Bignews Margate has over the years, commented on some Kent Councils PR initiatives, taking a quick look at KCC's website recently, I notice that Kent Council busy bodies have launched a new campaign, which if your of the local authority busy body mindset is a fantastic breakthrough in public safety, however if your cynical like me it's just more interference in peoples lives and a bit of a non-event since you would expect local authorities to police
Anyhow here is the jist from the latest Press Release from KCC " A new initiative, A-board Aware, is being launched to encourage businesses in Maidstone to show that they are responsible advertisers.
Shop keepers, café owners and firms that use advertising boards – so-called ‘A-boards’ – can demonstrate they display signs on the pavement in a way that minimises obstructions to. ..." blah blah blah.
Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, Bryan Sweetland, said: ". ... firms that comply with the regulations will receive a window sticker that they can put up in the shop front, showing that they are taking care to avoid causing an obstruction on the street
"Where we do find an A-board placed inappropriately, we will advise the owner to re-site it and encourage them to sign up to our scheme. However, if the owner doesn't take action, we will remove it ourselves."
Personally my advice to Bryan Sweetland is to see if he can't keep the roads operating this winter, and as for dealing with inappropriately placed advertising boards outside business premises my adivce is to move them out the way if there is an obstruction and think no more about it, however if you trip over, have an accident sue the a*se out of the business concerned.
Admittedly this is hardly the most stupid innovation from KCC and hopefully they haven't created a new department to deal with what surely must be a small problem. of late I've largely ignored Kent officialdom apart from the recent gross failings of child care , so I shall now commit to monitor Kent more often than I have in the past, well at least until I get bored with the excesses.
I think the answer is Z Boards.
ReplyDeleteThese attach to the front of a zimmer and thus provide work for those having their DLA stopped.
Once they have lost their motability cars they can transfer their disabled parking badges to their zimmers. And park their advertising zimmers on specially designated zimmer paving slab zones. Then depart using their non-advertising back up zimmers.
In a strangely big society way those tripping over zimmers could be refused their no win no fee compensation culture claims and disallowed incapacity benefit too through being fit to work themselves as zimmer operators.
I think you may have a different opinion on this matter if you were unfortunate enough to be visually impaired, or reliant on being in a wheelchair or mobility scooter for getting around.
ReplyDeleteIn an ideal world these things would police themselves, but we are not, and so they don't.
Anonymous (arnt they always)5:17. I WISH
ReplyDeleteI COULD WALK AWAY FROM MY ZIMMER.
I cant walk to it if it is the other side of the room I am stuck. You as the previous poster said have a different opinion of disability I wish I could walk a mile in your shoes but even in my wildest darkest days would never wish what I endure on a daily basis upon you and I hope you never endure a disability.
I am anon 5.17 and I am 63 and have been disabled since I was 21 .. lighten up and grow a pair. You hover around looking for reasons to feel sorry for yourselves. You wouldn't have the courage to walk a mile in my shoes. Naff off the pair of you losers.
ReplyDeleteIRONY
ReplyDeleteyeah anon can say that and disappear
ReplyDeleteAs for A boards some time ago TDC went round doing a similar thing yet had great big posters strapped to railings advertising the big event. KCC have to justify their existance and why they pay such big salaries and give such big pensions. We all know the answer we are paying the wages. The EU bring in stupid rules and it has rubbed off onto KCC
KENT WATCH?
ReplyDelete"A" boards are a bit trivial.
What about KCC planning to remove thousands of street lights and turning most of the rest off just when night, shift workers and criminals need them.
What about KCC managing director Katherine Kerswell leaving so soon from her £197k post. I hope there is no £400k pay off this time.
I think anon 05:17 was being ironic, although, maybe it wasn't necessary on such a topic. He/she is right though, as others are, that this is down to two things: consideration for pavement users and the usual fear of litigation.
ReplyDeleteBut in the tabloid reader's world it's all elf & safety gorn mad and a waste of taxpayers money!!!
2 22 well er.. clearly my finger has slipped off the pulse or perhaps the batterys gone on the pace maker yes point taken
ReplyDelete.. And did you missed the news about Kent's and all the other grammar schools in the country are being allowed to expand and even could be given permission to build new premises and start new schools. Its not a done deal yet by most things that minister Gove proposes like Free schools become a reality.
ReplyDeletethe grammer schools thing i did get, frankly i see this as little more than a eugenics in action. it doesnt work unless you happen to be a moral bankrupt tory who would like to send their kids to public school but accept this social segregation as an alternative
ReplyDeleteAcademic selection is not based on social background, Tony. I was a grammar school boy and, along with many of my friends, we lived on the St.Peter's council estate. I have felt a lifelong gratitude for the opportunity that education gave me.
ReplyDeleteThere were also a couple of snooty kids lived near me who went to Haddon Dene whilst I was at the local primary. I got to Chatham House and they to St. George's, despite the fact their folks were better off.
It's called social mobility, but without grammars the well heeled go to their Etons and Harrows whilst the rest of us go to the one size fits all comprehensive.
Looks like KCC managing director Katherine Kerswell's lawyers were too good for KCC's briefs. With a 4year contract it looks like it would have been rather expensive to sack her or make her redundant.
ReplyDelete