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School phone cut off after council fails to pay the bill

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Published Date: 13 September 2007
By FIONA MACLEOD
EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT
A SCHOOL had its telephone service cut off after cash-strapped City of Edinburgh Council, which is under pressure to tackle a £10 million black hole in finances, failed to pay the bill.
Gracemount High in the Liberton area of the capital was disconnected for four days until Tuesday due to what the authority described as a "misunderstanding". BT confirmed the school's service had been suspended due to non-payment of the bill.

A council spokeswoman said: "The phones at Gracemount High School were partly suspended due to a misunderstanding."

Iain Whyte, the Conservative leader, said: "This could have had serious consequences, particularly for parents surrounding problems with collecting and dropping off children. There are issues of public safety."

The SNP-Liberal Democrat coalition recently had to scrap plans to close 22 schools, which would have generated £16 million from selling buildings and land.



The full article contains 155 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 12 September 2007 11:57 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Edinburgh Council
 
1

Wisnaeme,

13/09/2007 01:44:29

Doh.

How can they be partly suspended?
Did they get the odd phone call in that four day period then.

Tisk tisk, councilor.They were either cut off or they weren't cut off.

Which is it to be?

Frippery aside. I sincerely hope that the previous Edinburgh council administration's accounting,it's procedures, it's decision making and those responsible for it are thrown to wolves for incompetence in public office.

In media news speak terms;

who,what, when, where,why, should be thrown open to public scrutiny by public demand of what exactly was done in their name and by whom. Let it known. Let there be an accounting for such maladministration of public affairs.
.

2

Guga II,

Rockall 13/09/2007 03:28:26

They'll probably have their electricity and gas cut off as well, when they have to fork out for the cost overruns on the trams.

3

Pocket Dictionary,

13/09/2007 05:55:57

When I used to work for Fife Regional Council if the far distant past, nobody got paid on time because of the amount of paperwork involved and the departments it had to travel through.
Every month my work base received red letters from everyone because of late payments. Without fail we always got one from Fife Regional Council threatening to send in the debt collectors to take us, Fife Regional Council, to court for non-payment - you can't make it up!

4

Jeeemy,

13/09/2007 06:57:31

Pocket Dictionary#
I can believe it, when the Late Payment Act came into being Fife was the worst offender.
Fife Council has the biggest number of employees, per head of population in Scotland.
As for the management structure, the standards of education and management skills have to be seen to be believed.
As for the Accoutants! they know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

5

Grumpy,

13/09/2007 07:50:51

I assume this means that BT charge the council extra for not settling bills by Direct Debit.......

6

Judge&Jury,

Glasgow 13/09/2007 08:02:49

This is the same council that wants more money from Scotlands public funds because it is the capital.

Yes this is a real ringing endorsement of this councils lack of fiscal capability.

Perhaps this is at the root of why the council has a huge black hole in its finances?

To think that some of these people may be advising small businesses on how to run their enterprises.

Makes you weep

7

Boy Wonder,

13/09/2007 08:46:17

The Toon Cooncil has always been notorious for late payments of its bills, often by months!

Yet, if you're a day late with what you owe them ... they come after you with the full force of the law. And I've seen the demanding letters they send out ... often to the old and infirm.

If this new admin is going to work ... sort out the council's internal finances first before you attempt to sort out anyone else!!!

8

Non political,

Stockbridge Primary "89% occupancy" 13/09/2007 09:22:28

Thats just embarrassing.

How late would you actually have to be for BT to cut your phones (and I assume they were even given a bit more time because they were a school).

I am thinking 3 months.

9

Not A Unionist or Nationalist,

13/09/2007 09:33:18

Councils are notorious for paying their bills late - this has nothing to do with any shortfall that Edinburgh Council may have.

10

Kobi,

13/09/2007 11:48:27

#8

The Council certainly used to have a wheeze (don't know if it still operates) that where a pricvate sector contractor did work for it, the contractor would get paid within 60 and 90 days after the invoice was rendered. If the in-house Direct Labour Organisation or Direct Service Organisation rendered an invoice, it was paid by electronic transfer the same day. Then the council insisted that private sector contractors add 10% onto the cost of any bids they make for work, to cover the potential cost to the council if the private sector contractor went bust due to poor cash-flow problems.

11

Not A Unionist or Nationalist,

Dundee 13/09/2007 14:20:49

#13 I think you have misunderstood what I was trying to say - I believe that the problem of late payment would have happened irrespective of the state of Edinburgh's finances.

12

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 13/09/2007 14:57:24

Does this Council know what in the hell they are doing? How can you overlook a vital item such as telephone service?

What a bunch of useless wonders. They should be sacked and replaced with people who can keep track of finances and maintain essential services.

13

Isabel,

13/09/2007 17:14:46

#15 TimW1234

Our council is living in cloud cuckoo land. Trams have priority over essential services. Like the council before it, it is spending our money like it's going out of fashion. This is another reason why people who can afford to are choosing to emigrate. It is a move to preserve what little is left of their money.

14

Boy Wonder,

13/09/2007 18:20:46

I believe the Council are now trying to rename provision for the community as existential services!!!

15

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 14/09/2007 02:34:06

#17 Boy Wonder

Not a very original joke/play on words and it is not funny at all.

16

James,

Dundee 14/09/2007 02:37:30

......not to mention the late payment fees and reconnection charges.

perhaps Edinburgh could try 'Pay as you go'?


 

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