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1/ Today I hit a pothole whilst cycling to work.
A really kind guy came out of his home to offer a plaster & check my bike was ok. He said the potholes were a nightmare around here & that I need to tell the council.
I said I would.
This is a thread about none of these things.
A really kind guy came out of his home to offer a plaster & check my bike was ok. He said the potholes were a nightmare around here & that I need to tell the council.
I said I would.
This is a thread about none of these things.
2/ So before I keep my promise, I thought I’d just recap some of the other issues that Local Gov might be facing at the moment.
Like, for example, the fact that their government funding between 2010/11 and 2016/17 has been cut by 49%, and their spending power has shrunk by 29%.
Like, for example, the fact that their government funding between 2010/11 and 2016/17 has been cut by 49%, and their spending power has shrunk by 29%.
4/ To cope, council tax is going up, financial reserves are being eaten into, and services are being cut to the bone.
ft.com/content/f89022…
ft.com/content/f89022…
6/ But those service cuts aren’t equal across the board. Where possible, councils are prioritising key services – child protection, social care, homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse - although in many places their capacity to continue to do this has now been reached.
7/ The stuff that's less essential – like capital projects, like potholes – are put off to another day.
Other lower priority services – like cultural activities, like local bus routes, like bin collections – are scaled back.
Other lower priority services – like cultural activities, like local bus routes, like bin collections – are scaled back.
8/ But Local Councillors (and MPs) have a problem. There aren't many who vote in council elections based on strained child protection services, a starving social care system, scaled back drug services, but my goodness do people notice potholes.
9/ I mean, when 0.05% of the total local gov spend is making headlines, you know you’re on to something important.
10/ So this brings me back to my good Samaritan. Firstly, thank you for the really kind offer of a plaster. And here I am letting @WhiteHorseDC know about their pothole. But to be honest, they’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.
11/ I’m just in awe that that their officers still find the strength to get out of bed in the morning to fight their daily fires.
***WARNING – NEXT TWEET HAS GRAPHIC CONTENT***
***WARNING – NEXT TWEET HAS GRAPHIC CONTENT***
12/ (And just to say, @WhiteHorseDC, the offending crevice was a veritable Nissan Micra of the pothole world & wouldn’t be where I’d start if there's another central gov pothole windfall - although I don't want to belittle being hit by a Micra, I'm sure it would still smart).
13/ My right hand side will heal pretty quickly, but I'm less relaxed about how long it will take to reverse the impacts of a decade of local gov cuts.
Life expectancy's stalled, inequalities are rising, and our local environment has a critical role in our health and wellbeing.
Life expectancy's stalled, inequalities are rising, and our local environment has a critical role in our health and wellbeing.
14/ So before you swear at an unfilled pothole next time your driving/cycling, please just pause to think about what else might not be being funded right now, and how your voice - and your vote - might help.
15/15 To read more on the scale and impact of local gov and social care cuts, I'd really recommend looking up the reports/papers/blogs of folk like @RichardatKF @davidjbuck @JoBibbyTHF @davidfinchRF @tim_esPH @felly500 @LGAcomms @ADPHUK @TheIFS
