Banner
any day today rss X

News and Comment June 2024

Index: 2018201920202021202220232024

4 June - No style and Country Style

A rest from political stuff today as I consider whether I can possibly vote for a party that selects small time crooks as candidates. Probably that covers all of them but when you have the evidence it becomes more of an issue. I will be studying the leaflets that might come my way more carefully than ever. Candidates above Parties!

Kelly Wilkinson
Road blockedA week ago nobody could leave my road by car because Ms. Wilkinson blocked it. She is a ‘mute’ Bexley Council employee and last Friday I put in a formal complaint about her decision to ignore those she had inconvenienced.

It was acknowledged within minutes.

A BiB reader who has had dealings with Miss Mute made a prediction about what might happen next. She will probably be allowed to investigate herself. The photographic evidence will be ignored and any written evidence will be “utterly misrepresented”. The response will likely be “massively overdue”.

We will see.


Country Style matters
Road grit Blocked bins Blocked binstThree weeks ago Country Style swept my street but not very well. It is not easy because of the commuter parking and my end, despite being designated a No Parking area on the original planning application, is usually full up with cars.

Much to my surprise Country Style was back yesterday sweeping again. A rather better job than last time, more than half the accumulated grit has gone, the rest moved to a new position.

Another place where Country Style is hamstrung by inconsiderate motorists is in the residents’ parking area. The blue car blocks access to the bins nearly all the time and the white van quite often. I really do not understand the mentality of people who recklessly put their possessions at risk of damage. There is plenty of room to park elsewhere.

My green rubbish bin has not been emptied since 3rd May when I reluctantly transferred next door’s stinking food waste into it to prevent it being left behind for another fortnight in a bin with the lid up. It was either that or their garden waste but as I had given up my brown bin subscription only a week earlier I felt that was something definitely to be avoided.

But my bin wasn’t emptied on 17th May or on 1st June (Bank Holiday delay) despite being put in the usual place the evening before. I can guess why. There is next to nothing in it and Country Style can’t be bothered to wheel the bin to the hoist. Far easier to manually grab a few ounces of plastic bag and chuck it in the back of the lorry - and ignore the second bag beneath it because it is out of easy reach at the bottom of the bin. I may have to become a fly tipper.


Cheapskates
Asphalt patchSome contractors came along this afternoon and ripped up the paving stones in my road in three or four places. I suppose they were cracked but I confess to never having noticed, not even the patch shown here which is just a few yards from home. Black patches do nothing to improve the appearance of the borough but it is cheap.

Some friends in Bromley were not very happy when their road was asphalted from one end to the other looked horrible. Research revealed that quite a lot of roads had been tarred over while some had been properly paved and there was a precise correlation between slabs and Councillors' addresses. I managed to interest the BBC in the phenomenon but Bromley Council absolutely refused to discuss the matter with them so the story did not progress.

It must have been 20 or so years ago.

 

Return to the top of this page
Bonkers is a cookie free zone. Not a single one