Some of you may have picked up on a story last week which reported that some wag had sent a Freedom of Information request to Leicester City Council asking how well prepared the authority was for a zombie attack.
The request read: 'Can you please let us know what provisions you have in place in the event of a zombie invasion?
'Having watched several films it is clear that preparation for such an event is poor and one that councils throughout the kingdom must prepare for.
'Please provide any information you may have.'
The council got into the spirit of the request and replied, conceding that it wasn’t well prepared but confirmed the request had been taken in good humour.
But the story doesn’t end there. As news of the FoI request spread across Twitter and other social networking sites, it prompted James Dixon to organise a zombie march on Facebook.
He said it started as a 'small gathering for friends' but eventually attracted more widespread interest after going viral with hundreds gathered for the march.
It appears that the council handled the invasion with aplomb, which is unsurprising. Having spent my younger days going out in the city on a Saturday night and witnessing some of the folk worse for wear, the council is better prepared for such an incident than it gives itself credit for.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Top snifter
Sorry things have been a bit quiet the last few weeks. I’ve been tied up wit some work stuff. Now our team is depleted, everyone is doing at least one-and-a-half jobs and there hasn’t been much time to take a breather.
It’s enough to turn a man to drink, which brings me conveniently to a news story I spotted on the BBC news site this morning.
According to this report, there was a ‘stampede’ at a Scottish Tesco supermarket this week when an administrative error resulted in the price of beer and cider being ‘slashed’.
Tesco’s offer was characteristically tempting: three boxes of beers or cider for £20. However, this was going through the tills at just £11 and the canny Scots were quick to jump on the error.
The report adds that police were called to the Greenock supermarket after heavy congestion in the car park. So how did everyone find out? Social networking of course.
One customer described the situation as ‘bedlam’ as people contacted their friends, while others went home to change clothing and come back to buy more beer.
Sadly, this says far too much about the British’s psyche when it comes to the drink. I can’t see there being much of a rush if the pricing error had applied to fruit and veg. Five-beers-a-day is indubitably more appealing that getting your five-a-day.
It’s enough to turn a man to drink, which brings me conveniently to a news story I spotted on the BBC news site this morning.
According to this report, there was a ‘stampede’ at a Scottish Tesco supermarket this week when an administrative error resulted in the price of beer and cider being ‘slashed’.
Tesco’s offer was characteristically tempting: three boxes of beers or cider for £20. However, this was going through the tills at just £11 and the canny Scots were quick to jump on the error.
The report adds that police were called to the Greenock supermarket after heavy congestion in the car park. So how did everyone find out? Social networking of course.
One customer described the situation as ‘bedlam’ as people contacted their friends, while others went home to change clothing and come back to buy more beer.
Sadly, this says far too much about the British’s psyche when it comes to the drink. I can’t see there being much of a rush if the pricing error had applied to fruit and veg. Five-beers-a-day is indubitably more appealing that getting your five-a-day.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Let’s party!
I’d forgotten that there’s a royal wedding on the horizon. No great royalist myself, it had slipped off the radar I guess.
However, colleagues at the council are a bit more aware given their responsibilities as far as street parties are concerned.
One was a bit relieved that the uptake of wedding parties had not been great, so he had less to worry about.
He also showed a me a list of street party rules issued by Merton Council, which he’d used as a crib sheet for his checklist for those wanting to close their road.
Many of the rules are as you’d expect… access for emergency vehicles, licensing arrangements for the sale of alcohol, respecting your neighbours with regard to loud music etc etc
But the section on insurance should discourage anyone keen to celebrate:
“The organiser must either complete a special event agreement form, or arrange Public Liability Insurance Policy providing an indemnity of at least £5m for any one accident indemnifying the London Borough of Merton against any liability, lost, costs, expenses, claims or proceedings whatsoever arising in respect of:
“A copy of the special event agreement or insurance indemnity must be sent to the council for the attention of the Director of Environment and Regeneration before the event takes place. The council will object to any party without the receipt of this insurance policy. (Please note that insurance is usually more expensive if you have fireworks).”
Blimey!
There are other pitfalls, too. Consider the situation in Camden where the council has been accused of political discrimination for refusing a road closure request for a ‘not the Royal Wedding’ party by campaign group Republic.
Seems like councils up and down the country will be glad when it’s all over.
However, colleagues at the council are a bit more aware given their responsibilities as far as street parties are concerned.
One was a bit relieved that the uptake of wedding parties had not been great, so he had less to worry about.
He also showed a me a list of street party rules issued by Merton Council, which he’d used as a crib sheet for his checklist for those wanting to close their road.
Many of the rules are as you’d expect… access for emergency vehicles, licensing arrangements for the sale of alcohol, respecting your neighbours with regard to loud music etc etc
But the section on insurance should discourage anyone keen to celebrate:
“The organiser must either complete a special event agreement form, or arrange Public Liability Insurance Policy providing an indemnity of at least £5m for any one accident indemnifying the London Borough of Merton against any liability, lost, costs, expenses, claims or proceedings whatsoever arising in respect of:
- any loss or damage to property (whether real or personal), or
- any injury to any person, including injury resulting in death
- in consequence of or in any way arising out of the holding of a street party, except in so far as such loss, damage or injury shall be due to the negligence of the London Borough of Merton, its employees or agents.
“A copy of the special event agreement or insurance indemnity must be sent to the council for the attention of the Director of Environment and Regeneration before the event takes place. The council will object to any party without the receipt of this insurance policy. (Please note that insurance is usually more expensive if you have fireworks).”
Blimey!
There are other pitfalls, too. Consider the situation in Camden where the council has been accused of political discrimination for refusing a road closure request for a ‘not the Royal Wedding’ party by campaign group Republic.
Seems like councils up and down the country will be glad when it’s all over.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Sutton’s census: the Jedi mind trick
A press release from the London Borough of Sutton appeared in my inbox today via a colleague. As many of you know, ‘census day’ takes place on 27 March when we’re all expected to be good citizens and provide the authorities with a snapshot of our lives.Sutton has taken things one step further and attempted to evoke the unifying power of the Force in order to get those pesky forms filled in.
Teenagers took to the streets this week dressed as Jedi Knights and no doubt employed the odd ‘Jedi mind trick’ to get people to complete their census forms.
The council took its inspiration from the 2001 census when 400,000 people claimed Jedi was their religion - 0.8% of the population - resulting in it being the fourth largest 'faith' in the UK.
Local florist Anne Marie-Jones, 39, said: 'To be honest I’d never even heard of the census until I got accosted by Darth Vadar. I’m now going to have to check that I’ve received mine and make sure I fill it in.'
The Jedi impersonators are members of Sutton Council’s Young Advisors Network – a group of young people who meet with the council on a regular basis to feed back on youth issues.
One presumes the conversations went something like this…
Jedi: ‘You don’t need to see my identification.’ (wave of hand)
Citizen: ‘I don’t need to see your identification.’
Jedi: ‘Fill in you census form on Sunday.’
Citizen: ‘I will fill in my census form on Sunday.’
Jedi: ‘Separate your recyclables.’
Citizen: ‘ I will separate my recyclables’
Jedi: ‘You can move along.’
(With apologies to George Lucas)
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Don’t give our nutty friends any slack
It’s light in the mornings before I head off to the office these days so Spring can’t be far off. The impending season change is also marked by the heightened activity from grey squirrels in my garden.
I might enjoy watching their acrobatics, but grey squirrels are pests. We all know that these are illegal aliens and have decimated population of native red squirrels. That’s only half the story, though. According to reports this week, grey squirrels are responsible for £20M worth of damage to homes in Britain.
Squirrels like to move into loft spaces and sheds over winter and can cause serious damage to properties. The Daily Telegraph reports how Glen and Laura Borner’s three-bedroom home in Hertfordshire burned down after squirrels chewed through electrical wiring in the loft.
These destructive tendencies are not confined to suburbia, either. The Forestry Commission says squirrels also cause more than £10M of damage to woodland trees each year.
So what’s to be done?
Given our preoccupation with sustainable food sources, and in the interests of moving away from the blatantly wasteful supermarket model of food shopping, I suggest trapping and eating squirrels. The meat is lean and, I can report from first-hand experience, rather tasty.
While we’re at it let’s control the numbers of that other menace, the pigeon. Smoked breast in a Caesar salad makes an agreeable appetizer or light lunch.
I might enjoy watching their acrobatics, but grey squirrels are pests. We all know that these are illegal aliens and have decimated population of native red squirrels. That’s only half the story, though. According to reports this week, grey squirrels are responsible for £20M worth of damage to homes in Britain.
Squirrels like to move into loft spaces and sheds over winter and can cause serious damage to properties. The Daily Telegraph reports how Glen and Laura Borner’s three-bedroom home in Hertfordshire burned down after squirrels chewed through electrical wiring in the loft.
These destructive tendencies are not confined to suburbia, either. The Forestry Commission says squirrels also cause more than £10M of damage to woodland trees each year.
So what’s to be done?
Given our preoccupation with sustainable food sources, and in the interests of moving away from the blatantly wasteful supermarket model of food shopping, I suggest trapping and eating squirrels. The meat is lean and, I can report from first-hand experience, rather tasty.
While we’re at it let’s control the numbers of that other menace, the pigeon. Smoked breast in a Caesar salad makes an agreeable appetizer or light lunch.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
CV suicide
The curriculum vitae is an opportunity for job seekers to sell themselves. However, in a difficult jobs market, there’s a temptation to stretch the truth and some overzealous candidates are standing out from the crowd a little too much.
According to recruitment site Careerbuilder.co.uk, candidates have sent CVs written in rhyme and one listed God as a referee – although the jobseeker could not offer any contact details.
Another listed being ‘a master of time and the universe’ among their skills set, and would presumably have no problems getting to the office in the TARDIS.
The survey of 700 employers found some alarming errors in CVs, too. One candidate simply provided their name and number alongside the comment: ‘I want a job’.
Another jobseeker offered their CV on a page torn from an exercise book while another sent their CV from email address ‘lovesbeer’. Both failed to impress.
Interestingly, nearly one-third of UK employers said they spend one minute or less reviewing a CV, while more than one in ten admitted 30 seconds or less. Roughly one in four employers said they had detected a lie on a CV in the past year.
According to recruitment site Careerbuilder.co.uk, candidates have sent CVs written in rhyme and one listed God as a referee – although the jobseeker could not offer any contact details.
Another listed being ‘a master of time and the universe’ among their skills set, and would presumably have no problems getting to the office in the TARDIS.
The survey of 700 employers found some alarming errors in CVs, too. One candidate simply provided their name and number alongside the comment: ‘I want a job’.
Another jobseeker offered their CV on a page torn from an exercise book while another sent their CV from email address ‘lovesbeer’. Both failed to impress.
Interestingly, nearly one-third of UK employers said they spend one minute or less reviewing a CV, while more than one in ten admitted 30 seconds or less. Roughly one in four employers said they had detected a lie on a CV in the past year.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
The rat and the cat
No, it’s not a modern take on a Dr Seuss classic, but moves are afoot at Number 10 to clamp down on the rat problem in Downing Street.
A couple of week’s ago, I talked about a rat being spotted scurrying across the threshold of the PM house as BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue filed a report to camera.
Since then, there have been a number of sighting of the rat, or one of its furry cousins, including another TV opportunity, this time running across the steps of number 10 during an ITV news broadcast.
The Cameron family are opting for a more environmentally friendly option than dousing the famous street with rat poison, though. A tabby Tomcat, Larry, is the new member of the PM’s family.
The subject of getting a cat was believed to have divided No 10 in recent weeks, with some staff concerned that the feline addition would trigger allergies. The Blairs appeared to share that view and the former Number 10 feline, Humphrey, did not hang around for long.
It’s not clear whether Larry, a rescued cat from Battersea dogs home, will be an ace rat deterrent. Just keep your eyes peeled on the news bulletins.
A couple of week’s ago, I talked about a rat being spotted scurrying across the threshold of the PM house as BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue filed a report to camera.
Since then, there have been a number of sighting of the rat, or one of its furry cousins, including another TV opportunity, this time running across the steps of number 10 during an ITV news broadcast.
The Cameron family are opting for a more environmentally friendly option than dousing the famous street with rat poison, though. A tabby Tomcat, Larry, is the new member of the PM’s family.
The subject of getting a cat was believed to have divided No 10 in recent weeks, with some staff concerned that the feline addition would trigger allergies. The Blairs appeared to share that view and the former Number 10 feline, Humphrey, did not hang around for long.
It’s not clear whether Larry, a rescued cat from Battersea dogs home, will be an ace rat deterrent. Just keep your eyes peeled on the news bulletins.
Monday, 31 January 2011
In a Pickle over winter services
No, for once, I am not referring to our amply proportioned Communities Secretary.
Bergen County, New Jersey has blown much of its winter services budget after the area was hit by severe winter storms (you think we had it bad here).
Just across the Hudson from New York, and despite being one of the wealthier counties in the US, officials are trying to avoid the hefty premium on road salt by opting for an alternative – pickle juice.
The authority says that green salty liquid melts snow and ice just as well as solid salt. And the price is attractive: the briny mixture costs just seven cents a gallon, compared to $63 a ton for salt. They add that this makes the pickle juice work out at an equivalent of $17 per ton, although the maths may warrant further investigation.
Barely halfway through the winter season, and with up $3 million of its $4 million snow budget gone, the authority is definitely warming to the numbers.
The mixture is used as preventative before snow becomes ‘uncontrollable’, officials add.
Bergen County, New Jersey has blown much of its winter services budget after the area was hit by severe winter storms (you think we had it bad here).
Just across the Hudson from New York, and despite being one of the wealthier counties in the US, officials are trying to avoid the hefty premium on road salt by opting for an alternative – pickle juice.
The authority says that green salty liquid melts snow and ice just as well as solid salt. And the price is attractive: the briny mixture costs just seven cents a gallon, compared to $63 a ton for salt. They add that this makes the pickle juice work out at an equivalent of $17 per ton, although the maths may warrant further investigation.
Barely halfway through the winter season, and with up $3 million of its $4 million snow budget gone, the authority is definitely warming to the numbers.
The mixture is used as preventative before snow becomes ‘uncontrollable’, officials add.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Stress o’clock
Stress is now a big issue here at the department of administrative administrations (universal services) thanks to Eric Pickles and his crew. My boss has gone, his role merged with another, and there are fewer bods at desks now than 12 months ago. Workloads have increased and everyone has their heads down to ensure they are not on any future hit lists.
In this climate, I was interested to read that the most stressful time of the week is 10 am on a Tuesday.
This seems a bit arbitrary, but over half of 3,000 British workers surveyed by recruitment firm Michael Page named this slot as their most frazzled period. Many said they ‘coast though Monday getting their brain in gear and catch up with gossip’ while, on Tuesday, reality mercilessly crashes in. Staff spend the very first part of the day going through emails they ignored on Monday before planning the week ahead. The to-do list is then huge and they struggle with their boss' demands or looming deadlines.
The study of office workers aged between 18 and 45 sought to gauge stress throughout the typical working week. It found a quarter regularly feel stressed at work while three quarters of workers regularly reach the end of their tether by 11.16am each day.
One in five find it gets too much before nine o'clock, and I can only imagine most of these work for local government at the moment.
On a ‘positive’ note, people generally make getting a new job in 2011 a resolution for the new year. Where these jobs will come from remains to be seen.
In this climate, I was interested to read that the most stressful time of the week is 10 am on a Tuesday.
This seems a bit arbitrary, but over half of 3,000 British workers surveyed by recruitment firm Michael Page named this slot as their most frazzled period. Many said they ‘coast though Monday getting their brain in gear and catch up with gossip’ while, on Tuesday, reality mercilessly crashes in. Staff spend the very first part of the day going through emails they ignored on Monday before planning the week ahead. The to-do list is then huge and they struggle with their boss' demands or looming deadlines.
The study of office workers aged between 18 and 45 sought to gauge stress throughout the typical working week. It found a quarter regularly feel stressed at work while three quarters of workers regularly reach the end of their tether by 11.16am each day.
One in five find it gets too much before nine o'clock, and I can only imagine most of these work for local government at the moment.
On a ‘positive’ note, people generally make getting a new job in 2011 a resolution for the new year. Where these jobs will come from remains to be seen.
Monday, 17 January 2011
Smell a rat?
I had a bit of a double take when watching the news the other evening.
BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue was doing his thing outside Number 10 when I thought I saw a rat running across the threshold of the PM’s house.
Hitting rewind on the digibox, it was hard to make out on our crappy little set (well, we don’t have HD as Mrs Horace refuses to fork out for it).
I duly shook the Web and found confirmation on Newslite.
Ever-faithful servant YouTube provides corroborating evidence below. The eagle-eyed among you will see the rodent scurrying across the steps of Number 10 after about nine seconds.
One can only speculate whether this is due to fortnightly rubbish collections in Downing Street. Won’t be long before Pickles wades in…
BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue was doing his thing outside Number 10 when I thought I saw a rat running across the threshold of the PM’s house.
Hitting rewind on the digibox, it was hard to make out on our crappy little set (well, we don’t have HD as Mrs Horace refuses to fork out for it).
I duly shook the Web and found confirmation on Newslite.
Ever-faithful servant YouTube provides corroborating evidence below. The eagle-eyed among you will see the rodent scurrying across the steps of Number 10 after about nine seconds.
One can only speculate whether this is due to fortnightly rubbish collections in Downing Street. Won’t be long before Pickles wades in…
Friday, 7 January 2011
Consult and be damned
Consultation, eh? Asking the punters what they want. Has to be a good thing, surely… Well, not always.
Tourism chiefs in Suffolk asked members of the public to submit iconic images that ably represented the county.
No doubt folk at Choose Suffolk were looking for favourite photographs of landscapes, people, or products that would promote the county as an attractive place to visit.
Most got into the spirit, too, nominating images of coastal beach huts, historic buildings and figures like former Ipswich Town manager Sir Bobby Robson
However, the most popular nomination was Dani Filth, the self-styled 'crypt-crawling' frontman of death metal band Cradle of Filth, which was formed in Suffolk in 1991.
Filth recorded over 13,000 votes by having his image clicked on the Suffolk Icons website.
Second placed iconic image was not so inspiring, either: Broomhill swimming pool - a near derelict 1930s former lido in Ipswich - with 2,055 votes.
So what have Choose Suffolk done in response? Selected their own top 20, of course.
The public can now vote on more wholesome images, such as Sutton Hoo, racing at Newmarket, Suffolk Punch heavy horses, and the Woodbridge Tide Mill.
Tim Passmore, the interim chief executive of Choose Suffolk, said: ‘As a user-generated gallery, the site was designed to engage with visitors and encourage their participation. We are encouraged this remit has been successful.’
Tourism chiefs in Suffolk asked members of the public to submit iconic images that ably represented the county.
No doubt folk at Choose Suffolk were looking for favourite photographs of landscapes, people, or products that would promote the county as an attractive place to visit.
Most got into the spirit, too, nominating images of coastal beach huts, historic buildings and figures like former Ipswich Town manager Sir Bobby Robson
However, the most popular nomination was Dani Filth, the self-styled 'crypt-crawling' frontman of death metal band Cradle of Filth, which was formed in Suffolk in 1991.
Filth recorded over 13,000 votes by having his image clicked on the Suffolk Icons website.
Second placed iconic image was not so inspiring, either: Broomhill swimming pool - a near derelict 1930s former lido in Ipswich - with 2,055 votes.
So what have Choose Suffolk done in response? Selected their own top 20, of course.
The public can now vote on more wholesome images, such as Sutton Hoo, racing at Newmarket, Suffolk Punch heavy horses, and the Woodbridge Tide Mill.
Tim Passmore, the interim chief executive of Choose Suffolk, said: ‘As a user-generated gallery, the site was designed to engage with visitors and encourage their participation. We are encouraged this remit has been successful.’
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