Complaints against Gloucester City Council

[Joe K]

'Complaints', in the plural, because I anticipate there being more. Indeed, there have been previous ones, and I'm starting this thread because I think some of them are still outstanding, buried deep in my inbox, thanks to the calculated lethargy of council staff. This way, I can always come back to this thread, and tick off a complaint if it gets resolved. Soooo...

Complaint about bad management of Napier St Play Area opening times

This is my complaint against Gloucester City Council, who manage Napier St Play Area, and Amey, their environmental services contractor, whose staff were seen on Wednesday morning (2nd July), at 9:36, unlocking chains on three gates, then locking them again at 6:45 in the evening. Gloucestershire constabulary are supposed to be handling this task, on the grounds that older youths might be resistant to being turfed out of the Area, but appear to have quickly passed the buck. The constabulary are taking their time respondng to a very simple Freedom of Information request about these locking/unlocking times, so for the past two weeks I've started trying to confirm them for myself, mainly re locking up time. What this has revealed is that most of the time, the gate facing Widden School isn't locked at night at all. That wasn't the case on Wednesday morning, though, when parents taking their children to the school from the Raglan Rd/Napier St side couldn't walk through the Play Area, or more importantly, let their pre-school children have a play afterwards.

It was worse on Thursday, though, when the Play Area was left locked all day.

Therefore I'd like to know the reason for these failures of service, and get clarification on exactly when the Area is supposed to be locked up, or if there are plans to review these restrictions?

This complaint is posted publicly on the TrollhunterX general board, where its (hopefully timely) resolution will also be posted.

Cheers, Joe Kilker

[Deleted]

If you really want to aggravate them, you could ask just when Tredworth Cemetery is supposed to be locked. They lock the front gate (on Cemetery Road) in the early evening, but don't usually bother with either of the gates on Tredworth Road. It's been that way for years. The gates used to be locked every evening, but this has lapsed over the years. I bet someone gets paid to do it. The odd thing is that once in a blue moon I will notice that the gates on the southern side have been locked at night, but that's about it.

[Joe K]

I wouldn't say 'aggravate' them, so much as show them up for the incompetents they are.

It's a strange situation, and increasingly I'm drawn to the conclusion that would strike many people as paranoid, but it's the old cliche of paranoia not ruling out shenanigans. What if the reason so many council employees work in such a half-hearted, half-arsed way, is that they know the management structure is rotten to the core, and can't risk cracking the whip because of the consequences of even one disgruntled whistle blower speaking out? And the wider powers that be in Gloucester, be they the councillors, the police, or even the media who should be holding the authorities to account, have looked the other way so many times that they're just as implicated now?

How could we even begin to tackle that? I'm hoping that UKIP might be a new broom, which is why I'm trying to enlist their help, because whatever baggage they have, it's not the kind that's paralysing our councillors from the political mainstream.

On that note, remember yesterday's TETRA meeting? David Harber, UKIP's Barton & Tredworth candidate at the last elections, said he was told by Tony Ward that the meeting would be at Parry Hall. Well, the hall was locked up at 10:30am, and the meeting wasn't at the Big Vic either, nor the city farm. This is all assuming that it didn't take place at 6:30pm as it used to, of course,contradicting the claim of Gloucester City Homes... www.gloscityhomes.co.uk/Tenants/GetInvolved/TenantsandResidentsGroups/TredworthEstatesTenantsResidentsAssociation(TETRA).aspx

Davis also said that there was a deadline set for putting up a noticeboard outside the Co-op on High St, which he was pretty sure had expired. If that board ever does go up, a lot of confusion might evaporate, depending on who controls what goes on it...

[Joe K]

Just had a reply. Here it is, below my response:


Hi,

This is nowhere close to being resolved.

Do you really think that the appropriate response to weeks, perhaps months, of shiftless behaviour is to say, 'Don't do it again'?

Perhaps you are not aware that the local police are supposed to be responsible for locking and unlocking these gates precisely because people inside might be reluctant to leave? Complaints about older youths misusing the park at night are the reason it was decided to lock it in the first place, after all.

I've put in a Freedom of Information request to Gloucestershire constabulary asking for precise details of locking/unlocking times, but they have still not responded. If you want to improve your service, perhaps you can provide me with these details. Or better yet, put a notice up at the Play Area, so that everyone knows when it should be locked an unlocked.

Joe Kilker

PS 'I am sorry that you felt the need to bring this to our attention' is not the same as 'I am sorry that you had to bring this to our attention'



In a message dated 08/07/2014 11:54:18 GMT Daylight Time, [e-mail] writes:
Dear Mr Kilner


With reference to the complaint received from yourself on 3/7/14, I am sorry that you felt the need to bring this to our attention. Please be assured we take all complaints very seriously and each one is investigated and any appropriate action taken, this then enables us to improve our service.


The Streets supervisor has looked into this and instructed to the crew to ensure that they open the gates first thing in the morning. We do not lock all three gates as there is usually people in the park so the back gate is always unlocked.


I hope this has been resolved to your satisfaction.


Yours Sincerely


Gale Laken

Business Support Administrator| Government

[Joe K]

And ditto, from the council, a few minutes later:


Hi,

And much good it seems to have done.

Joe Kilker


In a message dated 08/07/2014 12:29:34 GMT Daylight Time, [e-mail] writes:
Dear Mr Kilker

Many thanks for your email which has been received in the Contact Centre and logged under the above reference number.

Your comments and concerns regarding the play area in Napier Street have been brought to the attention of our partner Amey for the appropriate action to be taken.

Kind regards


Mrs Joanne Sobkiw
Customer Services Officer (Contact Centre)
Central Services

[Joe K]

I should update this, while I'm thinking of it.

I received this 'Stage 2' response to my last email, but I've heard nothing since.

In the meantime, Amey continue to lock the gates, or not lock them when there are people still in the Play Area, even though this was discussed at a partnership meeting (minuted by my wife), and it was decided that the police should lock the gates at night, to make sure that people left. On the occasion when Amey are able to lock all gates, children, and even mothers, still climb over the fence by the gate facing Widden School, as it has a section missing from the top. Drug dealers or other anti-social elements seem notable for their absence, yet no-one is prepared to reconsider this ineffective nightly lock-up.



Dear Mr Kilker

Thank you for your email received by Gloucester City Council’s Contact Centre. Your query has been logged under the above reference number. Please quote this reference number in future communications about this issue. This matter has been raised as a stage 2 complaint and forwarded to Gloucester Amey for action/response.

If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely

Jo Evans
Senior Customer Services Officer
Customer Services

[Deleted]

I'm impressed that you've been able to get hold of anyone at the city council by email, as all of mine have been returned as undeliverable since Thursday of last week.

[Joe K]

I haven't actually had any replies this week, but I gather that both their planning site and email facility is up the creek at the moment. Great advert for their new IT company, Civica. This is annoying the St Aldate Group (preservation society), who are encouraging objections to an application to demolish the church*.

Of course, a more suspicious person might think they just wanted to make it very hard to communicate with them in advance of the upcoming GCH stock transfer vote.


* From Twitter: St Aldate Group @staldate · Jul 29
Come along to our planning objection drop in session 31st July at Venture #WhiteCity #Gloucester 6-8pm, help save our community hub

[Joe K]

I'm just about to send this 'Twitlonger'. I'm fairly certain that I'm now being strung along, and that this relates directly to the GCH stock transfer situation, so the time for patience is over. In the sense that I'm being ignored, for whatever questionable reasons, this is all part and parcel of the Amey complaint:


@gloucestercity @richardgrahammp

I sent the email below on July 10th, 21 days ago. The date on which Sue Mullins claimed she would be making a decision ('on whether or not to formally investigate your complaint'), the 15th, was more than two weeks back now. Last week, I visited the council offices to find out if things were progressing. Sue Mullins was not available and I had to leave a message, which I have not had an answer to. With the current email difficulties the city council appears to be experiencing, there seems no point in trying to communicate that way, so I will be visiting the offices again tomorrow, to see Sue Mullins *or* a subordinate, and receive some answers.

Expect me.


--------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Member Complaint : Cllr Saj Patel
Date: 10/07/2014
From:
Reply To:
To: [e-mail]


No problem [re my answer on formal resolution].

I already told Wendy Jones I was willing to go with formal resolution, and what I would like to get from that process is below the quotes ['Secondly, that Barton & Tredworth city councillors start replying to my emails, relating to critical ward issues such as illegal parking and flytipping, or justify their refusals to do so. For that purpose, feel free to extend this complaint, informal or otherwise, to Ahmed Hansdot and Usman Bhaimia.']. The only new aspiration is more responsiveness from my councillors, or explanations of otherwise.

Joe Kilker


In a message dated 10/07/2014 17:38:40 GMT Daylight Time, [e-mail] writes:
Dear Mr Kilker



Thank you for sending this to me. I don’t think I’ve seen all this information before so thank you for providing it.



Are you able to answer the question I asked in my email to you yesterday regarding informal resolution? A response either way would be appreciated.



Yours sincerely



Sue Mullins

Head of Legal and Policy Development & Monitoring Officer


[Extensive corrspondence between myself and BTD, in lieu of the 'brief chronology' requested by Sue Mullins, removed by me to safeguard the privacy of others (and spare the public a long, boring read)]

Joe Kilker





In a message dated 09/07/2014 09:51:55 GMT Daylight Time, [e-mail] writes:

Dear Mr Kilker



I refer to my email to you of 3 July 2014. In this email, I indicated that I was aiming to make my decision on whether or not to formally investigate your complaint by 8 July 2014. I have not yet made this decision as I want to take a little more time to consider the views expressed by the Council’s Independent Person. I am therefore now intending to make this decision by 15 July 2014.



It would also help my deliberations if you were able to provide me with a brief chronology of your requests to the Barton and Tredworth Developments Ltd Board for information and subsequent requests to Cllr Patel. I have some of this information but it would help if I could have all the relevant dates and a brief description of the information requested.



In the meantime, I note in your email of 3 July that you mention informal resolution. Are you able to indicate to me whether or not you would be prepared to consider informal resolution of your complaint and, if so, what you consider would be a satisfactory informal resolution to your complaint?



Yours sincerely



Sue Mullins

Head of Legal and Policy Development & Monitoring Officer