We saw something strange on the District Council website today, on the details page for Councillor Peter Webster.
It’s at the bottom:
“Surgeries: I am available by my ‘phone from 8.00 am – Midnight, Monday – Friday.”
Available by phone until midnight five days a week? That would be something remarkable. We checked with Cllr Webster and he knows nothing about this.
Cllr Webster and his wife Cllr Mavis Webster don’t have a computer (despite her being in charge of the council IT systems) so this may have been on there a long time without them being aware of it.
Perhaps there is a simple explanation.
UPDATE: 23rd April – the wording was hurriedly amended after we spotted it. Still don’t know what happened here.
Don’t have a computer !!! they should leave the Conservatives and join the Luddites .
Nothing wrong with being a Luddite. Refuse to use computer banking and automated check outs at shops etc i.e do not deal with a machine. These are peoples jobs.
Bruce, it’s 2011 not 1911 – join in.
The Webster councillors [edited] especially Mavis Webster who, in her he role as being in charge of the council IT systems, should be computer literate. How can she seriously hold down such an important post if she has to rely on council officers to lead her through her duties.
In the past I have emailed her on both her County Council and District Council addresses and did not receive replies for either. Also, how much is this costing the taxpayer if the Websters mail replies are are handled by council officers or sent out by post at 46p for a first class letter now.
Also, why should Cllr. Mavis Webster receive extra allowances for being a portfolio holder in a position she cannot manage???
It is possible to be computer literate without having a computer.
However your third sentence is a cause for concern.
Daer Rayleigh Resident – My real cause of concern is that we may be raising a generation that never communicate face to face. the first thing pupils do on leaving school gates is to take out their mobile phone, then spend hours on facebook etc. The English language is being ruined by text speak. Automated answering services are not popular with many people – how long are you on the line before reaching the person you require etc.
Bruce,
Like it or not we live in a society increasingly dependent on the internet and all that goes with it. I want the people that represent us to be forward thinking, looking for opportunities to exploit the ” ecommerce” world so that the town and community can prosper. Burying your head in the sand is not the way forward because it’s here to stay.
But people still value the personal touch and thre is a place in the world for both With an increasingly ageing population, many of whom cannot access the internet for a variety of reasons, there is still a place for personal service Agree with you that ecommerce is with us to stay but as a society we have to consider the implications of this for eg viruses, hacking etc