c2w - should you have to actually cycle to work?

[Standoff]

what like not giving them more tax

Exactly. Trust yourself to be able to spend it better than the state.

 

[subaqua]

Exactly. Trust yourself to be able to spend it better than the state.

so using a scheme such as C2W to pay less tax then

 

[martint235]

Do something more useful. Become more self sufficient. Stop relying on your government to do everything for you! Starve the beast!

You have heard of economies of scale haven't you? You on your own cannot purchase the services bought on your behalf by central and local Govt.

I'm sure someone said you were really Linford and he hasn't been around on this thread yet....

 

[Hitchington]

We have a fair few customers collecting bikes on the c2w scheme, I would hazard a guess that less than 10% of them have any intention of actually cycling to work.
They seem to fall into three categories- older chaps who do cycle wanting boardmans for weekend rides, 30 somethings wanting carrera's for two or three weekend rides before retiring the bike to the garage, someone's dad wanting a mtb "to go out with the lad" .
The only one's who absolutely do commute to work seem to be council workmen who do it partly out of sufference (wife has the car) and partly because they know it's doing them good in the long run.
If we get a woman in wanting one the bike chosen often looks suspiciously like it's going to be a present for an older child, and there was one lady who couldn't understand why we wouldn't sell her a 12inch child's bike on the scheme!
Surely the point of the scheme is to encourage people to leave their cars at home, so shouldn't there be some insistence that participants do just that?
I'd propose a penalty and if the bike wasn't used for the commute atleast four times a month then they would have to pay for it in full.

Got my bike 2 and a half years ago through c2w and had to sign an agreement saying that I will use it not only to get to work but for all my journeys at work (I work for the council social services doing outreach) and my manager is supposed to check periodically (although she doesn't) that this is the case. But my bottom is practically glued to the saddle as it is a tres nice bike. I probably got the bus to work 2 or 3 times last year when I was ill.

 

[Standoff]

You have heard of economies of scale haven't you? You on your own cannot purchase the services bought on your behalf by central and local Govt.
.

Of course I've heard of economies of scale. I've also supplied national and local government in the course of my business over the last 25 years. They are the absolute worst purchasers I've come across. You wouldn't believe the waste. They don't care because it not their money. It's how the late Robert Maxwell became rich!
Example.. I demonstrated a machine to the medical control agency a few years ago. They liked it and said they'd want three. Gave me a requisition number and never once asked the price or tried to negotiate a deal for quantity.
In your example we'd still be buying cars off British Leyland!

 

[srw]

There's no commercial incentive because you are forced to pay for it already and I'd be pretty foolish to pay it again! If the council let us source services ourselves I can guarantee the private sector would do it better and cheaper!

I've given you the contact number. All you have to do is phone them up and find out how much they'd charge you.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Whilst I think anything that gets more people cycling is a good thing I think abuse of C2W rules is taking the **** out of your colleagues and taxpayers in general.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

HMRC website states:

"the employees must use the cycle or equipment mainly for qualifying journeys. 'Qualifying journeys' means the same as for the works bus exemption (see EIM21850). Other use of the cycle, for instance pleasure use or use by members of the employee's family will not disqualify the exemption provided that the other use is not the main use of the bicycle."

B#gger! That would rule me out, then - my commute's the highlight of my day. Very.... er... pleasurable (in a totally above-board and manly kind of way, naturally ).

Seriously, though: if this scheme gets more people cycling, even if they're rorting the scheme, that's a good thing, isn't it? They might actually become regular cyclists, and the more of those the better.

 

[Standoff]

I've given you the contact number. All you have to do is phone them up and find out how much they'd charge you.

If the council backed out if emptying bins I could negotiate on behalf of my village and I wouldn't only have one number to phone!

 

[Standoff]

Got my bike 2 and a half years ago through c2w and had to sign an agreement saying that I will use it not only to get to work but for all my journeys at work (I work for the council social services doing outreach) and my manager is supposed to check periodically (although she doesn't) that this is the case. But my bottom is practically glued to the saddle as it is a tres nice bike. I probably got the bus to work 2 or 3 times last year when I was ill.

Council obviously need to employ some c2w compliance officers!

 

[martint235]

If the council backed out if emptying bins I could negotiate on behalf of my village and I wouldn't only have one number to phone!

And who would then manage the contract for you? How would decisions be made on who to award the contract to? What if one person disagreed and refused to pay? And you can't say "That one person would have to arrange their own contract" because what if they didn't? What if they just left their rubbish next to yours?

Of course I've heard of economies of scale. I've also supplied national and local government in the course of my business over the last 25 years. They are the absolute worst purchasers I've come across. You wouldn't believe the waste. They don't care because it not their money. It's how the late Robert Maxwell became rich!
Example.. I demonstrated a machine to the medical control agency a few years ago. They liked it and said they'd want three. Gave me a requisition number and never once asked the price or tried to negotiate a deal for quantity.
In your example we'd still be buying cars off British Leyland!

Yeah and there's no waste in the private sector?

I worked on a central procurement scheme for a couple of years. We saved the Govt millions, and I mean millions, each year on what the suppliers would had sold the product for to the smaller organisations we gave it to for free.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

No they don't. They're the only ones doing it for householders because there's no commercial incentive for anyone else to do it. And that, in turn, is because the service that the council must provide is cheap and effective.

Try ringing these guys (phone number on the webpage) and let us know how you get on:
http://www.veoliaenvironmentalservices.co.uk/Main/Services/For-business/Commercial-waste-collection/

Hmmm Commercial waste collection....

Price band A for "normal" waste
Price band B for "Special Waste"

Who gets to decide what's "Special waste"? The company making out the bill!

 

[Standoff]

Yeah and there's no waste in the private sector?

Well I have a choice in whether I deal with private companies. Which goes back to my original point about forced devices!

 

[Standoff]

Services

 

[martint235]

Well I have a choice in whether I deal with private companies. Which goes back to my original point about forced devices!

You didn't answer my questions over your utopian village where you negotiate with a private company.