Contracts go through a tendering process, cheapest tender wins. How is it the cheapest? Low pay, poor service standards, little or no contract monitoring by council due to staff cuts etc. etc.

What many drivers don't realise is that their vehicle's speedo is probably giving a false reading and can be showing quite a bit faster than the true speed - i.e. when the speedo shows 50mph, you might only be going at 45-46mph. Someone with a satnav (which gives a more accurate reading) may therefore appear to be exceeding the speed limit but is more likely to be right on it.

As for drivers who drive slower than the speed limit - have you noticed that they ofter keep to 40-42 on the open road and through towns... Unless there is a good reason not to, drivers should always drive at the speed limit.

What's the point of fining utility companies every time they break the conditions of their 'permits'? They'll just pass the cost on to their customers - us!

It didn't take long for this worthy topic to degenerate into political ping-pong, did it? Shame on you.

I'm glad I'm thinking about artificial grass!

But you quote a lot..... 

I don't know how long this has been going on for but I'd start off by doing a system restore to a point before the problems started - a bit of a long shot given the problem but something seems to have corrupted your email account settings.

Have you tried using email software (e.g. Thunderbird) to access your email? https://www.mozilla.org/en-GB/thunderbird/features/

Surely the elected members are the ones who provide local knowledge; officers require professional knowledge, expertise and experience to carry out their political masters' desires.