It never ceases to amaze me how brain dead our local councils have become over the years.
The members of Sprowston Recreation Ground Bowls Club (Norwich) found this out for themselves recently when they fell foul of Sprowston Parish Council, their local parish council.
The bowls club has, for many years, given staff £20 in cash or vouchers at Christmas to thank them for their efforts.
Fair enough?
Not if you are Sprowston Parish Council.
For you see loyal readers, Sprowston Parish Council is of the view that the £20 gifts represent a potential breach of the Bribery Act 2010 (intended to prevent corruption in foreign business deals involving UK firms).
The parish council deem these gifts to be a breach of that Act, even though Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, insisted the other week that the Act would not prevent businessmen and women from giving one another corporate hospitality such as days out watching rugby at Twickenham.
Sprowston Parish Council (who clearly believe that they know the law better than the Justice Secretary) are unmoved:
"Whilst the good intentions of some clubs to reward our staff for their work is appreciated, with the introduction of the Bribery Act 2010 it's requested that this practice ceases at it places the employee in a difficult position. I'm sure you will understand and respect this."
Anyone with half a brain can see that gifts of £20 are not in the same category as bribes to dodgy foreign governments and businessmen. However, as has been seen many times on this site, councils and certain "jobsworths" do not have half a brain.
Councils do not operate by commonsense, instead they believe in the unattainable mantra of "zero risk". Nothing that even hints of risk to the individual or council can be allowed to happen, therefore they "play safe" (without bothering to understand the law or practice commonsense) and ban everything.
Councils have become the enemy of the people, and should be treated with the same contempt as one would treat a rabid dog!
Visit The Orifice of Government Commerce and buy a collector's item.
Visit The Joy of Lard and indulge your lard fantasies.
Show your contempt for Nanny by buying a T shirt or thong from Nanny's Store.
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Why not really indulge yourself, by doing all the things that Nanny really hates? Click on the relevant link to indulge yourselves; Food, Bonking, Gifts and Flowers, Groceries
Not too surprising, it is a council after all. However I do wonder if the council has ever had companies giving them roads or other infrastructure in order to get planning permission. Many councils do just that, which is quite clearly a bribe. Sainsbury, Asda and others are adept at it.
ReplyDeleteDB1 makes a good point regarding the legal bribes developers/builders MUST make inorder to get planning permissions. I have mooted on here before that I can see little difference between these statutory bribes and the bribes often given as part of the normal business practices within the Arab world.
ReplyDeleteI also note that India have been given tens of thousands of visas in return for them buying our goods; again, legal bribes.
Councils are indeed the enemy of the people, not the councillors but the faceless people, that like to be called officers who take leave, rather than holidays, that we can never vote out.
I hate our local authority and I hate Hi-Viz which appears to be our local council's favourite fetish wear unless of course, a few shipping containers were given to the council as a big bribe;-)
Bribes aside, what strikes me about Councils is that like Parliament, they appear to be full of people uniquely UNqualified for the position they hold. Until we start (for example) start appointing people who are accountants to handle our Council budgets we're going to be stuffed. That's my theory anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy first job I got a turkey and a couple of bottles of wine for Christmas. I was 16, so no doubt if it happened today the boss would have been marched into the car park, given a blindfold - though not a cigarette - and shot.
ReplyDeleteAngry Exile;
ReplyDeleteI suspect the real reason Nanny doesn't like people getting gifts at work is because she doesn't get her cut.......You can't tax a turkey and a bottle of wine can you?.....Actually, thinking about it, Nanny does tax perks, but I doubt many of us would tell that lovely, friendly, friend of the people HMRC that they recieved a turkey and a bottle of wine from the Guv at Christmas and ask for HMRC to reduce their tax code a little to tax the benefit one recieved from the gift.
I really believe Nanny doesn't like the thought of people getting something for nothing as she wants her cut.....Nanny knows the cost of everything but not the value of anything.
Just laugh at Hi-Viz.
I was under the opinion that councils were there for the benefit of their residents? Clearly this is a misconception I have been labouring under! As several correspondents have pointed out, whilst they come down like a ton of bricks on ordinary people, there appears to be a totally different set of laws for them!
ReplyDeleteI suggest that the Bowls Club committee invite the Councillors to a meeting to discuss the matter.
ReplyDeleteAnd give them each a cup of tea (and a bikkie)
A local social club used to send its late night staff home in taxis on account to them. These journeys cost £4-5 and ensured the safe return home of 3 or 4 staff. Then HMRC found out and decided that these taxis were "benefits in kind". That club had to go to the expense of allocating each individual how much "benefit in kind" they had recieved, backdated over two years and altered their tax codes accordingly.
ReplyDeleteStaff now have to make their own arrangements.
On the subject of Legal Bribes, ASDA wanted to build a site on the old teacher training college at Exmouth. They agreed to bribe the Council with a sports centre but the Council demanded more. ASDA decided that was a bribe to far and pulled out altogether.