Not That Budget!

I'm tired, I'm fairly stressed, and even worse I'm still waiting! Don't ask why I'm waiting, just read some recent posts, and you'll get the general idea. Almost 4 years of hard work, and it will all boil down to one hour of observation. I could handle the observation part, if I knew when to expect it, but I don't, and it's virtually impossible to be fully prepared for any random time. I'm actually at the stage of not caring when it happens, as long as it's soon, because the waiting is intolerable. It's like waiting for the hang-man, or a last minute reprieve. Either one might arrive first.

There's a hell of a lot of roadworks going on around here at the moment. They've got half the bloody town dug up. Not only are they laying broadband cables, the Gas have been digging up seemingly arbitrary areas since October, and pretty soon traffic calming measures will be started. Mind you, March always was a busy time on the roads, what with budgets having to be used up. Yes, that's right! If you don't know it, this is how it works; departments, such as Roads, get a budget for the ensuing financial year. At the end of the year, if they've used all of their budget, then they get an increased budget for next year. However, if they haven't spent all of the budget, it will get slashed for the following year. That's why the road gritters are out on beautiful days spraying salt everywhere. They have to use it all up before the end of the financial year.

It's amazing isn't it! That's why the local authorities are so hard-pressed financially. Every department is competing for cash, and in ordeer to secure that cash, they have to fritter away the cash they have. It's a peculiar system, and one which clearly doesn't work. Probably needs a total overhaul form top to bottom!