How many council idiots does it take to change a light bulb?
21st October 2011
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We have all heard the classic jokes about changing a light bulb, but now one of these jokes has come true. Councils across the UK are renowned for inefficiency, budget cuts and just generally being unpopular with almost everyone. However, Gloucestershire council really went out of their way to show their incompetence...
It all started on 15th August when a local resident sent an e-mail to the council informing them that a lamppost near his house had gone out. It sounds simple enough; you just need someone with a ladder, a screwdriver and a new bulb.
However, we wouldn't be British if we didn't overcomplicate things, and luckily Gloucestershire council are patriotic enough to respect this.
The first problem came when the workers discovered there was a hedge in the way of the lamppost. Unfortunately, it would be too rational to just get a pair of hedge clippers. The council workers had no choice but to call the parks department to get some professional hedge cutters in to do the job. However, when they turned up it turned out that water was leaking in, so another phone call was needed to another department to sort this out.
Fortunately for us, they didn't waste time waiting to sort the problem out. Whilst all this was happening, the police made a special visit to make sure there was no security risk with the lamp post not working.
Luckily, this story does have a happy ending. Almost. After four weeks of dilly-dallying about, a new bulb was finally fitted. There was light!
For all of 30 seconds, Cheltenham was grasped out of darkness, until the fuse promptly blew. Finally, six weeks after the first report, at least 12 separate visits, and thousands of pounds of taxpayers money well spent, Prestbury road was back from the dark ages. I have to admit, these light bulb jokes are usually a bit snapper than this one.
It all started on 15th August when a local resident sent an e-mail to the council informing them that a lamppost near his house had gone out. It sounds simple enough; you just need someone with a ladder, a screwdriver and a new bulb.
However, we wouldn't be British if we didn't overcomplicate things, and luckily Gloucestershire council are patriotic enough to respect this.
The first problem came when the workers discovered there was a hedge in the way of the lamppost. Unfortunately, it would be too rational to just get a pair of hedge clippers. The council workers had no choice but to call the parks department to get some professional hedge cutters in to do the job. However, when they turned up it turned out that water was leaking in, so another phone call was needed to another department to sort this out.
Fortunately for us, they didn't waste time waiting to sort the problem out. Whilst all this was happening, the police made a special visit to make sure there was no security risk with the lamp post not working. Luckily, this story does have a happy ending. Almost. After four weeks of dilly-dallying about, a new bulb was finally fitted. There was light!
For all of 30 seconds, Cheltenham was grasped out of darkness, until the fuse promptly blew. Finally, six weeks after the first report, at least 12 separate visits, and thousands of pounds of taxpayers money well spent, Prestbury road was back from the dark ages. I have to admit, these light bulb jokes are usually a bit snapper than this one.
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