New decision by heads in Drogheda Borough Council!

Biggins

Its come to my attention of a new decision by heads in Drogheda Council!
I've been told exactly whom is SUPPOSED to have made the decision but I don't think I should say till it's confirmed that it was them in particular.

...Anyway, it appears that 'Heat' is to be taken of the list of Drogheda Councils services which it considers as emergency if your council heating breaks down over any weekend.

"So what?" you might fairly ask...

Well if your an elderly person or a parent with kids and in the middle of a cold spell, your home is plunged into freezing cold because your heating has broke, you no longer will be able to have someone on call, come out eventually on a Saturday or Sunday even to have a look at the problem, never mind try repairing the situation.

If your an elderly person or a parent with kids (thats just two examples), from a Friday night till Monday morning, you will just have to possibly freeze to death before you can even be considered to be called out to!
You can still ring in to report the problem - you will just be ignored for two days though!
Depending on how bad the weather is in that time, your going to be left for two long days to enjoy the then cold!

The thoughts of any old person left freezing in their home for two days without further help, is one that fills me with dread.

Lord TSC

Why, it just so happens we have a counciller who posts on this board regularly, so perhaps we'll get a reply from him on this situation...

Biggins

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

Why, it just so happens we have a counciller who posts on this board regularly, so perhaps we'll get a reply from him on this situation...

Hope so!

Why? Good question...

The rest of the country's (as far as I have been informed) councils still sees heating as a basic fundamental - which if it breaks down, considers it enough of a possible emergency situation that they will still (at least) send someone out on call on those weekend days, to assess the problem and not just leave persons stranded and left to the cold.

Atomic Pineapple

Isn't the "Household charge" supposed to be exactly for these types of services?

Lord TSC

I wasn't saying "why" in terms of explain the situation; more in a light hearted hand waving way.

That said, as someone whose heating went out two weeks back and it took two days to get someone out to look at it, I can't say I've got a crazy huge amount of sympathy. I would imagine there's a cost factor here, and I have a feeling Drogheda won't be the only council to do this in the long term...

Biggins

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

...as someone whose heating went out two weeks back and it took two days to get someone out to look at it, I can't say I've got a crazy huge amount of sympathy...

Thats fair enough, thats you and maybe you could cope better but what it was someone elderly, disabled and/or mentally infirm?

draffodx wrote: »

Isn't the "Household charge" supposed to be exactly for these types of services?

Another good question!

Lord TSC

Couldn't it be orgnanised then that there's like two seperate lists? One of "healthy" people who'd be fine for a day or two, and those in danger who might need the help quickly? I agree there's "danger" groups but it's probably not financially viable to make it an either/or situation for everyone...

Biggins

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

Couldn't it be orgnanised then that there's like two seperate lists?...

That indeed would be as least thinking with ones head screwed on.
Sadly there is some heads in the Drogheda Borough Council that don't seem to have that ability sometimes!

MugMugs

Is this public? Anything to back this up or are you debating speculative hearsay?

calex71

If true this is the kind of doom and gloom the tabloids would eat up , few calls to them and getting it covered would be no harm. Forget local , TV3 and the star would be the ones to get on the case. They would froth at the mouth at the thought of a pensioner going cold (tabloids do have their uses )

If this is true I find it very worrying, I mean in reality how much is it costing them or how many calls do they get over weekends about broken heating unless....... they are paying outrageous sums to contract plumbers etc for the privilege of having them on call just in case before they even go out and look at a problem If that is the situation then they need to be looked at too, they are not cutting this for the sake of a few pennies.

amacachi

Electric heater for 20 quid, boom.

Biggins

MugMugs wrote: »

Is this public? Anything to back this up or are you debating speculative hearsay?

No, you can take it as certain.
Confirmed by the workers themselves in the council.

Atomic Pineapple

amacachi wrote: »

Electric heater for 20 quid, boom.

I have one of them, costs an absolute fortune on the electricity when I use it!

White Horse

draffodx wrote: »

I have one of them, costs an absolute fortune on the electricity when I use it!

2kw heater uses two units an hour. Ignoring the free units pensioners get, it will cost in the region of €10 to use for 48 hours.

No reason to freeze waiting for a call out on a Monday morning.

Lantus

thats minor. small game in a new world order were many of the major services we currently enjoy are going to dissapear sooner rather than later.

We need to re-asses what central government and local provides as a service. It should be the bare but important basics. Maintaining infrastructure, primary health care, defence, law and order.

The increasing cost of fossil fuels and the fact we have now past peak oil means that fewer people will be able to avoid energy anyway.


We all ned to become more self sufficient and reliant on each other rather than centralised systems.

The goverment needs to address how we will provide housing that doesn't require fossil fuels to maintain a warm internal temperature across the country in say 20 years. After that we are probably knackered given what will happen due to the decline of oil production. (The steady decline and break down of modern society as we know it.)

amacachi

draffodx wrote: »

I have one of them, costs an absolute fortune on the electricity when I use it!

2kw constantly for 2 days is a tenner and with the fan heaters they're hardly needed even half the time to get a room unbearably warm.

This is one of those kind of things that I wouldn't be worried or bothered about, to be honest. It's not really going to affect anyone, is it?

As has been said, it's not a difficult issue to solve if you do have to wait for someone to come and fix your heating.

If it saves a few Euro, I'm all for it. I just wish the Council would make it clear what they're actually spending money on. They recently spent a bit of time in Rathmullen Park putting down a footpath through a small green area. Completely pointless, looks tacky, serves no purpose and was a complete waste of time.

They were also doing some work beside where this newly laid path was for a day or two afterward, too. Not sure what they actually did, though (though I did see a JCB digger come and go). Pointless stuff, especially when they have busted roads and opened sewerage grates, etc. in the same estate that should be looked at much earlier.

That said though, they also completely revamped one of the cul de sacs in the estate, and they did a fantastic job on it, and they revamped most of the roads around the estates there about a year and a half ago, and they did a great job on that, too.


The heating doesn't bother me though. Central heating is relatively new. I'm sure these old age pensioners will be used to not having central heating in their homes 24/7. I don't foresee any frozen bodies being found by Gardaí.