Those of us who are volunteers with the TIC viewed this event with some trepidation. Local councils are not exactly renowned for the common sense approach to running things efficiently - in fact the local council concerned had somehow managed to borrow £2,000,000 without the knowledge of certain of the elected councillors!
Once you become council run all sorts of new and wonderful rules and regulations start to apply to you - even if you are a volunteer. The first little gem was that before being allowed to use any of the TIC computers, (something we had all done as part and parcel of the volunteers work - looking up information on tourist attractions, booking accommodation, seeking timetable information and a hundred and one myriad pieces of information which tourists require) we had to read a 24 page A4 size book which told us what we could and could not do on the computers. Then all those volunteers who had read and agreed to the rules in the 24 page book had to be issued with a password. (This must contain at least eight digits, of which no less than two must be numbers. It must be changed each month!) I'll bet it's easier to get into the computers at the White House.
Then followed the Health and Safety Rules and Regulations. If you are beginning to worry about how the stool in the title is involved, stay with me - we're getting there!
For some years we had had a stool similar to the one illustrated above which was used by those volnteers who were unable to reach the top shelves where tourist attraction literature was kept.
It had served us well, and was well loved by all the volunteers, but one day - DISASTER - the stool began to develop a small split at the top where the carry holes were.
Now under normal circumstances (ie prior to being run by the council) common sense would have prevailed, and another stool would have been purchased from a local DIY store and bought out of petty cash.
But wait a minute - we now have a council who are empowered to make decisions on our behalf. First you need to seek their permission to purchase another stool, then you need to submit the exact specification of the said stool, then the Health and Safety department need to consider the safety implications of the said stool, then a chitty has to be raised to get the cash from the finance department to purchase the said stool. In and amongst all this the Health and Safety Department suggest that what is really needed is a stool with rubber covered treads, (so that there is no risk of slipping on the treads, and handrails on either side (so that there is no risk of falling sideways off the stool) , and if it is to have wheels (so it can easily be moved without fear of back problems arising due to having to lift it) then it must have safety brakes to stop it moving when you are stepping on and off it. Total cost for said stool in the region of £235.00
Now our beloved stool cost £5.35 from the local DIY shop. It was suggested to the local council that £235.00 was just a little over the top, and despite the amazing in built safety factors it was felt that an exact replacement would suffice.
FIVE e-mails later the wonderful council agreed to our request!
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