? Found little Maddie? Had a NASA-esque space programme?


You asked for good news stories and in one afternoon got 7.


We know you have an agenda, the council have somehow wronged you, but until we have 7 horror stories it appears you're in the minority.

I have to say I'm pretty satisfied - on the plus side - the parks are good and very well cared for, the libraries aren't closed (yet, I too LOVE the free bulky items collection service, I;ve never had any problems with refuse collection and the one time the recyling van left a dreadful mess one call had it cleared uo within 24 hours, school admissions has had a bad reputation and they seem to have been more than a bit rubbish on their schools places planning but my experience of dealing with them was good: pleasant, humane and efficient.


I hated the way they dealt with the Livesey Museum but on the whole, from an entirely subjective perspective, I;d say they're pretty good

Let me contribute a few more.


The "one-stop shop" in the Walworth Road handled my council-tax payments month by month efficiently and in a friendly manner. (This was before I nad the nous to set up a direct debit. **shame**)


Council-tax refunds, when I've overpaid (don't ask), have been smoothly and quickly handled.


Rubbish and recycling are handled, for me, in a manner that leaves nothing to be wished.


Although to do so must elicit much eye-rolling, council workers regularly clear away the fly-tipped rubbish that winds up at Dulwich Hamlet.


The Grove Vale library personnel are lovely.


***


I dunno, Benjaminty. When I ring them they pick up; when I ask for help they follow through (civil partnership, working toward civil partner's citizenship ceremony); and it's not Tower Hamlets. I'm not unhappy.

Suggestion for savings at Southwark Council... get rid of their 'help'line.

I've phoned this on a number of occasions, found the staff to be ignorant and uninterested, and have never ever had anything done as a result of a call to the main switchboard (e.g. flytipping reports - they just don't bother). Total waste of breath, money and time.


FYI - If you ever want anything done at Southwark council, find out the name of the senior person in charge of the department, and phone or email them directly (repeatedly). Funnily enough, that seems to work in the end.


Actually, thinking about it, generally, Southwark Council are unresponsive, bureaucratic and plodding.

Has anything changed since the Labour administration too over?

Or is it still the same useless people taking a long time to do very little but under different political guidance?

Gimme wrote :- is it still the same useless people taking a long time to do very little but under different political guidance?



I had to ring them and explain about the state of the road outside the house, each bendy bus passing north or south makes the house shake and shudder right through to the back door.


It took twenty five minutes explaining word for word, whilst the almost illiterate clown at the other end of the phone using his 'slow pencil', scribbled down some kind of garbled message which has failed to produce any results.


Grrrrr!



Why have employ someone to man a phone line to feed forward information if they do not act, why not save that money and use it for something beneficial.

Has anything changed since the Labour administration too over?

Or is it still the same useless people taking a long time to do very little but under different political guidance?



You do know how local elections work, right? You don't elect council workers or local authority staff. You just vote for the councillors themselves, who last time I checked, don't man help-desks mainly because they have other jobs during the day and do council work in their spare time.


As for the staff themselves.....pay peanuts, get monkeys. And of course I've never met an ineffective private sector worker. My office is like an episode of the Apprentice. Actually, scrap that. That's even worse.

My only gripe is with the council tax helpline, they weren't that helpful and took 2 months to reply to an email I sent them.


Other than that, I think they do well. They did give us blue wheelybins in place of the small garden bins for recycling, which is much more practical for a box of flats. We had large garden bins which just took up space and lay empty before.

david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Southwark Council have always collected large

> items of rubbish or waste when asked, on time and

> free of charge.

>

> Bravo.


Erm, except the large piece of garden fencing that I requested be removed about a month ago.

david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


> What would make you happy? Found

> little Maddie?


We can but hope and pray.


I for one would happily pay a 100% increase if they did.


Poor little Maddy :(


This country is going to the dogs.


Not in my grandfather's time etc etc

I'm sure you have carnell knowledge that we are not privy to.... :)



david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Has anything changed since the Labour

> administration too over?

> Or is it still the same useless people taking a

> long time to do very little but under different

> political guidance?

>

> You do know how local elections work, right? You

> don't elect council workers or local authority

> staff. You just vote for the councillors

> themselves, who last time I checked, don't man

> help-desks mainly because they have other jobs

> during the day and do council work in their spare

> time.

>

> As for the staff themselves.....pay peanuts, get

> monkeys. And of course I've never met an

> ineffective private sector worker. My office is

> like an episode of the Apprentice. Actually, scrap

> that. That's even worse.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Thank you. Yes we scanned him last time, he is neutered & chipped. We asked neighbours who were feeding him to keep him in as, owner said she wasn't back till following day. That night whilst he was kept in, Gladys came back. The owner lives on a street who's garden  backs onto my friends garden. We asked neighbour that kept him in for night, to not feed him anymore. The owner said not long after she got him, he went out January, never went back till December! I did say so you don't want the cat, she said yes she does but she can't lock him in. I suggested she leaflet all houses who's back gardens back onto hers, to say to stop feeding him. She didn't do it. So until people stop feeding him, he will be a problem as he obviously doesn't want to go home and all the time she never saw him, there was no posters up looking for him, so it's one of those situations! He is a beautiful fluffy black and white and is enormous. Don't know what the solution would be if owner not bothered. Celia hammond overflowing, even kitten season was early this year. Can't take a owned cat though I'm sure he isn't happy. I'm hoping Gladys and Doris will go back home if he isn't loitering. Yes their owner does spray him with water but has little impact. It is a real problem and a worry that they are too frightened to go home and may travel further away. That is the real worry. Will keep post updated. 
    • Hi, I’m looking for a small garden table and 2 chairs used but in good condition, ideally one you’d like to get rid of 😊 Chairs need to be sturdy so that she can sit on these safely!  Thanks in advance for her!
    • Is what true? That the student units part of this development that hasn't yet been built is going to fall vacant because there's such a collapse in the number of students in London that they can't rent the units out, and then the Labour government is going to appropriate them to house them asylum seekers? Is that what you're asking is true?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...