THE story of the expenses given to Julie Alderson, the interim director of resources, doesn’t surprise any longer.
There is no shame among our elected officials or among the ‘management’ of the public sector.
This woman couldn’t even pay for a few lightbulbs. But the sense of entitlement fostered by the last government has created this scandalous situation. What does she spend her bloated salary on, we should ask?
In the forthcoming local elections let’s hope we all keep this in mind, along with all of the other examples of shambolic local leadership and management from the council and put the cross in the right box – in fact any box unrelated to any of the mainstream parties.
Vote Independent.
Gez Sharp
Huddersfield
They haven’t a clue
I AM disgusted at Kirklees Council for making staff redundant yet paying out for a temporary worker’s living expenses.
Julie Alderson was earning a salary which means she can afford to buy her own lightbulbs.
And may I ask whether Kirklees Council are in possession of their purchase of said lightbulbs and batteries for just short of £12? After all, it is they who own them, not her, the landlord or anyone new moving into that flat.
Kirklees saying the deal is commonplace is simply not acceptable.
It’s money-ignorant councils like Kirklees who do stupid things like this which makes it seem acceptable.
Just because it is commonplace doesn’t mean it’s right. I’ll put it in another way – just because a lot of people break the speed limit by a few miles per hour in their cars doesn’t mean it is acceptable.
I’m no David Cameron fan, but I think he’s onto something with the council cuts.
Kirklees either has too much money to spend and can waste it like this, or they simply haven’t a clue on how to manage a budget.
I feel for all those who are losing their jobs. Reading a story like this must make them sick of those who bark the orders they have to carry out.
I bet most of the frontline workers could have done her job – and for much less too.
Lesley Dunford
Huddersfield
They keep getting it wrong
I’VE never lived anywhere else apart from Huddersfield in my 47 years, so Kirklees Council is all I know, apart from reading stories in the national newspapers.
But I get the feeling that Kirklees are getting worse and worse. There just seems to be so many bad decisions being made.
But just when I was thinking they were actually upset at having to make all these cuts, they go and pay the woman with the red pen for her living expenses.
Clr Andrew Cooper is right in his questioning in Saturday’s Examiner. Why has she claimed for lightbulbs and batteries and not toothpaste and toilet roll?
Our council keeps getting it wrong and I’m fed up of the lot of them. The pending local elections will be very interesting.
JTB
Golcar
Ask and you’ll find out
IT says a lot that Kirklees Council could not find anyone within their own ranks to do the job of Julie Alderson, bit I don’t think they even looked.
Had they looked at their frontline employees, I’m sure the leaders would have been told exactly what services should and should not be cut to save costs.
The frontline workers know more than anyone else what the public want and need and, as one of those frontline workers, I’d like to assure the public we’re doing our best.
I’m fed up of reading stories of council incompetence caused by ‘management’.
Ask us and we’ll tell you.
Name and address supplied
Why no stop notice?
CONSIDERING all the complaining the councillors did about the building work without planning approval on the former Junction pub on Manchester Road at the bottom of Crosland Moor (Examiner, March 9), it makes you wonder why Kirklees Planning Department didn’t issue a stop notice during the months the work was taking place.
After all, apparently they learned a valuable lesson from the self-inflicted fiasco at another pub – the Castle Hill Hotel.
Richard Huddleston
West Slaithwaite
Our future population
REGARDING the Local Development Framework Bill Armer (Mailbag, March 8) states that “I and others have raised specific technical questions, both directly and on these pages, regarding the evidence base used to arrive at projections for population growth.These have not to date been answered.”
The methodology for population projections is freely available on the National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk
If he would like to suggest a better methodology that would be accepted in planning terms then please bring it forward as the LDF is required to be based on a sound evidence base.
The facts are that the latest 2010 data shows no sign of a decrease in net inward migration into the UK.
This makes up about 30% of the population growth in Kirklees.
The rest comes from number of births being higher than the number of deaths in Kirklees.
Dominic Stankiewicz
Thongsbridge
An independent inquiry?
SHOULDN’T the investigation into the alleged connection between a senior Kirklees planning officer and a national property development company (letters Tuesday March 8) be conducted by a neutral third party and not the council itself?
Internal investigations do nothing to convince the public that shady deals have not been done.
Time for some openness, Kirklees.
If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear.
Victoria Gott
Emley
Thanks for honesty
THANK you to the kind person who handed in my handbag after I lost it on the 313 bus on Monday, February 28. I was devastated.
All my essential items such as phone, money and cards were in there.
I called First Bus on the morning of Tuesday, March 1 and, to my great delight, not only had my bag been handed in but all the items were still in there.
It just goes to show there are kind and honest people about.
C Walton
Huddersfield
Brighten up our shops
HERE are a few ideas for the boarded-up shop windows in Huddersfield.
Use the windows for display areas for the work done by art, design, textile, craft students from Huddersfield University, Huddersfield Technical College and some of the work done by the many adult education courses.
If the boards must stay in place, have them decorated by these students, especially if they can be of the ‘Banksy’ witty genre to give the poor shoppers something to smile about!
I look forward to seeing what can be done with these depressing windows.
JENNY SHAW
Netherthong
It’s offally nice
HOW mouths water to see the picture in our excellent local paper of Margaret Lowe serving tripe.
I have personally always liked it and it is very rich in protein and easy to digest.
I’ve eaten most types of tripe – honeycomb and black fat which is my favourite with salt and vinegar on it.
But these days where do you buy tripe? Butchers no longer stock it and it’s very rare I’ve managed to get some.
The last time I think was when I was on holiday in Norfolk a few years ago.
I would love to see tripe made more available as I simple love the stuff.
COLIN VAUSE
Marsh
It’s got to go!
FURTHER to the article by Barry Gibson on ‘subbing’, the most over used word today is ‘got’ and it is increasing at an alarming rate, largely by people who are supposedly educated and should know better.
It is almost always preceded by the abbreviation of ‘have’ or ‘has’, which show possession of something and, if used in full, preclude the need for the unnecessary word.
Arthur Marson
Edgerton
