The portakabin law

Here's a new Law of building works: as soon as Portakabins are deployed, works will take at leat double the time.

Here's the rationale: why indeed would builders move out when they're so well accomodated on a site?

And there are the proofpoint:

• the North Sheen recreation grounds, 4 portakabin, well over 9 months into building a new pavillion
• the Barnes railway bridge refurb, 6? Portakabins and the towpath blocked on the southside for over 6 months
• the Kew embankments works, 3 portakabins and over 9 months into it
• the Lower Richmond rd pavement works, 2 portakabins since 3 months and not much visible work done

If you're laughinhg, just think it's all your taxpayers money that is spent on overruns and metal containers, with kettles and tv to watch the footie during tea breaks...

Quote of the day

Sometimes I like how a quote can be just flipped on its head, like that one:

Tessa Jowell, Minister for London, said: "The people who came out and voted Labour are the people who use public services and know their importance and their value to their lives." (souce: Labour takes control of eight more London town halls, Evening Standard, 10/5/10)

And taking the contrarian view, those who voted Conservative are the ones paying for those services?
This isn't really a stretch from the imagination, especially considering that Richmond for instance gets less per head than other boroughs:

It explained that we get less than £150 a year per resident from central government – less than any other borough - compared to the outer London average of over £400 a head. Neighbouring Wandsworth for example gets over £500 a head.  This means that our residents have to pay one of the highest Council Taxes in the country, despite having an efficient, low-spending council. (source: Extracts from Cllr Stephen Knight’s speech to council on 2 March 2010: recommending 0% increase tax increase)

politics, taxes, richmond, richmond.giv