DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT THE RATES (c.1983) film no: 4693

This film is part of the C.H. Wood collection and is an educational/promotional film for Sheffield City Council. The film explains exactly where the Council money is spent in the city, and how the services benefit the locals.

The film opens with a man in a pub ordering a drink and talking to his friend who is sitting at the bar. The barman tells the customer how much the pint costs and the customer gets angry and says `How Much?!' He then goes on to says that it's so hard to make ends meet when you have children in school and then have to pay high council rates. He says what do we need councils for anyway?!.

Title-Don't Talk to me About Rates.

The voiceover says that the council is there to ensure the supply of services so that we can enjoy a good standard of living. He continues on to list many of the services that they council provides including schools, social housing, money loans, carers holidays, repairing roads, rubbish collection and park maintenance. There are shots of people carrying out all of these services.

The voiceover says that most of Sheffield's housing is looked after by the council and this is followed by shots of people painting windows, collecting rent, constructing new houses and refurbishing old ones.

The scene cuts back to the men in the pub with the customer talking to the camera. He says that ok he can see that the council provide housing and they should do, but that's all. The voiceover says that it isn't all that they do.

He talks about the amount of children that go to school every day in approximately 300 schools in Sheffield and that dinners need to be provided for most of those students. He also says that the Council pays for students to go to Poly-technic Colleges as well as centres for higher education for those who are able to.

The man in the pub again talks to the camera and agrees that they provide housing and schooling, but that it's the people that get free hand outs, that he disagrees with. The voiceover then goes on to talk about the services that are available for children's homes, elderly people, day centres for children, help for families in difficulty.

Back in the pub again and the voiceover says that the council also looks after the thousands of tonnes of rubbish that Sheffield produces every year, the street cleaning and the hygiene checks in hotels, cafes and pubs.

The customer in the pub agrees with the council carrying out these services but that he can't see how any other services are necessary.

The film continues on to say that the Council looks after many buildings themselves including the Town and City Hall, some museums, the markets, the car parks and the library.

Back to the pub and the man says that he enjoys a bit of culture, but he doesn't like the property developers that rush in to build huge concrete buildings that ruin the place. The voiceover says that the developers have to go through the Council first and convince them that they will improve the environment with their construction.

There are shots from around Sheffield centre and the voiceover says that the Council is the biggest employer and employs 30,000 people in a variety of rolls. He also says that you have a right to be on the electorate roll, be able to register births, marriages and deaths.

The voiceover explains that the grants given to Councils are being reduced so the gap has to be filled by Council rates increasing.

Back in the pub the customer is giving out about some companies carrying out daylight robbery with the money they charge for services and materials. The voiceover says that some companies have had to close because of this but that it's nothing to do with rates. He says that economists have called it `a downward Spiral' in the economy. This is followed by lots of shots of social welfare offices, closed shops and derelict warehouses.

The voiceover summarises all of the services that the Council carries out and says that for the price of a pint, why would you want to get rid of them? The man, who has been silently sitting at the bar with the customer, holds up a pint and says `don't look at me mate, I never said a word'.

Title-Produced by Produced Presentation for Sheffield City Council.

Editing and Post Production-John Floyd and Phil White.

CAN'T READ NEXT CREDIT

Title-Sheffield City Council Provides Services Worth Saving.