Making the news today....

[nepia]

From an Englishman through and through - thank you reasonable Scots!

My best mate is Welsh and lives in Caithness.  It doesn't matter what the sport is - and he follows a lot - once Welsh or Scottish interests have faded he's 100% for England.

I'd like to think I'm the same in reverse, mainly when it comes to the Six Nations!  Why wouldn't you support your neighbours?   Of course they've always taken the piss out of each other - that's life - but there's no need to get angry and smug over it

[Doug Tait]

Just a local issue but I'm unimpressed. Our benevolent local council (Scottish Borders) are putting out the feelers for a plot of land centrally located in the region. They want to buy somewhere in order to provide a permanent site for Gypsy travellers. They expect to spend over £3million to provide 10-14 pitches with associated services.

This particularly bothers me as during the summer we spent a week with 5 guys, trucks, chipper, crane, timber trailer doing a site clearance for the Council on an old abandoned mill site. We were followed by another contractor who erected security fencing and gates to secure the site, all in order that it could be provided as a permanent traveller site. Then the travellers (ironically, having dumped a load of Arb waste) decided they didn't want to live there which has led to this.

 

 

“Potential sites... most importantly must meet the needs and aspirations of the gypsy/traveller community.”

 

It seems to me that the council intend running a lovely Caravan Club type park, open year round, exclusively for non council tax payers.

 

 

 

Bid for a new £3m traveller site is on the agenda | The Southern Reporter

WWW.THESOUTHERNREPORTER.CO.UK

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Private landowners are to be invited to submit bids in a move to establish a permanent £3m travellers site in the...

 

[AHPP]

On 09/12/2022 at 23:32, Mesterh said:

Earninng the vast sums of money that you do, not that you don't like to talk about it, I would have thought that you would have gone private?

 

Joking aside, I hope your kids get better soon.

 

I can't fault our doctors tbh, straight in to be seen if needed after a very brief phone call, and private hospital treatment if necessary. Post code lottery tastic.

 

Where are you roughly? I've had recent exposure to the postcode lottery of healthcare in this shithole. Interested to see whether your experiences fit in my model.

[AHPP]

30 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

Just a local issue but I'm unimpressed. Our benevolent local council (Scottish Borders) are putting out the feelers for a plot of land centrally located in the region. They want to buy somewhere in order to provide a permanent site for Gypsy travellers. They expect to spend over £3million to provide 10-14 pitches with associated services.

 

This particularly bothers me as during the summer we spent a week with 5 guys, trucks, chipper, crane, timber trailer doing a site clearance for the Council on an old abandoned mill site. We were followed by another contractor who erected security fencing and gates to secure the site, all in order that it could be provided as a permanent traveller site. Then the travellers (ironically, having dumped a load of Arb waste) decided they didn't want to live there which has led to this.

 

 

“Potential sites... most importantly must meet the needs and aspirations of the gypsy/traveller community.”

 

It seems to me that the council intend running a lovely Caravan Club type park, open year round, exclusively for non council tax payers.

 

 

 

Bid for a new £3m traveller site is on the agenda | The Southern Reporter

WWW.THESOUTHERNREPORTER.CO.UK

---

Private landowners are to be invited to submit bids in a move to establish a permanent £3m travellers site in the...

 

Stop doing dolescum work.

[GarethM]

3million divided into 14, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy a few houses ?.

[Doug Tait]

24 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Stop doing dolescum work.

 

That unfortunately wouldn't change anything apart from our workload.

[Doug Tait]

22 minutes ago, GarethM said:

3million divided into 14, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy a few houses ?.

 

I know what you mean but I don't think the council should be buying anything.

Surely if travellers want a permanent site they have to buy something suitable themselves and apply for Planning Permission, or get on the Social Housing List like the rest of the community.

 

I'd like a log cabin in the woods.

Which form do I submit in order to get the Council to buy a woodland of my choosing, install access and amenities, and sort all the permissions it needs...

[AHPP]

9 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

 

That unfortunately wouldn't change anything apart from our workload.

So be it. What price do you put on your integrity? Let the pragmatists at it. They'll eat each other eventually.

[Doug Tait]

3 minutes ago, AHPP said:

So be it. What price do you put on your integrity? Let the pragmatists at it. They'll eat each other eventually.

 

Well when you put it like that, my integrity is apparently priced at 1 weeks income! In my defence though I don't see it being quite so black and white. If I passed on every job I disagreed with for some reason I'd work a lot less.

Incidentally we've been several weeks so far doing a roadside butchery job which I'm far from proud of either.

[GarethM]

I don't think they should either, my local council tried something similar a while back. It's something from central government that requires them to do it.

 

Whilst at the same time they'll just buy a plot of land before a bank holiday, tarmac it to the hills and then waste millions in court.