West Dunbartonshire Council’s Expensive Scaffolding Contract To Be Investigated (1 Viewer)

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A GUTTER cleaning job costing the council just over £100 escalated when scaffolding at a price of £1600 was added to the bill.

The costly repair, which was made to a four-in-a-block property in Dumbarton earlier this year, spiralled as a result of the hefty costs for the safety structure, due to an expensive contract.

The issue was raised by the householder with Dumbarton Councillor Geoff Calvert, who was shocked to hear how much the job cost council taxpayers.

Councillor Calvert said: “The work involved was cleaning a gutter and there were about a dozen small repairs that needed to be done.

“That was fine and the work was carried out, the bill for the actual work which was £117.09 was a fair price for the gutters. But when the scaffolding cost was put on, it came up to £1600. There’s no way I would pay that amount to have my gutters cleaned. A motion will be presented to all councillors during the council meeting tonight (Wednesday) on this issue.

Geoff continued: "Of course we can’t compromise on safety. I am extremely grateful for the person who brought this to my attention and I am also grateful for the fact that the person is not withholding payment of the bill. They recognise that the charges were raised in line with the current policies. I believe that clearly needs to be looked at.

A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council has confirmed that the scaffolding contract will be looked into as this is an issue which has been raised during recent budget consultation meetings with staff. She said: In undertaking repairs and maintenance work to properties, the council continually seeks opportunities to improve its working methods and improve efficiency in our operations. Scaffolding is a necessary requirement for some of the work we undertake to ensure that work can be undertaken safely. We are currently reviewing our arrangements in this area as a result of feedback though our consultation with staff on budget issues.”

Source: LennoxHerald
 
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A GUTTER cleaning job costing the council just over £100 escalated when scaffolding at a price of £1600 was added to the bill.

The costly repair, which was made to a four-in-a-block property in Dumbarton earlier this year, spiralled as a result of the hefty costs for the safety structure, due to an expensive contract.

The issue was raised by the householder with Dumbarton Councillor Geoff Calvert, who was shocked to hear how much the job cost council taxpayers.

Councillor Calvert said: “The work involved was cleaning a gutter and there were about a dozen small repairs that needed to be done.

“That was fine and the work was carried out, the bill for the actual work which was £117.09 was a fair price for the gutters. But when the scaffolding cost was put on, it came up to £1600. There’s no way I would pay that amount to have my gutters cleaned. A motion will be presented to all councillors during the council meeting tonight (Wednesday) on this issue.

Geoff continued: "Of course we can’t compromise on safety. I am extremely grateful for the person who brought this to my attention and I am also grateful for the fact that the person is not withholding payment of the bill. They recognise that the charges were raised in line with the current policies. I believe that clearly needs to be looked at.

A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council has confirmed that the scaffolding contract will be looked into as this is an issue which has been raised during recent budget consultation meetings with staff. She said: In undertaking repairs and maintenance work to properties, the council continually seeks opportunities to improve its working methods and improve efficiency in our operations. Scaffolding is a necessary requirement for some of the work we undertake to ensure that work can be undertaken safely. We are currently reviewing our arrangements in this area as a result of feedback though our consultation with staff on budget issues.”

Source: LennoxHerald
Bet you have all heard these before - 'Safety Is Paramount' - 'Safety First' - 'No Compromise On Safety' and all the rest of the politically correct hoss sh*t !!!!!
Then you give them the safety they ask for and they moan when they have to pay the price !!!!!
 
Soulhawk
"Bet you have all heard these before - 'Safety Is Paramount' - 'Safety First' - 'No Compromise On Safety' and all the rest of the politically correct hoss sh*t !!!!!
Then you give them the safety they ask for and they moan when they have to pay the price !!!!! "

Spot on mate
 
the problem lies with the rule makers sat in their offices , not having a clue how a job is done or how it should be done, they just blanket safety rather than assess working and safety practices.

this is maybe bad example but basically now a lot of councils and government authorities think as soon as you 2 inch off the floor WAH 2005 gonna get you so scaffold everything.

Two council authorities local to me have been triple handrailing all flat roof repairs jobs with ladder access gates the full monty. these jobs include garage roofs, bin store roofs and even door canopy roofs ( 1 mtr wide 750 mm deep 2.2 mtrs above ground )

garage roofs 3 mtr wide 5mtr long 2.2 mtr high and sometimes in middle of a block of garages

shed an bin store roofs between 2 to 3 mtr wide 3 t0 4 mtr long 2 mtr high

how much is this costing , above a door canopy the roofer has max 1.5 square mtr of roof to work on.

there are lots of easier cheaper more workable ways of doing lots of councils jobs than the ways they doing them now , but some of the shirts need to get off their fat asses , leave the office and get out an about an see how the real world actually works an earn their feckin corn
 
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