It kicked off yesterday, in Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee, as much as it ever does. Multiple councillors expressed vocal and repeated frustration with the difficulties they are experiencing in signing up for the much vaunted “carbon literacy” training.  Among others, the chair of the committee, Councillor Basil Curley was upset that he had not received accurate information about the order in which the training had to be done. (There are two components – on-line and face-to-face).

Other councillors told similar tales of woe.  (How can I prove this?  Readers, I filmed it.)

One councillor referred to a colleague who is not on the committee, Mark Hackett (Charlestown), saying he had tried “twenty times” to log on.

Councillor Hackett was in the room, and MCFly took the opportunity to ask him about the training. Here’s the video.  (A full video of the committee’s discussion, complete with steam coming out of the ears of various members’ ears, will be posted soon).

It all raises two questions.

1) Why, 8 months after officers assured councillors that the target was 30 councillors carbon literated by June 2014, is the whole process still an omnishambles, with only 9 having done the training as of 25th August? (At least two more had on the morning of the 26th, but this provoked surprise and despondency among other councillors, who had been unaware that the training was on offer that morning!)

2) If the council can’t get something that simple right, what hope is there for the big stuff?