More on HDC blaming the Town Councils over toilet closures!

I was looking through the Overview and Scrutiny Committee minutes and found the following section:

"In discussing plans to transfer to Town Councils responsibility for cleaning and maintenance of the District’s public conveniences, Members were informed (I take it was informed by The Director of Commerce and Technology) that the current cost of this was £156k per year. The rationale was that Town Councils knew the level of local need for toilets and consequently would be better able to mange* them. This was in the context of Town Councils asking the District Council for more responsibilities."

What! This is a stupid rationale. The District owns and runs these facilities. Doesn't HDC know how well these facilities are used? Why does HDC expect the Town Councils to know what the need is? If HDC doesn't know, do a survey. Rather than finding out what the demand is, HDC is getting rid of this service.

What is also wrong with this stupid rationale is the context. Town Councils did ask to take over services so long as the money comes with the service. To make their context work HDC had to distort what the Town Councils asked for. HDC did this by missing out the money part.

This whole stupid rationale flies in the face of the Council Cabinet's decision of 18th July 2008. Back then, the Cabinet decided not to proceed with the proposed Parish Charter which was aimed at devolving provision of appropriate services and money to Town and Parish Councils.

A test of the District Council is what other services HDC could decide to stop doing. One service HDC could stop providing is car parks. Town and Parish Councils have the power to provide and manage these facilities. Of course car parks, as a whole, are an income to HDC whereas Toilets are an expense.

All the Conservative run HDC is doing is stopping the Public Toilets service. In my opinion HDC are trying to shift the blame with a stupid rationale to the Town Councils. If the Conservative run HDC has to fiddle the truth over Public toilets I just have to wonder what they are doing over the HDC budget?


*Definition: (n) mange (a persistent and contagious disease of the skin causing inflammation and itching and loss of hair; affects domestic animals (and sometimes people))

Documents
Town/Parish Council Powers
Press Release
Overview Minutes
Parish Charter
Parish Charter Overview
Decision - Parish Charter