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@Go_Kat
You asked for it! [Don't judge me, these are all the notes that I've made and they make me sound like a chump but I wanted to keep track!]
Councillor Victoria Quinn: Initial e-mail on 23rd September. Response on the same day (then some e-mails about pigeons which I got copied into!). I e-mailed her again on Monday 30th and then again this morning (3rd October).
Concillor Tony Kennedy: Initial e-mail on 23rd. He replied and copied in Simon Cooper and Pete Hobbs. No response from any of them. I e-mailed him again this morning (3rd October).
Councillor Mohammed Azim: Initial e-mail on 23rd. No response.
Also I phoned Hall Green District office on 23rd September and spoke to someone called Vicki. She said that it was the responsibility of Simon Cooper and a call had been opened and that a request for the work would be put in. I phoned her back today to say that all the lights had now gone and Vicki gave me Simon’s phone number and e-mail. He didn’t answer the phone but replied to my e-mail on 3rd October saying that this was actually the responsibility of Zhor Malik who he cc-ed into an e-mail. I also e-mailed him (and Simon) and said it would have been good if they’d told us this on the 23rd, rather than ignoring it. Zhor Malik is not on the BCC phone directory or on the Parks Dept phone directory.
7th October. I spoke to Zhor Malik on the phone and he said that there is a problem with the trip switch making the lights go out in blocks, a technician has been out but now needs a cherry picker to get up there and deal with the fault. This should be done in the next 5 days.
15th October Zhor Malik’s phone just ringing and then beeping (no voicemail). I have replied to his e-mail. Victoria Quinn replied to yesterday’s e-mail “Kathryn, I share your frustration and concern regarding what should have been a straightforward request. I regret that despite repeated correspondence chasing an update for you and other users of the facility, I have no further news to provide. I attach below my most recent correspondence on this yesterday.” Vicki had e-mailed Victoria Quinn on the 14th to say: “Where we stand at the moment is we have commissioned the work & are waiting for Middleton's to come out with a Cherry picker to access the lights. At the moment we are still waiting on them. It is not going to be a quick fix as it is more complicated than just a bulb change as there was a fire which as damaged a number of light fittings & electric circuits. I have asked Zhor to chase them up again for an update.”
17th October I phoned Zhor Malik. He said that his boss (Pete Hobbs) has e-mailed someone to find out how they can make Middleton’s do the work as quickly as possible. He then phoned me back to say that he spoke to Vicki in the Hall Green District Office and she has said that the cherry picker is coming on Monday (to fix it, unless the problem is more serious than they thought). He said I can phone him Tuesday morning and he will tell me what’s going on.
The cherry picker did not go on the Monday (21st) because of the weather, they were re-scheduled to go on Wednesday or Thursday but never turned up. I spoke to Vicki at the start of the next week and she said that they were not responding to calls or e-mails but that she would continue chasing them up.
5th November- I phoned Vicki from the Hall Green District Office again who said that work is ‘underway’ but that no one will tell her what this actually means and that she’s been phoning and leaving messages every day. She asked that I also contact Victoria Quinn and Zhor Malik again (and I’ve copied in the head of BCC) in order to try and get this remedied.
5th November- Response from Zhor Malik saying that they have done everything that is required of them and that they are waiting for the contractors to fix it. I also had an e-mail from Vicki to say that she has a new contact at Acivico and she is chasing it up as a matter of urgency.
6th November- Update from Vicki. E-mail saying that she has had a list of works required and costs which she has now signed off on.
8th November- Update from Vicki. They have put an order in for specialist fittings. Can take up to two weeks. Estimated that work will commence on week beginning 25th November.
25th November- E-mailed Vicki to get an update. She got back to me and said: “Further update, the fittings have water in them so the engineers could not replace the bulbs, they are now looking into ways to resolve the matter. I have written another strongly worded email asking for it to be treated as a priority & I have put a note to chase them on Thursday if I haven’t had a response. I am so sorry for all the messing about that’s this is causing you.” I have e-mailed her back to ask whether there is anyone else I should e-mail too.
Today: She has told me to give her till the end of the week before I send another e-mail to everyone including the head of the council otherwise it might make it more difficult!