South Yorks Chief Constable Still Suspended On £16.5K Pm (Almost The Av Annual Salary Hereabouts!

[newbonic]

On BBC R Sheff this AM, they were running an piece about how South Yorks is the 2nd lowest paying place in England, due to the demise of mining & steel etc. and its replacement with minimum wage warehouse jobs.

They contrasted this with the fact that the Chief Constable of South Yorks Police has been suspend since April (for Hillsborough, he was the replacement for the one retired for 'Rotherham') on a salary of £16.5 per month - only £2k less than the average annual salary in Doncaster...

Apparently the Crime Commissioner and co can't decide whether to fire him/retire him/or take him back, so he's spending his time gardening on £16.5k pm. The taxpayer is of course also paying for his temporary replacement as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040hw71

(Yesterday there was a local employer with a factory in the south, and one near Rotherham, who said that only about half of potential employees bothered to even turn up for interviews. Down south most turned up. This, he speculated was because you could afford to live on benefits in Rotherham, but not in the SE.)

Just how is the public sector and the benefits system affordable?

[spyguy]

On BBC R Sheff this AM, they were running an piece about how South Yorks is the 2nd lowest paying place in England, due to the demise of mining & steel etc. and its replacement with minimum wage warehouse jobs.

They contrasted this with the fact that the Chief Constable of South Yorks Police has been suspend since April (for Hillsborough, he was the replacement for the one retired for 'Rotherham') on a salary of £16.5 per month - only £2k less than the average annual salary in Doncaster...

Apparently the Crime Commissioner and co can't decide whether to fire him/retire him/or take him back, so he's spending his time gardening on £16.5k pm. The taxpayer is of course also paying for his temporary replacement as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040hw71

(Yesterday there was a local employer with a factory in the south, and one near Rotherham, who said that only about half of potential employees bothered to even turn up for interviews. Down south most turned up. This, he speculated was because you could afford to live on benefits in Rotherham, but not in the SE.)

Just how is the public sector and the benefits system affordable?

Benefits have ruined the North's industries.

I come from an employment blackspot. It still - just the figures are better massaged.

The few companies there are struggle to recruit because so many people are only doing 16h TC, or off on disability or doing over-paid made up public sector jobs.

This situation came about in the 80s. It died back a lot in the 90s - people were getting kicked off JSA.

Then its come back on a rocket since 2000.

[newbonic]

Benefits have ruined the North's industries.

I come from an employment blackspot. It still - just the figures are better massaged.

The few companies there are struggle to recruit because so many people are only doing 16h TC, or off on disability or doing over-paid made up public sector jobs.

This situation came about in the 80s. It died back a lot in the 90s - people were getting kicked off JSA.

Then its come back on a rocket since 2000.

I agree. It was yesterdays comment from the employer with 2 factories that highlighted just how damaging the benefits culture is. 50% of candidates don't turn up for interview in their Dearne Valley plant! I'm assuming that the job centre is forcing them to apply for jobs that they don't actually want.

But it also highlights that making an area cheap with low average salaries doesn't necessarily attract employers - not if benefits are nearly as good for doing nothing (except maybe the occasional cash in hand job).

[spyguy]

I agree. It was yesterdays comment from the employer with 2 factories that highlighted just how damaging the benefits culture is. 50% of candidates don't turn up for interview in their Dearne Valley plant! I'm assuming that the job centre is forcing them to apply for jobs that they don't actually want.

But it also highlights that making an area cheap with low average salaries doesn't necessarily attract employers - not if benefits are nearly as good for doing nothing (except maybe the occasional cash in hand job).

The cash in hand bit is the thing.

In Whitby, you can get by on 16h TC - council pay your house + ctax, get extra for kids, TC give you afair wahck.

Chuck in 10-20h hours cashinhand hand - pub, chipshop, cleaning and your are OK.

If they time limited benefits than this would disappear instantly.

Allow 10 years max claim in a life time. 2 years max consecutive pay.

Allocate social housing to people who hold down a job.

[newbonic]

The cash in hand bit is the thing.

In Whitby, you can get by on 16h TC - council pay your house + ctax, get extra for kids, TC give you afair wahck.

Chuck in 10-20h hours cashinhand hand - pub, chipshop, cleaning and your are OK.

If they time limited benefits than this would disappear instantly.

Allow 10 years max claim in a life time. 2 years max consecutive pay.

Allocate social housing to people who hold down a job.

Ex pit villages in South Yorks do have a good supply of old but cheap terraced houses, and I know a couple of long term benefits claimants that get HB to hand over to a BTLer for such places.

I agree about the time limits for benefits to those fit to work (although there's quite a disability benefits industry in S Yorks). But barring an economic collapse I can't see any UK government getting a grip on the situation. The best we can probably hope for is no benefits for EU nationals after brexit - that would thin out the EE and Roma colonies hereabouts. and free up a lot of housing to boot.

[interestrateripoff]

Cheaper than sacking him...

[newbonic]

Cheaper than sacking him...

Toby Foster had Lord Someone of Hunters Bar on this AM (be-nobles lib dem Sheff Councillor) on BBC R Sheff this morning. Apparently while spunking £10m of taxpayers cash trying to wriggle out of responsibility for Hillsborough was a bit naughty, it wasn't a sackable offence. So I assume they're just going to keep him on £16.5k pm until he reaches retirement age, at which point it I assume it drops to ~£10k pm(?).

Who cares eh? It's the public sector where money grows on trees.