the man from the council say YES

I'm happy to report that there's a very nice man at Eastleigh Council's 'Direct Services Team' (no idea what stakeholder-service-solutions they provision?), said a lot of yeses to my questions which was as surprising as it was pleasant to hear. Yes you can have our permission to do the clean-up (we'd have done it anyway). Yes we can provide you with the right bin bags. Yes we can provide you with litter pickers (tong-like tools not people). Yes we'll arrange to take the rubbish you've collected away. And yes we are responsible for the beach, and yes, sadly we know it's a problem area that we do clean up from time to time so yes, it saddens us that the litter piles up at express speed again too. Having gotten pretty much a full house of yeses to my questions, I didn't feel the need to press him on what more the council could do and who was ultimately responsible. I know that he is a civil servant, not responsible for policy and decisions so that bit of lobbying will wait for another day and another man. Who will doubtless say no.

As a footnote, I would say that it was a salutary lesson in what a positive manner could do. It had taken several attempts to get him on the phone and his tone of voice when he answered this time was tinged with .....'uh oh, hear we go - a moaner'. I opened my conversation with "don't worry I'm not calling to have a go.....just want to do a clean up..." and was all chirpy, happy, friendly; and he responded in kind. Send out the positive voodoo and it comes back. Even from the council. Lovely day too this morning.