It’s no wonder MP Flick Drummond has been criticised.
She has suggested that Jo and Joanna Public should stop flushing the loo, taking a bath, or using their washing machines during times of heavy rain.
Her ridiculous comments are just taking the focus away from the real issue, which is that the water companies are doing very little to prevent the discharge of sewage into our rivers and coastal waters.
Since the start of 2024, there have been 23 confirmed occasions of sewage being released into the Langstone Harbour area.
23 occasions in less than two months. What this shows is that fining the water companies isn’t working.
In 2021, Southern Water was fined £90m for deliberately dumping billions of litres of raw sewage into protected seas over several years for its own financial gain.
Just last year, 2023, Southern Water was instructed to return £43 million to customers by reducing bills for 2024.
And rubbing salt into public wounds, the water companies paid out £65.9bn in dividends to shareholders in the years up to 2022.
So somewhere between paying fines and paying dividends are the huge profits they are making, enabling them to pay huge salaries to their management.
Ian McAulay, CEO for Souther Water, was apparently paid a bonus of £550,900 in 2020/21. This is in addition to a £435,000-a-year salary and with pension payments and benefits secured a £1.082m pay package.
It’s time that these company execs were hit in their personal pockets. Then, maybe, they would feel inclined to take positive action.
So Flick Drummond, perhaps instead of blaming the public, you could target the true people responsible, the water companies, and their execs.
Perhaps you could also look at the decision-making of the planners, which surrounds the many developments in this area and apply pressure to ensure that the sewage infrastructure is set in place BEFORE building starts.
The public voted you into your position to speak on their behalf. They can easily vote you out.
However, there is a distinct lack of consistency with how local authorities deal with school absence.
Due to a change in personal circumstances, my granddaughter has been trying, for a couple of months, to find a school placement for her daughter. She phones the authorities frequently but is told that there are no places available.
How can one set of parents be fined for “temporarily” removing their child from school whilst the local authorities fail to find a placement for my great granddaughter and face no punishment. I thought it was a legal requirement that children had to go to school.
Doesn’t that same law hold the local authorities liable for the provision of that schooling ?
If my granddaughter had chosen to keep her daughter away from school, they would have fined her.
I moved into my current home in 1986, and one of the primary selling points for me was the green space at the front.
This green space, owned by the local council, had two large, over 80ft, mature Beech Trees, a mature Yew, and a number of other trees.
Under the trees, there was a grassy area maintained by Havant Borough Council (HBC).
The council employees would turn to several times a year to cut the grass and generally keep the area tidy.
So pleasant was this area that children used to gather in the shade of the trees, to play and on occasion picnic. Our own children and grandchildren used to play there too.
Over the years, the nature of this green space has changed. One of the great Beeches got sick and had to be taken down. Some branches on the remaining Beech had become so long and heavy that they had to be cut off lest they break under their own weight and cause catastrophic damage to the main trunk. All the tree surgery managed by HBC.
Unfortunately, while the standard of tree care has been exemplary, the same can not be said of general care of the area.
The open area has become a bit of a wilderness, with brambles taking over to such an extent that they are encroaching on the driveway shared by me and my neighbours.
In fact, the overspill of the brambles is such that some of our ubiquitous couriers have refused to drive down to make their deliveries.
My neighbours and I have contacted the council in the past, and someone has come along and cut back the undergrowth. But they, the HBC, are reactive, not proactive.
In fact, after I had complained, one of the workers, clearly disgruntled at having to come back after a less than satisfactory grass cutting session, took it upon himself to inform me that he had been in the job for twenty plus years and that they had never maintained this area.
I pointed out that the council workers used to ride their sit on mowers in circles around the trees. The same trees that are hidden behind the wild scrub and brambles, which now prevents access by the mowers.
The untamed undergrowth has brought with it another undesirable activity. People have used the bushes directly in front of my neighbours living room as an impromptu toilet. Standing, urinating while staring directly into her lounge.
And, then there is the footpath that subdivides the open area, which is nearly always covered in detritus from the trees. Leaves, twigs, and beech mast all combine to make the path albut unusable. At night time it can be quite dangerous. More so since the new street lights have been installed. They may well be less light polluting, but the nearest light has little or no effect on illuminating this pathway.
So there in a nutshell, is my personal view on the deteriorating standard of upkeep by HBC.
It’s a shame that HBC doesn’t seem to want to reduce my council tax in line with the reduced services.
The number of people seeking help for gambling problems reached record levels in 2023 – with more people calling a national helpline than ever before.
For the life of me, I have never understood why gambling is broadcast on TV late at night, and also, why are betting sites allowed to advertise on TV?
Dr David McLaughlan, a priory consultant psychiatrist specialising in addictions, said gambling is a particularly challenging addiction to treat – “Because of the access to gambling platforms of peoples’ phones”.
He said: “With my patients who are addicted to alcohol, I can suggest that they avoid drinking venues or remove alcohol from their house. However, when the temptation is constantly present, on your phone, in your pocket, it’s much harder to resist.”
The government systematically banned all forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship. So why not ban advertising of the various betting sites and apps.
The effects of gambling on individuals, their partners, and their families and friends can be every bit as devastating as smoking and the associated cancers.
The following was published in The Guardian …
It has long been known that gambling is addictive so common sense would have shown the risks.
It’s time our government woke up and took positive action.
I suspect the reality of their reluctance is that they can’t afford to cut off another lucrative tax revenue stream.
…. and still they, Scottish Power, have done nothing !!!
Even worse, Scottish Power now seem to be pointing the finger of blame at the UK government. As if they are responsible for my non functional smart meter.
I’m pretty sure that Scottish Power advertised, supplied, and installed the device
Some of you may have read my previous post from 2023. If you need a refresher, I have provided the link below.
So, I had a functional smart meter until December 2021. Prior to that time, all was hunky dory, and it was wirelessly providing readings to Scottish Power until it wasn’t.
Despite what they say in their latest email, Scottish Power has not directly communicated with me over this issue. Except when I phoned them on another matter, which is when they said the problem would be resolved by the end of October 2022.
Occasionally, usually when they want me to provide them with meter readings, they almost casually, as an aside mention that they are aware of the problem.
This is not good customer service. Silence, in this case, is not golden.
If there were any decent alternatives, I would have swapped providers by now.
Oh, I do hope so. I have posted before about the hoons blighting our society.
Whilst there are noise camera trials taking place at various sites in the UK, and the police can issue on the spot fines, the misery caused by these auto “enthusiasts” continues.
So, this first strike against a business blatantly breaking the law is very welcome.
I sincerely hope that 2024 is the year that the hoons get their comeuppance.
WrAnTz 