WHAT is happening at Wirral Council?

Even by their past standards, the service offered to residents of Wirral has reached an all-time low.

Last week, the garden bins had not been emptied in our road on the day allocated, so the next day I attempted to ring Streetscene to find out what had happened.

All I got was a tape of 1960s music for 20 minutes, so I gave up.

Last Monday I had to ring them again on another matter, and the same thing happened.

Is anyone still there at the end of the telephone, or have humans been replaced completely by automatic switchboards and computers?

In the end, I was forced to send an e-mail to the council, which has not been acknowledged.

I can only assume that staffing has been cut to the bone, and that the austerity measures are having the effect predicted by some.

In the past, I have criticised the council for wasting money and cutting in the wrong areas, but we seem to be close to a Greek-style tragedy of collapse, or death by a thousand cuts.

Alan Keating by email.