Sadgebore District Council has responded to the criticism revealed in SomersetClive over the lack of lighting on the Promenade.
Spokesperson Blair Stagg told us “I don’t think your readers realise how many Council contractors it takes to change a light bulb. They may think it’s a simple job that one man can undertake, but it’s actually far more complicated than that.”
“First we have to go out to tender to find a suitable contractor to undertake the work. Then the light bulbs have to be sourced and due to the ongoing pandemic this isn’t as simple as selecting the correct size of bulb from the shelves, it is taking time for the supply chain to recover.”
“Our H&S team then have to work with the contractor to ensure that all paperwork relating to the job has been submitted in decruplicate and has been approved by at least nine people.”
“A full spending review has to be conducted by a team of 94 in our accounting department so that we are certain that the new light bulbs represent value for money.”
“Finally, the contractors have to check that they have a man, equipped with a van containing ladders, the correct personal protection equipment and the new bulbs.”
“In total it takes around 994 people to change a bulb when the work is being carried out by a Council.”
“We are supremely confident that this work will commence in a few weeks. Or a few months. Or never.”