My first Council Memories article received positive feedback. Many people made contact to offer examples of their experience in government, NHS and state education. None of it came as a shock to me. My latest recollection of incompetence involves magnetism and thousands of pounds wasted. The role of a magnet is to stick to metal, this is its primary defining characteristic. If it cannot perform this task then it is fair to say it is not a magnet.
In 2008 I worked for a local council. I ran a city-wide project to engage the community in the fight against antisocial behaviour to improve the quality of life of residents and reduce the fear of crime. It is known that low-level nuisance has a disproportionate effect on residents' lives. Ironically, the total volume of crime has been falling for over 30 years. But people report that they think crime is getting worse. This is partly down to the media, especially social media.
My project was part of a national campaign called RESPECT, initiated by New Labour. It concentrated on prevention and early intervention as an effective measure of reducing social issues. I updated the Prime Minister's Policy Unit on our approach and success. We had funding to think outside of the box and try new approaches.
I funded all sorts of things, such as staff to work evenings and weekends when antisocial behaviour was at its peak. I commissioned mobile billboards displaying crime prevention advice to drive around specific neighbourhoods. We offered kids and students free bike locks. And even designed lip-balm items that secretly displayed a domestic violence telephone helpline. Most of the new ideas worked well. Some did not.
To overcome the negative effects of the media on perceptions of crime, I knew I had to spend some money on PR ideas. We needed to inform people that crime was falling and it was safer than it had ever been. It was a war of hearts and minds if we were to reduce the fear of crime. I organised for the police and council staff to go out into the community to speak to residents and knock on doors. Partly to reassure people, partly to ask what their priorities were for policing in their neighbourhood. We must never forget to ask the people what they wish public servants to do.
I wanted to place large banners across police vans when parked up at community events. This would show residents we were in the area and uniquely advertise our crime prevention messages. While researching plastic banners on the council's intranet to purchase, I saw magnetic banners. They were made for car doors, larger versions were available for the side of vans. This was perfect. No messing around trying to tie a banner to a van and then having to untie it later. Magnetic banners could be thrown onto the side of a van and peeled off in seconds. Perfect. The only downside was the price. A typical plastic banner would cost £75, magnetic versions cost £600. We ordered two. An unknown company with a council contract received our order and within a few weeks, the banners arrived. We unrolled them on the office floor. They looked great.
At the next community event, I took one along. The event was at a supermarket. We had a police van and a small caravan in attendance full of information. I unrolled the banner and asked a police offer to help me place it along the side of his vehicle. It fell off immediately. We tried again. It fell off again. I could feel the magnets sticking to the van. But the weight of the banner was too much for the weak magnetism to hold in place. Disappointed. A few days later, I tried the other banner. The same thing happened.
I complained. Over a grand spent for two worthless banners was not what we needed. A response came back after several months and several emails chasing. I was informed that the magnetic banners were not guaranteed to stick to all metal surfaces. They were designed to stick to completely flat metallic surfaces only. The banner needed to come into contact with 100% of a surface to maximise the grip of the magnets.
I complained again but got nowhere. We rolled up the banners and placed them at the very back of a store cupboard in the town hall. It was closer than the commercial waste bins on the ground floor.
How is it possible to buy banners to use in the same manner as advertised only to be told that they are being used incorrectly? How is it possible not to have a clear and robust returns procedure? And why did no one care about the waste of money? The cost was the same as one house pays in council tax for a full year.
Part of the problem is that no one in the council ever refers to the money they spend as taxpayers' money. It is seen as something magical that just appears every year in their budget and needs to be spent.
This attitude needs addressing. We need a monumental change in how and who is held accountable for taxpayers' money.
Your money. My money. Our money.
The solution should have been to buy some more powerful magnets which could have been placed on the outside of the banner to pin it to the metal of the van. No one would have cared that the magnets were visible. They'd simply have noticed that the banner was being held up using magnets...
... then some smart arse would have stolen one.