Problem with local council

[0a]

OP one of the tactics I have used in the past is to ask a never ending series of freedom of information requests - sooner or later it becomes easier to sort the issue than answer you.

[Markbarry1977]

Zombie said:

soad said:

I assume, they're quite secure. Some are even used to store heavy plant machinery...

The older one's have weak spots. Obviously I'm not going to post details, but most are easy enough to get into.

That was my understanding too.

[Markbarry1977]

Zombie said:

Markbarry1977 said:

I'd find a couple of local scrotes in a nearby pub and tell them about the £1000s of pounds worth of equipment just left there in a flimsy container. Maybe express your surprise that nobody has emptied it of it's contents yet.

I'm sure even if they don't have the balls to do it themselves they will know someone who does.

Taking this thought to it's logical conclusion... The scrotes will be highly unlikely to take the container, only the contents, which will be covered by insurance. The OP's Council tax will go up because the cost of the Parish council's asset insurance has gone up. Container will still be there.

OP's Post code will be blighted as a crime hotspot.

OP's house insurance will go up. Op's Car insurance will go up.

Congrats, you've funded a drug adicts habit and achieved nothing else.

Well done.

I pretty sure if it got broken into a few times they would look at moving it to a more secure location.

[Zombie]

Markbarry1977 said:

I pretty sure if it got broken into a few times they would look at moving it to a more secure location.

FACE, MEET PALM. Both of then.

[davepoth]

Looking at the "storm" picture, the risk of it damaging your property by shifting off the hardstanding might be another angle. Is it secured to the ground in any way?

[The Surveyor]

OP, be realistic with this, you won't get the Parish Council to change their mind on this, and right-off the money spent forming the hard standing and buying the container solo. Doing this alone will get you nowhere other than just personal frustration.

You don't like it, but they have done nothing wrong other than failing to discuss this with you beforehand. I take it you don't attend Parish Council meetings? Try and get a copy of the minutes to the meeting where this was discussed and agreed.

Ultimately, your only chance of getting listened too is by getting other people involved, what do the other people around think of the container as if there is a wider objection you'll have a much louder collective voice.

If nobody else cares, or objects then your going to have to put up with it IMHO.

Edited by The Surveyor on Sunday 26th February 16:01

[anonymous-user]

0a said:

OP one of the tactics I have used in the past is to ask a never ending series of freedom of information requests - sooner or later it becomes easier to sort the issue than answer you.

Why don't you just ask and they can tell you ?
Usually completely unnecessary FOI marks out 'a nugget'

[nonsequitur]

55palfers said:

It could be a caravan....

Er...It's a shipping container.

[elanfan]

nonsequitur said:

55palfers said:

It could be a caravan....

Er...It's a shipping container.

Whoosh parrot. Poster is suggesting it could be worse having travelling neighbours!

[nonsequitur]

elanfan said:

nonsequitur said:

55palfers said:

It could be a caravan....

Er...It's a shipping container.

Whoosh parrot. Poster is suggesting it could be worse having travelling neighbours!

Parrot rejected. There is no evidence that 'Travellers' would park there. More like a neighbour having a caravan parked in their drive.

There is a separate thread discussing that very subject.

Brightly coloured bird coming your way!!

Edited by nonsequitur on Sunday 26th February 19:22

[mybrainhurts]

nonsequitur said:

Brightly coloured bird coming your way!!

Not sure whether to snigger or wait for cries of racist...

[Red Devil]

0a said:

OP one of the tactics I have used in the past is to ask a never ending series of freedom of information requests - sooner or later it becomes easier to sort the issue than answer you.

Otoh it might deem the request/s to be vexatious per Section 14(1) - https://ico.org.uk/media/1198/dealing-with-vexatio...

[Foliage]

Bosnian Bill

[rscott]

brrapp said:

I'd imagine that that area is defined as 'Public open space' as defined in the Open Spaces Act 1906 and as such isn't covered by normal permitted development rules and should require change of use planning permission to erect any 'buildings' or remove any part of the open space from free public access. I think your Parish Council may have got this wrong and it might be worth while pursuing this further.

Our Parish Council put a 40' container on the playing field for storing the goalposts. District council planning officer confirmed it didn't need any permission at all.

[Cyberprog]

rscott said:

Our Parish Council put a 40' container on the playing field for storing the goalposts. District council planning officer confirmed it didn't need any permission at all.

I'm surprised at that. I'm a parish councillor for my local parish, and we have a planning issue currently with a resident who's put two containers in the corner of a field by his house. They're about to start down the legal route to remove them!

[Zombie]

Cyberprog said:

I'm surprised at that. I'm a parish councillor for my local parish, and we have a planning issue currently with a resident who's put two containers in the corner of a field by his house. They're about to start down the legal route to remove them!

You're not a Cllr for Morpeth are you? lol

I'm not a planner but IME, Planning legislation isn't as simple as it does or doesn't need consent, context and land use (i.e. associated PD rights) also play their part.

Edited by Zombie on Tuesday 28th February 22:48

[PF62]

speedyguy said:

0a said:

OP one of the tactics I have used in the past is to ask a never ending series of freedom of information requests - sooner or later it becomes easier to sort the issue than answer you.

Why don't you just ask and they can tell you ?
Usually completely unnecessary FOI marks out 'a nugget'

Of course answering is simpler but unfortunately some councils don't seem to want to do that.

My most amusing result was after a local councillor got a bee in their bonnet about perceived speeding on a residential street so got the local authority to set up traffic monitoring. Report comes out in the local press that 80% of cars are breaking the 30 mph limit.

Very odd as I know this road and although you get the odd car speeding, certainly nothing like 80%. Contact the local council to ask for the raw data from the traffic monitoring. No, can't have it, so I put in an FOI.

The council sends me the data. Looking at the headers something seems wrong as it has a different street name on it.

Turns out the council were doing two lots of speed monitoring, one on this 30mph road and the other on a 40mph road. They had got the data mixed up when they wrote their reports...

[gus607]

No problem there ! Move on.

[MKnight702]

PF62 said:

Turns out the council were doing two lots of speed monitoring, one on this 30mph road and the other on a 40mph road. They had got the data mixed up when they wrote their reports...

Unfortunately, by the time you had pointed out the glaringly obvious error, Brake and the local council had lowered the speed limit on the road in question and installed speed cameras, cushions and other road calming to stop this insidious lawlessness to the benefit of fluffy bunnies and children the world over.