THE EADT is today launching an important campaign to highlight examples of your hard-earned cash being wasted – and we need your help.

Against a background of severe cost-cutting in the public sector, our “Wage War on Waste” initiative will put the spotlight on local councils and other organisations which spend millions of pounds of YOUR money.

We want to know of examples of public money being wasted by poor decision-making. The culprits might be the county council, your local district council, the NHS locally, or any other body which spends your money.

Following the recent so-called “Austerity Budget,” public bodies will have to make massive cuts, totalling many millions of pounds. Already we are hearing talk of axing important services like school crossing patrols.

But many of the front-line services might be preserved if other, unnecessary spending on less essential aspects was stopped. That’s why we want to hear from you with examples of wasteful spending.

Today, we highlight three examples of just that. In Ipswich, no fewer than 20 signs signalling a cycle path have been installed on a half-mile section of road – that’s a sign every 44 yards! In Saxmundham, money has been spent on repainting lampposts – only for them to be condemned and replaced.

Meanwhile, in Stowmarket the same piece of tarmac was dug up twice in a very short space of time.

These examples do not involve big money. But if hundreds, even thousands, of poor decisions like this are being made every year, then it can soon mount up into many millions of pounds.

We want to hear from you with examples of YOUR money being spent unnecessarily. We will publish examples in the EADT, and then we will forward the details to the relevant body, asking them to take action. We hope that the leaders of our public bodies will welcome these contributions as they seek to save huge sums of money.

Working together, we can make a real difference, so please get in touch. Either write to: Wage War on Waste, c/o The Editor, East Anglian Daily Times, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN, or e-mail to eadtletters@eadt.co.uk heading your message “Wage War on Waste.”

We look forward to hearing from you!

EXAMPLES of waste in the region have left people bemused and angry.

In Ipswich, Sue and Richard Scotchmere, of Rushmere Road, have spoken of their disgust at Ipswich Borough Council after they counted 20 identical signs marking the same cycle path in a half-mile stretch of Colchester Road.

The signs, ten in each direction, are positioned between the Rushmere Road roundabout and the roundabout near The George pub and Sidegate Lane.

Mrs Scotchmere said: “This screams profligacy on the part of Ipswich Borough Council. Currently vulnerable groups such as the elderly are subjected to harmful cuts in services due to a lack of money from Ipswich Borough Council. However, it would appear money is available for an unnecessary clutter of signage.”

A council spokesman said the authority will see if the signs can be removed while ensuring road safety is not affected. “Clearly, we do not want to be in a position where we are installing too many signs for a relatively simple scheme,” he said.

In Saxmundham, Jim McCardle, of Waveney Close, criticised Suffolk County Council for wasting money by painting six lampposts only to replace them just weeks later. He said: “Some three weeks ago the street lamps in Saxmundham were repainted a pleasant shade of green. Imagine my dismay when during this last week new unattractive galvanised lights were erected in the same positions and the newly painted originals were unceremoniously dumped on a lorry.”

A council spokesman said a contractor painted six lampposts but considered four others were unsafe. Engineers condemned the four lampposts and found the remaining six were also likely to soon become unsafe. All ten lampposts were replaced as a matter of “urgency.”

In Stowmarket the same piece of tarmac was dug up twice within a short space of time, according to Clifford Davey, of St Edmunds Road. He said: “A few months ago council workers took up a large piece of grass verge at the top of our road.

“It was replaced with a well-finished layer of tarmac. It didn’t look to do anything to the area, but neat even so.

“Recently another gang, possibly the same gentlemen, broke up the tarmac and loaded it onto a truck.

“Back in our road is a new piece of tarmac laid.”