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Is Lockdown easing gradually?
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Bournemouth Addick said:Spitfire76 said:Bournemouth Addick said:Spitfire76 said:Bournemouth Addick said:killerandflash said:Bournemouth Addick said:The Leader of the local council seems to agree it's not a great idea to visit Bournemouth just yet too.
"Please come back in a couple of weeks when we'll able to make some money from you"
She's consistently said that the town is struggling with visitors due to sheer numbers for this time of year, lack of businesses to service them, staff being redeployed to other functions, staff shielding, staff sickness, putting in place social distancing measures in public toilets, etc.
This is coming from the 4th July weather we like it or not and the lockdown has been relaxed over the course of months , I would rather these councils concentrated on making it work & making it safe than discouraging people visiting, it can be done & done safely but it sounds like they are under prepared.
From simple things like investing in a lot of additional signage (which then has to be changed to 1m of course) or buying in barriers to socially distance queues through to taking on extra security staff to support those working on the beaches trying to remind people re:distancing, group sizes.
The truth is that not everything is going to be ready and open, because it can't. You cannot build a socially distant toilet block in a matter of a few weeks to replace one that was built in the 1970's. Nor can you go out and recruit and train 100's of temporary staff overnight.
The council has been working very, very closely with the local tourism industry but just like you and your pub, just because you don't see it, it doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
Bournemouth has always had loads of visitors on days like this & so it should it’s a lovely place , knowing a lot of people are furloughed & lockdown was being eased by the week I would have thought they would have been expecting it , I was & ive no doubt you were , it was ages ago photos were put up of the beaches packed , did they think it would get less busy as lockdown eased & we got further into summer?
All my signage was done along time ago & we had an active discussion on exactly what it should say & knowing there was every chance the distance would be relaxed we stayed clear of anything that said two meters on it & the distancing message is still perfectly clear , it just took a bit of thought & planning.
This...
...is not normal for a Wednesday when the kids are supposed to be at school. Last week, the beaches were empty at times. It's entirely different to planning for a normal summer.
The council find out about these things at the same time everyone else does, they're not privvy to any warning yet are supposed to push the government line i.e keep two metres apart for example.
As I said you've no idea what work is being done and what problems all local authorities are facing whilst also coping with the same situation as other businesses like staffing levels well below normal.
My kids were taken out of school in March and the general thought was they would not return untill September, as the situation got worse through April it was clear this was here for a while & it was also clear we couldn’t stay in lockdown forever, with most businesses shut I’d have thought it obvious that parks & beaches would be packed.
Ive no idea what they are doing behind the scenes but whatever it is it’s not good enough judging by your pictures & comments but I bet what ever they are doing they don’t come across as many obstacles as the rest of us as most of my hurdles are put in front of me by the council.
There have been drive through concerts arranged for thousands in the past month or so all with toilets & food & drink & all rubbish cleared for the following day that start in July all over the uk this is a far bigger undertaking & I bet the thing that took the longest was the councils signing it off & providing licenses.
Forward thinking & planning.No ostriches.5 -
Covered End said:Bournemouth Addick said:Covered End said:killerandflash said:Bournemouth Addick said:killerandflash said:Bournemouth Addick said:The Leader of the local council seems to agree it's not a great idea to visit Bournemouth just yet too.
"Please come back in a couple of weeks when we'll able to make some money from you"
She's consistently said that the town is struggling with visitors due to sheer numbers for this time of year, lack of businesses to service them, staff being redeployed to other functions, staff shielding, staff sickness, putting in place social distancing measures in public toilets, etc.
1 Sophie wanting people to go home due to Covid risks in lockdown.
2 The leader of the council wanting people to come back in 10 days time when hotels, attractions, museums and restaurants are open.
No Covid concerns because it will presumably be spread far more easily in the indoors establishments that she wants the public to spend their money on.
If the leader of the council is misleading the public then that will certainly not help.
Plus I'm not sure how the public are meant to know without contacting a council which is a bit unrealistic.
You have some resorts begging the public to come and others begging them not to come.
There was a hotel owner in Sherborne on the TV this morning, begging people to come to Sherborne, which I would have assumed would be the same everywhere. (not that a packed beach has any attraction for me).
I just looked it up & it says 32 miles from Bournemouth.
It was more a reference to spreading the crowds out at more venues around the resort tbh. At the moment, everyone coming to town is ending up on the beachfront or in the gardens. In a couple of weeks time they'll be able to use pubs, hotel facilities, in the shops, etc. Which will help spread the load around (perhaps not the right phrase in the circumstances!).
She's not misleading anyone, just the opposite in fact, she's being up front about the resort's capacity to cope at the moment.
The hotelier in Sherborne raises an interesting conundrum the council has had to manage too. There are hoteliers out there breaking the law by taking bookings, how does the council manage that situation and keep everyone happy? There's massive commercial pressures being applied to councils to support their tourism industry but at the same time they are expected to ensure the public are kept safe. It's not an easy line to tread where tourism is such an important part of the local economy.1 -
Spitfire76 said:Bournemouth Addick said:Spitfire76 said:Bournemouth Addick said:Spitfire76 said:Bournemouth Addick said:killerandflash said:Bournemouth Addick said:The Leader of the local council seems to agree it's not a great idea to visit Bournemouth just yet too.
"Please come back in a couple of weeks when we'll able to make some money from you"
She's consistently said that the town is struggling with visitors due to sheer numbers for this time of year, lack of businesses to service them, staff being redeployed to other functions, staff shielding, staff sickness, putting in place social distancing measures in public toilets, etc.
This is coming from the 4th July weather we like it or not and the lockdown has been relaxed over the course of months , I would rather these councils concentrated on making it work & making it safe than discouraging people visiting, it can be done & done safely but it sounds like they are under prepared.
From simple things like investing in a lot of additional signage (which then has to be changed to 1m of course) or buying in barriers to socially distance queues through to taking on extra security staff to support those working on the beaches trying to remind people re:distancing, group sizes.
The truth is that not everything is going to be ready and open, because it can't. You cannot build a socially distant toilet block in a matter of a few weeks to replace one that was built in the 1970's. Nor can you go out and recruit and train 100's of temporary staff overnight.
The council has been working very, very closely with the local tourism industry but just like you and your pub, just because you don't see it, it doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
Bournemouth has always had loads of visitors on days like this & so it should it’s a lovely place , knowing a lot of people are furloughed & lockdown was being eased by the week I would have thought they would have been expecting it , I was & ive no doubt you were , it was ages ago photos were put up of the beaches packed , did they think it would get less busy as lockdown eased & we got further into summer?
All my signage was done along time ago & we had an active discussion on exactly what it should say & knowing there was every chance the distance would be relaxed we stayed clear of anything that said two meters on it & the distancing message is still perfectly clear , it just took a bit of thought & planning.
This...
...is not normal for a Wednesday when the kids are supposed to be at school. Last week, the beaches were empty at times. It's entirely different to planning for a normal summer.
The council find out about these things at the same time everyone else does, they're not privvy to any warning yet are supposed to push the government line i.e keep two metres apart for example.
As I said you've no idea what work is being done and what problems all local authorities are facing whilst also coping with the same situation as other businesses like staffing levels well below normal.
My kids were taken out of school in March and the general thought was they would not return untill September, as the situation got worse through April it was clear this was here for a while & it was also clear we couldn’t stay in lockdown forever, with most businesses shut I’d have thought it obvious that parks & beaches would be packed.
Ive no idea what they are doing behind the scenes but whatever it is it’s not good enough judging by your pictures & comments but I bet what ever they are doing they don’t come across as many obstacles as the rest of us as most of my hurdles are put in front of me by the council.
There have been drive through concerts arranged for thousands in the past month or so all with toilets & food & drink & all rubbish cleared for the following day that start in July all over the uk this is a far bigger undertaking & I bet the thing that took the longest was the councils signing it off & providing licenses.
Forward thinking & planning.No ostriches.
As I've said, it took a while but almost all the toilet blocks on the front are now open anyway.
There's normally 300+ beachfront staff employed alone. They are still recruiting but at one stage recently there were only 25 available. They spend most of their days looking after those in and on the water because there are no lifeguards currently. Not their primary role but yet another duty they've been tasked with. When they're not doing that they are getting abused, assaulted and even spat at by beach users. Hence now the council are having to recruit security staff. For the beach. Just think about that situation. Could that have been foreseen?
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By the sounds of it the council should consider closing the roads into town & only allow in residents, like a few towns did a couple of months ago.2
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You find somewhere to put them, unfortunately it’s the same thinking as a lot of the council’s & it drags things down always looking for the problems not the solutions.
i have no mains drainage & have a 100k sewage treatment plant & the water comes out of the other end drinkable as verified by my council every year for a mere £1100 for my license to discharge it into a brook , being the location have they looked into this to connect temporary loos ? It takes a week to install & just 2 months for the council planning!
And yes the security question could have been foreseen , if you tell people they can’t do as they want they get annoyed, if you put plans in place you need someone to enforce them, a lot of pub staff will be faced with being abused & spat at & assaulted as they tell people they have to sit down & wont be served at the bar etc but this can absolutely be foreseen & those expecting it will have security arranged as we do as an industry every single weekend just think about that situation.
Is anyone in your council experienced in event management, as there is regular crowds there I presume they have some employed or at least consult with some kind of event management company.3 -
Spitfire76 said:You find somewhere to put them, unfortunately it’s the same thinking as a lot of the council’s & it drags things down always looking for the problems not the solutions.
i have no mains drainage & have a 100k sewage treatment plant & the water comes out of the other end drinkable as verified by my council every year for a mere £1100 for my license to discharge it into a brook , being the location have they looked into this to connect temporary loos ? It takes a week to install & just 2 months for the council planning!
And yes the security question could have been foreseen , if you tell people they can’t do as they want they get annoyed, if you put plans in place you need someone to enforce them, a lot of pub staff will be faced with being abused & spat at & assaulted as they tell people they have to sit down & wont be served at the bar etc but this can absolutely be foreseen & those expecting it will have security arranged as we do as an industry every single weekend just think about that situation.
Is anyone in your council experienced in event management, as there is regular crowds there I presume they have some employed or at least consult with some kind of event management company.
Yes, there is an events team in place and every year, for example, they put on an air show that attracts circa 1m visitors so they do know a little about the subject of planning for mass events. Planning for mass events in the middle of a public health crisis is slightly more challenging I'd suggest.
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As a non driver and frequent bus user i can confirm that a LOT of people are not bothering with a face cover.0
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Where is everyone having a jimmy and a richard without these bogs open ?0
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Bournemouth Addick said:Okay. How do you get a truck down an 7 mile long prom multiple times a day to empty the portaloos when it's as busy as that then? Do you think people will just stop using a portaloo when it's out of service? How many surfaces inside a portaloo are going to need cleaning every 20 minutes or whatever is deemed appropriate? How many do you need and at what cost when there are 10,000's sometimes 100,000+ using the beach. Where do you put them where they don't cause an additional hazard?
As I've said, it took a while but almost all the toilet blocks on the front are now open anyway.
There's normally 300+ beachfront staff employed alone. They are still recruiting but at one stage recently there were only 25 available. They spend most of their days looking after those in and on the water because there are no lifeguards currently. Not their primary role but yet another duty they've been tasked with. When they're not doing that they are getting abused, assaulted and even spat at by beach users. Hence now the council are having to recruit security staff. For the beach. Just think about that situation. Could that have been foreseen?
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addix said:Bournemouth Addick said:Okay. How do you get a truck down an 7 mile long prom multiple times a day to empty the portaloos when it's as busy as that then? Do you think people will just stop using a portaloo when it's out of service? How many surfaces inside a portaloo are going to need cleaning every 20 minutes or whatever is deemed appropriate? How many do you need and at what cost when there are 10,000's sometimes 100,000+ using the beach. Where do you put them where they don't cause an additional hazard?
As I've said, it took a while but almost all the toilet blocks on the front are now open anyway.
There's normally 300+ beachfront staff employed alone. They are still recruiting but at one stage recently there were only 25 available. They spend most of their days looking after those in and on the water because there are no lifeguards currently. Not their primary role but yet another duty they've been tasked with. When they're not doing that they are getting abused, assaulted and even spat at by beach users. Hence now the council are having to recruit security staff. For the beach. Just think about that situation. Could that have been foreseen?8 - Sponsored links:
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addix said:Bournemouth Addick said:Okay. How do you get a truck down an 7 mile long prom multiple times a day to empty the portaloos when it's as busy as that then? Do you think people will just stop using a portaloo when it's out of service? How many surfaces inside a portaloo are going to need cleaning every 20 minutes or whatever is deemed appropriate? How many do you need and at what cost when there are 10,000's sometimes 100,000+ using the beach. Where do you put them where they don't cause an additional hazard?
As I've said, it took a while but almost all the toilet blocks on the front are now open anyway.
There's normally 300+ beachfront staff employed alone. They are still recruiting but at one stage recently there were only 25 available. They spend most of their days looking after those in and on the water because there are no lifeguards currently. Not their primary role but yet another duty they've been tasked with. When they're not doing that they are getting abused, assaulted and even spat at by beach users. Hence now the council are having to recruit security staff. For the beach. Just think about that situation. Could that have been foreseen?
You go in when you need a chi recharge and to release negative energy and centrist thoughts, which is manifested as human faecal matter10 -
addix said:Bournemouth Addick said:Okay. How do you get a truck down an 7 mile long prom multiple times a day to empty the portaloos when it's as busy as that then? Do you think people will just stop using a portaloo when it's out of service? How many surfaces inside a portaloo are going to need cleaning every 20 minutes or whatever is deemed appropriate? How many do you need and at what cost when there are 10,000's sometimes 100,000+ using the beach. Where do you put them where they don't cause an additional hazard?
As I've said, it took a while but almost all the toilet blocks on the front are now open anyway.
There's normally 300+ beachfront staff employed alone. They are still recruiting but at one stage recently there were only 25 available. They spend most of their days looking after those in and on the water because there are no lifeguards currently. Not their primary role but yet another duty they've been tasked with. When they're not doing that they are getting abused, assaulted and even spat at by beach users. Hence now the council are having to recruit security staff. For the beach. Just think about that situation. Could that have been foreseen?
Full disclosure, I know the people responsible the decision not to use portaloos. I've worked with them for over 20 years. They are not "computer says no!" types or "ostriches" with a negative attitude at all. Just the opposite actually. If portaloos had been the solution to the problem after Boris Johnson told people overnight to go to the beach, then they would have been in place. But they weren't viable, so they put the effort into getting the existing toilets into service and making them safe for users and staff instead.
I realise I'm coming across as defensive of the local authorities efforts, and I will defend them where it's appropriate, because I know just how hard the staff have been working behind the scenes to get the place open and ready to deal with the influx of visitors. It's very easy to come up with, "Just..." solutions to problems when you don't have all the information in front of you.2 -
Bournemouth Addick said:Spitfire76 said:You find somewhere to put them, unfortunately it’s the same thinking as a lot of the council’s & it drags things down always looking for the problems not the solutions.
i have no mains drainage & have a 100k sewage treatment plant & the water comes out of the other end drinkable as verified by my council every year for a mere £1100 for my license to discharge it into a brook , being the location have they looked into this to connect temporary loos ? It takes a week to install & just 2 months for the council planning!
And yes the security question could have been foreseen , if you tell people they can’t do as they want they get annoyed, if you put plans in place you need someone to enforce them, a lot of pub staff will be faced with being abused & spat at & assaulted as they tell people they have to sit down & wont be served at the bar etc but this can absolutely be foreseen & those expecting it will have security arranged as we do as an industry every single weekend just think about that situation.
Is anyone in your council experienced in event management, as there is regular crowds there I presume they have some employed or at least consult with some kind of event management company.
Yes, there is an events team in place and every year, for example, they put on an air show that attracts circa 1m visitors so they do know a little about the subject of planning for mass events. Planning for mass events in the middle of a public health crisis is slightly more challenging I'd suggest.
I always think people can do more & most of the time they can & I do have some experience in event management ,coincidentally in air shows too albeit a small cog in a big machine , the 1st company I invested in was an outdoor events company based in Chichester the same year we started we took over the contract at Kent county cricket ground where I worked previously, 12 months later we were hosting the opening match’s of the 1999 World Cup a huge undertaking for a new company, we arranged marquees ,toilets & catering for both Maidstone & royal tunbridge wells festival weeks ,we also had a contract for farnborough air show and the Paris air show (mostly catered for at the Lawrence ground & driven over) , the ramesgate yacht regatta , dance parties etc 75% of our business was in locations that had no fixed premises so the logistics of these events is something I know well.
i have organised events in the weirdest most awkward locations but appreciate it being hard in the current climate but see it as another surmountable obstacle, these things need quick thinking & quick action , not possible is not something I generally do.0 -
oohaahmortimer said:Where is everyone having a jimmy and a richard without these bogs open ?
Basically, it seems like we went from dealing with the worst behaviour of our home grown twats to dealing with half of southern England's twats in a very short time.6 -
I don't understand the attraction of sitting on an overcrowded beach. We have a long enough coastline in this country for people to choose less crowded places to sit.23
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hilarious that people are 'social distancing' queuing for the bogs, but then wandering back to a packed beach.
agree with ME14, why on earth anyone at the moment would want to sit on a packed beach is beyond me.11 -
ME14addick said:I don't understand the attraction of sitting on an overcrowded beach. We have a long enough coastline in this country for people to choose less crowded places to sit.
Problem is the majority expect all the trimmings with a trip to the beach. Toilets, amenities, ice cream stalls and Van's, fast food. In a lot of other countries I have visited you go to the beach and you take anything you need with you, the beach is the beach and less of a resort if that makes sense.
Brighton beach and Margate spring to mind, nice beaches but the logistical management needed to deal with humans is substantial, just clearing up is a massive undertaking and a shameful one
Botany Bay is a bit better because it's not so accessible and it's essentially, sand, sea and some toilets at the bottom of the walk down.3 -
Carter said:ME14addick said:I don't understand the attraction of sitting on an overcrowded beach. We have a long enough coastline in this country for people to choose less crowded places to sit.
Problem is the majority expect all the trimmings with a trip to the beach. Toilets, amenities, ice cream stalls and Van's, fast food. In a lot of other countries I have visited you go to the beach and you take anything you need with you, the beach is the beach and less of a resort if that makes sense.
Brighton beach and Margate spring to mind, nice beaches but the logistical management needed to deal with humans is substantial, just clearing up is a massive undertaking and a shameful one
Botany Bay is a bit better because it's not so accessible and it's essentially, sand, sea and some toilets at the bottom of the walk down.2 -
So, what beaches have people been to that have full toilet facilities open, and somewhere to get some food and drink to keep the kids refreshed ?0
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Elthamaddick said:hilarious that people are 'social distancing' queuing for the bogs, but then wandering back to a packed beach.
agree with ME14, why on earth anyone at the moment would want to sit on a packed beach is beyond me.
Or Glastonbury rather than listening through a high quality sound system at home.
Or a table in a busy restaurant rather than a table in a private room.
I could go on!
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Carter said:ME14addick said:I don't understand the attraction of sitting on an overcrowded beach. We have a long enough coastline in this country for people to choose less crowded places to sit.
Problem is the majority expect all the trimmings with a trip to the beach. Toilets, amenities, ice cream stalls and Van's, fast food. In a lot of other countries I have visited you go to the beach and you take anything you need with you, the beach is the beach and less of a resort if that makes sense.
Brighton beach and Margate spring to mind, nice beaches but the logistical management needed to deal with humans is substantial, just clearing up is a massive undertaking and a shameful one
Botany Bay is a bit better because it's not so accessible and it's essentially, sand, sea and some toilets at the bottom of the walk down.8 -
AFKABartram said:Carter said:ME14addick said:I don't understand the attraction of sitting on an overcrowded beach. We have a long enough coastline in this country for people to choose less crowded places to sit.
Problem is the majority expect all the trimmings with a trip to the beach. Toilets, amenities, ice cream stalls and Van's, fast food. In a lot of other countries I have visited you go to the beach and you take anything you need with you, the beach is the beach and less of a resort if that makes sense.
Brighton beach and Margate spring to mind, nice beaches but the logistical management needed to deal with humans is substantial, just clearing up is a massive undertaking and a shameful one
Botany Bay is a bit better because it's not so accessible and it's essentially, sand, sea and some toilets at the bottom of the walk down.6 -
MrOneLung said:So, what beaches have people been to that have full toilet facilities open, and somewhere to get some food and drink to keep the kids refreshed ?
no beaches my way but the lakes in MK have split into four quarters as such with each having there own hot food truck,cold drinks & ice cream & separate portable toilet cabins to stop people all having to walk around to get them from a central point & it’s being marshalled to stop over crowding0 -
Went for an evening walk at the beach yesterday, thinking it would be quiet at 9pm - I was mistaken! Felt very strange being around so many people so got back in the car and left. Toilets were open and there was a queue of about 50 to get in0
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Bournemouth Council has declared a major incident after so many people descended on the beaches. They say there have been disgraceful scenes and they have issued a record number of parking fines.
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It's been coming. I believe the police are considering issuing a dispersal order.
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Major incident?1
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AFKABartram said:Major incident?0
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AFKABartram said:Major incident?
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Rothko said:AFKABartram said:Major incident?
The fact we are still battling a fecking pandemic seems to have passed a lot of the public by and they need looking after for their own good as they don't seem blessed in the common sense department that our government seems to be relying on.2