Mind you, our Local Council works in exactly the same manner... one doesn't see anything being done by the roads folk all year, and then suddenly in March
And there was me thinking they'd waited for all the snow/frost to cease damaging roads/pavements before they repaired them...
But, I do agree, that the last minute spend is madness. Furthermore, this new DIO (Defence Infrastructure Organisation) crock-of-crap that Hammond invented is completely useless and a HUGE waste of money. I've seen quotes from local professional building companies put in quotes for 40% of the cost of DIO's and the latest 'crowning turd in the water-pipe' is that DIO would not take anymore works in July for the rest of the financial year (yes, a whole 8 months!) because they haven't got much works service capacity left.
Give the money back to the Station Commanders, employ OC SSSs again, get rid of Regional Prime Contractors (who also appear to be crooks bumping up prices with a '40% variance' for DIO) and allow them to employ local companies to do the work. The DIO should be like the MAA, regulators for building works and employ a couple of hundred people and not the thousands that they have grown into.
Rant over and out!
LJ
